Chapter 6: 1 Corinthians 6: 1-20, lawsuits between Christians, glorifying God in body and spirit.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, open our hearts to hear from the Holy Spirit, open our understanding to apply scripture, and thank You for the ministry of the Word. We pray for the anointing of the Holy Spirit to correct, convict, rebuke, teach, train, and instruct us in righteousness, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
VV 1-6, 1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
Concerning lawsuits between Christians, Paul asked five rhetorical questions. He admonished them for going to the court to settle disputes among them. In Pauline theology, all born-again Christians are saints. Greek for saints is “hagio”, which means holy, sanctified, or separated for God. Paul’s position was that any disputes among Christian brothers and sisters should be taken to the local church tribunal instead of going to the secular court.
VV 7-11, 7 Now, therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 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 homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners 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 and by the Spirit of our God.
Paul continued asking three more rhetorical questions. Taking up lawsuits in court to settle disputes among Christian brothers and sisters was already a failure and certainly a bad decision because they would be judged by non-believers. Christians brothers and sisters should try to settle disputes among themselves amicably in the local church. Christians should not deceive, cheat, or shortchanged one another. Unrighteous people who practice fornications, idolatry, adultery, homosexuality, sodomy, thefts, covetousness, drunkenness, or extortions will not inherit the kingdom of God. Christians are justified by faith in Christ and sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
VV 12-14, 12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
All things are lawful but not all things are helpful. Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food but God is in control the food and the stomach. The body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and should not be used for sexual immorality. The body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord and the Lord for the body. God who resurrected Jesus from the dead will also resurrect Christians from the dead.
VV 15-18, 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
Concerning sexual immorality, Paul asked three rhetorical questions. Christ is head of the body of Christ. Christians are members of the body of Christ. Christ is the chief cornerstone, and Christians are the living stones. Paul quoted Genesis 2:24. We should flee from sexual immorality because this is a sin against our bodies.
Genesis 2:24, “Therefore a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and they shall become one flesh.”
VV 19-20, 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Paul asked one more rhetorical question. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies do not belong to ourselves but God. Therefore, we should glorify God with our bodies.
Application:
Christ is the head of the church. We are members of Christ. Christ is the chief cornerstone of the church and we are the living stones. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We should take good care of our bodies and not abuse them through reckless and immoral living.
Prayer:
Heavenly Father, all things may be lawful but not all things are helpful. Legalism, food, and dietary prohibitions had no bearing on spirituality or righteousness. We offer our bodies as living sacrifices to serve You and sacrifices of praise to worship You, in Jesus’ name, Amen.
