Paul continues his rebuke of the immature Corinthians, but he encourages them throughout the instruction and with fabulous truth at the end of the chapter. Calvin says, “The sixth chapter consists chiefly of two parts. In the first he inveighs against law-suits, with which they harassed one another, before unbelievers, to the great dishonor of the gospel. In the second he reproves indulgence in fornication, which had come to such a pitch, that it was almost looked upon as a lawful thing. He sets out with a heavy threatening, and afterwards enforces that threatening with arguments.” Let’s take a look.
Lawsuits Among Believers
1If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints? 2Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church![1] 5I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6But instead, one brother goes to law against another--and this in front of unbelievers!
7The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.
Paul, with a series of questions balanced between amazement and indignation, seems to shift from sexual immorality to lawsuits among believers (Greece was infamous for the commonality of lawsuits, and Corinth was no exception); but he’s not done with the former (see v9), and there’s a connection between the two topics. The connection is weak doctrine. The troubles in Corinth are many, but they are symptoms of one main problem – a lack of sound doctrine. Just as Christians ought not to expect to discipline the world (chapter 5), the world ought not be given jurisdiction over the Church (Romans 13:1). Paul shows how absurd it is to let pagans arbitrate Christian disputes by pointing to the fact that Christians will judge the world, and even angels (v2-3). Believers, due to their God-graced dignity and destiny, ought to be able to settle trivial matters amongst themselves. And if they can’t, the least wise Corinthian believer would be better suited for an arbitration case between believers than the wisest pagan in town. But as Paul sarcastically remarks in v4-5, it could be possible that the arrogant Corinthian believers didn’t have a single wise person in their ranks, though they thought themselves the wisest of men. Due to their worldly wisdom, they sought out worldly-wise unbelievers to settle their nitpicky disputes, bringing ridicule on the Church.
Paul acknowledges that it’s terrible for believers to get into legal troubles, especially with other believers, but he also notes that it’s better to suffer wrong than to disgrace the church (v7). One commentator notes, “The standards of the wicked, depraved city of Corinth were beginning to filter into the church. The way of life that these men and women had before their conversion, they were starting to revert back to them once again. …They were taking people to court. But the thing that Paul is really speaking against in chapter 6 is: they were hanging their dirty linen out, as it were, the dirty linen of the church, in public!” Why disgrace the Church to the world? Paul’s point will be seen even more clearly in chapter 13 when he says, “Love bears all things.”
9Do you not know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes nor homosexual offenders 10nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Paul addresses the problem of antinomianism, or lawless Christianity. Those God justifies, He also sanctifies. And Paul says that this truth describes the Corinthians; but their inconsistency is an anomaly that must be corrected. Persistence in wickedness would reveal a false faith. This is a humbling list of sinners who will not “inherit the kingdom of God.” And it’s what some of us were. But we were cleansed, thanks to God, by the blood of Jesus and by the Holy Spirit. If we’ve been granted repentance unto salvation through faith in Christ, then we are no longer to be characterized by these sins. Sexual immorality (fornication) must die in us; idolatry must be killed in us; adultery, prostitution, and homosexuality are mutually exclusive with inheriting God’s kingdom. Stealing and coveting and drunkenness and slander and trickery cannot be a part of heaven in the presence of God. The Spirit in the lives of every Christian, and every congregation must conquer these practices; and we must repent, die daily to ourselves, throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles (Hebrews 12:2).
Sexual Immorality
12"Everything is permissible for me"--but not everything is beneficial. "Everything is permissible for me"--but I will not be mastered by anything. 13"Food for the stomach and the stomach for food"--but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, "The two will become one flesh."[2] 17But he who unites himself with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
18Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a man commits are outside his body, but he who sins sexually sins against his own body. 19Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
Paul quotes a couple common sayings of the day, which were used to excuse immoral behavior and “enjoy” the antinomian lifestyle. There is truth to this type of saying, Paul acknowledges (we are not under law but under grace), but the Corinthians have perverted and abused it. He says, “That may be true, but temper it with the other side of coin, that ‘not everything is beneficial,’ and ‘I will not be mastered by anything.’” Food and sex are good and fine, in their proper times and places, but “God will destroy them both” (v13). In other words, we need to exhibit self-control when it comes to the desires of the flesh, thinking primarily of God’s glory, since the body is meant “for the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (v13).
There are two common extremes when it comes to the physical body: one is to ignore it, effectively suppressing and denying all desires and appetites; the other is to indulge in every desire with the mentality that, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” The first leads to a legalistic and ascetic life, while the second leads to an antinomian and hedonistic life. The Corinthians had avoided the former mentality, which is good, by adopting the latter perspective, which is not good. They lacked the proper balance of truth-in-love and righteousness-and-justice-tempered-by-mercy-and-grace. In other words, true liberty is found in true purity, when you give your body over to God (Romans 6:13,19). And this must be done with self in mind (self-control), but also with others in mind (edification). Very few Christians today give up that which is permissible for the sake of their weaker brothers (1 Corinthians 8; 10; Romans 14).
In v14, Paul surprises many commentators by bringing up the resurrection of Christ. But he likely sees a connection between inadequate or unsound doctrinal teaching and a deficient lifestyle. Sound doctrine leads to abundant life, and so Paul throws in the most sound of doctrinal teaching, giving us a hint of what’s to come regarding the value of the human body (7:1-5) and the resurrection of it (1 Corinthians 15). Some may have seen the body as unimportant, leading to abstinence and self-punishing behavior; others with the same view may have turned to licentious behavior, thinking it indifferent. Sound doctrine sets both types of people on the right path. Again, the body is for the Lord! “You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor the Lord with your body” (v19-20).
Unity with Christ involves body and soul (and spirit). And while it’s true that the Holy Spirit indwells individual believers, Paul likely has in mind here the corporate identity of God’s people as a holy Temple and spiritual dwelling place (Ephesians 2:19-22; 1 Peter 2:4-5). The Body of Christ needs to reflect the glory of God and point people to Him, not tarnish His name (Romans 2:24). This is Paul’s conclusion to the problems in Corinth, for now he turns to answering the questions they had asked him.
Footnotes
- 6:4 Or matters, do you appoint as judges men of little account in the church?
- 6:16 Gen. 2:24
Bible text from Gospelcom.net. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society.