Lawsuits
Notes
Transcript
Handout
This is the third weekend of the month when we answer questions from the question box. The question for this month is: “When is it appropriate for Christians to sue other Christians and also unbelievers?”
This is a two-part question about bringing lawsuits.
The first is: When is it appropriate to bring lawsuits against fellow Christians?
The second is: When is it appropriate to bring lawsuits against unbelievers?
There are a fair number of biblical passages that address this issue. In this sermon, we will look at seven.
The passages are 1 Corinthians 6:1–8; Matthew 5:38–42; 18:15–17; Romans 12:9-21; 13:1–7; 1 Peter 2:13–25; Colossians 3:12-14.
Before we dive in, it is important that we recognize the primary goals of the biblical system and the legal system.
The primary goal of the biblical system in disputes is reconciliation worked through Jesus’ death and resurrection.
The primary goal of the legal system in disputes is justice and fairness through restitution.
1 Corinthians 6:1-8 addresses the question of, “When is it appropriate for Christians to bring lawsuits against other Christians?”.
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!
Paul makes it clear that we are not to bring our civil disputes into the public court, but are to settle them in the church. He gives three reasons.
First, God has equipped his church to settle disputes in the church (verses 2-4).
Second, God has called us to be known by our love for one another, not our lawsuits (verses 5-6, John 13:35).
Third, God has called us to love one another, not sue each other (verses 7-8, John 13:34).
If we are not to settle our disputes in the courts, how are we to settle them? It is not right to ignore them. Then they fester and do more damage.
We settle our disputes in the church by following Jesus’ guidelines given to us in Matthew 18:15-17.
“If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.
Jesus gives us a four-step process to address disputes in the church, to bring about reconciliation so that we can love each other well.
First, you go to your brother or sister in private (verse 15).
Second, if your brother or sister does not listen to you, go with one or two witnesses (verse 16).
Third, if your brother or sister does not listen to you and the witnesses, then bring it before the church (verse 17).
Fourth, if your brother or sister does not listen to the church, then he or she is to be treated as an unbeliever.
The goal of these steps is to move the offender toward repentance for the offence, to bring about reconciliation between the two parties. A sign of repentance would be humility that brings acts of restitution.
With the fourth step, we may think that we are now free to bring a lawsuit against this individual since the whole church is treating them as an unbeliever.
This brings us to our second question. “When is it appropriate to bring lawsuits against unbelievers?”
Matthew 5:38-40 and Romans 12:9-21 address this question.
“You have heard that it was said, ‘An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.
Let love be genuine. Abhor what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor. Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord. Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer. Contribute to the needs of the saints and seek to show hospitality.
Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse them. Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with one another. Do not be haughty, but associate with the lowly. Never be wise in your own sight. Repay no one evil for evil, but give thought to do what is honorable in the sight of all. If possible, so far as it depends on you, live peaceably with all. Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Civil lawsuits are, at their very core, seeking justice for the one who is bringing the suit. These passages make it clear that it is not the Christian way.
Yet it is also very important to the Christian way to act justly and to seek justice. We walk a tension between surrendering our desire for justice to God and advocating for justice.
If these passages are misapplied, sin runs rampant in families and churches.
So how do we walk the tension of surrendering justice to God and advocating for justice?
Thankfully, we are not in this alone. God has set up provisions for temporal justice and eternal justice.
The passages that address this are Romans 13:1-4 and 1 Peter 2:13-17.
1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God.
2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
3 For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you have no fear of the one who is in authority? Then do what is good, and you will receive his approval,
4 for he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword in vain. For he is the servant of God, an avenger who carries out God’s wrath on the wrongdoer.
Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
God has given us the government to dispense his justice here and now.
We are not to use our freedom to cover up evil, but we are to report evil to the government, which is God’s instrument for righteousness.
The government then pursues justice rather than us seeking vengeance.
As Christians, we should not cover up evil by failing to report criminal offenses.
We report the crimes against a person, such as:
assault and battery
arson
child abuse
domestic abuse
kidnapping
statutory rape and rape
public drunkenness
driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol
theft
The list could go on, but you get the idea.
We do not use forgiveness or leaving it in God’s hands as a reason not to report.
We report and leave it in God’s capable hands to work through the government he has established.
We do all of this as Paul instructs us in Colossians 3:12-14.
12 Put on then, as God’s chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience,
13 bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive.
14 And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.
Church, let us love each other and unbelievers well by using the systems God has given us with compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other.
