You are probably familiar with the expression, “Keep it in the family.” Some things are not meant for the world to know. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul tells the church, “Keep it in the family.” The church is a family, and like all families, we sin against each other and conflicts can arise. God has given us ways to deal with those conflicts. In Corinth, their conflicts were not being handled in a way that pleased God. How we deal with conflict in light of the gospel is just as relevant for the church in the 21st century as it was for the church in the first century.
Christians Will Judge Angels (1-4)
Some of the Christians in Corinth had grievances against one another. Instead of dealing with these issues within the church, they were taking them outside the church and suing one another. Courts outside the church were adjudicating their disagreements and then imposing penalties or fines. Paul expresses horror at such behavior. “Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!” (v. 3) In some capacity, Christians will be involved in this judgment at the end of the age, so Paul concludes that if Christians have this responsibility to judge in the future, then certainly they should be able to try their cases in this life!
Where is Your Wisdom? (5-6)
Back in chapter 4, when Paul was exposing their spiritual pride, he said, “I do not write these things to make you ashamed,” but here, he confronts their shameful actions. They should be ashamed, not only of how they are handling these disputes, but more so of their pride. They have boasted in their wisdom, and yet there is no one in their midst wise enough to help settle a simple dispute.
You’re All Losers (7-8)
In a lawsuit, there is a loser and a winner. Someone will either have to pay or be freed from having to pay, but Paul’s point is that when Christians are willing to sue one another, they have both lost.
It is contrary to human nature, but Christians should be people who are willing to be wronged. It may mean we suffer injustice, but Christians are not called to seek vengeance. Paul exhorts the church that it would be better for one of these parties to suffer the wrong, even to be defrauded, than to pursue legal action. Jesus taught us in the Sermon on the Mount not to be retaliatory people: When someone “slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. And if anyone would sue you and take your tunic, let him have your cloak as well” (Matt. 5:39–40). In his own life, when Jesus was reviled, he did not revile in return; instead, “he continued entrusting himself to him who judges justly” (1 Pet. 2:23).
Who Will Inherit the Kingdom of God? (9-10)
In verse 8, Paul called the Corinthians to the carpet: “But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers.” This unrighteous behavior is not befitting citizens of the kingdom of God. Paul warns the church in Corinth to awake from the spiritual slumber and grow to spiritual maturity, taking their sin and God’s holiness and judgment seriously.
Sin not only tempts us, but deceives us about its consequences. In the very first sin, Satan sought to deceive Eve about the consequences of her sin: “But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not surely die” (Gen. 3:4). Those who persist in their unrighteousness have been deceived about the nature of their sin and its consequences, having never been truly born again. Paul’s list of the kinds of people who will not inherit the kingdom of God (sexually immoral, idolators, adulterers, homosexuals, thieves, greedy, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers) serve as a warning, pricking our consciences.
You’re Not the Unrighteous Ones (11)
The Corinthians’ behavior was certainly unrighteous, but now Paul calls them to change their behavior to match their identity. Once again, the solution to all the problems in Corinth is the gospel. The gospel is what the proud people of Corinth needed in order to expose their sin. The gospel is also a balm to those who come under the conviction of their sin.
“And 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” (1 Cor. 6:11).
The gospel does not allow Christians to grow comfortable with sin. It is only when we see the magnitude of our sin that we can see the magnitude of God’s grace that gives us a new identity. We were all those things Paul listed, but now we have been made new. If the Lord is gracious towards the Corinthians, then he is certainly gracious towards you.
Paul uses three words to describe what the grace of God has done for us: washed, sanctified, and justified. Washing speaks to our forgiveness and the work of regeneration done in our hearts by the Holy Spirit. Sanctification refers to our being set apart as holy. Justification is the legal declaration whereby we are declared righteous because we have Christ’s righteousness imputed to us. If you have been forgiven, made holy, and declared righteous, then how can you continue to live as an unrighteous person? Paul tells Titus about the transformation the grace of God brings to a life. “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age” (Titus 2:11–12). In the context of the local church, the grace of God transforms how we relate to one another, especially when we have been wronged.
Do you have a Christian relationship where you need to apply the truth of the gospel to how you think and interact? You may not be suing your brother or sister, but you have been wronged, and rather than forbear or go through the Biblical means of confrontation and reconciliation, you are harboring bitterness. If you are in this place, you must consider the gospel. You were once an unrighteous person, hating God and hating one another, but by grace, you have been washed, sanctified, and justified. This reality should humble us so we can graciously confront or graciously forbear. Even if your sin is of a different kind, the gospel assures you of forgiveness and empowers you to walk in righteousness. Calvary Bible Church, remember who you are.