The United States spends $250 billion annually on the costs of lawsuits, equaling 2% of its Gross Domestic Product. Our sue-happy culture has infected the Church so that often Christians take other Christians to court. What is God’s will concerning lawsuits among believers? Find out in this message.
Teaching Notes:
What About Lawsuits In The Church?
1 Corinthians 6:1-11
Intro: Paul in this section is moving on to the third issue that Chloe’s people have informed him of – that of brothers suing brothers in the secular courts. We all know that lawsuits are over the edge in our sue-happy American culture. Costs of lawsuits comprise about 2% of the Gross Domestic Product, equaling about $250 billion!! And, because the Church takes its cues from the world, believers sue other believers without a pang of conscience. In this passage, the apostle is giving us God’s will concerning lawsuits among believers. The way Paul deals with this is by asking 9 questions in 8 verses. There are 12 sentences in 6:1-8. 9 of them are questions! Let’s take a look at God’s Word on this matter.
1. A Rebuke: Those who are taking their brothers to court before the unrighteous should be ashamed! 6:1-8
A. The Proper Persons to Judge Between Brothers: 6:1-6
Dare: Just as in 1 Corinthians 5, Paul is shocked and horrified at something these believers were doing. In 1Cor.5:1 he says, “It is actually reported…” Here he says, “Does any of you really dare…” It is almost as if he can’t believe the report he has heard from Chloe’s people (1:11). The church at Corinth was rapidly losing its testimony. Not only did the unsaved know about the issue of incest, but now they were airing their dirty laundry by taking brothers to a secular court for judgments.
To go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? This is what has shocked and horrified Paul. He is going to emphasize the wrongness of this action in many ways.
The saints will judge the world: This is the 1st of 3 “Do you not know” statements in 6:1-11 (vs.2,3,9). It’s interesting that Paul just assumes that these Corinthian saints knew all about how they would judge the world. Evidently when he was among them, this was a topic that he had touched on. How will saints judge the world? My best guess is that on Judgment Day, when God pronounces His verdict upon the godless world of Christ-rejecting, God-hating sinners, the saints will stand up and side with God and confess His righteousness in this judgment. The Point: If the saints will judge the world, how absurd is it for the saints to bring their cases before the world for judgment!? Psalm 1:1 “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked.” A simple believer who knows and believes God’s Word has more true wisdom than the most brilliant atheist.
The saints will judge angels: Since the “world” is the unrighteous portion of humanity, I would think that the “angels” the saints will judge refers to the unrighteous portion of the angelic creation, or fallen angels – demons. We know from Rev.20:10 that the devil will be thrown into the lake of fire. We also know from Mt.25:41 that the eternal fire was prepared for the devil and his angels. Evidently on Judgment Day, God will pronounce His sentence on the devil and his angels, and the Church will rise up and give their “Amen” to God’s decree. We will have a participation in the Judgment of Angels. Therefore, if we are to have such a lofty role of judgment in the future, surely we can exercise a little wise judgment now! The Point: If we will be judging angels concerning eternal destinies, how much more should we be able to make judgments concerning these smaller temporal concerns?!
Do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? Are you so foolish as to appoint worldly, unrighteous judges over your disputes. They are of no account in the church, do not know, or obey God’s Word. Do you really believe they should be the ones to make decisions for brothers?
I say this to your shame: In 1Cor.4:14 Paul said, “I do not write these things to shame you.” However, here he DOES say these things to shame them. It’s as if he is saying, “SHAME ON YOU!!” How can you do this?!
Is there not among you one wise man: Remember, that the Corinthians were full of pride and arrogance, and to them “wisdom” suggested superior spirituality. So, when Paul asks is there not among you one wise man, this was biting sarcasm, intended to shame them into repentance.
But brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers: This is the real issue that was so troubling to Paul. The church’s testimony was all but lost, it had aired its dirty laundry before a watching ungodly world, so that it had become a laughingstock before them. This reminds me of the mid 1980’s, when the world looked on as Jimmy Swaggart fell morally, Jim and Tammy Baker were guilty of large-scale fraud and tax evasion, and Oral Roberts said God was going to kill him, unless he raised 8 million dollars within 2 months. While all this was going on, the world just looked on and snickered and laughed.
B. The Proper Attitude to Have In a Dispute: 6:7-8
Actually then, it is already a defeat for you: You are defeated even before you ever begin. Since you are already defeated by taking your brother to court, why not allow yourself to be defeated by being defrauded? That way, though you are defeated, at least you don’t smear the name of Christ before an unbelieving world.
Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? If you believe your brother has cheated you or wronged you, why not just be wronged or defrauded, rather than taking him to court before unbelievers? And, if you feel you must seek justice, at least take it before brothers in the church, not men of the world.
On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren. Not only were some taking brothers to court because they felt they were wronged, but other brothers were deliberately wronging and defrauding their brothers, probably by cheating or swindling them!
2. A Warning: Those who Live Like the Unrighteous Will Not Inherit the Kingdom of God! 6:9-11
Unrighteous: This word “unrighteous” ties vs.9-11 in to vs.1-8. 6:1 begins with, “dare to go before the unrighteous.” The sentence begins with, “Or”, letting us know that Paul is continuing his thought in vs.1-8. The connection seems to be this: some among you are wronging and defrauding your brothers. Don’t you know that a man who lives in unrighteous behavior like that is not going to heaven. A man who wrongs and defrauds others has more in common with the world, than the saints.
Will Not Inherit The Kingdom Of God: This can mean nothing other than in the eternal state, these kinds of people will be shut out forever. This is equivalent to saying, “These people will not be in heaven, but will instead be in hell.” Notice that Paul repeats this 2x for emphasis. Jesus said in Mt.25:34 “Come, you who are blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” There is a kingdom to inherit, and only the sheep will inherit it. And the sheep, are known by love (Mt.25:35-40).
Do Not Be Deceived: Paul begins the 2nd sentence with, “Do not be deceived.” This is a matter upon which many people are deceived. They believe they can raise their hand, walk an aisle, or say a “sinner’s prayer”, and go to heaven, regardless of what kind of life they live afterwards. Today, millions of professing Christians are deceived. We have the “easy-believism” of independent American Christianity which says, “Once saved, always saved.” By that they mean, “Once profess Christ and you will always be saved whether or not you show any fruits of repentance and holiness or not.” In actuality, the truth is more like, “Once Saved, Always BEING Saved.” If God has once saved you, He will be at work in you to conform you to the image of Christ. If that is not occurring in a person’s life, it certainly means he has never been saved at all. To confuse matters more, American Christians have embraced the notion that we can accept Jesus as Savior without receiving Him as Lord. In other words we can escape hell by a faith that does not submit to Jesus as Lord. This perverted teaching looks at obedience and sanctification as “optional”. A person will have a happier, more fulfilling and productive life if he receives Jesus as Lord, but this is not necessary to be saved, because salvation is by grace, not by works. All of these things have contributed to the self-deception of millions! Jesus said, “Many will say to Me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; Depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness’ (Mt.7:22-23).
Sins of Vs.9: Interestingly, the sins Paul lists in 1Cor.6:9 belong to the 2nd half of chapter 6 (vs.12-20), while the sins he mentions in 1Cor.6:10 belong to the first half of chapter 6 (vs.1-8).
Fornicators: This is the sin of an unmarried person having sex with another unmarried person. Unfortunately, this sexual practice is portrayed as the norm in our popular culture on TV, in movies, in books and magazines. Often teenagers in high school are afraid of being thought of as “weird” if they are still virgins. I’m shocked when I clean windows for my customers when I find out how many of them have different last names, apparently living together outside of marriage.
Idolaters: It is interesting how often idolatry is linked with sexual immorality, perhaps because sexual pleasure has become the idol and the ultimate pursuit in many cases. Is my passion in life to love and serve the True and Living God, or a god of my own making?
Adulterers: This is the sin of a married person who has sexual relations with anyone other than their spouse. In the OT, adulterers were to be killed. Today in our culture, we call it “having a fling” or “an affair.” The Bible calls it adultery.
Effeminate: The word literally means “softness”. It is translated as “male prostitute” in some modern versions. In early Greek literature the word referred to the passive partner in a homosexual relationship. However, the word is broad enough to include all those who exchange the normal male-female roles such as transvestites, sex changes, gays and lesbians.
Homosexuals: in case there is any doubt, Paul lists homosexuals as those who will not inherit the kingdom. I know there are many gays who are trying to say that the Bible never condemns homosexuality. However Paul is absolutely clear in this passage that God does condemn the act of homosexuality, and those who practice it will not inherit His kingdom.
Thieves, Covetous, Drunkards, Revilers, Swindlers: all of these except for the possible inclusion of “drunkards” would refer to the problem stated above – that of lawsuits, and defrauding brothers. Drunkenness might have been part of the problem of the defrauding.
Such were some of you: people in Corinth had been saved out of all of these sinful lifestyles. Notice “were”. They weren’t adulterers, fornicators, drunkards, homosexuals, thieves, covetous or swindlers any longer. When God saves someone, His self-identity complete changes. A Christian is no longer an alcoholic, or a sex addict. He has been changed on the inside. He is a new creature in Christ Jesus. All things have become new. It may be true, that he still must fight fleshly desires and behaviors, but He is born again, a new person in Christ Jesus.
But you were washed: There are 3 possibilities as to what Paul meant by this: 1) washed from their sins making the expression equivalent to “but you were justified”; 2) baptized in water; 3) the washing of regeneration. The first possibility seems unlikely because it doesn’t make sense for Paul to use 3 different expressions, and use the first and third of them to say exactly the same thing. The 2nd doesn’t seem likely, because Paul would more likely have said, “you were baptized.” Thus, this probably refers to the “washing of regeneration and renewing in the Holy Spirit (Titus 3:5). This speaks of New Life.
You were sanctified: This refers to New Behavior, flowing from the work of the Holy Spirit to conform the Christian to the image of Jesus Christ.
You were justified: This speaks of New Standing. We are counted righteous because of Christ’s perfect righteous. The believers in Corinth had received a New Life, a New Standing, and a New Behavior. How?
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in The Spirit of our God: It all happened through the work of Jesus Christ, in His life, death, and resurrection, and through the power of the Holy Spirit.
Life Application Questions:
1. Are lawsuits between believers ever acceptable to God? If so, how must they be conducted?
2. If a brother wrongs or defrauds you, what would God have you do?
3. Has a Christian been justified? Has he been washed? Then, has he also been sanctified?
4. What does “such were some of you; but” imply?
5. What is necessary according to vs.9-10 in order for a person to inherit the kingdom of God? How is this consistent with the Biblical teaching that salvation is by grace, and not of works?
6. What questions or concerns has this passage brought to your mind?
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