1 Corinthians 6

1 Corinthians 6:1

LAWSUITS AMONG MEMBERSChapter 6 will deal with the subject of the Christian and his relation to the state. The Christian is told that he has a dual citizenship. I think that is often misconstrued by outsiders as well as by believers. Php_3:20 states: “For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Greek word for “conversation” is politeuma, which literally means “Our politics is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.” His citizenship in heaven does not relieve the Christian of his responsibility to the state. The Christian has a responsibility to each, that is, to God and to the state. Our Lord expressed this when the Herodians pressed on Him the subject of taxation. The Herodians asked, “Tell us therefore, What thinkest thou? Is it lawful to give tribute unto Caesar, or not?” (Mat_22:17). Jesus answered, “…Render therefore unto Caesar the things which are Caesar’s; and unto God the things that are God’s” (Mat_22:21). The Christian has a responsibility to the state, and he also has a responsibility to God. The Christian has both secular and spiritual responsibilities. The apostle Paul defines some very specific responsibilities of Christians to the state. There are certain guidelines which cannot be misunderstood. Paul writes in 1Ti_2:1-4: “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” Our obligation to the state is to attempt to have a peaceful, law-abiding society with recognition of authority. Why is this so important for the Christian? It is in order that we might get out the message of the gospel. Paul discusses the same subject in Rom_13:1-4: “Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God. Whosoever therefore resisteth the power, resisteth the ordinance of God: and they that resist shall receive to themselves damnation. For rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil. Wilt thou then not be afraid of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise of the same: For he is the minister of God to thee for good….” This was written at a time when the Roman government was tyrannical. The emperors of that era were dictators, and many of them were persecutors of the church. If anyone tried to oppose the Roman government, he was in real trouble because there was no place to which one could flee where the government could not find him and arrest him. Even in that government, however, there was a freedom to preach the Word of God. That is the thing that Christians should keep in mind. Back in Genesis we are shown that it was God Himself who ordained the state. As far as I can tell, that has never been changed. God put down this principle: “Whoso sheddeth man’s blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man” (Gen_9:6). To maintain the dignity and a respect for humanity, capital punishment must be used. I have a letter from a very sweet lady who is very softhearted and feels that I am terrible because I believe in capital punishment. She says that Jesus wouldn’t do that. She wants to know whether I would be willing to pull the switch at the electric chair. Very candidly, I wouldn’t like to do itthat is not my job; I have been called to do something else. But I do want to say this: If this sweet lady wants to be safe in her home, there had better be somebody who is willing to pull that electric switch. We are living in a time of lawlessness. The reason is that we have softhearted judges, and I’m afraid some have been softheaded as well. The church and the state were to be kept separate. The church was not to dominate the state, not to dictate to it. The state was not to control the church nor to take the place of God. In a secular society, secularism always takes the place of God. That is modern idolatry today. A great many people are putting secularism in the place of God.

Someone sent me a modern-day parody on Psalms 23 which begins, “Science is my shepherd, I shall not want.” We find the church getting involved in secularism. I have a quotation from a liberal which reads: “To rebel against human law in the name of a higher law can be creative, saving the world from stagnation, but to disobey the law can also be anarchic and destructive, for too easily can men convince themselves that their opinions are those of God.” Too many of our statesmen today think they stand in the place of God and that they speak in the place of God. With that kind of background I think we are prepared to look at chapter 6 of 1 Corinthians. We are still in that division of the epistle which deals with scandals in the Corinthian church. The first was concerned with lawsuits among members. This may sound to you like a very strange statement, and it may need some explanation. He does not say that Christians are not to go to law. If Christians did not use the benefit of the law, they would suffer great loss at the hands of the unsaved. He is saying that Christians should not go to law against each otherChristian against Christian. The differences between believers are not to be taken to a secular court. They should be settled by believers. This is something which churches and believers in general ignore today. After I had come to Southern California as a pastor, I was rather amazed one day when a man came in quite excitedly and wanted to bring a charge against an officer of the church. He claimed this man had beaten him out of a sum of money in a business deal. He said, “Now I want you to bring him up before the board and to make him settle with me.” I told him, “I think you are approaching this the right way. When can you appear before the board and make your charges?” “Oh,” he said, “I’ve told you about it. That is all that is necessary.” I pointed out to him that I had no way to verify the charge. It would be necessary for both men to appear before the board.

Then I asked him, “Would you be willing to accept the verdict of the board?” “Well,” he said, “it all depends on how they decided it. If they decided in my favor, I would accept it.” So then I asked him if he would accept the verdict if it were against him, and he assured me that he would not. Of course, I told him that we might as well forget the whole matter. I said, “You are not really willing to turn this issue over to other believers for a verdict.” Church fights should not be aired in state courts before unbelievers. Individual differences among Christians should be adjudicated by believers. It is bad enough when two Christian are divorced, but it is an extremely serious matter when Christians go before a secular court and air their differences before unbelievers. When a Christian couple come to me and tell me they simply cannot get along, and I see there is no way of working out a reconciliation, I advise a legal separation, not a court trial. Why should a believer let other believers be the judges rather than take his case to the unsaved world for their judgment? Again, this does not forbid a Christian from going to court with an unbeliever. Why should two believers bring their differences to be settled by other believers? Paul gives a threefold reason regarding the capabilities of believers to judge.

1 Corinthians 6:2

THE CAPABILITY OF THE BELIEVERSMy friend, if you are a believer in Christ, you will have a part with the Lord Jesus in ruling the earth someday. This is not talking about the judgment at the Great White Throne, which will be the judgment when the lost appear before Christ. No, this has to do with the adjudication of the affairs of the universe down through eternity.

1. Saints will judge the world. The saints shall judge the world. I believe this has to do with what Paul wrote to Timothy, “If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us” (2Ti_2:12). I believe this means that we shall pass judgment on the affairs in this world.

1 Corinthians 6:3

2. Saints will judge angels. Paul is using a series of “know ye nots.” When Paul said, “Know ye not,” you can be sure that the brethren did not know. This was a polite way of saying they were ignorant of these things. This certainly opens up a whole new vista of truth. I do not understand what this means; it is beyond my comprehension. All I know is that man was made a little lower than the angels, and through redemption man was lifted into a place of fellowship with God, a position above the angels. Also, God permitted man to fall. He never would have permitted that if it would not work out for good. It will result in bringing man into a higher position. The old bromide is not true that says that the bird with the broken wing never flies so high again. Man flies higher. We are going to be above the angels. We are going to judge them and have charge of them. May I say again, this is beyond my comprehension, but I believe it. To pick up the third “know ye not,” we skip down to verse 1Co_6:9:

1 Corinthians 6:5

Of course, not every Christian is a capable judge, but Paul is saying, “I speak to your shame, isn’t there a wise man among you?” When you go to a secular court, you are saying that none of the saints are capable of judging. Well, I know some dear brethren in the Lord with whom I would be willing to risk my life. I am confident they would render a just verdict. Now why does a Christian have a capability to judge? Paul will give us three reasons:

1 Corinthians 6:9

3. Unrighteousness is not in the Kingdom. Listen very carefully because this is important. No secular judge or jury is equipped to make spiritual decisions because they do not comprehend spiritual principles. That is why court cases that pertain to churches and Christians go haywire the minute they hit the legal mills. A secular judge may know the material in the law books, but he knows nothing about spiritual decisions. He has no spiritual discernment. To be very candid with you, it would be with fear and trembling that I would go into court and have a secular judge handle me or my property. I don’t think a secular judge is capable of doing that, and I don’t think a secular jury can either. Following a trial here in Southern California I looked at the jury shown on television and said to my wife, “I thank God my life is not in the hands of the twelve people I see there.” After the trial was over, some of the jurors made statements for the television program which revealed that they were not capable of judging the case. Yet Christians will trust that crowd rather than take their cases to other believers who do have spiritual discernment.

1 Corinthians 6:11

“Ye are washed.” It is “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration …” (Tit_3:5). We have been born again, washed. Because the mercy of God has reached down and touched us, we ought to know how to extend mercy. We can be merciful because we have experienced mercy. We should recognize that there are many wonderful believers today who have been washed. We should trust ourselves to them rather than to the unsaved. “Ye are sanctified.” Sanctification in the Corinthian epistles is of two kinds, but I think here it means positional sanctification, that is, being in Christ. This means that Christ is on our side and all believers are brothers in Christ. If another Christian judges me, it means that one of my brothers is judging me. I would be willing to trust myself to the judgment of a brother. A little girl was carrying a heavy baby down the street. A man saw her and asked, “Little girl, isn’t that baby too heavy for you?” “Oh, no,” she said, “he’s my brother.” The relationship makes a lot of difference. A brother is not too heavy. I am in Christ and my brother is in Christ; so I should be willing to trust my brother. “Ye are justified.” The third reason my brother is capable of being a judge is that his sins are already forgiven, as mine are. He has been declared righteous before the throne of God, as I have been. “Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth” (Rom_8:33). “But to him that worketh not, but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness” (Rom_4:5). A fellow Christian knows this, and I feel that he could handle my case better than anyone else.

1 Corinthians 6:12

THE BELIEVER’S BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRITThere are a lot of things which a believer can do, but they are not expedient to do. I could mention many things; Paul mentions one here:

1 Corinthians 6:13

Meats shall be destroyed someday. Our stomachs shall be destroyed someday. There is Christian liberty in what we eat. In contrast, our bodies are not to be used for fornication. Our bodies belong to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:14

Young folk today think that they can live together without being married. One such couple came to me wanting to talk about getting into Christian service. They weren’t married, but they were living together! I told them, “You get married.” They asked, “Why?” I said, “Because God commands it. That is the way God wants it to be. Until you are willing to do that, you cannot serve Him.”

1 Corinthians 6:16

My friend, you cannot live in immorality and serve Christ. Unfortunately, we find that public opinion generally accepts immoral persons; but God does not accept them.

1 Corinthians 6:19

Here is a remarkable truth which many believers have not received. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Because our bodies belong to God, we are not to share our bodies in fornication. This leads to a discussion of marriage, which will be the subject of the next chapter.