The Dilemma of Disputes, Part 2

Introduction

We come to the time of our worship when we focus our attention on the preaching of the Word of God, and this morning we once again find ourselves in this very practical section of 1 Corinthians: 1 Corinthians 6:1-8.

This passage focuses on what I have called the dilemma of disputes. What do you do when disputes arise within the church, especially disputes about financial matters, things we might describe today as civil law cases? This passage is highly relevant because we live in a culture that is awash in lawsuits of any and every kind.

People take each other to court today over anything and everything. The same litigious mindset prevailed in ancient Corinth as well. Speaking of Corinth, the first century Roman philosopher and historian Dio Chrysostom wrote that Corinth contained “lawyers innumerable perverting justice” (BECNT 197). The courts were a constant hub of legal and social activity, as people used their wealth and status to take advantage of those less fortunate in front of corrupt judges and juries. The Corinthians, coming out of this background, imported their previous way of life right into the church. They were taking one another to court and suing each other, seeking damages over various disputes between church members. Today, we face the same challenge because we live in a culture where taking someone to court to force a settlement is not seen as something abnormal or morally wrong.

Court is the place you go to seek justice, to seek to rectify a wrong that has been done to you. And going to court is normal when there is a dispute, and for the world, it is really the only remedy when two parties cannot agree on liability. Paul, however, tells the Corinthians that they should not be suing one another in the church.

Suing other believers does not align with who we are now that we are in Christ. Taking other believers to court does not fit with the future hope we have of glory with Christ. Who we are in Christ and our future hope of resurrection and life in a new creation runs counter to the prevailing cultural mindset that would take someone to court to seek damages, and believers are not to treat one another in this way.

As we consider this passage, we have to address a few difficult questions that arise in our cultural environment.

First, what about lawsuits with non-believers?

Should a Christian who has been wronged by an unbeliever take the unbeliever to court to get a legal remedy for the wrong that has been done? That’s one issue that arises when we think about this text: how does it apply to relationships with people outside the church?

Second, what about lawsuits that involve corporations/businesses?

If a Christian hires a company to install a new air conditioner at his house, and the company is negligent so that the work is done poorly and the house is damaged, can the Christian take the company to court? What does Paul’s teaching here say about suing a company or a corporation for damages?

Third, what about lawsuits that involve the state?

We see the state infringe upon people’s civil rights on a regular basis, especially those of Christians. So if the state tries to force a believer to do something that is unbiblical or unethical, can the Christian or can a church or a Christian university or some other Christian entity, sue the state to have their rights upheld in court? The common thread that runs through each of these questions is that the Bible does not directly speak to how 1 Corinthians 6:1-8 applies to these situations.

The passage we are considering has a narrow scope that involves only two or more believers who have a dispute and what they should do about it. It says nothing about how believers should interact with the state, with corporations, or with unbelievers when legal disputes arise.

To answer these questions fully would require a separate sermon of its own, but for the sake of our purposes this morning, we can summarize some principles we might apply when it comes to lawsuits outside the church with organizations or unbelievers.

The first principle is that God has ordained government to maintain order and justice in society, and one branch of government is the court system.

That means that as believers we can use the court system to function outside the church in society without running afoul of biblical principles. The Apostle Paul, for example, appealed his case to Caesar. He avoided a beating by invoking his Roman citizenship and implying legal action if he was unjustly punished. When we are dealing with entities or people outside the church, then, I think the Bible gives sanction to Christians using the court system to protect their rights, including their rights to life, freedom, and property. If, therefore, the government tried to force me as a pastor to officiate a so-called gay wedding, I would be within biblical bounds to sue the government to avoid being punished for refusing to make a mockery of marriage in that way. 1 Corinthians 6 does not prohibit me from take legal action against the government if the government infringes on my rights. So, yes, Christians can use the court system to deal with unbelievers or secular organizations to protect their rights.

A second principle is this: whenever we use the court system, we must always do so as Christians who are first and foremost citizens of a heavenly kingdom before we are citizens of an earthly kingdom.

That means that the glory of Christ and the spread of the gospel is more important to us than an earthly settlement. We should seek justice rather than revenge when we have been wronged. We would not sue someone simply to become rich or to make someone pay above and beyond what is a legitimate settlement for the wrong that was done. I understand that putting a dollar amount on certain kinds of wrongs and suffering is not always clear or simple, but as Christians, we have principles of forgiveness, mercy, compassion, and love that we need to apply even in dealing with the unbelieving world in such cases like this. We might put it like this: We would rather lose the case but win our opponent to Christ than win the case but lose our gospel witness. Again, that doesn’t mean we can’t pursue legal action or seek a settlement from a court against a company or the government or an unbeliever who has harmed us, but it does mean that our greatest priority throughout the process is to represent Christ well and live consistent with the gospel with the hope of seeing others come to know Him. Finally, this principle means that we be truthful throughout the process, not embellishing, lying, misrepresenting, or doing other unethical things to give us an unfair advantage in court. To maintain clear gospel witness demands we tell the truth, even if it hurts our case or reduces the final settlement we might receive. So when we need to use the court system to rectify a wrong in this world, we must do so in a way that is consistent with our Christian profession. That is to say, we must handle all disputes, whether they are inside the church or outside the church, in a way that is consistent with our Christian profession.

In 1 Corinthians 6:1-8, Paul shows us what that means for disputes that arise within the church. Last week we saw three principles we need to understand to handle church disputes in a godly way.

The reality of disputes (v. 1)

Disputes are going to happen, which is just part of living in a fallen world. But when they do, Paul is clear that we must not take them before the unrighteous rather than before the saints. Church disputes must be handled by the church and within the church. One reason for that is because of…

The role of the saints (vv. 2-3)

We will judge the world when Christ returns. Furthermore, we will judge angels. If such important matters are delegated to the saints for judgment, then Paul argues that we should be able to delegate minor issues like civil disputes to the saints to arbitrate. We need to remember who we are in Christ and what we will do when He returns. We should be exercising discernment now and training ourselves to judge with righteous judgment, and one area where we can exercise those muscles of wisdom and discernment is when we have disputes within the church. Another reason why disputes should not be taken before the unrighteous is because of…

The reasoning of unbelievers (v. 4)

As believers, we do not give any importance to the way the world evaluates or judges truth. We understand that their thinking is futile and their understanding is darkened by sin. They cannot make decisions that factor in the glory of Christ, the grace of Christ, the love of Christ, the forgiveness of Christ, the mercy of Christ, and so on, and so how could they properly arbitrate a dispute between two Christians, when the highest priority for those two believers ought to be everything the unbelieving judge cannot understand or factor into his decision? People whose ways of reasoning and whose priorities are opposed to Christ and His Word are simply unable to judge properly between saints. Now, that brings us to our fourth point, which gives us yet another reason why we must never take our disputes to secular litigation…

The reputation of Christ (vv. 5-6)

Christians disputing with one another with such hostility and discord that it leads to public litigation is damaging to the reputation of Christ.

Later, in 1 Corinthians 10:31, Paul will remind the Corinthians that whether they eat, or drink, or whatever they do, they are to do all to the glory of Christ. If an action would dishonor the Lord, it is always a sinful action, even if it is technically allowed or socially acceptable. Paul is just getting started outlining the various issues where a believer might be free to do something but still must not do it because it would bring reproach on the name of Christ. Here, we have one of the first things we might have the right to do in society but must not do because it dishonors our Lord, and that is bring lawsuits against one another.

Notice in v. 5 how Paul says that lawsuits among believers are shameful…

This stands in stark contrast to what Paul said in 4:14…

There, he said that he did not write to shame them but to admonish them. But here in 6:5, he explicitly says that now he is writing to shame them. What’s the difference? In the opening chapters of this letter, Paul said some pretty direct and humbling things to these Christians.

He reminded them that they were the nobodies of society. He reminded them that they were not the wise or the strong. But he wasn’t telling them that to make them feel bad about themselves but to help them see why their boasting was so foolish and out of step with the gospel. Now, however, he is not pointing out their false boasting and reminding them of who they were before Christ, but he is identifying behavior that is shameful.

It wasn’t shameful for them to be nobodies and the foolish and weak of the world. Those things are meaningless in the sight of God, so to be a nobody shouldn’t make anyone feel ashamed. But it is shameful to bring reproach on the name of Christ! Who they were before Christ wasn’t shameful, but what they’re doing now that they know Christ is behavior they should be ashamed of! It can be hard to wrap our minds around the impact of this statement because we don’t live in an honor/shame culture the way that Paul and the Corinthians did.

To be put to shame was more than simply to be embarrassed by bad behavior. To be put to shame was to bring dishonor upon yourself and your family name. While it could carry a subjective emotion of embarrassment, it also carried an objective status of being dishonorable. Paul, then, is saying more than that they should feel a certain way about their behavior but that their behavior actually moves them from a status of honorable to a status of dishonorable. Why? Because it brings reproach on the name of Christ! All of our honor and all of our glory and all of our status is wrapped up in Christ and His honor and His glory and His status. Everything we are is the result of everything He is. And so there is nothing more shameful for a believer than to bring reproach on his Lord! If we dishonor Christ, we are also in a very real sense dishonoring His bride, the church, of which we are a part. Paul does want them to realize how shameful their behavior is because of what it does to Christ’s reputation in Corinth. Paul then explains why their lawsuits bring reproach on Christ.

One reason they bring reproach on Christ is because of what they say about the church.

Notice the rest of v. 5… That’s the kind of statement that one of the young people in the church would have heard read and immediately yelled out, “Shots fired!” afterward.

What was the Corinthians big claim to fame, at least in their own minds? That they were filled with wisdom and had lots of wise people in the church! They were clamoring after wisdom, and they prized wisdom as one of the most valuable things in their church congregation. And so for Paul to say, “Do you not have anyone wise in your congregation?” was for Paul to take direct aim and fire. But, of course, this must be the conclusion if they cannot solve their own disputes, right?

If they have to go to the world to solve their problems, then they must not have anyone in the church who is wise! And if the church’s wisdom is inferior to the unbelieving, unrighteous world, then what does that say about the gospel of Christ? What does that say about our Lord? What does that say about His church? What do we have to offer the world if we constantly are running for help to the world?! It’s shameful to have legal disputes you take to the world because you say the world has more wisdom than Christ when you do that, and that imperils our witness to the world that the gospel is the wisdom of God.

It’s also shameful to take disputes to the ungodly because disputes undermine the family nature of the church.

The word brother occurs three times in 6 words between vv. 5-6 in the original Greek text.

It’s repeated for emphasis, to remind the church that we are not just a collection of people who meet in a club or a school or a social cause; we are family. We are brothers and sisters in Christ. When we look around the room at the church, we are seeing our family members in Christ. Think about what kind of dysfunctional family someone would have when brother is suing brother!

In a much-publicized legal battle, pop singer Britney Spears sued her father, Jamie Spears, claiming that he had wrongfully paid himself $6 million for managing her estate. The legal battle went on for three years and was just settled in court in Los Angeles this past April. The terms of the settlement are private, so no one knows what the outcome was in detail, but when you hear a story like that, you realize that the outcome itself is irrelevant because a father and daughter were in court over a financial lawsuit! No one would look at that relationship and say that you’d want that for your family. And that’s Paul’s point when he looks at brother suing brother.

When one church member sues another, what must the unbelieving world think of the family of God? Who would want to be part of a family that is that dysfunctional, that hostile toward one another, that selfish? What happens to the church’s witness when brother goes to court against brother? In John 13:35, Jesus said, “By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” How can people know that we are His disciples if rather than loving our brothers we are taking them to court? No one would believe that Britney Spears and her dad love each other. If they did, they could have figured out their financial disagreement without suing each other over it! Likewise, no one will believe Christians love one another if we cannot resolve our disputes in a loving way within the family of God. Notice v. 6…

These disputes are also shameful because they tarnish the witness of the church before unbelievers

When we take someone outside the church to resolve a problem or a dispute, we put all our dirty laundry out for the world to see! And that’s why it’s so shameful, isn’t it? We tell the world all these things Paul has mentioned in this verse, the lack of wisdom, the lack of love, the greed and selfishness. The church looks no different from the ungodly world when this happens, and that means that the world reproaches Christ. Nothing is more shameful for the believer than to bring shame upon the name of Christ before the world. We must handle disputes within the church when they arise because to go outside the church damages the reputation of Christ. Finally, to handle disputes in a way that reflects our present standing in Christ and our future hope of glory, we need to understand…

The response to suffering (vv. 7-8)

When suffering comes our way as Christians, the Lord expects us to respond a certain way, and Paul outlines that for us in vv. 7-8.

The first thing we see in these two verses, at the beginning of v. 7, is that no one wins when two Christians go to court…

The word translated actually in v. 7 in the NASB or at all in the ESV could also be translated “total,” so the verse would read like this: So then, that you have lawsuits with one another is already a total defeat for you! It’s a complete loss! No one wins when two brothers in Christ go to court to settle their disputes. Even if someone wins the case, both people lose. But not only do the parties to the case lose, the entire church loses. I think the idea that it is a total loss means that even those people in the church who are not part of the dispute get dragged into it because they are associated with the church, so that the whole church suffers defeat when its members go to law against one another.

Given that a lawsuit existing at all is a total loss for the entire church, Paul reminds us of the biblical response to suffering with two questions in v. 7…

These two questions put in stark relief how opposed Paul is to Christians going to court against one another rather than handling their disputes within the church.

If you had to choose between only two options – suing a brother or sister who wronged or defrauded you, or letting it go and suffering loss – it is preferable for the Christian to suffer loss rather than to sue and win in court! Do you understand how completely foreign this is to the way everyone in our society thinks?

This is crazy. No one in their right mind would ever say what Paul just said right here. After all, we have our rights! I’m not going to be someone’s doormat, just let them take what’s mine and walk all over me, defraud me, wrong me, and not pay for it. But, Paul says, you are better off forgiving the wrong and accepting the loss than you are taking legal action against your brother or sister in Christ. We have in this passage another way to seek remedy in a situation where we’ve been wronged, and that is to go to the church and seek help from the leadership of the church, from those in the church with godly wisdom. But if that doesn’t work out for whatever reason, then what’s our recourse? Paul says your recourse is to suffer wrong. Your recourse is to be defrauded. And these verbs are put in such a way that Paul is saying that we allow this to happen to us. It’s a choice we make. We choose to suffer wrong, we choose to be defrauded. We have a choice to go to court and seek to redress the wrong, but it’s better to choose to give up our earthly rights, our earthly claims, our earthly possessions and allow ourselves to be wronged or defrauded. This teaching flows right out of the way Jesus taught His disciples to suffer at the hands of those who are evil and perpetrate injustice against them.

Matthew 5:39-40… Jesus’ point is that Christians do not seek retribution and do not retaliate when they suffer. Christians suffer willingly for Christ’s sake. And that doesn’t simply mean that you suffer because you’re a Christian in a country where Christianity is illegal, or you suffer for preaching the gospel to someone who hates Jesus. To suffer for Christ’s sake also means to accept suffering rather than to bring reproach on the name of Christ. It means to suffer because we value the glory of His name more than we value our comfort or ease or our worldly goods. That’s what Paul is teaching here. The person doesn’t wrong you or defraud you because you’re a Christian. The suffering is not because you follow Christ, at least not directly. But the willingness to be defrauded and the willingness to be wronged is because you are a Christian even if the wrong itself was not a direct attack on your faith. This is so critical because a common objection that gets raised when the biblical teaching about dealing with disputes is applied is that the church might not come to the right decision about what to do.

What if the church doesn’t decide correctly? What if the elders make a mistake in judgment and the situation is not properly remedied? Let me say two things about that.

First, if you’re in the middle of the dispute, your ability to determine the right outcome is severely constrained.

You are not an unbiased, objective judge if you believe you have been wronged or you are being falsely accused. You are always going to think you are in the right at some level, and so it is very possible, maybe even likely, that you will not get the outcome you want in every detail because your perspective is skewed toward your own self-interest. As much as we try to be dispassionate and objective when we are wronged about a proper course of redress, we simply are not objective and we cannot see clearly what will be more clear to others who are outside the situation. And so it’s vital that we trust others and not rely on our own heart for wisdom in such circumstances.

Second, it’s possible church leaders get it wrong, just like it’s possible a judge gets it wrong, or a mediator or an arbitrator gets it wrong.

People make mistakes in judgment all the time. Even people who are not part of the situation can be biased and not know it, and their decisions can be in error. But when that happens, it’s better Paul says to accept the judgment of the church and be wronged then it is to reject the judgment of the church and go before unbelievers with the dispute. How can we do that? How can we suffer wrong when we know in our hearts that the decision was not the right decision? We can suffer wrong because we have an inheritance coming that far surpasses whatever wrongs we suffer in this life.

If someone wrongs us, if someone defrauds us, and we respond in a godly way, we win, even if we lose in this world. The winner is not the person who acted wickedly, and no one gets away with anything. All wrongs will be made right, and when we suffer willingly to honor and glorify Christ, we ultimately win, because God always honors obedience. He always exalts the humble and the lowly. So if someone wrongs me here, but I respond in Christlike humility and grace, I win. And more importantly, Christ’s name is exalted rather than reproached.

Paul closes this section in v. 8 with a rebuke to those who are living for this world…

Scholars debate who is doing the wrong and defrauding whom.

Are the people filing lawsuits the ones defrauding others with false lawsuits before corrupt judges? Or are some people in the church legitimately defrauding others and being taken to court for actual liabilities they should accept based on a wrong they’ve committed? Ultimately, it’s unclear which party Paul thinks is wronging the other, but it doesn’t really matter if we can’t decipher that. The Corinthians would have known who was who. For our purposes, though, the point is clear: Christians should always be the ones suffering wrong and being defrauded rather than harming others or defrauding them.

There is no place in the life of a Christian for doing evil to another person. Christians have no business ever defrauding anyone out of what is rightfully theirs. And how much more is that true in relation to other believers! We should not do evil to the ungodly, but we should be even more concerned not to defraud other Christians because they are our brothers and sisters. They are our spiritual family! The response to suffering, then, is to accept it patiently, if it is God’s will, and to ensure that no one ever suffers wrong at our hands, especially someone within the body of Christ.

Conclusion

This passage emphasizes two main concepts that should shape our understanding of who we are in Christ.

The first concept is that we are a family, and we should treat one another in the body of Christ with love, respect, and deference, always seeking to do what is right in relationship with one another. And the second is that we should be infinitely more concerned about honoring the name of Christ in the church and before the watching world than we are about guarding our earthly possessions. These concepts cut across the grain of everything our culture stands for, a culture where wealth, possessions, riches, and power rule as gods over people’s hearts and minds.

That means responding to the Spirit’s teaching in this verse will serve to set us apart as the holy people of God who have a different loyalty and a different love than anything that exists outside the church. When we resolve the dilemma of disputes in a way that puts Christ first and values brotherly love more than earthly goods, we make clear to the world the wisdom of God in the gospel, a gospel of mercy, grace, and forgiveness for even the worst of sinners.