Problem Solving

No hiding the fact that in our society lawsuits seem to be a way of life. In the Corinthian church it was a problem and Paul deals with the problem and offers some problem solving 101 solutions to that and issues with the Corinthian mindset about the body.

Simple facts (2018) statistics in the USA

over 40 million lawsuits filed

1.34 million attorneys to handle those lawsuits

200,000 of those suits filed in the federal courts

In the midst of a Greek territory the church was loosing its testimony. There was immorality that was happening that was not even acceptable in their world (1Cor5). Christians proclaiming they are different but are not living different.

(Illustration) - Lawsuit Liebeck v. McDonalds (hot coffee) was awarded 200,000 in compensation and 2.7m in punitive damages. Hold on maybe not Christian, then there is Guinn v. Collinsville Church of Christ, Collinsville, OK, a lawsuit was filed by Guinn for the church disfellowship, or suit says shunning in 1989 when was not attending the church anyways. You can read all about the suit on line.

Greek culture loved suits

Jewish culture handled everything internally and could not image going to outside the community.

The Corinthian problems is quickly identified in our passage and it creates a bigger issue within the church.

Corinthians were giving a poor example to the lost (1Cor6:1-8)

Corinthians were not remembering who they WERE (1Cor6:9-11)

Corinthians were not remembering whose they were (1Cor6:12-20)

With the heavy Jewish background of the church this problem was unbelievable, inconceivable in his eyes and having to address it comes with criticism, some sarcasm, and some correction.

Example to the lost

Problem solving 101- Church problems need church solutions, handle internally. Consider the example of things on how it is viewed by the world (the lost).

1 Corinthians 6:1–2 NASB95

1 Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts?

1 Corinthians 6:3–4 NASB95

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 them as judges who are of no account in the church?

1 Corinthians 6:5–6 NASB95

5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, 6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?

1 Corinthians 6:7–8 NASB95

7 Actually, then, it is already a defeat 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 brethren.

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

Question: What is Paul’s first question, or statement in (vv.1-2)?

You go before the unrighteous and not the saints on an internal matter.

Saints will judge the world, so why can’t you judge yourselves.

So a weakened testimony, if the unbelieving Jews would not even go to the unrighteous, why would the christian not handle things internally too.

So a weakened testimony because the Christians are forgetting that one day they will participate in the judgment of the world

Interesting that in chapter 5 they were not judging, and now in chapter 6 they are going outside to judge. They were failing to judge when they should have judged and then going where they should not be judged to be judged.

(Transition) Paul paints a pretty strong word picture in (vv.3-6) So, maybe we break it down and glean from it.

1 Corinthians 6:3 NASB95

3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life?

Hey, don’t you realize that you will judge angels, so how is it you cannot handle matters in this life

1 Corinthians 6:4 NASB95

4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church?

Question: What does Paul say about law court judges (v.4)?

Law court judges are of no account to the church.

1 Corinthians 6:5 NASB95

5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren,

1 Corinthians 6:6 NASB95

6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers?

Question: What does Paul say this is or (v.5)?

It is to your shame!

Question: What is the solution that is offered (implied) (vv.5-6)?

Can you not find one wise man among believers? Don’t go to unbelievers.

As a reminder about the real judge of all matters internally and externally. (1Cor5:12-13)

1 Corinthians 5:12–13 NASB95

12 For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Do you not judge those who are within the church? 13 But those who are outside, God judges. Remove the wicked man from among yourselves.

The church is to judge internally (the church)

God is to judge externally (the world)

(transition) Again we have seen some weakening of the testimony, poor testimony to the lost, failing to live up to their position in Christ and now this brings to one ore point in this section.

1 Corinthians 6:7–8 NASB95

Question: What does Paul say the outcome is by failing the suit (vv.7-8)?

It is a defeat to you, You are wrong and defraud your brethren when you do this.

Its a defeat when we the church go to the world we look like the world

Jesus said to turn the other cheek, and they are suing one another you are cheating, defrauding one another.

(Transition) Jesus said to love God and love your brother as yourself, suing one another is not love, so if love is practiced this is not an issue at all. Now comes a great reminder (maybe a hard one) to them, and well, to us too.

Remember who you WERE

Sometimes looking back at who were were, where we came from is a good thing to remind us that is not who we are anymore and a warning not to go back to those old ways.

1 Corinthians 6:9–10 NASB95

9 Or 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 effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

1 Corinthians 6:11 NASB95

11 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.

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

Sexual promiscuity, sexual laxity was well known in Corinth, there was as a many as 2000 temple prostitutes outside the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, immorality and idolatry flourished side by side. Now may we look at what Paul has to say.

Question: According to (v.9) who will not inherit the kingdom of God?

The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom

Take a few minutes on your own and list out the unrighteous in (vv.9-10)

So don’t be deceived and he goes into a list of the unrighteous

The unrighteous: Fornicators

When this is used in this context at that time it meant the male prostitute

The Unrighteous: idolaters

Male prostitutes, female ones outside a place of idol worship.

The unrighteous: adulterers

No definition needed for this one, we saw that in chapter 5 and have many other good bible explanations on this including the words of Jesus himself.

The unrighteous: homosexuals (effeminate)

Those who Paul had addressed in Rom1:26-27, that turned the unnatural into natural for wanton pleasure.

Homosexuality was like a cancer in Greek world and it invaded into Roman culture too. an interesting fact is that 14 out of the first 15 Roman Emperors (Caesars) were homosexuals or carried on homosexual relations, were practicing sodomites.

The unrighteous: sodomites

(Transition) Paul says none of these would inherit the kingdom.

All that just from (v.9) all of these goes with the sexual sin, now he goes on in (v.10) to name others.

The unrighteous: thieves

The unrighteous: Covetous

The unrighteous: Drunkards

The unrighteous: revilers

The unrighteous: extortioners

I know I just touched on those for I wanted to get to the main point Paul wants to convey to them.

1 Corinthians 6:11 NASB95

11 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.

Question: Paul speaks in past tense, past tense of what? What had happened in name of Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of God?

You were washed; you were sanctified, you were justified!

Washed in the blood when baptized

You were sanctified by the Spirit

You were justified by your faith!

(Transition) Paul is giving a strong list of who some were, all to point to who they are now! This was not to shame them, but to challenge them to stop looking to the world, stop looking like the world and that leads up to who they belonged to and what they are to look like!

Remember whose you are!

In this last section for today Paul draws some contrasts between righteousness and unrighteousness. What we do with our bodies matters, and finally some great positive things to remember.

1 Corinthians 6:12–13 NASB95

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 stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.

1 Corinthians 6:14–15 NASB95

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!

1 Corinthians 6:16–17 NASB95

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.

1 Corinthians 6:18–19 NASB95

18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

1 Corinthians 6:20 NASB95

20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

What do you see, what do you notice, what sticks out to you?

Question what is the contrast Paul gives in (v.12)?

All things lawful, all things not profitable

All things are lawful, be mastered by none

You may have heard the ter you need to eat to live, but do you live to eat? Paul is telling them that the things that you eat are temporal, so don’t live to eat. Now he goes to bring this back to the matter of Chapter 5 and earlier in chapter 6. Sex.

Question: Paul says what the body is not for, and what the body is for in (v.13); what is it?

It is not for sexual immorality, it is for the Lord.

Since your body is for the Lord and God raised up the Lord He will raise you up too by His power (v.14)

Question: Paul draws another contrast in (v.15), what is it?

Maybe you can sense a little sacarsm in Paul’s tone here. Remember he is a spiritual father to them. And he takes responsibility for them, last week we spoke of Paul’s parental care for them.

Bodies are members of Christ vs. members of a, joined to a harlot.

He gives more words (v.16-17) and draws them back to the exclusiveness of sex within the confines of marriage for they become one flesh with the one they have relations with.

Question: What does Paul tell them, instruct them to do (v.18)?

Flee sexual immorality

Question: He tells them why to take the action from (v.18) in (v.19) what is the reason why?

Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit!

(Transition) You are not your own, you were bought with a price according to (v.20) oh, wait, we should put that verse up here.

1 Corinthians 6:20 NASB95

20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

Question: what was the price that was paid?

I know that the price is not named here, I hope and pray that you have an answer to that question though.

Question: What are the instructions given (v.20)?

Glorify God in your body.

glorify him in your physical body, don’t do the things that will keep you out of the kingdom of heaven. The focus in 6 has really been sexual sin.

Glorify Him in the church, handle things internally don’t be like the world!

Don’t God to the world and allow it to influence us, we need to influence the world by how we act, how we react. How we handles issues.

(Transition) Remember we are not who we used to be, so don’t look back, go back, press on toward the goal as a new creation in Christ and glorify God in your body, in all you do!