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First Corinthians Chapter Six

by Paul George  
11/18/2008 / Bible Studies

1 Corinthians 6:1-20

Quotes from World English Bible unless otherwise noted

In chapter six of First Corinthians Paul addresses, the problem with litigation in civil courts and moral laxity in the church. In the first eleven verses of chapter six, Paul addresses the sinful divisions of the Corinthians that have made their way into public view in the civil courts. When these disputes are taken before unbelieving judges, the world gets to watch these Christians fight with one another in court. Instead of taking their disputes into the civil courts Paul advises the Corinthians to settle their grievances as privately as possible within the church.

Addressing the problem with litigation and immorality, Paul asks the question "Don't you know" six times. In verse two Paul asks the Corinthians, "Don't you know that the saints will judge the world?" Note Paul's response to the question, "And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?" In verse three Paul asks the question, "Don't you know that we will judge angels?"

In verse three, Paul asks the question, "Do you not know that we will judge angels?" Paul's point is, if the saints will judge both the world and the angels at the coming of Christ, why in the world do two or more believers turn to the world's judicial system to settle their disputes. The existing conditions and problems in the secular community is evidence the judges in the civil courts lack the ability to solve the problems in the secular community, if anything they add to them, why are the members of the church turning to the judges in the civil courts that lack the ability to understand or appraise spiritual things. Paul's point is the Corinthians should be ashamed of themselves for taking their disputes before unbelieving judges, as unbelievers look on in amazement, or amusement.

In verses five and six Paul asks the Corinthians, is there no one in the congregation who is qualified to judge the disputes between church members? What a blow to their pride. There are members in the church who are judging Paul and find him wanting. They are great at being judgmental, however they are absent when there is a need for judges.

In verse seven, Paul tells the Corinthian Christians, if they take another believer to court, they have already lost. Taking another believer to court is a no win situation. The better way is to take the loss to keep unity in the church. What keeps the Corinthians from taking the loss, from being the victim? What keeps us from taking the loss, the same thing that kept the Corinthians from taking the loss, pride? We do not want to let the other person get the better of us. We do not want to lose. If we are materialistic, we do not want to lose money or possessions, which are more precious to us than our relationships with fellow-believers. Those who are self-centered and self-serving do not want to have any of their rights violated. We protect and exercise our rights, no matter what the cost to others is.

We can only understand Paul's instructions to the Corinthian Christians in terms of the utterly different value system of the Christian, as opposed to that of the unbeliever. When Jesus invited men to follow Him, they were instructed to take up their cross daily and follow Him. It was on the cross of Calvary our Lord Jesus Christ was wronged and this brought about our salvation.

This is the reason our Lord taught His disciples not to retaliate, but to return good for evil (Matthew 5:43-48). Jesus taught that if a man forces you to go a mile, you should go two miles instead (Matthew 5:41). Our goal in life should not be to accumulate possessions; it should be laying up treasures in heaven. We are to give all these things up, gladly. Our attitude should not be to seek our own interests ahead of others, but rather to seek the interests of others ahead of our own (Philippians 2:1-8). This being the case, we should be willing to go that second mile, especially for the sake of the gospel.

Paul urges the Corinthians to take their grievance to the church and to suffer loss rather than damage the reputation of the church and hinder the gospel by exposing the sins of a brother to the world.

Why is Paul taking this situation in Corinth so seriously? First, the issue is the unity of the church, the body of Christ. The church is one body, and believers are all brothers and sisters. The focus of each believer is to build up the body of Christ, which means that he must build up individual believers. Taking a fellow-believer to court is not what building up the church is about. Generally, we take another person to court to bring him down, not to build him up. Paul views lawsuits as a denial of the gospel. To continue to act as we formerly did, as sinners, denies the radical change the gospel makes. As Christians, we cannot persist in thinking and acting as we formerly did, apart from Christ.

Paul's second reason is lawsuits have an adverse affect upon our worship, and there must be reconciliation before we can worship in unity and harmony, Jesus said, "If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar, and there remember that your brother has anything against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift" (Matthew 5:23-24).

Paul knows, as our Lord taught, the process of litigation is the opposite of the process of reconciliation. Jesus told the disciples, "Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him in the way; lest perhaps the prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer, and you be cast into prison. Most certainly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of there, until you have paid the last penny" (Matthew 5:24-26).

Reconciliation is the goal of the Christian. Retribution or restitution is the goal of litigation. Reconciliation commences immediately; litigation drags on endlessly. Reconciliation is pursued privately, and becomes no more public than is necessary. Litigation is public. Jesus therefore instructs His followers to seek reconciliation before, and instead of, litigation. Once the process of litigation has commenced, it is nearly irreversible, and the two litigants become irreconcilable.

From Paul's attitude concerning lawsuits, it seems that the Corinthians eagerly pursued the resolution of their disputes in the law courts of that day. They purposely avoid taking their dispute to the church. They do not want to deal with this matter on a spiritual level. They do not wish to reconcile. They did not want to be confronted with their sin and challenged to repent. They did not want to run the risk of being under church discipline. They wanted to protect their rights and their possessions. They wanted to get ahead of their opponent, not to take a loss. The civil courts could force a person to act in a certain way. The church only has spiritual authority, which to the worldly church member is another form of weakness. They wanted to make something happen, and so the process of seeking reconciliation in the church was avoided, and the civil courts chosen to settle disputes.

In these principles Paul set down governing our handling of conflicts in the church, there are some difficult questions that need to be answered. Is the Christian never to go to court under any circumstances? Does this apply to civil proceedings or to criminal proceedings as well, should a Christian "press charges" against a fellow-believer?

What Paul seeks to forbid in our text is Christians looking to the secular court system to resolve spiritual conflicts between themselves. There are times when two Christians appear in court when neither is attempting to harm the other. For example, one Christian might accidentally run into the car of another believer. His insurance company may try to withhold payment, even though he admits guilt. In such a case, the two parties might appear in court, but it is the insurance companies seeking some kind of legal judgment.

Some Christians get into legal troubles, troubles which necessitate them going to court, because they did not seek proper legal counsel before making agreements or commitments. Sometimes we may get ourselves into trouble because we want to appear spiritual, and so we agree to do things without defining the details. Differences and disagreements which result from such agreements are unnecessary, and the result of our own carelessness.

The Corinthian Christians end up in the civil courts because their conflicts were not dealt with in their early stages. The sooner conflicts are addressed, the more likely the cure. Parents, do not wait until it is too late to try to heal broken relationships with your children. Believers, you know who has something against you, or against whom you have some kind of grudge. Seek out your brother, and heal that relationship. It will be not only for the good of the gospel, and the glory of God, but for your good as well.

Moving from the problem of litigation Paul warns the Corinthians against moral laxity. He opens the warning with the question, "Or don't you know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingdom of God?" He goes on to warn the Corinthians, "Don't be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortioners, will inherit the Kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). The kingdom of God is a holy place, because God dwells there. Consequently, unholy people will not be there.

The Corinthians no longer see it this way, which is the reason they become proud of conduct which shocks even pagans (1 Corinthians 5:1-2). They have twisted spirituality to such a degree that their version of spirituality is the basis for immorality, rather than the basis for holiness. This is the same problem in many churches today.

The immorality Paul deals with is sexual immorality. Specifically, Paul addresses sexual immorality with prostitution. It seems the Corinthians considered prostitution as normal and moral, as well as legal. We should remember that pagans consider prostitution a part of the worship of pagan gods and goddesses. The temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, located in the city of Corinth, had over a 1,000 cult prostitutes, both male and female. In the name of religion, men could indulge their fleshly appetites.

In verses 12-14, Paul focuses on the doctrinal basis for the immoral behavior of the Corinthians. In verses 15-20, Paul deals with the problem of immorality.

The Corinthians based their teachings of moral behavior on the premise that whatever is legal is also moral. All things, they claim, are lawful for them, which seem to mean in practice that they are free to do anything that is not against the law. Do you see why there is an all effort to change the laws in the United States dealing with sex crimes and moral behavior?

Without debating, the issues of what things are permissible Paul points them to a higher standard. A Christian must determine his conduct on some higher, more selective standard. The standard stated by Paul is expedient or profitable (v 12). Paul uses himself as an example when he wrote, "All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of anything. Foods for the belly and the belly for foods, but God will bring to nothing both it and them. But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. Now God raised up the Lord, and will also raise us up by his power. Don't you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or don't you know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For, 'The two,' says he 'will become one flesh.' But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit. Flee sexual immorality! "Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. Or don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (verses 12-20).

Paul is telling the Corinthians the same thing he told the Christians in Rome (Romans 6). The Christian is not free to "live in sin," because he or she has "died to sin" when joined by faith to the person and work of Jesus Christ. Baptism symbolizes the act of dying. By going under the water, we proclaim in a symbolic way that we died in Christ, and were buried. By coming forth from the water, we proclaim that we have risen from the dead and enter into an entirely new life. To continue to live in sin is to deny everything we believed when we accepted Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord and everything we symbolically proclaim when we were baptized.
Through Jesus Christ, we have been freed from our bondage to sin therefore we are to put away the old sinful practices that once enslaved us and to live a life of righteousness, through the power of God that is in us. Our aim as unbelievers was to indulge in our own fleshly lusts, and enslaved to sin and to Satan. Freed from our bondage we must not return to our former lifestyle. Any practices that enable the flesh to gain mastery over us we must avoid.

Paul further explains, not all things are profitable with the additional statement; he will not be brought under the control of anything.

The Corinthians believed a sexual act with a prostitute was a casual thing, something with no long-term commitments, like an affair. How can such a casual relationship hurt? Paul's response reveals a very different perspective of sexual immorality; immorality leads to bondage. It is not the man who masters the prostitute, but the prostitute and the sin the prostitute promotes that masters the man.

Instead of bondage, the popular word today used even in Christian circles is the word, "addiction." The word "addition" is used to define every sin committed by men and women. Paul refuses to engage in any practice which will prove to be "addictive," any practice which will come to master him. We need to follow Paul's example; we should never get involved in any activity that might enslave us or encourage a weaker brother to follow our example, and thus become enslaved through his weakness. Some people tend to go beyond Paul's example. They claim that if we enjoy the things that God intended for our enjoyment, something is wrong in our Christian life.

The Corinthian problem is not hard to understand; it is the same problem that exists in the local churches today. They used the same excuse we hear today, "I am only human." "God made me the way I am," when I am involved in illicit sex I am simply meeting my physical needs, just as I eat when I am hungry. And what difference does it make what I do in this body anyway, since God is going to do away with it?"

Paul exposes the error that God will simply do away with fleshly things like the body, with no future or eternal consequences. In addition, Paul sets down a very different standard regarding our physical body and its appetites. In Paul's words, the "body is not for immorality" the body is "for the Lord" and "the Lord is for the body," God did not create the body with its sexual capabilities and drives to indiscriminately satisfy these desires. God made the human body for His purposes, ultimately to bring glory to Himself. This is Paul's bottom line in verse twenty; we are not to use our bodies to serve ourselves, but to serve God.

Paul has yet another thing to say, something which some find difficult to understand. Paul said the Lord is for the body. The important lesson here is we cannot live without eating, if we do not eat we die. What we need to see is life does not really come from food. Life comes from God, from knowing Him and from obeying His commandments. When our Lord was tempted for 40 days and nights in the wilderness, one of Satan's temptations was for our Lord to make stones into bread. It is as though Satan were saying, "If you are the Messiah, then you must live to fulfill your mission. You cannot let yourself starve out here in the wilderness, so create bread from these stones, even if it means disobeying God." Jesus responded by telling Satan man does not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God. (Matthew 4:4).

God is the ultimate source of life, not bread. God preserved the Israelites in the wilderness with bread from heaven. Jesus told the Jews whom wanted mere physical bread that He was the bread of God, come down from heaven to give them life. He was "the bread of life" (John 6:32-35). He was the "water" which would give the woman at the well everlasting life (John 4:13-14). When His disciples urged Jesus to eat, Jesus responded that His food was to do the will of the Father, who sent Him (John 4:31-34). Our life is but a vapor, and the life that we experience moment by moment comes from God. Our bodies need God more than they need food. He is the source of life; both physical and eternal.

No wonder Paul can live out his life in a way that does not indulge his bodily desires, but denies them. No wonder he lives so dangerously and suffers physically in his ministry. No wonder he can say that to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21). No wonder the false teachers cater to the desires of the flesh, while Jesus and His apostles call upon men to take up their cross, and to crucify the flesh and its desires.

In verse seventeen, Paul contradicts the belief that what one does in the body has no relationship to what one is and does in the spirit. The one who joins himself to Christ becomes one in spirit with Christ (v 17). The one who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one flesh with her. Paul insists that one cannot be one in spirit with the Savior and one in the flesh with a prostitute. What is done spiritually directly relate to what is done in the body. We dare not think of ourselves as spiritual when what we are doing in our bodies is immoral.

There are those who restrict Paul's teaching in our text just to the prohibition of sex with a prostitute. Paul addresses sexual immorality with a prostitute because this is a very common sin in Corinth, even among the members of the Corinthian church; a sin the church does not take seriously enough. Paul takes the most "casual" sin, in the minds of the Corinthians and shows it to be utterly sinful. Paul does not describe in intimate detail the nature and practice of immorality. Paul does not seek to prevent sexual immorality among Christians by frightening them with the physical adverse consequences, like pregnancy, AIDS, and other sexually transmitted diseases. Paul, as always, goes back to the gospel. Paul's argument for sexual morality is rooted in sound doctrine, specifically the doctrines which pertain to salvation.

Paul could deal with the Corinthians' immorality by simply referring to the rules. Not only is sexual immorality forbidden by the Old Testament law, it is forbidden by our Lord and by the Jerusalem Council. In Acts chapter fifteen, sexual immorality was one of the four things specifically forbidden (Acts 15:19-21, 28-29). Immorality was "against the rules," but Paul wants the Corinthians not just to keep the rules, but also to serve God by doing what is consistent with our calling, with the gospel, and with sound doctrine. It is necessary to keep the rules, but let us do so for the right reasons.

The problem of sexual immorality in the Corinthian church is due, in part, to the fact that such conduct was not considered sinful or illegal by the pagan Corinthian culture. The Corinthians lived more in conformity to the standards of their culture than to the standard set by Christ. If a certain practice is legal, some Corinthian Christians considered it moral. The Bible has a much higher set of standards than this. If something is illegal, it is usually immoral for the Christian. When the laws of the land allow certain forms of conduct, we must ask ourselves if Scriptures permitted these forms of conduct.

The unbelieving world looks down on Christians who have a biblical view of morality, as though they have no appreciation for sex, as though they think sex is evil or at least unspiritual. The truth is that only a Christian can appreciate the true value of sex. In the Bible, the sexual union is a part of the marriage relationship. The marriage relationship between a man and woman symbolizes the union of Christ and His church. If sex is a kind of symbol, and what it symbolizes is, the ultimate value; sex is a benevolent gift and privilege. It is a great blessing.

Let us look to Christ to satisfy this need, and every other need as well. Jesus Christ is all we really need.

Retired pastor,Church of the Nazarene

Author of web site Exploring God's Word

www.thewordofgodonline.net

New American Standard Bible

King James Version

The World English Bible

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