The Church Changed

Introduction

1 Corinthians 6:1–11 (ESV)

1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?

Q[uestion] 1 (v. 1): presents the basic ingredients of the problem

Q21 and Q22 (v. 2): A set of questions that minimizes lawsuits in the present age in light of eschatological realities

Q31 and Q32 (vv. 3–4): A set of questions that minimizes pagan courts in the light of further eschatological realities

Indicative 1 (v. 5a): “I say this to shame you”

Q41 and Q42 (vv. 5b–6): A set of questions designed to shame them by sarcasm (the second question also recalls v. 1, with special emphasis on their doing this before pagans)

The problem, as Paul lays it out, is that Christians are taking each other to court.

We don’t know much about the courts in Corinth but we do know a good bit about the courts in Athens, and so we expect them to be similar.

Jews, for the most part, did not go to the pagan courts. They believed that they were held to God’s Law and God’s Word and that should be enough to settle disputes.

In fact, the Jewish teachers said that, “To take our problems to a pagan court is the same as blaspheming God, for it is in effect saying, ‘God doesn’t have an answer to this problem.’ ” When, in fact, in their own law, the answer was there; and so they considered it blasphemy against the divine law of God to ever wind up in a courtroom outside of the fellowship of the Jewish people.

MacArthur, J. F., Jr. (2014). John MacArthur Sermon Archive. Grace to You.

For the most part, the Greeks allowed the Jews to do the same. Romans also allowed the Jews to handle things on there own, save capital punishment.

(Remember Jesus was tried before a council of Jews, and even though they falsely accused Jesus and found him guilty, the Jews still needed the occupying Romans to carry out the death sentence.

Christianity was seen as a branch of Judaism so the idea was that the Christians would handle things the same way — within the community of believers.

However, as we have said, the culture of Corinth was found to have seeped into the church of Corinth.

Christian brothers and sisters were suing each other. What could have been handled with the mediation of godly men and women was being taken to the public courts.

Now the motivation to take a court case to the public court as opposed to seeking mediation within the church would be greed.

Handled as brothers and sisters in a grace-filled community where the rich and poor receive equal treatment, a person stood little to gain (except a healthy relationship).

Imagine what that would do to the unity of the church.

Imagine how awkward those prayer meetings would be -pray for my lawsuit - and mine!

2 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?

Trivial. key word.

So we see that these lawsuits were likely not criminal but civil.

There have been way too many abuses of this passage.

Christians should never take anyone to court. I even heard a pastor point out how the Bible gives us instruction on lawsuits.

Paul is not giving prescriptive statements; rather, he is using descriptive situation to teach about they should interact as believers.

The first portion of this passage is to make Paul’s case for the second half.

Another horrific abuse of this passage has been when churches and other Christian organizations use Paul’s words to cover criminal activity and abuse, saying such issues should be handled in-house.

embezzlement, abuse, sexual molestation.

THIS IS NOT WHAT PAUL IS TALKING ABOUT.

Here we need to understand to balance 1 Cor 6 with Romans 13:1-7

Romans 13:1–4 (ESV)

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.

We are told that God has ‘instituted’ our governing authorities, and one of their God-given roles is to execute justice and to keep a public moral order.

Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! 4 So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? 5 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, 6 but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?

This is not saying that all lawmakers or law enforcement or laws make unrighteous judgments, but that, as unbelievers they are unrighteous and so have a natural mind and not supernatural or spiritual.

(thank the Lord we have men and women who both have the mind of Christ and whom God as called to serve in law enforcement, as lawyers, as judges, and other areas of civil government.)

Thank God we live in this great nation which has many of its laws rooted in biblical principles and ideals. We also must recognize that this has not been the norm for Christians throughout history and is not the norm today for many of our brothers and sisters. Even still, Paul’s words stand.)

Paul argues from the lesser to the greater.

Why would those who have the law of God written on their hearts by the Holy Spirit need to have those who only have the lesser, external law referee their disputes?

ILLUST - like allowing your kids to make the punishment.

I’m not saying that unbelievers are not smart; rather, unbelievers simply do not have the spiritual mind that Paul talks about earlier in 1 Corinthians.

Those who claim to have repented of seeking their own best interest for their love of God and neighbor should not need the counsel of someone who does not have that philosophy.

7 To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!

How is it a defeat? what was the goal? To be an effective witness to the grace of God in Jesus.

How can that happen when you are ‘dragging’ each other to court?

9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

List of habitual unrepentant sin. Paul says this is not consistent with the Christian life and is indicative of someone who is not a Christian at all.

sexually immoral

Someone who sleeps around, mired in an unrepentant porn habit, friends with benefits — general term for a host of sexual sins.

idolaters

You love someone or some thing more than Jesus. You sacrifice for it. You give time, money, and energy to it.

adulterers

Sex outside of marriage.

practicing homosexuality

A sexual life that is incompatible with the biblical witness.

thieves

You are ripping people off.

greedy

“And the truth is you either love people, and use money, or you love money, and use people. Greed is when you love money and use people.” (Driscoll)

drunkards

People who seek addictions to save them rather than Jesus. (Not those struggling with addiction, but those who have given themselves to addiction).

revilers

liars. people to cause division.

swindlers

People who manipulate for their own Good.

Not exhaustive list.

Are you deceived?

Problem is, if you are you don’t know it. That’s what deception means!

11 And such were some of you.

How did the WERE happen?

Through God’s grace on the cross in Jesus.

The moment you repent of your sin and trust in Christ, you go from ARE to WERE.

2 Corinthians 5:17 (ESV)

17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.

We all have a WERE. But God can take anyone wherever they are and make it a WERE.

There is NO ONE beyond the transforming grace of God.

*PRAY* fort the one who needs to be WERE.

Paul says you were but now you aren’t so don’t.

Some of you need to release that identity. Your past sins no longer identify you.

But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

I personally like the phrase have been.

Washed

Titus 3:5 (ESV)

5 he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,

Jesus took our guilt - washed us, made us clean.

Sanctified

Made holy, set apart, changed to be different from the world

While we were initially sanctified in Christ,

In another sense we are also being sanctified

Justified

Opposite of unrighteous

in the name - Jesus. . . by the Spirit

Are you WERE?

You’ve gotta pick a team. You’ve gotta walk with Jesus or walk away from Jesus, but sin and Jesus are incompatible

Live like you ARE.

Live like you are washed.

Isaiah 1:18 (ESV)

18 “Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord: though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall become like wool.

Stop living as though you still WERE and start living as you ARE. If you have trusted in Jesus, repented of your sin, and are walking with the Spirit, then your past sins no longer define you.

In fact, sins done against you no longer define you - dirty - you are now washed.

Live like you are justified.

Live like you are sanctified.

You can with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Give grace because you got grace.

If the believers at Corinth had simply given their brothers and sisters a fraction of the grace they had received through Jesus, none of this would have been an issue.

Forgive the trivial matters in light of the grace you’ve received.

Forgive and give grace.

Forgiveness = releasing someone from what they deserve.

Grace = giving them what they don’t deserve.

(unmerited favor of God)