Commentary of the Book of 1st Corinthians
By Dr. Barry L. Jenkins
Text Used: Legacy Standard Bible
Bible Study 1 Corinthians 6: 1-20
Text:
Lawsuits Among Believers
6 Does any one of you, when he has a [a]case against another, dare to be tried before the unrighteous and not before the [b]saints? 2 Or do you not know that the [c]saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not worthy to [d]constitute the smallest law courts? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? 4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint those who are of no account in the church as judges? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it really this way: there is not one wise man among you who will be able to pass judgment between his brothers? 6 On the contrary, brother is tried with brother, and that before unbelievers!
7 Actually, then, it is already a failure for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brothers.
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [e]effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And 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.
Flee Sexual Immorality
12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 Food is for the [f]stomach and the [g]stomach is for food, but God will do away with both [h]of them. Yet the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! 16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the [i]sexually immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a [j]sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from [k]God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
Verse by verse commentary:
Verse 1: “Does any one of you, when he has a case against another, dare to be tried before the unrighteous and not before the saints?”
Paul shifts focus here from the issue of immorality to the problem of lawsuits among Christians. However, the connection between these topics is significant. First, the topic of immorality is not completely abandoned, as it reappears in verse 9. Second, the Corinthians' tendency toward lawsuits reveals the same underlying problem discussed in chapter 5: a weak doctrine in the church. Just as Christians are not meant to govern the lives of non-Christians, non-Christians likewise hold no authority for discipline within the church. If the Corinthians grasped the relationship between the Israelite community and the Christian fellowship, they would see the absurdity of believers seeking resolution for their disputes outside the church community.
Verse 2: “Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not worthy to constitute the smallest law courts?”
Should one be a follower of Christ, one will participate with the Lord Jesus in the future governance of the earth. This does not pertain to the judgment at the Great White Throne, which is reserved for the unredeemed before Christ. Rather, this concerns the administration of universal affairs throughout eternity.
Verse 3: “Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?”
Consider this profound truth: "Saints will judge angels." The Apostle Paul repeatedly uses the question, "Do you not know?" This revelation opens a significant theological discussion, though it also raises complex questions. It is understood that while man was initially created lower than the angels, redemption elevates humanity to a place of fellowship with God, a position ultimately superior to the angels. God permitted man's fall, but only because He would use it for ultimate good, resulting in a higher standing for humanity. Consequently, we are destined to be above the angels, judging them and having authority over them.
Verse 4: “So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint those who are of no account in the church as judges?”
It is shocking that Christians with earthly disputes would seek resolution from the least qualified source: unbelievers. Even the most legally inexperienced believer, being guided by the Word of God and the Spirit, is far more capable of settling disagreements between believers than the most seasoned unbeliever, who lacks God's truth and Spirit.
Verse 5: “I say this to your shame. Is it really this way: there is not one wise man among you who will be able to pass judgment between his brothers?”
Taking a fellow believer to court is not only a shameful sin, but it demonstrates a failure to live righteously and obediently. Even before the trial begins, Christians who engage in such lawsuits suffer a moral defeat and spiritual loss, making themselves subject to God's discipline.
Verse 6: “On the contrary, brother is tried with brother, and that before unbelievers!”
The act of church members suing one another represented a profound failure, a loss far greater than any legal outcome, because it demonstrated a disobedience to God's Word. Paul's message echoed the Lord's teaching in Matthew 5:39–42: it is better to suffer financial or material loss than to damage a relationship with a fellow believer and compromise one's Christian witness. Tragically, many Christians allow conflicts to escalate to this level because they delay the difficult but necessary task of confronting sin or wrongdoing.
Verse 7: “Actually, then, it is already a failure for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?”
For the Apostle Paul, the principle of community is extremely important. He is certainly not advocating that Christians should simply endure mistreatment. Cheating and injustice have no place within the Christian fellowship. The very existence of such wrongdoing, committed by Christians against one another, highlights the extent of the Corinthians' spiritual failure. However, if the Corinthians truly grasped the gravity of the issues in their church and understood the behavior expected of believers, they would prefer to suffer injustice privately rather than dishonor the Christian community by airing their grievances publicly in civil court.
Verse 8: “On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brothers.”
The act of suing fellow Christians suggests that the person bringing the lawsuit is essentially as guilty of misconduct as the one they are trying to correct.
Verse 9: “Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals,”
Paul believes the Corinthians, as genuine believers, are justified and sanctified and that their current poor conduct is temporary and fixable. However, this behavior must be corrected, as continued practice of sin would suggest their faith is not genuine and disqualify them from the kingdom. The Greek word for “sexually immoral” is pornos from which we get the word pornography. Idolaters have something between themselves and God. Whatever that is, it is an idol to them. Adulterers have non marital relations which are reserved only for a husband and wife. The last two descriptions are for practicing homosexuals.
Verse 10: “nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.”
Greed is the root sin shared by "thieves" and "the greedy." While the covetous merely desire what others possess, thieves actively take it. "Swindlers" and embezzlers are also driven by greed, stealing indirectly by unfairly taking advantage of others for financial gain. Separately, "revilers" are those who attempt to destroy others through abusive words.
Verse 11: “And 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.”
The text argues that Christians should settle disputes among themselves rather than taking them to secular courts, based on three aspects of their shared identity in Christ:
Washed and Merciful: As believers, we have all been "washed"—born again through the mercy of God. Because we have personally experienced God's mercy, we should be able to extend that mercy to others. This shared experience means we can trust other believers to judge our cases with a merciful perspective, making them more suitable judges than the unsaved.
Sanctified (Positionally in Christ): The Corinthians were positionally sanctified, meaning they were "in Christ." This establishes that all believers are brothers and sisters. Just as a little girl didn't find her baby brother too heavy, we should be willing to trust ourselves to the judgment of a spiritual brother. This shared relationship in Christ ensures that a believing judge is "on our side."
Justified and Forgiven: A fellow Christian is capable of judging because, like the person being judged, their sins have been forgiven, and they have been "declared righteous before the throne of God." Since they understand the foundational truth of justification (Romans 8:33; 4:5), a fellow Christian is better equipped to handle a believer's case than an outsider.
Verse 12: “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.”
While a believer is permitted to do many things, not all are good for him. I could cite numerous examples; Paul addresses one here.
Verse 13: “Food is for the stomach and the [b]stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.”
The perishable nature of food and our stomachs contrasts sharply with the intended use of our bodies. While Christians have freedom concerning what they eat, the body itself is not to be used for sexual immorality (fornication) because it belongs to the Lord.
Verse 14: “Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.”
The unexpected mention of the Resurrection here suggests a link between flawed doctrine and a deficient lifestyle. Exposure to Greek philosophy seems to have led some Corinthians to devalue the body, even to the point of denying a future bodily resurrection. This weak theological foundation branched into two opposing views regarding sexual conduct: one group may have considered all sexual relations inherently sinful because they involve the body, while another group, influenced by the same idea that the body is unimportant, conversely concluded that even promiscuous sexual behavior was permissible.
Verse 15: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!”
The apostle's teaching emphasizes the fundamental doctrine of a believer's complete union with Christ, which encompasses the entire person, not just the physical body. It is a misconception for the Corinthians to believe that physical acts, such as sexual union with a prostitute, are purely bodily and therefore do not impact their relationship with Christ.
Verse 16: “Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.”
Paul reinforces his argument by invoking the principle from Genesis 2:24, which defines the sexual union of a man and a woman as becoming "one flesh." Consequently, when someone unites with a prostitute, that "one flesh" experience means that Christ is spiritually joined to the prostitute through that person.
Verse 17: “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”
Paul emphasizes that all sexual activity outside of marriage is sinful. However, he specifically denounces illicit relationships among believers, stating they are particularly offensive because they profane Jesus Christ, with whom all believers are united.
Verse 18: “Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral man sins against his own body.”
Sexual sin is uniquely destructive due to its intimate and entangling nature, corrupting a person at the deepest human level. Paul's reference likely includes venereal disease, which was common and devastating then and now. Believers should vigorously resist this type of sin because no other sin has a greater capacity to harm the physical body as well as the soul.
Verse 19: “Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?”
It's an important truth that many believers haven't fully realized: our bodies are essentially the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because of this divine ownership, we are instructed to avoid engaging in sexual immorality.
Verse 20: “For you were bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
What was that price? It was the precious blood of our Lord Jesus Christ. To “glorify God” is our chief purpose.
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