Judging Brothers 1 Cor 6:1-11
A father & his young son were walking through a graveyard one day, and they stopped at a grave stone that read, “Here lies a lawyer and an honest man.” “Look Daddy!”, the little boy said, “they buried 2 people in that grave!” The famous statesman, Winston Churchill, once said, “Lawyers occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.” The Internet is loaded with jokes about Lawyers. Lawyers are depicted as $ hungry: Q: What's the difference between a lawyer and a leech? A: After you die, a leech stops sucking your blood. Or Q: What's the difference between a lawyer and a vulture? A: The lawyer gets frequent flyer miles. Lawyers are depicted as ruthless; Q: What's the difference between a female lawyer and a pitbull? A: Lipstick. Lawyers are depicted as dishonest ; Q: How can you tell when lawyers are lying? A: Their lips are moving. Q: What's the difference between a lawyer and a liar? A: The pronunciation. So, lawyer jokes proliferate, especially about the caricature of their dishonesty and their greed. And I could go on and on, because the need for such jokes show us the reality that lawyers are a painful part of life for many. This is nothing new. Law courts and legal arbitration were a huge part of the way of life among the 1st Century Greeks in Corinth. It had been said “the courts were flooded with lawyers innumerable ...perverting justice.”
But, the Jewish way of doing things was somewhat different. The Jews believed that, since they were the chosen people of God, they ought not to take their disputes into pagan courts. They thought that to do so would be to imply that God’s law was inferior to pagan law. So, among the Jews it was considered to be a form of blasphemy to take another Jew to court. Roman law recognized this attitude of the Jews and so the Jewish synagogues were empowered to try any case and to pass any sentence upon a Jew as long as it did not carry the death penalty.
And because Christianity was understood early in the 1st Century, as a sect of Judaism, it fell into that category. Luke describes that understanding from his quote of Gallio in Act 18 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, 13 saying, "This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law." 14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. 15 But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things." Act 18:12-15
So, the believers in Corinth were seeking lawless lawyers to determine what they could lawfully gain from one another. Paul had just finished explaining to them that they had misunderstood what he had written to them in a previous letter. When he had told them not to associate with a person who was living in sexual immorality or any other sinful lifestyle, he was speaking of the immoral person who claims to be 'a brother'! In other words, one within the visible church, not one outside the visible church, ...one who is in the church not one who is ...in the world. For, he says, “you are not to judge them in the here and now. That is God's job.
So, Paul had ended ch. 5 with these representative words, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. So then, do as the written word tells you in Deut. "Purge the evil person from among you." 1Co 5:12-13 This takes us right into ch. 6, with the continuing idea of judging within the church. Remember, in the Greek, there are no chapter breaks, So, we could insert some thoughts like, “Speaking of judging among yourselves, why are not doing that concerning even small matters?” Remember, I had just told you, “Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” Then, why are you letting the outside world determine the outcome of your grievances with one another? And by the way, why are you so grieved with one another anyway? Why are you so divided that you can't work things out among yourselves. You have to rely on the heathen world to try your cases. What kind of testimony is that? So, in vs.1-11, Paul tells them to Judge What is Your Christian Advantage ...vs.1-4, Judge What is Your Christian Attitude ...vs.5-8, & and then finally, Judge What is a Christian Attribute ...vs.9-11.
Judge What is Your Christian Advantage ...vs.1-4
Paul begins with his shock from their foolish behavior. He has heard that they are bringing their petty issues, which they shouldn't even have, to the unbelieving law courts of the agora, the marketplace. He asks the 1st of his rhetorical questions, he is so famous for. He says in v.1 “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law ...before the unrighteous ...instead of the saints?” According to the Lutheran scholar, J.A. Bengel, “this word, 'dare' implies treason against Christian brotherhood!”. Its as if he's saying, “How dare you revert to such blasphemous betrayal?? Its offensive to God's Wisdom! In your pride, you humiliate the Almighty!!” This love of litigation—is a remnant of the old leaven! And apparently, that yeast was being well nourished from the divisions that, we are told, existed in the Corinthian Church. Paul then, being a Jew, asks another of his questions in v.2 Or 'do you not know' This question, occurs no less than ten times in this Epistle, and only twice in all the rest, and is repeated 6x in this chapter alone! It gives an indication of how Paul feels about their conduct. Paul's question, 'do you not know' clearly shows them that they fall short of their professed wisdom!
'Do you not know' he asks, 'that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent or ill equipped ...to try trivial cases ...the things of an earthly nature
...disputes involving the smallest of tribunals?” You will judge the kosmos ...the world! If you are going to be in a position to sit on the supreme court of the whole kosmos, then you are certainly qualified, here & now to sit on a civil dispute between 2 Christians in this small matter! In ch 4:8 he had shown them that they were treating some of the 'not yet's' as if they were 'already's'. He told them, “Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!” And yet, here, he says, “It seems that you are treating an 'already' as if it is a 'not yet'.” You are to rule within the world of your house, now!
Christians are going to rule and reign with Christ, [we see that in Dan.7 and Rev. 20, as well as Matt 19:28, where Jesus tells His Disciples that they will sit with Him on thrones. Yet, in some sense, we are already 'seated', as Paul tells us in Ephesians, 'in heavenly places' even now! When the prophet Daniel was being given a vision of God's judgment on the 4 kingdoms of this world and we are told there that “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.' Dan 7:18 And further into the vision this idea is repeated, As I looked, Daniel writes in v.21, this horn made war with the saints ...and prevailed over them, That's a scary passage, isn't it? “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.”Dan 7:21-22 This idea is repeated in Rev 20, as well, where it appears that we will witness the judgment of Satan & his arsenal.
Paul confirms our participation in that judgment in v.3 “Do you not know that we are to judge angels, beings now, presently more exalted than you are?”that is,“those fallen angels who did not keep their 1st estate” Jud 6 “How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!” Calvin paraphrases it like this,”Devils, who sprang from so illustrious an origin, and even now, when they have fallen from their high estate, are immortal creatures, and superior to this corruptible world, ...shall be judged by us. What then? Shall those things that are subservient to the belly be exempted from our judgment?” Since, you will be ruling and reigning with Christ in a much bigger case, are the matters of this world not a child's play? He asks them a 4th question in v.4 “So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?” Explain your behavior, please...
Judge What is Your Christian Attitude ...vs.5-8
Paul is so disappointed in them, 'I say this to your shame.' he says. My mother would have said, 'You ought to be ashamed of yourself!' Paul, then, says another thing to their shame, and hits them where their pride is,“Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough [think of the 1st 4 chapters of this letter!] Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough ...to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?” Paul gives another reason why disputes between believers should be settled by believers. Why? because...
A. Believers are 'brothers' ...vs.5-6
When your family has a family argument, does it stay in the family? I assume it does! It does with our family! Sibling rivalry will, on occasion, raise its ugly head in even the most reverent of families. Those conflicts would sometimes get to the point where the parents would be called in as the arbitrator of the dispute. It would usually be over which video will be viewed that night or which car seat each one would sit in, or who received the larger piece of cake or pizza. When that happens do parents take their problems before a judge or a lawyer or a law court? Why not? Because it's a family matter! Whether big or small, family matters are generally settled within a family. When this stops happening, like when a child takes his parents to court, the breakup of the family is already upon them. If you are a Christian, then you are a part of a family. This is why we want your picture on the wall in the Fellowship Hall! This is God’s family. One thing a family doesn’t do is to take its problems and disputes to outsiders. And in fact, Christians are not supposed to be characterized by disputes. We are to be characterized by our ...what? Our 'love for one another'!
What about those instances when going to court with a believer seems impossible to avoid? Like, when an irreconcilable difference takes place that legally demands that the secular courts be involved? In cases of child abuse or neglect or abandonment or in other such criminal cases, Christians may be forced to turn to secular courts! What then? Well, if this takes place, the Christian is to enter into the court system with the attitude that his desire is to glorify God rather than to seek material advantage for himself! Otherwise...
B. A Lawsuit is a Loss ...vs.7-8
v.7 “To have lawsuits ...at all with one another is already a defeat for you.” A final reason that Christians are not to take one another to court is because even when you win a financial or legal victory, you ultimately lose. You may win the legal award. The judge may award you the victory. But the Judge of the universe will declare it to be a loss.” Why do I say that? Because Paul just said it, It 'is already a defeat for you!' I'll take Paul's word for it. But it's not just Paul that wants us to think this way. Think of Christ's words in the Sermon on the Mount, “Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” Mat 5:39-40 The situation that Jesus describes is only slightly different than the one in Corinth. Jesus pictures a believer who has been taken to court. He is being sued. Someone is attempting to take a portion of his material possessions from him. What should be the Christian’s attitude in that case? The Christian is not to be concerned with protecting his material wealth, but instead, his spiritual health! Not your 'material wealth', but your 'spiritual health'! “if anyone would sue you and take your tunic” Jesus tells us, “let him have your cloak as well.”
And Paul agrees wholeheartedly! “Why not rather suffer wrong?” he asks them, rhetorically. “Why not rather be defrauded?” Our temporal good should seem so small and our brother so important that in every instance w2e should be hearing the Spirit of God saying, “Suffer the wrong!”. Paul is appalled! This should be a 'no-brainer'! On the contrary, Paul says in v.8 “But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!” You cheat a family member! These situations, whatever they involved, most likely a financial gain on someone's part, were a perfect example of what it means to take up your cross and follow Christ! “Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” Yet, that was an alien idea in 1st Century Corinth. That is precisely right, because the church is not of this world! The Church comes down from heaven, as a bride adorned for her Bridegroom! The Christian's citizenship is in heaven, as Paul told the Philippians.
What has changed over the last 2000 years? Does that idea line up with the American mentality? Is America not a modern day Corinth? Is this not a Sue Happy Nation. When a woman can be awarded $8 million from a company like McDonalds, for her own negligence, in spilling hot coffee on her lap while driving, and who knows what other bizarre lawsuits have been won by people who want a free ride. Americans love litigation, and so did the Corinthians! But Paul is reminding them that those who they are turning to in these lawsuits, are doomed to destruction unless God does a miraculous work in the souls. They can't have the Godly wisdom that comes from the only wise God if they don't have the Holy Living that springs from the Life of the Holy Spirit! Can't you...
Judge What is a Christian Attribute ...vs.9-11
Once again, Paul reverts to his astonished & rhetorical bewilderment, with this phrase that he keeps repeating,“Or do you not know that the unrighteous, [those you are seeking to justify you in court], “will not inherit the kingdom of God?” They will not be justified in God's Court! Don't fool yourself into believing that its irrelevant or that you will be blessed in seeking lawsuits through people who adhere to all the worldly vices condemned by God's Law! “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate nor men who abuse themselves with men', the ESV just says, 'men who practice homosexuality', [this is a popular passage these days!] And there's more, and I may dig further into these verses next week! v.10 “nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers ...will inherit the kingdom of God.” A T Robertson says, “It is a solemn roll call of the damned even if some of their names are on the church roll in Corinth whether officers or ordinary members.”
Then Paul reminds them of where they came from, in v.11 “And such were some of you! And such were some of you!” You were into 'pornea' sexual immorality! You were a idolaters! You were adulterers! You were homosexuals! You were thieving lawyers! You were greedy lawyers! You were alcoholics! You were slandering gossips! You were slithering swindlers! And if you stayed that way you wouldn't inherit the Kingdom that God has prepared for those who love Him!
“But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by ...the Spirit of ...our God.” That's not a formula for the order of salvation! Its a multifaceted image of the jewel of God's Rich Salvation! You were washed, through regeneration & renewal in the Holy Spirit. You were sanctified ...set apart for Holy Use! You were justified
...declared right in your standing with God! Your life is a testimony of the remarkable change that must radiate out from the center of the Cross! Its the life of the Redeemed of Jesus Christ, the life that only the Father can produce, the life born of God, the Holy Spirit!
You are called to be an ever present reminder that the world stands condemned! How does the Christian condemn the world? Listen to the writer of the Hebrews, Heb 11:7 “By faith, Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world...” We condemn the world by living a Godly lifestyle, and bearing testimony in God's Court of Life!
Closing
Are you living a Godly lifestyle? Or are there impediments, besetting sins in your heart that keep you from experiencing the Power of the Gospel in your life? Could it be that if you could let go and forgive those around you that have ...hurt you and ...sinned against you and, maybe even, ...defiled you ...that you will grow like never before? When we were at Alan & Lori's house on Monday, I noticed a large Rhododendron bush that had grown more than some of the others. I asked Alan what he attributed that to, and he said that he thought it was because the rain runoff from the roof . It was near a water source, and as Psalm 1 wisely tells us, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psa 1:1-3 Are we willing to do what it takes to be free? Faith & Forgiveness ...Love & Humility. Its not a method to be mastered. Its a lifestyle to be lived!
So, what does God want from you? He wants you to be someone who, when he is wronged ...does not retaliate, someone who, when he is cheated ...does not demand to be recompensed, someone who, when he is attacked ...does not seek revenge. Is that you? Do you go to God or do you go to the gossiper? Do you look to your Lord or do you look to your Lawyer. Do you seek the Spirit or do you seek for sympathy? Will you be quick in Judging a Brother, or will you remember that “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 by the Spirit of our God!” Lets Pray!
A father & his young son were walking through a graveyard one day, and they stopped at a grave stone that read, “Here lies a lawyer and an honest man.” “Look Daddy!”, the little boy said, “they buried 2 people in that grave!” The famous statesman, Winston Churchill, once said, “Lawyers occasionally stumble over the truth, but most of them pick themselves up and hurry off as if nothing had happened.” The Internet is loaded with jokes about Lawyers. Lawyers are depicted as $ hungry: Q: What's the difference between a lawyer and a leech? A: After you die, a leech stops sucking your blood. Or Q: What's the difference between a lawyer and a vulture? A: The lawyer gets frequent flyer miles. Lawyers are depicted as ruthless; Q: What's the difference between a female lawyer and a pitbull? A: Lipstick. Lawyers are depicted as dishonest ; Q: How can you tell when lawyers are lying? A: Their lips are moving. Q: What's the difference between a lawyer and a liar? A: The pronunciation. So, lawyer jokes proliferate, especially about the caricature of their dishonesty and their greed. And I could go on and on, because the need for such jokes show us the reality that lawyers are a painful part of life for many. This is nothing new. Law courts and legal arbitration were a huge part of the way of life among the 1st Century Greeks in Corinth. It had been said “the courts were flooded with lawyers innumerable ...perverting justice.”
But, the Jewish way of doing things was somewhat different. The Jews believed that, since they were the chosen people of God, they ought not to take their disputes into pagan courts. They thought that to do so would be to imply that God’s law was inferior to pagan law. So, among the Jews it was considered to be a form of blasphemy to take another Jew to court. Roman law recognized this attitude of the Jews and so the Jewish synagogues were empowered to try any case and to pass any sentence upon a Jew as long as it did not carry the death penalty.
And because Christianity was understood early in the 1st Century, as a sect of Judaism, it fell into that category. Luke describes that understanding from his quote of Gallio in Act 18 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the tribunal, 13 saying, "This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law." 14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, I would have reason to accept your complaint. 15 But since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves. I refuse to be a judge of these things." Act 18:12-15
So, the believers in Corinth were seeking lawless lawyers to determine what they could lawfully gain from one another. Paul had just finished explaining to them that they had misunderstood what he had written to them in a previous letter. When he had told them not to associate with a person who was living in sexual immorality or any other sinful lifestyle, he was speaking of the immoral person who claims to be 'a brother'! In other words, one within the visible church, not one outside the visible church, ...one who is in the church not one who is ...in the world. For, he says, “you are not to judge them in the here and now. That is God's job.
So, Paul had ended ch. 5 with these representative words, “For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? God judges those outside. So then, do as the written word tells you in Deut. "Purge the evil person from among you." 1Co 5:12-13 This takes us right into ch. 6, with the continuing idea of judging within the church. Remember, in the Greek, there are no chapter breaks, So, we could insert some thoughts like, “Speaking of judging among yourselves, why are not doing that concerning even small matters?” Remember, I had just told you, “Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge?” Then, why are you letting the outside world determine the outcome of your grievances with one another? And by the way, why are you so grieved with one another anyway? Why are you so divided that you can't work things out among yourselves. You have to rely on the heathen world to try your cases. What kind of testimony is that? So, in vs.1-11, Paul tells them to Judge What is Your Christian Advantage ...vs.1-4, Judge What is Your Christian Attitude ...vs.5-8, & and then finally, Judge What is a Christian Attribute ...vs.9-11.
Judge What is Your Christian Advantage ...vs.1-4
Paul begins with his shock from their foolish behavior. He has heard that they are bringing their petty issues, which they shouldn't even have, to the unbelieving law courts of the agora, the marketplace. He asks the 1st of his rhetorical questions, he is so famous for. He says in v.1 “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law ...before the unrighteous ...instead of the saints?” According to the Lutheran scholar, J.A. Bengel, “this word, 'dare' implies treason against Christian brotherhood!”. Its as if he's saying, “How dare you revert to such blasphemous betrayal?? Its offensive to God's Wisdom! In your pride, you humiliate the Almighty!!” This love of litigation—is a remnant of the old leaven! And apparently, that yeast was being well nourished from the divisions that, we are told, existed in the Corinthian Church. Paul then, being a Jew, asks another of his questions in v.2 Or 'do you not know' This question, occurs no less than ten times in this Epistle, and only twice in all the rest, and is repeated 6x in this chapter alone! It gives an indication of how Paul feels about their conduct. Paul's question, 'do you not know' clearly shows them that they fall short of their professed wisdom!
'Do you not know' he asks, 'that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent or ill equipped ...to try trivial cases ...the things of an earthly nature
...disputes involving the smallest of tribunals?” You will judge the kosmos ...the world! If you are going to be in a position to sit on the supreme court of the whole kosmos, then you are certainly qualified, here & now to sit on a civil dispute between 2 Christians in this small matter! In ch 4:8 he had shown them that they were treating some of the 'not yet's' as if they were 'already's'. He told them, “Already you have all you want! Already you have become rich! Without us you have become kings! And would that you did reign, so that we might share the rule with you!” And yet, here, he says, “It seems that you are treating an 'already' as if it is a 'not yet'.” You are to rule within the world of your house, now!
Christians are going to rule and reign with Christ, [we see that in Dan.7 and Rev. 20, as well as Matt 19:28, where Jesus tells His Disciples that they will sit with Him on thrones. Yet, in some sense, we are already 'seated', as Paul tells us in Ephesians, 'in heavenly places' even now! When the prophet Daniel was being given a vision of God's judgment on the 4 kingdoms of this world and we are told there that “the saints of the Most High shall receive the kingdom and possess the kingdom forever, forever and ever.' Dan 7:18 And further into the vision this idea is repeated, As I looked, Daniel writes in v.21, this horn made war with the saints ...and prevailed over them, That's a scary passage, isn't it? “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.”Dan 7:21-22 This idea is repeated in Rev 20, as well, where it appears that we will witness the judgment of Satan & his arsenal.
Paul confirms our participation in that judgment in v.3 “Do you not know that we are to judge angels, beings now, presently more exalted than you are?”that is,“those fallen angels who did not keep their 1st estate” Jud 6 “How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!” Calvin paraphrases it like this,”Devils, who sprang from so illustrious an origin, and even now, when they have fallen from their high estate, are immortal creatures, and superior to this corruptible world, ...shall be judged by us. What then? Shall those things that are subservient to the belly be exempted from our judgment?” Since, you will be ruling and reigning with Christ in a much bigger case, are the matters of this world not a child's play? He asks them a 4th question in v.4 “So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?” Explain your behavior, please...
Judge What is Your Christian Attitude ...vs.5-8
Paul is so disappointed in them, 'I say this to your shame.' he says. My mother would have said, 'You ought to be ashamed of yourself!' Paul, then, says another thing to their shame, and hits them where their pride is,“Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough [think of the 1st 4 chapters of this letter!] Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough ...to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?” Paul gives another reason why disputes between believers should be settled by believers. Why? because...
A. Believers are 'brothers' ...vs.5-6
When your family has a family argument, does it stay in the family? I assume it does! It does with our family! Sibling rivalry will, on occasion, raise its ugly head in even the most reverent of families. Those conflicts would sometimes get to the point where the parents would be called in as the arbitrator of the dispute. It would usually be over which video will be viewed that night or which car seat each one would sit in, or who received the larger piece of cake or pizza. When that happens do parents take their problems before a judge or a lawyer or a law court? Why not? Because it's a family matter! Whether big or small, family matters are generally settled within a family. When this stops happening, like when a child takes his parents to court, the breakup of the family is already upon them. If you are a Christian, then you are a part of a family. This is why we want your picture on the wall in the Fellowship Hall! This is God’s family. One thing a family doesn’t do is to take its problems and disputes to outsiders. And in fact, Christians are not supposed to be characterized by disputes. We are to be characterized by our ...what? Our 'love for one another'!
What about those instances when going to court with a believer seems impossible to avoid? Like, when an irreconcilable difference takes place that legally demands that the secular courts be involved? In cases of child abuse or neglect or abandonment or in other such criminal cases, Christians may be forced to turn to secular courts! What then? Well, if this takes place, the Christian is to enter into the court system with the attitude that his desire is to glorify God rather than to seek material advantage for himself! Otherwise...
B. A Lawsuit is a Loss ...vs.7-8
v.7 “To have lawsuits ...at all with one another is already a defeat for you.” A final reason that Christians are not to take one another to court is because even when you win a financial or legal victory, you ultimately lose. You may win the legal award. The judge may award you the victory. But the Judge of the universe will declare it to be a loss.” Why do I say that? Because Paul just said it, It 'is already a defeat for you!' I'll take Paul's word for it. But it's not just Paul that wants us to think this way. Think of Christ's words in the Sermon on the Mount, “Do not resist the one who is evil. But if anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well.” Mat 5:39-40 The situation that Jesus describes is only slightly different than the one in Corinth. Jesus pictures a believer who has been taken to court. He is being sued. Someone is attempting to take a portion of his material possessions from him. What should be the Christian’s attitude in that case? The Christian is not to be concerned with protecting his material wealth, but instead, his spiritual health! Not your 'material wealth', but your 'spiritual health'! “if anyone would sue you and take your tunic” Jesus tells us, “let him have your cloak as well.”
And Paul agrees wholeheartedly! “Why not rather suffer wrong?” he asks them, rhetorically. “Why not rather be defrauded?” Our temporal good should seem so small and our brother so important that in every instance w2e should be hearing the Spirit of God saying, “Suffer the wrong!”. Paul is appalled! This should be a 'no-brainer'! On the contrary, Paul says in v.8 “But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!” You cheat a family member! These situations, whatever they involved, most likely a financial gain on someone's part, were a perfect example of what it means to take up your cross and follow Christ! “Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” Yet, that was an alien idea in 1st Century Corinth. That is precisely right, because the church is not of this world! The Church comes down from heaven, as a bride adorned for her Bridegroom! The Christian's citizenship is in heaven, as Paul told the Philippians.
What has changed over the last 2000 years? Does that idea line up with the American mentality? Is America not a modern day Corinth? Is this not a Sue Happy Nation. When a woman can be awarded $8 million from a company like McDonalds, for her own negligence, in spilling hot coffee on her lap while driving, and who knows what other bizarre lawsuits have been won by people who want a free ride. Americans love litigation, and so did the Corinthians! But Paul is reminding them that those who they are turning to in these lawsuits, are doomed to destruction unless God does a miraculous work in the souls. They can't have the Godly wisdom that comes from the only wise God if they don't have the Holy Living that springs from the Life of the Holy Spirit! Can't you...
Judge What is a Christian Attribute ...vs.9-11
Once again, Paul reverts to his astonished & rhetorical bewilderment, with this phrase that he keeps repeating,“Or do you not know that the unrighteous, [those you are seeking to justify you in court], “will not inherit the kingdom of God?” They will not be justified in God's Court! Don't fool yourself into believing that its irrelevant or that you will be blessed in seeking lawsuits through people who adhere to all the worldly vices condemned by God's Law! “Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate nor men who abuse themselves with men', the ESV just says, 'men who practice homosexuality', [this is a popular passage these days!] And there's more, and I may dig further into these verses next week! v.10 “nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers ...will inherit the kingdom of God.” A T Robertson says, “It is a solemn roll call of the damned even if some of their names are on the church roll in Corinth whether officers or ordinary members.”
Then Paul reminds them of where they came from, in v.11 “And such were some of you! And such were some of you!” You were into 'pornea' sexual immorality! You were a idolaters! You were adulterers! You were homosexuals! You were thieving lawyers! You were greedy lawyers! You were alcoholics! You were slandering gossips! You were slithering swindlers! And if you stayed that way you wouldn't inherit the Kingdom that God has prepared for those who love Him!
“But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by ...the Spirit of ...our God.” That's not a formula for the order of salvation! Its a multifaceted image of the jewel of God's Rich Salvation! You were washed, through regeneration & renewal in the Holy Spirit. You were sanctified ...set apart for Holy Use! You were justified
...declared right in your standing with God! Your life is a testimony of the remarkable change that must radiate out from the center of the Cross! Its the life of the Redeemed of Jesus Christ, the life that only the Father can produce, the life born of God, the Holy Spirit!
You are called to be an ever present reminder that the world stands condemned! How does the Christian condemn the world? Listen to the writer of the Hebrews, Heb 11:7 “By faith, Noah, being warned by God concerning events as yet unseen, in reverent fear constructed an ark for the saving of his household. By this he condemned the world...” We condemn the world by living a Godly lifestyle, and bearing testimony in God's Court of Life!
Closing
Are you living a Godly lifestyle? Or are there impediments, besetting sins in your heart that keep you from experiencing the Power of the Gospel in your life? Could it be that if you could let go and forgive those around you that have ...hurt you and ...sinned against you and, maybe even, ...defiled you ...that you will grow like never before? When we were at Alan & Lori's house on Monday, I noticed a large Rhododendron bush that had grown more than some of the others. I asked Alan what he attributed that to, and he said that he thought it was because the rain runoff from the roof . It was near a water source, and as Psalm 1 wisely tells us, Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.” Psa 1:1-3 Are we willing to do what it takes to be free? Faith & Forgiveness ...Love & Humility. Its not a method to be mastered. Its a lifestyle to be lived!
So, what does God want from you? He wants you to be someone who, when he is wronged ...does not retaliate, someone who, when he is cheated ...does not demand to be recompensed, someone who, when he is attacked ...does not seek revenge. Is that you? Do you go to God or do you go to the gossiper? Do you look to your Lord or do you look to your Lawyer. Do you seek the Spirit or do you seek for sympathy? Will you be quick in Judging a Brother, or will you remember that “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 by the Spirit of our God!” Lets Pray!