City Life Starter

The Word: I Corinthians 6:1-6

1Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints?

2Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?

3Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?

4So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church?

5I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren,

6but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?

By Scott Fiddler

One can see the Holy Spirit inspiring the Apostle Paul’s train of thought from his statement about judging people in sin within in the church in I Corinthians 5:13 to the thought about judging disputes between one another in I Corinthians 6:1. There is a connectedness, an orderliness about it.

I don’t know whether the six verses made the basis of this Starter post fell on me, a trial lawyer, through the sovereignty of God or the sovereignty of Ji, but I hope it does not disappoint the reader that I suggest this passage of Scripture has nothing to do with tort reform, very little to do with lawsuits, and much to do about the kingdom of God.

Lawsuits are necessary because even good, reasonable people can disagree about the value of the property, the just compensation for an injury, and other civil disputes. The problem the Lord has with lawsuits are those that are not brought honestly. See Isaiah 59:4 (“No one sues righteously and no one pleads honestly.“) When the Lord prescribed Israel’s earthly kingdom, He commanded the appointment of judges. see Deuteronomy 16:18. Even as the kingdom of God advances on the earth (Matthew 13:31-33), and people stream to the mountain of God to learn His ways (Isaiah 2:2), there will be a  need for lawyers and judges and lawsuits.

What Paul has a problem with is that Christians, rather then resolving their disputes amongst themselves, are going before unbelievers to resolve their disputes. The kingdom of God will continue to permeate the earth, and Christians are destined to judge the world. (v. 2). In the afterlife Christians will dispense justice for angels. (v. 3) How dare then, Paul asks, Christians go before non-Christians for dispute resolution rather than someone in the Church? If King Jesus has appointed Christians to this role, why would Corinthians go before (thereby “appointing”) a non-Christian to decide a dispute between them? (v. 4). Paul says the Corinthians should be ashamed. (vv. 5-6). How will Christians rule the world if they cannot even rule themselves?

Paul goes on to say in verse 7 that it would be better to be wronged than to disparage the Kingdom brand by essentially proclaiming to the world that those who claim to have been redeemed by King Jesus cannot even resolve disputes amongst themselves.

Application

Perspective is everything. Paul provides the Corinthians with some Kingdom perspective to correct their behavior. Jesus did the same when He told His followers not to worry about things the Gentiles worried about but to seek first the kingdom of God. (Matt. 6:31-33). Jesus said the kingdom of God was like a treasure buried in a field, which a man found, buried again, and over the joy over it sold all he had and bought the field. (Matt. 13:44). If the Corinthians had had the proper Kingdom perspective they would have resolved their dispute or let it go before they disparaged the kingdom of God by going before non-christians to resolve their dispute. The same Kingdom perspective should govern the life of every Jesus-follower.