You didn't know Paul had so much power, did you?
He comes out here and points at the screen, and
like that, it's happened. He does that with the
choir every Sunday. By the way, the greetings
from the youngsters last week, I noticed that
one, Kirky Livingston. Now, we have a family
in our church, the Kirk Livingston's. I didn't
know I had a child named Kirky. So you might
just want to ask them if they have... another
child that we've not met before, and see if they
would introduce you to Kirke Livingston. Would
you do that, please? I would appreciate that
very much. Now would you open your Bible with
me, please, to 1 Corinthians chapter 6. As we
look today at our text in the first 11 verses
of this chapter, 1 Corinthians chapter 6, entitled,
Take it to Court. Does any of you, when he has
a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law
before the unrighteous and not before the saints?
Or do you not know that the saints will judge
the world? And if the world is judged by you,
are you not competent to constitute the smallest
law court? Do you not know that we shall judge
angels? How much more matters in this life? If
then you have law courts dealing with matters
of this life, do you appoint them as judges who
are of no account in the church? I say this to
your shame. Is it so that there is not among
you one wise man who will be able to decide between
his brethren that brother goes to law with brother
and that before unbeliever? Actually then, it
is already a deceit for you. that you have lawsuits
with one another. Why not rather be wrong? Why
not rather be defrauded? On the contrary, you
worship you yourselves wrong and defraud, and
that your brethren. Or do you not know that the
unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of
God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators
nor idolaters nor adulterers nor effeminate nor
homosexuals. nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor
drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers shall
inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some
of you, but you were washed, you were sanctified,
but you were justified in the name of our Lord
Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God." A
popular television program a few years ago used
to end it shows that were based around the court
with the notion that if somebody does you wrong,
don't take it into your own hands. Take it to
court. Remember that? That was the attitude in
Corinth long before that television show was
around. The Christians in the church in Corinth
who were very tolerant of immorality in their
church were quick to go to court. over some relatively
minor problem that arose. In the paragraph we've
read, the apostle Paul actually rebukes them
for their insolence and their arrogance. He says,
does any of you dare to go to law? If Paul could
say that to us and not write it in the letter
as he has, I think we would hear something in
his voice approaching anger. So this is another
example of the leaven of sin from their old way
of life that they have brought into their new
relationship with God. Now I say it's from their
old way of life because of the manner in which
those people lived in the city of Corinth and
frankly throughout the Roman Empire in that day.
John MacArthur summarizes it pretty well when
he says the legal situation in Corinth probably
was much as it was in Athens where litigation
was a part of everyday life. It had become a
form of challenge, even entertainment. When a
problem arose between two parties that they could
not settle between themselves, the first recourse
was arbitration. Each party was assigned a disinterested
private citizen as an arbitrator, and the two
arbitrators, along with a neutral third person,
would attempt to resolve the problem. If they
failed, the case was turned over to a court of
40 who assigned a public arbitrator to each party.
Interestingly, MacArthur says, every citizen
had to serve as a public arbitrator during the
60th year of his life. If public arbitration
failed, the case went to a jury court composed
of from several hundred to several thousand jurors.
Can you imagine how long it would take to pick
that kind of a jury under our legal system? Every
citizen over 30 years of age was subject to serving
as a juror. Either as a party to a lawsuit or
as an arbitrator or as a juror, most citizens
regularly were involved in legal proceedings
of one sort or another. That's an interesting
snapshot of the pagan legal system in the Roman
Empire. Very wavy and complex and far -reaching,
and one in which many people were involved. Now,
along with that system of law and courts, the
Jews had their own thing going underneath Roman
law. The Romans allowed them to carry on this
way. For centuries, Jews... has settled all their
questions and disputes privately or in synagogue
courts. It was considered a form of blasphemy
for the Jews to go before the Gentiles. Both
Greek and Roman rulers have allowed the Jews
to continue that practice of having their own
court system even outside of Palestine. Under
Roman law, Jews could virtually try every offense
and give almost any kind of a sentence except
the sentence of death, as we see in the case
of Jesus Christ. Because Christians were considered
by the Romans to be a Jewish sect, the Corinthian
believers will probably flee to settle their
dispute among themselves as the Apostle Paul
suggests here. What I want you to grasp here
in this paragraph that we've read, is that believers
are called out of the world to a lifestyle that
is distinctive and holy. The apostle Paul in
chapter 5 dealt with the matter of immorality
in the church. Now he goes on to deal with another
kind of leaven, of sin, that was in the church.
It was the disgraceful kinds of lawsuits that
they would bring against one another as an expression
of their selfishness, showing that their lifestyle
was unfit for that of a child of God. The Apostle
Paul yanks them as it were out of their lethargy
about this. He wants them to know that God has
called them to be saints. God has called them
to be separated from the world. to a lifestyle
that is distinctive, that is different from what
they had lived in the past, to a holy life. And
so he expresses the problem, first of all. The
problem that he addresses in this paragraph is
that of them taking other believers to court
for merely petty causes. Christian brothers were
seeking legal remedy, it seems, for these minor
offenses. within the pagan legal system. The
issues were not spiritual issues. They were very
temporal issues. He calls them things pertaining
to this life. You know this. The word he uses
there is the Greek word pragma. And I say that
word so that you can hear the word pragmatic
in it. They were suing one another over the pragma,
the pragmatic things of life, unimportant things
relatively. And while Paul does not belittle
the secular courts here, while he does not show
disrespect for the pagan court system, he shows
that the believers have no reason really to take
these things to that system. So what were they
to do? Well, he tells them what they were to
do. They were to set up their own system to handle
these kinds of issues. He warns them that if
they went out to the pagan court system, there
would be certain detrimental results in their
lives, at least four of them. The first result
was that it degraded their testimony. We see
this reflected in what he says in verses one
and six. He says, how dare you go out there before
the world, as it were, and air your dirty laundry.
It degrades your testimony to do that as believers
in Jesus Christ. Imagine how the unbelievers
would have interpreted their actions. A second
result of their taking their issues to court
was that it exposed their greed, as he suggests
in verse 8. He says, you yourselves wrong and
defraud your own brothers. You do wicked things,
you wrong them, and you cheat them. It exposes
your greed. The third result of their taking
their issues before the court is that it dishonored
their position, verses two through five. He reminds
us, in essence, that the saints have been seated
with Jesus Christ on his throne and identified
with him in his position as the ruler. And he
says, there is coming a day when the saints will
judge the world. That's the position that we've
been given in Christ. What Paul is saying here
seems to reflect the return of Jesus Christ when
he comes again. that we will share with him in
judging the world and sitting over it. As it
says in Revelation 20 and verse 4, I saw thrones
and they sat upon them and judgment was given
to them. Jesus says regarding the apostles in
Matthew 19, truly I say to you that you who have
followed me in the regeneration when the Son
of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you also.
shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve
tribes of Israel." And not only is that true
of the twelve apostles, but by extension it seems
to be true in some sense of every believer. For
them to take their brothers to court was to dishonor
their position. He says things were also going
to judge the angels. Now this was not mentioned
anywhere else in the scriptures, only a brief
reference here. It's hard to understand exactly
what Paul is saying. Is he talking about saints
someday judging the holy angels of God? Well,
we wonder why would they need to be judged? Are
they not always perfectly obedient to their Creator?
Then is he saying that we will someday have a
part in judging the fallen angels and judging
demons? That seems to be the better option of
the two. It does say that the Lord has not spared
the angels that sinned, but has cast them into
hell and committed them to the pits of darkness
reserved for judgment. Talking there in 2 Peter
2 ,4 about the particular angels, that all of
the fallen angels will one day face judgment.
Perhaps that's what Paul has in mind. But his
point is, look, Jesus Christ has given you a
position of dignity. You yourself are destined
to be a judge. Now why, as one having that position,
would you be graded by taking your issues before
the pageant? Then there's a fourth result that
he gives for their error. When you do this, Paul
says, that is, when you take your case to the
court, it deceives your case anyway. You're already
defeated when you get there, verse 7. You've
already suffered a loss. Oh, yes, I know one
of you may win the case and the other lose it,
but you have both been diminished spiritually.
And therefore you have both had loss of respect
and fellowship and your testimony. And so you're
already defeated. And so Paul lays out for them,
What he believes are the disastrous results of
the problem that they were having in that city,
in that church. Secondly, he lays before them
his proposal. He tells them what they can do
as an option. The proposal is, in the first place,
to settle with arbitration. The last part of
verse 5 suggests this. Some of the language in
the middle part of the paragraph is a little
difficult. to translate, not only to say interpret,
but what Paul seems to be saying in verse 5 is,
look, you can't appoint arbitrators among yourselves.
In verse 4, there seems to be a bit of sarcasm.
He says, there it seems, that it's better to
have even the weakest member of the church settle
disputes than to take the issue to the court.
He says you're better off with even the weakest
one among you setting in judgment, rather than
taking it out there to the pagans. Now why is
that? Because the pagans have no appreciation
for the spiritual reality. But what's really
behind some of the dispute? And so he says even
the weakest among you could be the arbitrator.
So he seems to be saying here, isn't there at
least one wise man? He can stand up and judge
and make a decision between his brethren. But
he says in verse 7 in his proposal, suffer loss
if necessary. Settle with arbitration, but if
that doesn't work, then suffer loss if necessary.
I don't think Paul is really saying in verse
7 that we ought to have a separate church -related
court system. But what he is saying is that The
church may appoint mediators who can make declarative
judgments. They can't make punitive judgments,
but they can declare who's right and wrong and
what would be the righteous way to settle it.
And he says even if that doesn't work perfectly,
it's better to experience the loss or the wrong
that might come out of that if need be. and to
keep harmony in the church and your testimony
before the world rather than taking it to the
court. The basic problem that underlies this
whole thing is that the Corinthians were demanding
their rights, their personal rights, rather than
yielding them up to God. Paul speaks about that
essentially in Romans chapter 12, where in the
middle of that chapter he says, look, don't take
vengeance for yourself. But the Lord says, Vengeance
is mine, and I will repay. What Paul is essentially
saying there is, give your right to God, and
let God justify you in his time. If there is
to be punishment, if there is to be vengeance,
then let the Lord be the one who brings it, not
you. Let the Lord take care of your rights for
you. How that flies in the face of the culture
that we live in today. For if you are a real
American, you will demand your rights. Whether
it be on the highway as you're driving, or be
in the court system, or be in the workplace,
you demand what more? You've got it coming to
you. And if you don't get it, somebody else will.
And there's all kinds of other little clichés
that people use. Paul isn't saying here that
we ought to lie down and be the rug for everybody
either. But he is saying, when it comes to enforcing
your personal rights, just give them to God.
And let God bring about your righteousness. Let
God vindicate your righteousness. Let God show
that you're right in His time. The proposal is,
settle with arbitration. Suffer loss if necessary.
Let me bring the question to mind. If you're
thinking through this chapter with me, you may
be asking the question, is it always wrong for
a believer to go to court. I'm talking about
the pagan court. Is it always wrong for a Christian
to go to court? I believe the answer to that
is no. It is not always wrong for a believer
to go to court. Charles Windall has four helpful
guidelines that will direct our heart as we think
through the issues that we ourselves face. These
are guidelines that I offer to you today. not
only for your sake, but for the sake of someone
that you might counsel. Sindahl says in the first
place, we might go to court when the dispute
with a fellow Christian is not related to the
local church. Secondly, he says, we might go
to court when the motive is not pride, and I
might insert, or greed, but justice. Thirdly,
he says, we might go to court when the issue
does not bring fame to the Church of Jesus Christ
in the eyes of the world. And fourth, he says,
we might go to court when you're absolutely confident
that it is the will of God and have complete
peace in the inner person. Now this is not a
moot. issue that we're dealing with today. One
of our local Christian colleges has been sued
by a family, a Christian family in another church,
in a church here in the Twin Cities. There are
Christians suing Christians. There are people
who are facing divorce, some who don't want divorce.
What are they to do? How do they respond? What
do you do if you have an accident, let's say,
at a brother's house, and in order for his insurance
policy to pay off, you have to sue him? I mean,
these are issues that people face. These guidelines
can help you think through what your response
ought to be. It is not always wrong for a believer
to go to court. Frankly, I think it ought to
be rare. It ought to be extremely rare. But there
are times when we have to. You see, what was
happening in the Church of Corinth, and that
which Paul was addressing, was an abuse of lawful.
So they were simply playing a game in some respects.
taking one another to court almost for entertainment,
or to enforce their personal rights over little
petty things that didn't really matter. And that's
what Paul is reducing. And notice how closely
he ties this together with immorality. He moves
from one right to the other. And in Paul's mind,
there is really no distinction between the kind
of effect on the testimony of the church, between
the sinning man who is in the church, and the
way that they were frivolously taking one another
to court. So that brings us to the last part
of our paragraph where we deal with the principle.
The principle that we started out with, and that
is that a Christian is called out of the world
to a lifestyle of distinction and holiness. Twice,
in verses 1 and 2, Paul uses the word think.
Then later in the chapter, he uses the word sanctified,
which is related to the word think. They all
mean to call out, or one who is called out. Paul
says that we have been called out of the world
with its value system to a lifestyle that is
to be different and holy. Notice that he says
that no person who is characterized by an unrighteous
lifestyle will inherit God's kingdom, that is,
will enter into the theater of salvation. And
he gives a list of ten specific lifestyles, the
way that people were living in that day, and
did people live today. But some of these we dealt
with last week, as Paul listed in chapter 5.
Do not be deceived neither fornicators, that
is those who are sexually immoral, nor idolaters,
nor adulterers. This is the first time in this
context that he's mentioned that word. It is
a more specific word than the word fornicators,
which refers to any kind of sexual sin outside
of marriage. Here in adultery he's talking about
those who have been unfaithful to their marriage
vows. He says adulterers will not enter the kingdom
of God, nor those who are effeminate. a word
that means dainty or luxurious living, and it
refers most likely to male prostitutes, which
were very common in the city of Corinth because
of the pagan rituals that were involved in their
worship of their false deities. Apparently there
were some in Corinth who thought that it was
still okay to visit these male prostitutes. He
goes on to mention homosexuals, making it very
clear what he's talking about. Now, I realize
that there are those today who are coming back
to the Bible and trying to revise interpretations
over the last 2 ,000 years. We're trying to say,
yes, that's what it says, but that's not what
it means. Ladies and gentlemen, the Bible means
exactly what it says. That is not an unloving
thing to say. It is an honest thing to say. It
is to me a great tragedy when there are religious
leaders who are coming to the Bible trying to
twist it in order to shift the cultural values
of our day. That is wrong, and it is wrong not
only before God, but it is wrong to the individuals
that they think they are pleasing because what
it does is to give them a false sense of security
that their lifestyle is okay. when in fact God
condemns it, and that is not a loving thing to
do. He mentions thieves. First time he's mentioned
that in this context. And the covetous, that
is, those who are greedy, drunkards, those who
are practicing addictive kinds of things, whether
it be wine, as was the common case in Corinth,
or if it be drugs, in our day, as well. A reviler,
that is, those who use their tongue to destroy
others, and swindlers, people who are cheaters.
That's quite a list, isn't it? And he says, don't
be deceived. You see, there was deception at
work even in that day, so that people were made
to think that these sorts of things were okay.
God says people who do these things will not
be saved. They have never entered into the portals
of salvation, and their unrighteous lifestyles
show this. Does it mean that a Christian can't
be a thief? Well, he can't be a thief. He may
steal. A Christian can still steal. A Christian
can still get drunk. A Christian can do any of
these things, I suppose, as an isolated act,
but he cannot and he will not do them as a lifestyle.
For a lifestyle reflects what the heart is, you
see. An act may reveal a flaw in the character.
An act may reveal a moment of disobedience in
a person's life. So when we talk about a lifestyle,
we're talking about something else, and that's
what Paul is dealing with here. He says, anyone
who is living out an unrighteous lifestyle characterized
like these things is not a Christian, has not
entered into the kingdom of God. Do not be deceived
about this, he says. These things are not normal
within the Christian life. He says something
happened to you that made you different. He says,
oh yes, you were these things. Some of you did
this and some of you did that as a lifestyle
before you came to Christ. But something happened
to you. Something changed you. He says you will
watch. That is, they were cleansed completely
of the stain and the defilement that had been
brought on by their past lifestyle. He says,
you were washed from death. Not only that, he
says, but you were sanctified. That is, you were
set apart from sin for God. God gave you a new
position before Him, a holy position. so that
now you can live righteously in his eyes. He
says, but you were justified. That means you
were declared righteous in God's eyes. God made
a legal decision about you. He made a decree.
He cleared you of your guilt before the law.
And he says all of this was done in the name
of the Lord Jesus Christ. That is, with the authority
of Christ. Christ himself brought this. It's
unquestionable. It's irreversible what he did
for you. You were washed. You were sanctified.
You were justified. Because how then possibly
can you think to go back to the lifestyle that
you were a part of? No, he says you were in the
spirit of God. The Spirit of God has made all
of this a reality to you, and now if you fall
back into your old ways, the Spirit of God is
going to be there to convict you of your sins
and to bring you back. That's why I'm saying
this morning that the point he is making in this
paragraph is that those of us who are called
into Christ's Kingdom are called to live with
distinction and holiness. There's a certain dignity
that besits the position that we have in Jesus
Christ, and we are to live that out in the world.
And to think otherwise is absurd. It's ridiculous.
God has called it out from the world society
to belong to His new society. And so the question
that we have to ask ourselves this morning, whether
it be the example of lawsuits, or be the other
potential applications that he mentions in the
last part of this text? Are we making the choices
about our behavior that are consistent with who
we are? For you see, we have a choice to make
about how we live. The unrighteous do not. They
are captivated and enslaved in lifestyles of
sin. But something has happened to us. We're
different in Jesus Christ, and now we have the
ability to choose to obey God. And on the whole,
the Christian will. He may fall back now and
then as events or occasions in his life, but
on the whole, he will have a lifestyle of obedience
to God. What are the decisions that you're making?
When an opportunity comes to you to go back to
what you were before, are you choosing to say
no to that and yes to obedience to Jesus Christ?
When the devil comes knocking at your door with
the temptation to say, come on, you remember
how much fun this was, can you at that moment
by the Spirit of God say, no, I have been called
out of that? to belong to Jesus Christ, and I
want my life to be different. What Paul is saying
to these people is what he is saying to all of
us today. Stop living for things that you have
been saved from. Father God, this message cuts
across the heart of each one of us. Because all
of us in here also were like those Corinthians
before we were built. In one way or another,
our lives were filed after sin. And there may
be some of us today who have thought that we
have been saved because we prayed a prayer sometime,
or we went forward and asserted. And there's
been no cleansing, no sanctifying work of your
spirit, and we're not justified. I pray that
You would not allow us to continue on deceived
if that be the case. But show us exactly what
we need to repent of. Show us our guilt, that
we may bow the knees and truly receive Jesus
Christ, and find in Him the transformation inside
that will make us new people. And Father, for
those of us who have done that, and who truly
are changed, who have been called out, but who
have forgotten that we are to live holy lives
distinct from the world, different than our peers.
I pray that this might be a reminder, a wake
-up call to us today to be holy. Lead us to repentance
as well. and to renewal of our vows to walk after
you in newness of life. In Jesus name I pray,
Amen.