1 Corinthians 6

Introduction

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David Platt was the former president of the IMB. From 2021 to 2024, former members of McLean Bible Church in Virginia filed four lawsuits against Platt and the church. They claimed that Platt unconstitutionally removed members right before important votes and meetings. Constitutionally, the church was required to be an independent church. However, the church was paying hundreds of thousands of dollars to SBC entities. He was also always hiring people from SBC entities. As of now, all the lawsuits have been dismissed or dropped. However, it is a stain on his legacy and McLean Bible Church. It is so sad to see a church in such conflict that the courts have to get involved.

Need

We need to be people of integrity and reconciliation. Let us learn from these saddening examples.

Referent

1 Corinthians 6:1-8 [& 9-11]

Organization

Judgement Before Civil Magistrates (vs. 1-4)

Justice Before the Saints (vs. 5-8)

Any Naselli

1-3 Division over leaders and wisdom

5- Church Discipline

6- Lawsuits in the church

Romans–Galatians Section Overview

This section addresses the third of ten major issues in the letter: bringing lawsuits against one another. Paul is rebuking the Corinthians not for having disputes but for how they are attempting to settle them. As a general principle (cf. Response section on

Sermon in a sentence:

Sometimes, its better to be wronged instead of being right.

Judgement Before the Civil Magistrates (vs. 1-4)

The civil magistrates (in Corinth) were unrighteous.

The were use to corruption and the power of societal law.

The church should be a place that brothers and sisters seek reconciliation. The Lord Jesus Christ does not allow for Christians to not seek reconciliation.

Matthew 5:23–24 “23 So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”

Matthew 18:15-20 - tells us that unrepentance (this includes a denial to reconcile) demands church discipline.

If these things are true, why in the world would I not want to remove “inactive” members?

The saints are more qualified to judge themselves than pagan magistrates.

Notice that Paul distinguishes between criminal cases (Romans 13) and “trivial cases..pertaining to this life” (vs. 2&3)

Christians should be wise enough to think through issues and make wise decision. So many times I have seen Christians that cannot think or reason at all. They sound like the world anytime they have a personal experience or opinion.

So many times I have seen this happen. One Christian gets hurt and then they respond worse than how they were treated. A small hurt turns into a person leaving the church instead of trying to reconcile. A person is asked to repent of sin. Instead, they spread lies and rumors that other people told them.

3. Paul argues from the greater to the lesser.

The logic is clear even if the referent is totally understandable.

If you can conquer Mordor and Mount Doom, you can climb this hill. A person unfamiliar with Tolkien’s LOTR can still understand the meaning of this sentence.

Matthew 5:3 “3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Matthew 5:5 “5 “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.”

Matthew 5:10 “10 “Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.”

Hebrews 2:5 “5 For it was not to angels that God subjected the world to come, of which we are speaking.”

2 Peter 2:4 “4 For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment;”

Matthew 25:41 “41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.”

Daniel 7:21–22 “21 As I looked, this horn made war with the saints and prevailed over them, 22 until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given for the saints of the Most High, and the time came when the saints possessed the kingdom.”

Matthew 19:28 “28 Jesus said to them, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.”

Revelation 20:4 “4 Then I saw thrones, and seated on them were those to whom the authority to judge was committed. Also I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded for the testimony of Jesus and for the word of God, and those who had not worshiped the beast or its image and had not received its mark on their foreheads or their hands. They came to life and reigned with Christ for a thousand years.”

4. Paul speaks about those outside of the church as those that do not have standing in the church.

This is why it was so important for our members to sign a covenant. We are covenanting together and promising that we stand in a relationship (a covenant relationship) together. Not until we get weird vibes about something. Not until we get tired from something. Not until we don’t like the way something was decided.

I promise you, covenant membership is attested throughout the entire Bible. There is a reason for the decisions I made to require a covenant from those that claim to be members.

Justice Among the Saints (vs. 5-8 [9-11])

Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are glorying and boasting in their leaders, their preachers, their tolerance/acceptance of certain sins, and their extra special gifts.

They boast in all these things but they can’t even decide these trivial matters amongst themselves. It is shameful.

(v. 7) It is already a defeat if it comes to this point.

Sometimes, it is better to be defrauded and be wronged than it is to be right.

Paul, nor I, am talking about any kind of abuse (physical or sexual)! We need to bring to light any serious and unrepentant sin. However, not all sin is worth during down bridges. Any type of physical, sexual, verbal abuse must be addressed and not overlooked!

We have people getting mad because they were taken advantage of. So what do they do? They try to take advantage of the ones that did that to them.

Application

Find Reconciliation toward God in Jesus Christ.

Seek Reconciliation towards anyone who has sinn against you.