July 14
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AVOIDING LAWSUITS AMONG BELIEVERS
Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to form the smallest law courts? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? 4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you anyone wise who will be able to decide between his brothers and sisters, 6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather suffer the wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 On the contrary, you yourselves do wrong and defraud. – 1 Corinthians 6:1-8
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In this letter, Paul confronts once again the Corinthian church of their trivial issues that cause the members of this church to be divided. In verse 1, he raises a question to the family of believers about bringing to court their insignificant issues. He is rebuking them for not dealing with the issues at hand in a loving and wise way. The members of this church were having disputes that they become so petty to bring it to the higher courts. Paul wants them to realize that believers are given the chance to judge the world, or even angels. In verse 3, he reiterates the authority given to those who serve Christ. If the believer has been given the Holy Spirit to live inside him, then he has the gift of wisdom to discern and recognize what is right or wrong and what is loving or not.
He questions them in verse 4 about leaving matters to be decided upon by those who do not belong to the church. Of course, Paul doesn’t discount the importance of government and civil laws. What he is trying to address here were the reports that reached him regarding the unimportant quarrels that could easily be resolved among their fellow believer. In verse 7, he points out to them that he considers it a defeat when they are doing this immature and unloving way to deal with differences among their brothers and sisters in Christ. He was stressing the point that it is better to be cheated on rather than bring it to human courts. It would only show that the family of believers are not united in their understanding of God’s laws.
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REFLECTION
• What does lawsuits among fellow believers reveal to unbelievers and the world?