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Scripture reading – 1 Corinthians 6
* Please note that words and phrases in brackets are the author’s amplification.
1 Corinthians 6
To Sue or Not to Sue? (1 Corinthians 6:1-8)
Paul posed a series of questions to address legal disputes among believers (1 Corinthians 6:1-8). The first question was an insinuation: “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?” (1 Corinthians 6:1). In other words, when a believer brings a lawsuit before an “unjust” (unsaved) judge, he submits a matter between brethren to one who neither judges from a position of righteousness before God nor by the standard of God’s Word.
The next question was a prophetic revelation: “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world?” (1 Corinthians 6:2a). The implication is that when Christ comes to judge the world, believers will not only witness His judgment but also sit with Him to judge it (Daniel 7:22; Revelation 3:21; 20:4).
Paul continued, “and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?” (1 Corinthians 6:2b). He was referring to believers’ accountability to God’s law, not Roman law. He went on to reveal that in future days, believers will sit in judgment over the fallen angels (1 Corinthians 6:3a; 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6). Once again, the apostle asked, if we shall judge angels, “how much more things that pertain to this life?” (1 Corinthians 6:3b).
Because believers will judge the world and fallen angels in the future, we should be able to judge matters that arise in the congregation. To settle disputes within the church, believers should seek out spiritually discerning brethren who will seek God’s guidance in judging between them (1 Corinthians 6:4). Paul then declared, “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?” (1 Corinthians 6:5). Surely there are in every congregation those who are spiritually discerning and humble enough to judge such matters.
Paul was jealous for the reputation of Christ and the Gospel, and he condemned those who brought disputes before secular, unbelieving judges (1 Corinthians 6:6-7a). In doing so, believers not only harmed Christ’s testimony but also proved they lacked faith to trust God to intervene and render justice in His way and time. Paul asked, “Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” (1 Corinthians 6:7b). In other words, it is better to suffer wrong than to become bitter and vindictive. Worse still, some in Corinth were not victims but offenders: “Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren” (1 Corinthians 6:8).
A Call to Purity (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)
In 1 Corinthians 6:9-11, Paul addressed the subject of one’s behavior or lifestyle. He asked, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” (1 Corinthians 6:9a). Following that question, Paul admonished: “Be not deceived” (1 Corinthians 6:9b). Don’t believe a lie or be misled by the culture: “neither fornicators [sexually immoral], nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [homosexuals], nor abusers of themselves with mankind [sodomites]” shall inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). Sexual sins are not only violations of God’s law and commandments; they are also violations of our relationship with Christ.
Turning from the sins of sexual depravity, Paul warned, “Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:10).
Reminding believers that some of them had been guilty of the sins listed in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, Paul wrote: “And such were some of you” (1 Corinthians 6:11a). Yet they had been saved from their sinful lifestyles and “washed [cleansed]…sanctified [set apart to be holy]…[and] justified [declared righteous] in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God” (1 Corinthians 6:11b).
A Believer’s Liberty in Christ (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)
Some in Corinth evidently excused their sin by saying, “All things are lawful unto me.” Paul replied, “but all things are not expedient…but I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Corinthians 6:12). Christian liberty is never a license to sin.
While all sin is wrong and violates God’s law, sexual sin is especially offensive to God and harmful to the believer. Corinth was a wicked, immoral city, and some professed to be followers of Christ yet persisted in immoral conduct. Paul warned, “the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body” (1 Corinthians 6:13). The God who raised up the Lord will also raise up our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:14); therefore, what we do with our bodies matters. The apostle taught that because believers’ bodies are “the members of Christ” (1 Corinthians 6:15), we are not to defile them with sexual sin (1 Corinthians 6:15-17).
Paul exhorted, “Flee fornication,” and warned: “Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body” (1 Corinthians 6:18). Sexual sin is uniquely destructive to the body, soul, and spirit. Because a believer’s body is the “temple of the Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 6:19), we are to keep it holy and sexually pure. We have been redeemed and “bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:20), namely the precious blood of Christ (1 Peter 1:18-19). Therefore, we are obligated to glorify God in our body and in our spirit, which are God’s (1 Corinthians 6:20).
Closing Thought
While believers should not take another believer before a secular judge, we should expect the church to address a sinning believer (Matthew 18:15-17). If he does not repent and make right the harm he caused, the church has the responsibility to discipline him and to treat the unrepentant believer as “an heathen man and a publican” (Matthew 18:17). However, crimes such as theft and abuse are more than personal disputes and should be reported to civil authorities (Romans 13:1-4).
Tragically, when the church and its leadership fail to intercede, that failure often leads to lawsuits among believers.
Copyright © 2026 – Travis D. Smith
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The post Addressing and Resolving Legal Disputes (1 Corinthians 6) appeared first on “From The Heart of A Shepherd” by Pastor Travis D. Smith.
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