Some Legal Advice
1 Corinthians: Order in the Church • Sermon • Submitted
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Church discipline does not begin and end with immorality.
Discipline = Restraint
Discipline begins with personal accountability (self-discipline)
Chapter six deals with two other areas the Corinthians were struggling:
Financial and Physical
Tonight we will focus only on the financial, let’s address it this way:
How Should Christians Handle Legal Matters?
How Should Christians Handle Legal Matters?
When it comes to legal matters between brethren, we should keep them out of the court system if at all possible. For three reasons:
Saints Will Judge the World and Angels
Saints Will Judge the World and Angels
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
“Dare any of you”
Paul was expressing his true feelings on the various lawsuits going on in the church
Dare = to have the guts
He could not believe they were going before pagan judges to settle issues
“Unjust” refers to unbelieving judges in the Corinthian court system.
How bad were these judges?
Unjust = wicked, treacherous heathen.
Not the kind of person you should trust to make a decision in a legal matter.
Rather we should go before the saints. Notice the contrast:
Saints = holy
“Matter” (v.1) = business deal.
Evidently there was property or money involved in a deal between two brethren.
Some would say, “This is beyond us, or out of our expertise. Surely we should go to court over something this big.”
That is not what Paul says! 1 Cor. 6:2
2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
He’s blown away that they would go to such extremes, after all, the saints will one day judge the world!
22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
28 And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
Look at Paul’s closing words on this section, 1 Cor. 6.3
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
We will one day sit in judgment against the evil angels that followed Satan, surely we can handle a little legal dispute!
*As if to further explain the situation he reminds them that...
Saints can Judge all Matters
Saints can Judge all Matters
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
When Paul suggested they set the brother that is “least esteemed” to be their judge, he meant:
It would be better to have judgment from a spiritual person with no legal background than to stand before an unsaved “legal official”
Yet, they chose to follow the world’s advice and go to the courts.
Paul calls them out for their unwise decision 1 Cor. 6.5
5 I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
“I speak to your shame” = lit. “I speak to bring you shame”
*Remember how proud they were concerning their “wisdom”? Paul now asks, “…is there not a wise man among you?”
It was to their shame that they would turn their back to God’s expectation and follow worldly advice.
“You should sue them!”
How then should Christians handle disputes?
Saints are to Settle Their Matters With the Saints
Saints are to Settle Their Matters With the Saints
At the time of the writing of this letter it should be pointed out the the matter had already gone to court
He was not writing to stop them, but to scold them!
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
Church problems are family problems
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
“Fault” = a failure or defeat
Even though they may have “won” their case, because it was before a worldly court, it had brought defeat to the church.
Paul says, “You should have taken the wrong rather than the court’s decision.”
What is he saying?
Paul is teaching: Forgiveness.
What they should have practiced was forgiveness, patience, self-rule 1 Cor. 6.8
8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
Instead of practicing forgiveness, they were unjust in their practices.
They had “defrauded” their brethren.
Morris says, “The Corinthians were committing a double sin. They were sinning against ethical standards, and they were sinning against brotherly love.”
Interesting Closing
Interesting Closing
In closing this section, the Holy Spirit guided Paul to introduce the next section…we go from financial pursuits, to a section devoted to sexual purity.
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
This list describes the moral character of the unsaved people of the world. Read it again...
What were their “qualifications” to hear and pass judgment on the saints?
That was Paul’s argument all along.
What about the qualifications of the the saints? 1 Cor. 6.11
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Here Paul reminds us of important truths:
Their “former” standing - “And such were some of you”
Their “current” position:
Washed = Cleansed from all sin
Sanctified = set apart, made holy to God
Justified = as though they’d never sinned
The same is true of each of us today if we know Jesus in the forgiveness of sin.