SEEKING THE BEST SOLUTION
1 Cor. 6:1-11
In recent years our society has been characterized by more and more lawsuits.
People sue for every imaginable cause!
Teachers are sued by their students
Parents are sued by their children.
Pastors are sued by people in their congregation
We read last week, that one politician is filing a suit against God–for disasters.
Cartoon in popular religious magazine: Soloist stands to sing: “I’d like to share a song the Lord gave me . . . . Even though He gave it to me, any reproduction in any form without written consent will constitute infringement of copyright law which allows me to sue your socks off! . . . Praise God!”
Everything is covered with warning labels to protect manufacturers from law suits over every conceivable problem. Most revealing defense strategy I’ve seen: Warning label: “It is unlawful to use this product in any way except as instructed by the manufacturer!”
Professionals in every profession—including pastors and church board members—are being advised to have malpractice insurance, or directors’ insurance, in case someone decides to come after them.
Our society has made taking people to court a fundamental part of our way of life!
What do you remember about the church at Corinth? What was it like?
The church that had everything --EXCEPT LOVE
What happens when a church has everything except love?
First, most significant, problem of church without love: Divisions and personality cults.
People want to have their favorite preacher do the speaking!
We want someone who will tell us what WE want to hear!
2nd problem: They don’t care enough to correct a person whose lifestyle is destroying him.
Love won’t let us “just stay out of it” and encourage destructive behavior.
“Tolerance” isn’t the response of love
But, love won’t cause us to attack the other person either!
Love ought to motivate us to go to people; speak to them in love, correct them.
We should love each other too much to allow someone to continue a lifestyle that will destroy us.
3rd problem: Legal battles to solve conflicts
Each wants his way. Each wants his rights
They’re willing to take each other to court to get it.
Self-centered attitudes of the Corinthians are still around today.
"I have my rights!" "They'll learn not to tangle with me!"
"I'm #1" "You have to look out for #1!"
I’m concerned that too often, in our legalistic interpretation of things, we get all hung up on the technicalities of “taking a brother to court” and miss Paul’s main point.
Few of us are likely to take a brother to court.
So we assume Paul isn’t talking to US!
The most we do with this passage is to tell somebody else they shouldn’t sue us!
But that misses Paul’s main thought.
The legal, law suit mess is just a SYMPTOM of the real problem!
So let’s look carefully at what Paul is saying to US in this passage:
CONCERNING LAWSUITS 6:1-11
CIRCUMSTANCES DESCRIBED 6:1
They’re taking personal grievances against each other to civil courts.
Corinth was famous for its law suits.
Arbitrators represent each side
Public arbitrator was named to take charge of debate
Juries frequently had 40 people, sometimes 200 to 400, up to 1000. even 6000 jurors!!
Corinthians are following the “spirit of the age.”
They’re following the Corinthian standard
But what about God's standards?
What about the church today? Christian Conciliation Services
Try to get believers to settle disputes by arbitration-where possible before believers
Direct funds to handle the real causes, and to ministry-rather than to lawyers.
Demonstrate that God's people can handle such affairs in an appropriate way.
To eliminate the "laughing stock" attitude created by our petty feuds!
We say we love each other and live for God.
Where does all this legal mess come from then?
Study in Albuquerque a few years ago-$50 million dollars spent by believers against one another just in that city. What about some of the bigger, or crazier places?
Are we as God's people more like Him, or more like Californians (Corinthians)???
The problem isn't criminal acts. (Justice sought for crimes committed)
The problem isn't insurance claims.
The problem isn't defense against accusations.
Paul defended himself against Jewish accusations against him.
The problem is PERSONAL DISPUTES. (someone offending another)
CORRECTION SUGGESTED 6:2-8
Reason for the correction 6:2-3 ESCHATOLOGY!!!
Problems between the saints should be resolved by the saints.
3 times in this passage he asks: “Don’t you know . . .”
There’s something we should know, that the Corinthians have overlooked (twice in 2 verses!) 6:2
(1) Saints will judge the world 2
Don’t you know we’ve been chosen by God as His instruments to judge the world?
If we can handle that responsibility, don’t you think we can resolve our petty problems now—without calling on pagan courts to bail us out?
Common knowledge since Enoch’s time (just after Adam) Jude 14
If God’s going to use us to judge the world, shouldn't we be able to judge the little (petty, trivial) things of this life?
He doesn’t say this to belittle our causes.
He’s merely observing that ALL life’s offenses are pretty small in the light of eternity and God’s day of judgment!
God’s people ought to be trusted to deal with that kind of stuff! 6:3
(2) Saints will judge angels 3
No article => points to their nature and character
Points to angels as greatest of created beings (above the others)
If we’re to judge angels, shouldn't we be able to deal with ordinary things of daily living? (biotica => ordinary things of common life)
Suggestions for correction 6:4-7 THREE ALTERNATIVES:
(1) Worst solution: 6:1 Take them to court.
That's what they’re doing. It's not appropriate for God's people.
Paul goes on to point out that the problem is deeper than that. 6:7
By raising the suit (whatever “court” we go to) we’ve already lost the battle!
When we start fighting for OUR rights, we lose.
It doesn’t matter who “wins” the case; we lose!
(2) Better solution: 6:4-6 Let the church settle it.
We ought to be able to settle differences between believers.
We’d be better off to have the worst judge the church could offer
than the best of the world's. v. 4
We’d be ahead to choose the least respected brother
rather than the unjust people of the world.
He already addressed their pride about their wisdom (1-4)-Now he asks if there isn't someone among them who is "wise" enough to deal with such issues. Why go outside to find an arbitrator?
How could it be that a church that brags so much about their wisdom, doesn't have anyone capable of acting as arbitrator.
Two tactical problems with this alternative:
(1) No real authority to do anything.
Person corrected will probably just go to another church
(2) It may not go my way!
Big problem with this alternative: it doesn't resolve real issue: LACK OF LOVE FOR ONE ANOTHER!
(3) Best solution: 6:7 Take the loss/write it off/forget it!
A better solution: to be cheated out of what is rightfully ours.
Absorb the loss—rather than carry struggle to pagan courts.
Paul's point isn't just a legalistic rejection of the court system.
There’s a lot more at stake here than that! He's seeking real love!
Two main reasons we aren’t willing to take the loss:
1. We don’t really love our neighbor as we love ourself!
We don’t want other people to take US to court.
We’ll quickly throw this passage in other people’s faces.
But, we want to get what WE have coming to us!
2. We don’t really believe that God can handle it!
We have to make something happen.
We can’t just leave the matter in His hands–it might not happen!
Severity of problem What are they doing? 6:8
The real problem isn’t the court system at all.
It isn’t even in going to court—though that’s not the answer!
Not only do we not sacrifice our rights for the good of another,
WE are often guilty of the offense-WE are the offenders.
We fighting for our rights, and even cheat each other!
Instead of giving up our rights and allowing ourselves to be offended,
We’re the offenders.
Each offends the principle of love . . .
. . . by not watching out for his brother's welfare first
. . . by cheating his brother
LIFESTYLE OF WORLD THEY’RE IMITATING DESCRIBED 6:9-11
To help them see what they’re doing, he describes the lifestyle of the world they’re imitating, and the judges they’re taking problems to. 9-10
Three ways these verses apply to their problem:
1. This is the lifestyle of the world from which they’re seeking justice.
It is under God’s judgment.
It will never provide God’s kind of justice.
=> How do you expect to get justice from the unjust?
–From court officials and politicians?!!
2. They’re imitating that spirit of world
( from which they’ve been delivered, and to which pagan judges belong!)
3.God is capable of dealing with the wicked (and He will, in HIS time!).
We don’t have to fight for our rights.
We can leave the matter with God–“Vengeance is mine; I will repay!”
All of the above is true!
Their ways are dangerously close to the way of the world.
This IS the lifestyle of those they’re calling on to judge them.
Such people have little to offer Christians to help us resolve our conflicts.
The church is submitting itself to these unjust people
It is placing itself under that kind of authority.
We’d be better to take our problems to church, rather than to civil courts.
But even more, if we acknowledge that God is in charge,
we can leave justice to GOD!
He compares these judges to those who have believed 6:11
They’re forgetting what God called us out of!
They’re going back to the old lifestyle.
They’re forgetting about God’s grace in calling us out of it!
We used to live like that. That used to be our standard too.
But, by God’s grace we are now different! SO ACT LIKE IT!!!
We shouldn’t be treating each other as pagans treat each other!
We ought to solve problems ourselves—NOT take them to court!
If you have a conflict with a brother, take it to the church. (Matt. 18)
Privately -> before witnesses -> through elders to the church
Or, better yet,—best of all— just absorb the loss.
In our litigious society, of law suits and road rage,
it never seems to occur to us that we could just forget it!
—we actually could LET GO OF IT!!!!
Don't fight for your rights! Let it GO!!!
IT’S BETTER TO ACCEPT THE WRONG OTHERS DO TO US
THAN TO FIGHT OVER IT!
In court, or out of court!
In church, or out of church!
Let it go!
But, We don't like that idea.
We want our rights.
We want to have it our way.
We may not have the problem with the courts,
but most of us DO have the problem with the attitude!
We want our rights! We want to have our own way!
We’ve forgotten God’s grace!
We’ve forgotten what we really deserve!
We need to learn a better way: -the way of sacrificial love that gives up our rights for other’s good.Phil. 2:1-5 (ff.)
Paul’s prescription: 6:7b
“Why not just accept the injustice? Why not just allow yourself to be cheated?
The world says: "Do unto others before they do unto you!"
"Stand up for your rights!"
"You can't do this to me and get away with it!"
Love says:
It’s better to accept the wrong others may do to us than to fight over it!