1 Corinthians, Day 4
I Corinthians 6 |“I’m Gonna Sue!”
Two problems are discussed in I Corinthians 6: lawsuits between believers and sexual immorality. As I read this chapter, I am reminded of a story that was shared by a professor back in my undergrad studies. I was a business student in a class that focused on applying theology to work. It was such a time of growth as we developed a biblical ethic of business that would help us glorify God in the marketplace.
The story begins with two successful Christian businessmen who were in the process of entering the legal system with lawsuits against each other. The lawsuits from both parties demanded millions of dollars from each other. Both of the owners of the companies were members of the same church, and the litigation was causing a rift in their relationship and tension in the church. They had both spoken to their pastor and he directed them to study I Corinthians 6.
After reading I Corinthians 6:1 – 8, the two owners decided to submit to the church and place the verdict of the litigation in the hands of the elder board. This decision by these two godly business leaders made front-page news in the area. Given this immense responsibility, the church leadership was committed to the process of discerning God’s will in the situation and glorifying God through their decision.
It was not an easy process, but eventually, a verdict was reached and the two men involved were able to rebuild their relationship. In this process. the church had modeled for the world what Paul was getting at in the first part of I Corinthians 6.
One thing I noticed as I revisited the text is all the questions Paul used in his argument for Christians to not litigate in the public eye. [a] As I read the list, I recognized Paul’s strategy in his choice of questions. Paul’s questioning was focused on leading the believers into an understanding of the fallacy of litigating against each other. Paul’s first line of questioning focuses on the preposterousness and implications of litigation between two believers (6:1 – 7). In his final two questions, he pleads for the believers to make the right choice despite the personal cost (6:7):
A) An Outrageous Act ( I Corinthians 6:1)
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?
B) An Ignorant Response ( I Corinthians 6:2 – 3)
1) Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? (2a)
2) And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? (2b)
3) Do you not know that we are to judge angels? (3a)
4) How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! (3b)
C) A Shameful Act (I Corinthians 6:4)
So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. (4)
D) A Lack of Wisdom and Spiritual Leadership and its Implications (I Corinthians 6:5 – 7a)
Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. (5 – 7a)
E) A Choice (I Corinthians 6:7b – c)
Turning the other cheek: Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? (7 b – c)
Paul’s final words in this section give us insight into why he was so emphatic in his questioning. He declares to the Corinthian church: “[Y]ou yourselves wrong and defraud — even your own brothers!” (6:8). His words were a personal call to holiness — a call to resist the cultural process of securing justice and a call to a biblical model for those who claimed Christ as Savior. He was calling them to a countercultural response in their choice of litigators and process in the securing of justice.
I wasn’t in the room when the verdict was handed down to the two businessmen by the church, but I do know the implications of their choice to submit to the biblical authorities in their lives. God was glorified! The world was amazed as they read the story of two believers trusting God’s Word and their church leadership to come to the correct verdict in the case. And my professor had lived through an illustration that would impact future marketplace leaders for years to come.
We know from the Scriptures that justice is very important to God. In this passage, Paul expounds on God’s expectation of deliberating justice within the body of Christ. Paul is very expressive in this section because he is very aware of the negative impact lawsuits between Christians in the public square would make on the culture.
We may not run multi-million dollar companies, but we do have a choice to follow God’s Word in several areas of our lives. As believers, we are called to resist sin and walk in a manner worthy of the calling of Christ every day. Pray today that the next time you enter an intersection where you are struggling with the correct response to a situation, you make the choice to seek the Scriptures and find the truth that will lead you to God’s revealed will. Engaging in this process will bring God glory and bring light to a culture that needs to see authentic believers devoted to God’s call and expectations on our lives.
Pastor Chuck
[a] Can we bring a lawsuit on a person outside the church under legitimate circumstances? Ray Stedman comments on Christians and litigation with those outside the church in his sermon: The Wrong Way to Right Wrongs (found at https://www.raystedman.org/new testament/1-corinthians/the-wrong-way-to-right-wrongs). He states, “I do not think he means that Christians are never to go to law; sometimes that is impossible to avoid. If a lawsuit is brought against you, it may be necessary for you to defend it. In certain cases, at least, this may be the only way that justice can be brought out. Certainly, Paul is not saying that it is impossible or wrong for Christians to settle claims with non-Christians before courts of law. It is between believers that it is wrong to go to law.”