In our study of 1 Corinthians chapter six, we look at how we, as Christians, should settle disputes that we have with other believers.
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How dare one of you with a complaint against another go to court before pagan judges and not before God's people?
The word "another" here is talking about one of the same kind (another believer in Jesus Christ). Paul asks the question to get them and us to see how ridiculous it would be to answer "yes".
Don't you know that God's people are going to judge the universe? If you are going to judge the universe, are you incompetent to judge these minor matters? Don't you know that we will judge angels, not to mention affairs of everyday life?
Most times, people look at a certificate, diploma, or other type of document to make sure someone is qualified for a task. This is a man-made thing and not from God. When we come to Christ we are given the gift of the Holy Spirit which allows us to know and understand the things of God. If we can know the things of God, then, why would we trust the judgment of people who do not know Jesus Christ? Paul reminds us that we will be judging the acts of the fallen angels and Satan (see Revelation 19).
So if you require judgments about matters of everyday life, why do you put them in front of men who have no standing in the Messianic Community? I say, shame on you! Can it be that there isn't one person among you wise enough to be able to settle a dispute between brothers?
When Paul speaks of "in the church", he is not talking about being a member of a group that meets at a building but is talking about people that are a part of the body of Christ. He tells us that it is better to let any Christian make a judgment on the dispute rather than taking it to someone who does not know Jesus but has a diploma on a wall. Wisdom comes from God and so He qualifies us to make decisions based on His will.
Instead, a brother brings a lawsuit against another brother, and that before unbelievers!
Not only does this affect the harmony of believers but also unbelievers are watching us at all times. When they see us acting in the same ways that they do, it does not glorify God and make them want to know about Jesus.
Actually, if you are bringing lawsuits against each other, it is already a defeat for you. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? Instead, you yourselves wrong and cheat; and you do it to your own brothers!
Paul tells them (and us) that the fact that we even have lawsuits among believers is a sign that we are not following Christ. Christ came as a servant and was wronged many times including when "He who knew no sin became sin" for us. Even while He was being beaten, mocked, and crucified, He asked His Father not to hold their actions against them. That, my friends, is the standard for us as well and anything less is defeat.
Don't you know that unrighteous people will have no share in the Kingdom of God? Don't delude yourselves - people who engage in sex before marriage, who worship idols, who engage in sex after marriage with someone other than their spouse, who engage in active or passive homosexuality, who steal, who are greedy, who get drunk, who assail people with contemptuous language, who rob - none of them will share in the Kingdom of God. Some of you used to do these things. But you have cleansed yourselves, you have been set apart for God, you have come to be counted righteous through the power of the Lord Yeshua the Messiah and the Spirit of our God.
Here, Paul gives a list of sins that were common in the city of Corinth (the "sin city" of the Roman Empire). In giving us this list, he is helping us to see that the unforgiveness that leads to these lawsuits are sinful just as all of the things on the list. He goes on to remind us that we were forgiven for the sin that we were in and so we are called to forgive those who have wronged us.
You say, "For me, everything is permitted"? Maybe, but not everything is helpful. "For me, everything is permitted"? Maybe, but as far as I am concerned, I am not going to let anything gain control over me.
For all of those who walk around afraid that they are going to slip up, sin, and lose their salvation, this verse should bring comfort. Paul tells the people in this "sin city" that they have the freedom to do anything (and not lose their salvation) but not everything will help them in their walk with the Lord. He describes how a taste of sin can lead to control by that sin instead of control by the Spirit of God.
"Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"? Maybe, but God will put an end to both of them. Anyhow, the body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.
Many people use the excuse "That's the way God made me" to explain their sinful ways and to give them a reason to continue in sin. Although it is true that God made us, He did not make us to lead sinful lives. We were meant to be with God and to serve Him which is not possible if we are wallowing in sin.
God raised up the Lord, and he will raise us up too by his power.
Our hope, as believers in Jesus Christ, is that we will be raised from the dead to live with God forever. This includes a raising of the body just as it was with Jesus. Therefore, why would we want to defile this body with sexual immorality?
Don't you know that your bodies are parts of the Messiah? So, am I to take parts of the Messiah and make them parts of a prostitute? Heaven forbid!
Paul reasons with the Corinthians by asking them these questions. His goal is to get them to see how ridiculous it would be for a part of Christ to lay with a prostitute. The same principle applies to all sin and the simple fact is that, as a part of the body of Christ, it does not make any sense for us to continue in sin.
Don't you know that a man who joins himself to a prostitute becomes physically one with her? For the Tanakh says, "The two will become one flesh";
Paul quotes from Genesis 2:24 where God gave Eve to Adam in marriage. The simple fact of the matter is that, in God's eyes, when a man and woman have sexual relations they are married and become one.
but the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.
When we accept Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, He comes and lives inside of us through the Holy Spirit. We become one with Him in that He will guide our every step and even our every thought if we are focused on Him.
Run from sexual immorality! Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the fornicator sins against his own body. Or don't you know that your body is a temple for the Ruach HaKodesh who lives inside you, whom you received from God?
We defile the temple of God (our bodies) when we commit sexual sin. Because of the Holy Spirit that lives in us, we are constantly being made holy (set apart for God's use) and, so, sexual sin has no place in our lives.
The fact is, you don't belong to yourselves; for you were bought at a price. So use your bodies to glorify God.
Although it is not popular to say, Jesus bought us with His blood. Since He bought us, we are no longer our own but belong to Him and so we want to honor Him. When we come to Christ, it is asking Him to be both Lord and Savior.
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