1 Corinthians 6

SUMMARY.--Going to Law Before Heathen. The Saints as Judges. Suffer Wrong Rather than Do Wrong. The Impure Cannot Be God's Children. What is Lawful not Always Expedient. The Christian's Body a Temple.

      1-4. Dare any of you . . . go to law before the unjust? The third indictment against the Corinthian church is now presented. Some had sought judgments against their brethren in heathen courts. This Paul indignantly rebukes. The Jews themselves made it a rule never to carry cases before heathen tribunals. Much worse was it in Christians. 2. Know ye not that the saints shall judge the world? Shall sit sit with Christ, after they have been judged, while the world is judged ( Matthew 25:41 Matthew 19:29 ). If so high a trust is to be given, it is a little thing that saints should judge differences between church members. These ought all to be submitted to arbitrators, or to the officers. 3. Know ye not that we shall judge angels? Evidently the bad angels, who shall be judged when the world is judged. 4. If then ye have judgments, etc. If the saints shall have the high prerogative of judging the world and bad angels with Christ, then it is a condescension to judge of trivial earthly matters. Set them to judge who are least esteemed. An ironical way of hinting that their differences were so petty as to be worthy only of the poorest witted.

      5-8. I speak to your shame. The last sentence was spoken to shame them, not as a serious rule. He now speaks seriously. Is there not a wise man among you? A man of prudent judgment, capable of settling differences among them. 6. That before unbelievers. It was lamentable that brethren should go to law. How much more of a scandal when they carried their cases into the heathen courts. 7. There is utterly a fault among you. It was a fault (loss or defeat in the Greek) to go to law at all. It was better rather to take wrong . . . to be defrauded, than to work so great an injury to the church by the ill-feeling aroused, and by the scandal in the eyes of the heathen. The rule is, then, (1) To suffer wrong rather than to go to law. (2) If an adjudication is required, to refer to the case, not to unbelieving judges, but to a "wise man" within the church. For other Scriptures bearing on the subject, see Pe 1:1 1 Peter 2:23 Matthew 5:40 Matthew 5:1 1 Peter 2:19 Proverbs 2:19 .

      9-11. Shall not inherit the kingdom of God. The glorious kingdom of which the church is the earthly type. The church is God's kingdom on earth, and its faithful members "inherit" the heavenly kingdom ( Matt. 25:34 ). Be not deceived. Let no one make the mistake of thinking that any unrighteous man shall be an heir. Effeminate. This and the next clause refer to a shameful crime quite prevalent among the heathen, the first submitting themselves to the foul sensuality, and the second actively "abusing themselves with men," contrary to nature. Both are Sodomites. None guilty of any one of the list of vices given can be an heir of heaven. 11. And such were some of you. Some of the worst classes had been converted. Ye are washed. The rite of baptism is probably referred to. Ye are sanctified. Were sanctified. These verbs are all past tense. See the Revision. To be sanctified is to be set apart to God. Ye were justified. That is, their sins were blotted out and they were counted righteous. Sinners as they were before, the gospel had washed, hallowed, and justified them. By the Spirit. The work was consummated by the gift of the Holy Spirit ( Acts 2:38 ).