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Timothy: I Corinthians 6:1-11
Lawsuits Against Believers

1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?

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?

3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?

4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.

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?

6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.

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?

8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

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.

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.

[King James Version]

Dear God, my Beloved Father. I offer my gratitude and praise to You. Your mercy and faithfulness towards me are endless, even though I am not worthy of Your grace. Please use the Eternal Living Word of God to sanctify, guide, and comfort me every day. May the Lord Jesus Christ strengthen me, and may the Holy Spirit keep me walking in truth and increasing my understanding of the Word of God. I thank the Triune God.

Dear Father, I would like to present my reflection on I Corinthians 6:1-11 as follows:

Verse 1: The Apostle Paul rebuked the believers in the Church in Corinth for “daring” to take their disputes before the unbelievers. He used the word “dare” to describe the believers’ attitude of disrespect towards their brothers and sisters in Christ by bringing their disputes before the secular court, instead of allowing the elders to judge and resolve the conflicts within the Church. The believers’ action of suing one another before the secular court was like giving the unbelievers the right to judge Christ Himself, for the Church is the body of Christ, and every believer in the Church is a member of Christ’s body.

Verse 2: Paul taught the believers that they would judge the world together with Christ. He asked them if they were not even competent enough to judge trivial cases. I understand that the Church will judge the world because the Church will reign with Christ. In fact, the disputes and disagreements among the believers in the Church are small matters compared to the judgment of the entire world.

Verse 3: Paul taught the believers that not only would the Church judge the world, but the Church would also judge the angels. The judgment of the angels could include rewarding the faithful angels and punishing the fallen angels who followed Satan and rebelled against God.

Verse 4: The judges in the secular court, even if they are the most upright people in their positions, are not considered righteous if they do not accept God’s salvation. They have no place in the Church and will be judged by the Church. Therefore, it is impossible to allow the unrighteous to judge the disputes among the believers in the Church.

Verses 5 and 6: Paul asked the believers in Corinth whether there was no one among them who was wise enough to settle disputes between believers. Therefore, they took legal action against each other in a secular court instead of seeking reconciliation within the Church. Paul emphasized that it was a shameful thing for believers to go to court against one another before unbelievers.

Verse 7: In reality, when the people of God have disputes, there has already been a loss and failure in the Church. They have lost to the strategy aimed at creating division by demons and failed to control their fleshly, sinful nature. For those who have no fault and are oppressed by others, they should bear the loss instead of taking their case to the secular court. But it is also necessary to inform the Church so that if the guilty party does not repent, the Church must cut them off, according to the teaching of Christ recorded in Matthew 18:15-20.

From verse 8 to verse 10: The problem in the Church in Corinth is mainly the wrongdoers who cheat and sue their victims in front of the secular court. They seem to not understand or remember that those who live unjustly will not inherit the Kingdom of God. Paul calls on them not to deceive themselves and lists some typical sins that still exist in them. The self-deception that Paul talks about here is among the people who live in the sin of deceiving themselves that they are children of God, that they have salvation, and that they will inherit the Kingdom of God.

Verse 11: Although many people in the Church in Corinth had previously lived in sin, when they sincerely repent and accept the atonement of Christ’s sacrifice, all their sins are forgiven. Their sinful nature has been washed away, and their entire being has been sanctified. God has declared them righteous in the name of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit.

Dear Father, please keep me righteous always in the name of Christ and in the power of the Holy Spirit. Please grant me wisdom to discern all the schemes of the devil and to use the Eternal Living Word of God to respond. I thank You. Amen!

In the grace of Jesus Christ, my Lord.

Timothy Christian Huynh
05/02/2023