Weekly Wrap-Up: November 9, 2008

Justin Sampler eloquently taught from 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 this past week at Kingdom First ABF. Paul writes:

“1When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?  2Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?  3Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!  4So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?  5I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,  6but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?  7To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?  8But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! 9Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,  10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.  11And such were some of you. 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.”

Justin pointed out, among many other things, the difference between civil an criminal cases. There is a difference between a dispute that calls for the judgement of the sword of the state (murder, violence, rape) and disputes that can be resolved with the sword of the Spirit (arguments of preference, petty disagreement). The church at Corinth seemed to be quick to appeal to the authority of the State’s office of the rather than the office given to the Church by Christ. We ought not do the same.

We learned that in some cases it is better to suffer wrong than to bring division into the church. After all, as Paul writes, we are to be ourselves judges one day. How are we preparing to be faithful judges in the Kingdom if we cannot be faithful in the small matters entrusted to us now?

The priority in 1 Corinthians is the Church over and above the interests of the individual. Christ is building up his body for the coming Kingdom, and we ought to participate by resolving matters peacefully; or suffer wrong rather than dragging our brothers in Christ into the courtroom for the sake of personal vindication.