Litigation
1 Corinthians 6 (NKJV)
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?
2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?
5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?
6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?
8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!
9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,
10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.
A. The Situation in Corinth
The contenders
We can see by what Paul is saying that there was at least two members of the Corinthian church, in the midst of some kind of dispute. And now, one of them has taken the other to court to sue the other. The conflict has blown up to the point where the parties are in litigation, being unable to resolve it among themselves. The church itself has now been dragged into the courtroom as these fellow Christians argue over some petty manner.
Choosing the right court and the right Judge
The admonition in 1 Corinthians 6:1-10 is universally applicable (1 Cor. 1:1-2). Thus, it applies not only to the First Century members of the church in Corinth, but to you and me as well. In verse 4 the question asked is, “If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?” Yet how many Christians get involved in serious litigation about business, divorce and other matters and simply ignore that they one day confessed that their lives belong to God. When we give our life to Christ we also submit to a higher pattern of living and obtain citizenship in another Kingdom. If you choose a New Age or a Pagan psychiatrist to give you advice or counseling about your marriage aren’t you doing the same thing as these people in Corinth?
It is vital for the 21st century church to go back to the basics and follow Biblical principles if we really want God to bless and guide us.
B. In what Kingdom do you live in?
Paul begins by warning, "Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?" Paul's use of the word "dare," appears to suggest that by "going to law" against brethren, one tempts God.
Notice that Paul continues to challenge their perception of things and reminds them that we will judge angels and even the world will be judged by us. Let’s see what Jesus has to say about the petty way people think about the litigation process in God’s Kingdom.
Matthew 12
54 He also said to the crowds, “When you see a cloud rising in the west, you immediately say, ‘It is going to rain’; and so it happens. 55 And when you see the south wind blowing, you say, ‘There will be scorching heat’; and it happens. 56 You hypocrites! You know how to interpret the appearance of earth and sky, but why do you not know how to interpret the present time?
Settling with Your Opponent
57 “And why do you not judge for yourselves what is right? 58 Thus, when you go with your accuser before a magistrate, on the way make an effort to settle the case, or you may be dragged before the judge, and the judge hand you over to the officer, and the officer throw you in prison. 59 I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the very last penny.”
As Jesus was teaching about God’s Kingdom and the divisions that will cause even at the level of our families he couldn’t keep silence about the hypocrisy of people that give thought to the signs of the weather but simply ignore that there is a process of judgments by wish the Kingdom is ruled.
C. How should we solve litigation?
Despite the exceptions, impermissible litigation between Christians is not to be taken likely. Paul describes this conduct as shameful (vs. 5) and an utter failure (vs. 7).Instead of litigation, Paul suggests two alternatives: (1) submit the dispute to other brethren (vss. 2-5), or (2) accept wrong (vs. 7).
Simply put, brethren should not sue each other, but should seek the counsel of an impartial third brother to help resolve the dispute.
Christians who sue one another have a bigger problem with Christ than they do with each other. For Paul does not give the Corinthians a new commandment, but rather simply echoes Christ who said for Christians to seek a third Christian to help resolve disputes.
Matthew 18:15-20
15 “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone. If the member listens to you, you have regained that one. 16 But if you are not listened to, take one or two others along with you, so that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17 If the member refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if the offender refuses to listen even to the church, let such a one be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. 18 Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. 19 Again, truly I tell you, if two of you agree on earth about anything you ask, it will be done for you by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.”
I would like to mention a few personal thoughts about Jesus’ instructions in this Scripture.
1. First you initiate the process just you and the other person.
2. After this make sure you don’t talk to that person alone but get witnesses (or what I do in the 21st century, get a tape recorder and show it to the person, don’t hide it but tell them that from this moment on you will record every single word for future recollection)
3. If there is a refusal from the person then you go to the Church. “The Church” is not talking about your buddies in the congregation but the people that God placed in Spiritual leadership.
4. If the litigation is against a leader or even the pastor it should only be considered for investigation if there are at least three credible witnesses. That should be other presbyters or leaders.
5. Finally when the person refuses to listen his or her place in the Kingdom is lost and this brings severe consequences that may even include the loss of salvation. An immediate consequence is that God will not listen to the prayers of someone in disagreement with his Church.
D. Lack of Respect for authorities
I will finish by teaching about the problem they had in Corinth and that is also a spiritual cancer in the 21st century Church and that is lack of respect for authority.
CHRISTIANS SHOULD BE COMPETENT to judge problems that arise among them.
Do you think God placed you in a local Church for your own good?
Hebrews 13:17 (NLT)
Obey your spiritual leaders, and do what they say. Their work is to watch over your souls, and they are accountable to God. Give them reason to do this with joy and not with sorrow. That would certainly not be for your benefit.
God places a high value on authority because He is the one who created it. The Bible says that all authority comes from and originates with God. He is the absolute source of authority in the universe, and has delegated His principle of authority to mankind to maintain order in the world.
“Let every soul be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and the authorities that exist are appointed by God. Therefore whoever resists the authority resists the ordinance of God, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves” (Rom. 13:1-2).
How can we be accountable to spiritual supervision if we excuse ourself from Church fellowship, or just sit at home and watch TV ministries, or merely drift from one Church to another, week after week? Being accountable to a continuity of ministry and leadership is vital to God’s plan of providing the necessary “checks and balances” to produce solid spiritual growth.
One of the common reasons that some Christians “hop” from Church to Church, or detach themselves entirely from Church participation, is that inwardly they foster an “independent spirit” which resists authority. They don’t wish to be corrected or to confront truths they would prefer to avoid. Without accountability to authority, a believer will often develop “itching ears” (2 Tim. 4:3), which seeks after teachings that validate self-conceived opinions, instead of “objective” teaching which compels us to face truths that may conflict with our self-willed inclinations and desires.
Conclusion
Latter in this series we will see that one of Paul’s concerns with the Corinthians is that that they moved from an apostolic Church government into a hybrid model of fellowship. This is a problem that we face today. Most Churches became a democratic structure that has nothing to do with the New Testament model of organizing the Body of Christ.
I would like to finish this message by doing an altar call for repentance and a prayer for the Church so that as a body of believers we will renew our vows of abiding in God’s Kingdom by telling the Lord that we are willing and ready to do what the Bible says about litigation.
Matthew 20:25 - 27 But Jesus called the disciples and said, "You know that the rulers of the gentiles lord it over them and their superiors act like tyrants over them. That's not the way it should be among you. Instead, whoever wants to be great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first among you must be your slave. That's the way it is with the Son of Man. He did not come to be served, but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many people."
Authority in the church is very different to worldly authority. Leaders within the church must, first of all, be servants. We then learn to submit to our Spiritual Leaders as those who will be accountable for our souls.
1 Peter 5:5
5 In the same way, you who are younger must accept the authority of the elders (pastors). And all of you must clothe yourselves with humility in your dealings with one another, for “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
A ship’s captain looked into the dark night and saw faint lights in the distance. Immediately he told his signalman to send this message: “Alter your course 10 degrees south.”
A prompt message came in return, “Alter your course 10 degrees north.”
Captain angered that his command had been ignored sent a second message, “Alter your course 10 degrees south – I am a captain!” A message came back in return, “Alter your course 10 degrees north – I am seaman 3rd class Jones!”
The captain sent a third message knowing the fear it would evoke, “Alter your course 10 degrees south – I am a battleship!” Then the reply came, “Alter your course 10 degrees north – I am a lighthouse!”
An authentic biblical community submits to the authority of Christ and of those who are in Leadership.
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