1 Corinthians 6:1-11
Q.1. Should believers take other Christians to the courts of the land? Does the church have the right to apply its own discipline? What support did Paul give for this direction? – (1 Cor.6:1-6)
The Corinthians had been negligent in applying church discipline to their own members. However, in a strange twist, they happily took their grievances into the public arena, thus causing Paul to ask – Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbour, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? (1 Cor.6:1). Paul was not here speaking of major breaches of the law. He questioned – … are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? (1 Cor.6:2). Paul was not suggesting that the church should keep issues such as sexual or child abuse private, thus avoiding reporting these things to authorities. Rather, he was critical of the church for making public the petty disputes that divided them, thus weakening the witness of the church to the unsaved world. He supported his denunciation by reminding the believers that (i) The saints will judge the world (and not the reverse) – 1 Cor.6:2. (ii) The saints will even judge angels – 1 Cor.6:3. (iii) Secular judges should not be appointed to rule over disputes in the church – 1 Cor.6:4. (iv) Believers should submit to the direction of those leaders who apply the wisdom of God – 1 Cor.6:5-6.
Q.2. What advise did Paul give to those who had been mistreated? Will those who continue to live in sin qualify for God’s kingdom? What changes the destiny of sinners? – (1 Cor.6:7-11)
For the sake of the Gospel, Christians should be willing to be defrauded, rather than to allow the witness of the church to be ruined, and the Gospel to be undermined (1 Cor.6:7). Far from condoning conflict and fraud, Paul denounced these sins against the members of the church (1 Cor.6:8). He warned them – 9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God (1 Cor.6:9-10). Those who continue in their former sinful practices are disqualified from entering the Kingdom of Heaven. He then reminded them of their conversion to the Christian faith, and their subsequent transformation – Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (1 Cor.6:11). We were likewise deceived. However, the evidence that we have come to Christ, will be that we will turn away from such a lifestyle.