Acting Like Saints

Paul has just finished chastising the Corinthian believers for horrendous sexual sin in the Church, sin that even the unbelievers of that day would not commit – that a young man was sleeping with his stepmother. Paul told that Church to judge that young man and to have no fellowship with him until he repented.

Now Paul addresses another spectacle causing the world to mock Christ and His Church. The believers are suing one another in civilian courts. Not over big matters – over every trivial thing they disagree about. Paul is not pleased, and neither is God.

1 Corinthians 6:1-3 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? 2 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

Does The Bible Talk About Civilian Courts?

Yes, the Bible does make allowances for civilian courts and lawsuits. The Apostle in another place speaks of the governing legal system:

Romans 13:1-7 LSB – Every person is to be in subjection to the governing authorities. For THERE IS NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT FROM GOD, and those which exist have been appointed by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists that authority has opposed the ordinance of God; and they who have opposed will receive condemnation upon themselves. 3 For rulers are not a cause of fear for good behavior, but for evil. Do you want to have no fear of that authority? Do what is good, and you will have praise from the same; 4 for it is A MINISTER OF GOD TO YOU FOR GOOD. But if you do what is evil, be afraid; for it does not bear the sword in vain, for it is a minister of God, AN AVENGER WHO BRINGS WRATH ON THE ONE WHO PRACTICES EVIL. 5 Therefore it is necessary to be in subjection, not only because of that wrath, but also because of conscience. 6 For because of this you also pay taxes, for rulers are servants of God, devoting themselves to this very thing. 7 Render to all what is due them: tax to whom tax is due; custom to whom custom; fear to whom fear; honor to whom honor.

God establishes courts and legal systems, governments and national boundaries. The police department, military, judges, the Law itself is established by God. Paul said “THERE IS NO AUTHORITY EXCEPT FROM GOD”. God authorizes those who maintain law and order “A MINISTER OF GOD TO YOU FOR GOOD”. The Law is a “AVENGER WHO BRINGS WRATH ON THE ONE WHO PRACTICES EVIL”. This is the reason we pay taxes, and respect the laws of our land. God uses the law to restrain the evil in mankind’s heart. In the previous chapter, the Apostle said:

1 Corinthians 5:13 … those who are OUTSIDE {the Church}, GOD WILL JUDGE

It’s not wrong to take someone to court if that person is outside of the Body of Christ. But Paul tells us …

1 Corinthians 6:1 KJV Dare any of you, having a matter against ANOTHER (heteros), go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

Word Study: The Corinthian believers were taking every offense, every disturbance, anything at all and were rushing to secular courts over ordinary disagreements that could be resolved in the Church. The word rendered “ANOTHER” is the Greek heteros which means another like or similar to you. He’s not telling us we cannot take unbelievers to court, but he is telling us that the Gospel is the most important thing we have. We are not to risk clouding the Gospel by petty arguments in the public courts. Paul reminds us that:

1 Corinthians 6:2 Do ye not know that THE SAINTS SHALL JUDGE THE WORLD?

The Bible tells us that:

2 Timothy 2:12 LSB – If we endure, WE WILL ALSO REIGN WITH HIM…

Believers are those who endure, who maintain their undying faith in Christ no matter what might come. In His future Kingdom “WE WILL REIGN WITH HIM”. We will be active members of the future Millennial government. Again the Bible says:

Revelation 20:4 LSB – Then I saw thrones, and THEY SAT ON THEM, and JUDGMENT WAS GIVEN TO THEM. And I saw the souls of those who had been beheaded because of their witness of Jesus and because of the word of God, and who also had not worshiped the beast or his image, and had not received the mark on their forehead and on their hand. And they came to life and REIGNED WITH CHRIST FOR A THOUSAND YEARS.

The overcoming believer is promised that …

Revelation 2:26-29 LSB – he who overcomes, and he who keeps My deeds until the end, TO HIM I WILL GIVE AUTHORITY OVER THE NATIONS; 27 AND HE SHALL RULE THEM WITH A ROD OF IRON, AS THE VESSELS OF THE POTTER ARE BROKEN TO PIECES, as I also have received authority from My Father; 28 and I will give him the morning star. 29 ‘He who has an ear, let him hear what the SPIRIT SAYS TO THE CHURCHES.’

and again,

Revelation 3:21 LSB – He who overcomes, I will grant to him to SIT DOWN WITH ME ON MY THRONE, as I also overcame and sat down with My Father on His throne.

Believers, we will rule with Jesus during the Millennial reign of Christ. That being the case, Paul says:

1 Corinthians 6:2-3 KJV – … and if the world shall be judged by you, ARE YE UNWORTHY TO JUDGE THE SMALLEST MATTERS? 3 Know ye not that WE SHALL JUDGE ANGELS? HOW MUCH MORE THINGS WHICH PERTAIN TO THIS LIFE?

Again, there may be times when you have to use a court of Law. But when the matter deals with the saints – fellows brothers and sisters in Christ – the matter should be brought to the Church first. Let other believers make a determination. Who should be the judges in these cases? Paul says:

1 Corinthians 6:4 KJV – If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them TO JUDGE WHO ARE LEAST ESTEEMED (exoutheneō) in the church.

Word Study: The phrase “TO JUDGE WHO ARE LEAST ESTEEMED” is but one word in the Greek, exoutheneō, which means … hold it … “those who are despised, of no account, considered next to nothing”. In other words, don’t pick the greatest or the noblest people in the Church. Pick the ones who nobody ever picks. The quiet ones. The ones that aren’t connected to wealth or power. The ones who have nothing to gain based on the judgment. Jesus said:

Matthew 11:5 the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL preached to them

Luke 4:18 The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He hath anointed Me to PREACH THE GOSPEL TO THE POOR

Those who have little but Jesus will have more than the rich! The poorest are often the closest to God – so pick these to make judgments.

1 Corinthians 6:5-6 KJV – 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? 6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and THAT BEFORE UNBELIEVERS.

When believers do battle in secular courts, it is damaging to the witness of the Gospel in the world. Jesus said,

John 13:35 KJV – By this SHALL ALL MEN KNOW THAT YOU ARE MY DISCIPLES, IF YOU HAVE LOVE ONE TO ANOTHER.

It does not advance the Gospel when brothers in Christ are in legal disputes over little to nothing. Let the lowest in the Church make a judgment.

1 Corinthians 6:7-8 KJV – Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. WHO DO YE NOT RATHER TAKE WRONG? why do ye not rather {allow} YOURSELVES TO BE DEFRAUDED? 8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

Paul was willing to give up his life in order to spread the Gospel of salvation through the world. To share the Gospel is the most important thing the Church can do.

The Unrighteous Shall Not Inherit Heaven

1 Corinthians 6:9 Know ye not that THE UNRIGHTEOUS SHALL NOT INHERIT THE KINGDOM OF GOD?

Those who do evil – the “UNRIGHTEOUS” – will not be in Heaven. When God saved the Christian, He changed the tree from a bad tree into a good tree. Jesus said:

Matthew 12:33 Either MAKE THE TREE GOOD, and HIS FRUIT GOOD; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for THE TREE IS KNOWN BY HIS FRUIT.

And again,

Matthew 7:17-20 Even so EVERY GOOD TREE BRINGETH FORTH GOOD FRUIT; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. EVERY TREE THAT BRINGETH NOT GOOD FRUIT IS HEWN DOWN, and CAST INTO THE FIRE. Wherefore BY THEIR FRUITS YOU SHALL KNOW THEM.

The Corinthians are supposed to be bringing forth good fruit, fruit pleasing to God. It is not pleasing to God when His children do not get along. Christians should love one another, and love Jesus. If we’re supposed to be good trees bringing forth good fruit, if we fail to do so we can be judged of God (“CAST INTO THE FIRE”). I don’t believe Jesus is talking about hellfire, but the fire of God’s judgment.

The UNRIGHTEOUS or unsaved who bring forth bad fruit WILL NOT GO TO HEAVEN. They need to hear the Gospel unhindered by foolishness. The world needs Jesus!

Paul next gets very specific as to what is BAD FRUIT:

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 .. neither FORNICATORS (pornos, heterosexual sinners), nor IDOLATORS (eidōlolatrēs, worshipers of false gods), nor ADULTERERS (moichos, those who violate the vow of God or marriage – Hebrews 13:4; James 4:4), nor EFFEMINATE (malakos, soft boys used for homosexual relations), nor ABUSERS OF THEMSELVES WITH MANKIND (arsenokoitēs, one who lies with a male as with a female, sodomite), 10 Nor THIEVES, nor COVETOUS (pleonektēs, greedy of gain), nor DRUNKARDS, nor REVILERS (loidoros, abusive bullies), nor EXTORTIONERS (harpax, robbers), shall inherit the kingdom of God.

Those without Jesus are “dead in trespasses and sins” (Ephesians 2:1). These lost people do not follow Jesus, but they follow “the PRINCE OF THE POWER OF THE AIR” (Ephesians 2:2). These poor souls are “DEAD IN SINS” (Ephesians 2:5), and need to find life in Jesus Christ. God can save them. Paul reminds the Church:

1 Corinthians 6:11 KJV – And such were some of you: but ye are WASHED (apelousasthe), but ye are SANCTIFIED (hagiazō), but ye are JUSTIFIED (dikaioō) in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

Word Study: God saved the Corinthians through the power of the Holy Spirit. God WASHES His Children. This is the Greek apelousasthe, which means “to wash completely away”. We are:

1. WASHED in the Blood of Christ: Revelation 1:5 Unto Him that loved us, and WASHED US FROM OUR SINS IN HIS OWN BLOOD

2. WASHED by the Holy Spirit, made BORN AGAIN: Titus 3:5 Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy HE SAVED US, BY THE WASHING OF REGENERATION, and RENEWING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

3. Only God can wash sin out of our lives: Psalm 51:2 WASH ME THOROUGHLY from mine iniquity, and CLEANSE ME FROM MY SIN.

4. Once God WASHES you, you are SET APART for His use (hagiazō). Washing removes the defilement so that God can use you.

1 Corinthians 1:2 KJV Unto the church of God which is at Corinth, TO THEM THAT ARE SANCTIFIED IN CHRIST JESUS, CALLED TO BE SAINTS, with all that in every place call upon the name of Jesus Christ our Lord, both theirs and ours:

5. One commentary notes “Washed is clean, sanctified is set apart, justified is legally declared righteous. Dikaioo – God as Judge declares you not guilty, because Christ’s righteousness is imputed to you.”

Romans 3:24 Being JUSTIFIED FREELY BY HIS GRACE through the redemption that is IN CHRIST JESUS

Romans 4:25 {Jesus} was delivered for our offenses, and was RAISED AGAIN FOR OUR JUSTIFICATION.

Those who persist in walking in darkness, who will not repent and cling to Jesus, are not saved. They were never washed in the first place! Those who are born again will overcome, for their faith is a gift of God … and it will persist through any trial or loss.

Thank You, Jesus, for the great gift of Grace!