The Saints Who Judge, Bear Injustice, and Display the Gospel

1 Corinthians 6:1-11 - Riley Boggs

Throughout this letter from Paul to the Corinthians we get a glimpse of how we should handle certain bad situations. Last week we looked at church discipline and looked at the how and why the church of it. This week we come to a text that may seem a bit unapplicable to you, because the situation being addressed is so specific. It seems that somewhere along the way people in the church in Corinth have begun suing one another. There are some who have been wronged, cheated, or something like that, but people in the church, maybe in a business deal or something of that nature. And so they have taken the case to the authorities and have filed lawsuits. Paul hears about this, and he says, you shouldn’t be doing this. It isn’t good to have lawsuits against your brothers and sisters in Christ. And so, don’t do that. Sermon over.

No, there’s a lot more to this text than that. Paul addresses this issue because it is wrong, and he gives two reasons for it being wrong. After that, he tells them what they are to do instead, sort of a practical way forward. And then lastly, he reminds them of a truth that they seemingly have forgotten. So that’s how I think we should look at this text this morning. The application regarding lawsuits between believers is rather straight forward, but I think as we work through this text we’ll be able to see how this text as a whole, when applied well, helps the church to be all that God desires it to be. So, we’ll look at each reason why they shouldn't do this, instructions on what to do instead, and then a reminder. So the first reason...

1.) The church is competent to judge (vv.1-3)

Similar to how Paul addressed the situation we looked at last week, his primary concern here is not with the problem in the church, but rather how the church is handling the situation. Paul knows that issues will arise in the church. He knows that the church is made up of sinful people who hurt and wrong one another. So his application is not, “hey guys, don’t ever wrong one another again.” Instead, he says that the way you handle these situations is paramount. And more specifically, the way the Corinthian church is handling the situations is wrong.

Paul says, in verse 1, “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to the law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?” In other words, why are you outsourcing your problems within the church to those who do not know God, and who are not capable of doing what you are. Or think back to how Paul talked about those who know Christ being wise, and those who are in the world being unwise. Here he is saying, why are you taking your issues with one another to the unwise, when you yourselves are wise?

Now as I mentioned, in this section we see the first reason for why they should not do this. Look at verses 2-3. Paul says, “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!” There’s a lot going on here, so let me try to explain what he is saying.

When he talks about saints judging the world and judging angels, I think he is referring to the truth that those who are in Christ, will one day reign with Him. Our call to worship text this morning mentioned this reality, and I also have another text that I think will help us here. You don’t have to turn there, but in 2 Timothy 2 Paul writes and describes this same reality. He says, “8 Remember Jesus Christ, risen from the dead, the offspring of David, as preached in my gospel, 9 for which I am suffering, bound with chains as a criminal. But the word of God is not bound! 10 Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, that they also may obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.11 The saying is trustworthy, for: If we have died with him, we will also live with him; 12 if we endure, we will also reign with him; if we deny him, he also will deny us; 13 if we are faithless, he remains faithful—for he cannot deny himself.”

The part I want us to focus in on there is the “reign with him”. Here is what Paul is getting at. If you in Christ, that is if you placed your faith in Him and trusted Him for salvation, then one day you will reign with Him. Because you are a in Christ, you will be a heir with Christ, and since He is the King, He has promised that all those whom He has saved will reign with Him.

Now, taking this truth and laying it over this text we can begin to see more clearly what Paul is saying. He says, one day you are going to judge the world. You’ll even judge the angels. But for some reason in the world right now, you are acting as if you are incapable of judging these trivial cases. Instead of handling them as you are able to, you are outsourcing them to a world who has no business judging these things. They don’t know Christ, they don’t know His Word, they don’t have the Spirit in them, and they don’t know what they ought to do. But you all do. You are competent to judge these things because God has given you the ability to do so.

This is the issue that Paul is pointing out. They are allowing an unbelieving world to do a job that only they are capable of. And he roots this in the fact that one day we will judge much more weighty things when we reign with Christ.

Let me make one important note before moving on here. I think it’s important we realize that Paul is not talking about matters in the church that must go before the authorities. He is not saying that everything, no matter what, has to be handled by the church alone. There are certainly things that the moment we hear them, we must go to the authorities. This text is not a text that we use to sort of conceal wrongdoings and hide things that should not be hidden. Not at all. This text is about grievances, or civil matters, between those in the church that would not be considered criminal offenses, what Paul calls trivial cases.

Alright, so that is the first reason. The second reason is this…

2.) Public division in the church distorts the world’s view of the Gospel (vv.4-6)

Paul tells the church that they are competent in judging these cases themselves, and that they need to stop allowing those who are incompetent to judge these things do their job. But there is also another reason why he wants them to stop taking these issues public in lawsuits, and that is because these disputes and lawsuits are distorting the world’s view of the Gospel.

Paul says in verses 4-6, to paraphrase, that if they are competent, why must they go outside the church? It isn’t that there isn’t someone in the church who is capable, there is. And so it is a shameful thing that these issues are happening, where a brother goes against a brother, and for it to all be on display before unbelievers. 

Think about how all of this looks to an unbeliever. Let’s think through a hypothetical here. Let’s say there is a mechanic in the church and someone in the church takes their car to them to have it fixed. The mechanic fixes the car, gets paid for the job, and then a week later the church breaks again. The same issue as before, that the mechanic claims to have fixed. The mechanic says that they did their job, and it isn’t on them to fix it again. They say it was a faulty part or a negligence by the owner or something like that. The owner of the car is certain that the mechanic didn’t do their job, and at the very least should fix it again at no cost. And since they can’t come to an agreement, the owner of the car decides to sue the mechanic.

Now, just think about how all of this plays out. They go to an attorney, and he explains the whole situation, and at the end of the conversation the attorney asks, “and do you know this mechanic personally?” They respond and say, “Oh yes, I know him. We’ve been members together at so-and-so church for 10 years.” Immediately this whole situation warps this attorney’s view of the Gospel. He’s going to see the church as a place that is just like the rest of the world. Everyone is trying to get theirs.

For the sake of the hypothetical, let’s say the owner of the car has a change of heart. They go back to the attorney and say, “actually, I don’t want do to this.” And the attorney says, “Why? I think you have the evidence to win here. You can sue him for all he has!” And the owner responds and says, “I know, but that’s not what I should do. I’ve decided that what is best is for me to forgive this brother if he did do wrong, trust what he has said, and make amends. I want what is best for him no matter what happened, because he is my brother in Christ.” And now, the attorney hears all of this and doesn’t understand. How could someone forgive someone out of love, though they have clearly been wronged? And that’s the Gospel.

But see all of that is missed and distorted if it the lawsuit remains. When these divisions and lawsuits are in the public, the world sees the church as no different than anything else. They are going to see people who are supposed to be like Christ, being selfish, angry, greedy, divisive, and so on. Where is the forgiveness, the sacrificing, the love, and all of the things that make the Gospel what it is?

Paul tells the Corinthians to keep their civil issues within the church. In this hypothetical case, instead of trying to sue the man, they should’ve come to the pastors. They should’ve sought Godly counsel within the church and come to an agreement. 

Okay, but what about when an agreement can’t be come to? What if the mechanic and the owner, despite Godly counsel, can’t seem to find common ground? Is this when you just have to take legal action? No, Paul has the answer for that. He says, that…

3.) For the sake of the church, we might have to bear injustice (vv.7-8)

Starting in verse 7 Paul says, “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!” In other words, he is asking the simple question, “what matters most to you?”

There are times that, for the sake of the church, for the sake of unity, for the sake of the Gospel, for the sake of Christ, and so on, that you will have to bear injustice. You will have to suffer wrong. You will have to be defrauded. And the reason that we must be willing to do this is because of the answer to the question, “what matters most to you?” Is the attorney’s view of the Gospel more important to you than the money you are going to lose for another car repair?

These are convicting questions. They are convicting because they force us to live out the faith that we problem in situations where we might have actually been wronged. Paul doesn’t have in view here accidental wrongdoing, or accidental defrauding. If that were the case, he wouldn’t tell the Corinthians that is something they have to actually take on. No, he is saying that when there are times where when someone in the church intentionally does one of these things to you, it may be best to just bear it. Of course you can take it to the pastors and get Godly counsel, but if there is an impasse and the next step is to take legal action, Paul says don’t do it. Just suffer the wrong and be defrauded for your brother’s sake.

The world would likely never advise someone to do this. They would say, “No, you’ve been wronged. Make it right. Get yours!” But, the church says bear this injustice for the sake of the church, for Christ, and for His Gospel. And why would the world advise one way, and the church the other? Well, because the church has been redeemed. And that is where Paul heads next…

4.) As a redeemed people, the church should not act like the unrighteous (vv.9-11)

These last 3 verses are absolutely glorious. They are the Gospel. Every person in this room, in this world, fits somewhere in this text. Let me just read these verses one more time and then we’ll connect it what Paul is saying here and make some final applications. Starting in verse 9 Paul says, “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. 11 And such were some of 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.”

The reality of all human beings after Adam and Eve sinned, is that we are unrighteous. In Romans 3:10-11 we are told that, "None is righteous, no, not one; 11no one understands; no one seeks for God.” That is, there is no one who is born in a neutral state. There is not person who is born righteous or has become righteous on there on. No one is righteous and no one seeks God. Hearing that and then seeing what Paul says can be a bit trouble. If everyone is unrighteous and the unrighteous cannot inherent the kingdom of God, then can anyone inherent it? Who can be an heir with Christ if everyone is unrighteous?

The answer is found in verse 11. And such “were”, past tense, some of you. What changed? Why aren’t they unrighteous anymore? Because they have been washed, they have been sanctified (that is, made holy), and they have been justified (that is, made right), in Christ by the Spirit. That is the Gospel. That those who did not know God, who were unrighteous, who hated God, have been saved by Him, because of the sacrificial atoning work of Jesus Christ.

Okay, some of you may be thinking, “that’s great Paul. The Gospel is the greatest news. But what does this have to do with lawsuits?” Here is what he is getting at. The things that describe the unrighteous, who we were before Christ, cannot describe us now that we are in Christ. We have been saved to walk a different path, one that does not look like the list in verses 9-10. In this new walk, we walk in a manner that upholds our Savior and His Gospel above all. And in light of that, we will bear injustice for His sake.

See, the person described in this list, the unrighteous person, is incapable of doing these things. And Paul knows that those in this church used to be characterized in this way. They used to be these people. They used to be the sexually immoral, the idolaters, the drunkards, the greedy, the adulterers, and so on. That is who they used to be. But, not anymore. They have been freed from this and now they are able to do things differently. They can now judge properly, see things clearly, and sacrifice when necessary. Even if it means financial loss or whatever the situation may warrant, because they are now able. Paul reminds them of this so that they may walk in the manner in which they have been called. He wants them to walk as those who have been redeemed, not like the unrighteous.

So, Paul addresses the Corinthians about how they are suing one another in the church, and he gives them the first reason for why they should not be doing this. That is that only they are able to judge these issues rightly, and so they should not be taking these things before the world is incompetent in this. The church is competent to judge these things and will one day judge much weightier things when reigning with Christ.

The second reason he gives for why they shouldn’t be doing this is because it is distorting the world’s view of the Gospel. When two brothers unable to come to an agreement to the point where they sue one another, it gives the wrong picture of what the community of faith should look like. This isn’t how those who follow Christ ought to be seen.

Then, Paul tells them how they should act moving forward. He tells them that they at times they might have to bear injustice for the sake of the church. They might have to suffer wrongdoings so that the problem is solved. To avoid legal matters or conflict or whatever the situation is, you might need to sacrifice and think on what matters most.

And then lastly, as those who have been redeemed, we should not act like the people we once were. We should act not like the unrighteous who will not inherent the kingdom of God, but like the people God saved us to be. Those who are righteous and are able to walk in a manner worthy of Christ. And in this, we have the ability to prevent lawsuits between believers.

Every Sunday we come to the table, and I try to give a quick explanation of who can and cannot come. This morning I want to elaborate on this a bit because I think this text serves as a good reminder. This meal is for the justified. That is, this meal is for those who have been declared righteous by God and no longer considered guilty. But how can that be? If every human is born sinful, how can we be seen as innocent and righteous? The answer is faith in Jesus Christ. By placing your faith in Christ, His righteousness is imputed to you. It becomes your own. Your sins were paid for on the cross, you are seen as innocent. There is no more condemnation, no need to fear, you have been made right. You have been justified. And so, we come to the table as those who have been justified by the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.