Very important chapter with principles that are often neglected in American churches.
1 Corinthians 6
This moves right on from the end of 1 Cor 5:12-13, to talk about rightly judging matters. CH. 5 is an extreme example, then the first part of this chapter is about disputes between believers of the church.
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
Small claims court over minor issues. Fender bender, lent money etc. Not something I don’t think churches follow too well. We rely on the unrighteous world system way too much.
Obviously we aren’t talking about big matters like murder and things like that. But each church should really be it’s own system within the world.
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?
Matthew 19:28 & Luke 22:30 (judging 12 tribes). We will sit with God in the judgment, or judge alongside, or be given areas to judge and rule over.
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
Paul just casually throws this in like wait, what? We’ll do what now? Lot of views on what this could mean about judging angels. Pretty much everyone sees this as judging fallen angels. With Christ in agreement with Him in judging angels most likely. But the sense is that we will judge very important things and powerful beings, how much more should we be judging and able to judge between trivial or minor matters between brethren. Remember 1 Corinthians 2:16 “For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ.”
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
So rather than go to the corrupt system – how obvious and well known is it that the U.S. justice system is totally corrupt? Does ANYONE question that? It’s better for the weakest babe in Christ to judge between matters in a church than to have an unrighteous worldly person do it.
5 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?
So, gentle insult here. Can nobody be selected to judge these disputes?
6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
Pointing out what they’re doing wrong and how bad it is. Again do Christians take the church this seriously? I wish they would. It’s biblical. We should not be part of the world.
7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
Big statement here. This is a whole sermon. Just take it! Just let yourself be defrauded! Get over it!
1 Thess. 5:15; Romans 12:17-19
8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
This is a very carnal church just like we read back in 1 Cor. 3:3
For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?
9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,
10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.
So this is still talking about the worldly unrighteous courts and judges. The world is known for these things. Where Christians should flee fornication, the world promotes it. Why are you going to courts of people that will not inherit the kingdom of God? These people are all unbelieving sinners.
Interesting list of sins, very similar to the list in the last chapter.
11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.
Some of you were characterized by these sins when you were unrighteous and in the world. But we are declared righteous by Christ.
Now it seems we’re jumping to a new topic. The previous 11 verses were about suing each other and going before unbelievers to settle disputes. New topic begins in verse 12. Chapter not inspired etc.
12 All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
This is a great verse on Christian liberty. When Paul says all things are lawful, he of course doesn’t mean the sins he just got done listing in this chapter and last chapter, and as we see elsewhere in the New Testament.
The last phrase is really important: “I will not be brought under the power of any.” Nothing should rule over us, no addiction, how many people are ruled by their “need” for coffee every day at a certain time eh? Oh coffee is the untouchable golden calf? My bad ;) The next verse is helpful for understanding.
13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
Meats for the belly and the belly for meats appears to be like a common saying, a common idiom, a motto, meaning it’s ok to indulge and ok to follow our appetite, all meat is lawful to eat, there are no dietary restrictions for the believer, but these are minor things. Romans 14:17 is a great verse in a great chapter about these kinds of things and how to use our Christian liberty.
There are some things that you can do in your body that have no spiritual impact in your life.
However the meaning seems to be that because we can follow our appetites for food, that does NOT translate to following our appetites for SEX. The body is NOT for fornication. It is for the Lord. And the Lord has a special interest in our body how we use it and His care for it. See Romans 12:1-2
14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.
He has raised up humanity and well as He will raise up our bodies from the dead in the resurrection. Cool verse.
15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
Similar to Ephesians 5 about the church body being joined to Christ. Ephesians 5:30-32. So how dare we live in sin, how dare we fornicate and join ourselves to a harlot, a prostitute.
16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
It’s abhorrent that we should engage in sex outside of marriage. Sex is more than a physical act like eating. It affects us spiritually. When we get married we become one flesh with our spouse. When we do what is reserved for marriage outside of marriage we join ourselves to that person in sin. Everyone who has had sex before marriage knows the damage it can do. We are not animals.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
When we profess faith in Christ we become joined to Him. In union with Him. We have the Holy Spirit in us. How awfully it must grieve the Holy Spirit when we fornicate. Ephesians 4:30 And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
Are we getting the picture that God has a very specific design for sex, and hates when it’s misused? FLEE FORNICATION – run away from it. Like when Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife trying to lie with him in Genesis 39. Run away from sexual immorality. All of it. Sex is great in marriage. Not outside of it.
19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
Huge statement. This and the next verse are huge. Ye are not your own. The Temple here is the inner sanctuary. We have the Holy Spirit in us. We do not belong to ourselves we belong to God and we should act like it. This is why suicide is wrong, you no longer belong to yourself. You belong to God.
“As truly as the living God dwelt in the Mosaic tabernacle, and in the temple of Solomon, so truly does the Holy Ghost dwell in the souls of genuine Christians.” - AC
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
1 Corinthians 7:23; Acts 20:28 – Just like you would buy a slave back in the day and he would belong to you. Christ bought us, purchased us with His blood. We should live as His servants and glorify Him in all we do.
