Alba 5-4-2025
LAWSUITS AND LEGAL DISPUTES
I Corinthians 6:1-8
There was a street in a town that was lined with lovely mature trees, manicured lawns, and three churches—all right next to each other. The three churches were each built in different styles and shapes. They each posted a sign out front, proudly displaying the name of the church. The three churches were named First Community Church, Second Community Church, and Third Community Church.
One day the ministers of these three houses of worship all happened to meet on the sidewalk in front of their churches. And one said to the others, “Maybe we need to define what we mean by community.”
Getting along with others can often be difficult. But how we deal with difficult situations will say a lot about our spiritual maturity or lack thereof. As we have been looking at this letter of First Corinthians here in the New Testament, we see that the church in Corinth had a lot of problems. They had different opinions as to which preacher to follow, and it was causing division. Then it was revealed that the church needed to deal with the problem of allowing open, unrepentant sin in the church.
Now in chapter six we find that disagreements are causing believers to take other believers to court to sue them. The church had shown a remarkable lack of concern about a peculiarly flagrant sin. But now church members seem overly anxious to take action when they are personally offended. The apostle Paul is appalled by their action and makes it clear, that first...
1. Christians Should Not Be Taking Other Christians To Court
Lawyers are always happy to get a client who wants to sue another person. It is their job to represent people who have been harmed in some way. But of course they get their cut if things go well. There have been a number of crazy but highly publicized court cases. Probably the most famous of all is the one about the woman who spilled scalding coffee on herself, and successfully sued McDonald’s. McDonalds refused to settle out of court for $20,000. However, they should have. The woman was ultimately awarded $200,000 in compensatory damages, which was reduced to $160,000 because she was found to be twenty percent at fault. But she was also awarded $2.7 million in punitive damages.
Such cases have encouraged even more lawsuits. And it can happen even among and between Christians. The board of trustees of a Baptist church in Louisiana filed suit to remove their preacher from his position. A few days later, another group, claiming to be the real trustees, filed a counter suit, asking that those who had filed the previous suit be removed as church members.
There was a family in Illinois who sued their church for injuries their 15-year-old son suffered at a church picnic when he fell out of a tree. His parents had watched him climb the tree, and had warned him to be careful because it was dangerous. But when he fell, they sued the church.
There were at least two members of the church in Corinth who were in the midst of some kind of dispute and had gone to court to sue. When Paul heard that had happened, he wrote in I Corinthians 6:1. “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?
The New International Version has that verse, “If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people.” And the New Living Translation has it, “When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how dare you file a lawsuit and ask a secular court to decide the matter instead of taking it to other believers!” This is strong language. Paul finds it bizarre that Christians would choose to go before a judge who was probably a pagan to settle their disputes.
We need to remember that as an apostle, Paul is writing this letter under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. So these are not just Paul's words, but God's words. And this is not just Paul's letter to the Corinthians, but is also God's letter for us. This sets a biblical standard for believers to follow.
There are several good reasons that it is inadvisable for Christians to take each other to court. 1. A secular judge doesn't understand kingdom values. 2. Often we go to court for revenge, not remedy. And 3. Christians fighting each other in public takes the focus off of the gospel and puts a negative light on the church.
As believers we need to understand that a relationship with Jesus changes who we are, and it should be seen in our actions, thoughts and desires. If we are changed, and Paul is declaring how changed these people were supposed to be, then we can change how we treat one another and can change the channels we use for getting satisfaction in any situation. We can humble ourselves and do what’s right, rather than what’s easy. This scripture makes it clear that Christians are not to take other Christians to court.
It’s not that courts are necessarily bad. Paul is not talking against lawyers and lawsuits as a whole. As Romans chapter thirteen explains, it is God who established civil government. Now, in this country we actually have two court systems. We have a criminal court system, the purpose of which is to provide justice for its citizens by punishing law breakers. It doesn't look like First Corinthians chapter six applies to such cases. For example, if an insurance company refuses to pay what you are entitled to receive, you may have to take legal recourse. Or if you are a victim of a crime, you certainly do not need discourage to the prosecution of that case simply because you are a Christian.
If someone breaks into your garage and steals your tools, they have not only violated your rights, they have also violated a law of the state. Though you may be willing to forgive them for taking the tools, you don't have the right to forgive them for breaking the law. Only the state can do that. Criminal cases are just not the business of the church.
We also have a civil court system. The purpose of the civil court is to provide justice for its citizens by providing some sort of compensation or relief to those who have been wronged by another. Paul is not speaking against civil courts or Roman law. He himself had been the beneficiary of the court system several years before this when the Jews of Corinth brought him before Gallio. Gallio had defended Paul’s right to preach – that story is in Acts 18.
But civil cases between two Christians, however, should always be settled through the church. The reason is that we now are under an obligation to settle issues as people under Christ. By choosing the courts, believers are choosing to settle issues like adversaries, and not brothers and sisters in Christ. So Paul was shocked by this behavior. The last thing the church needs is to have its dirty laundry aired in public.
All of us have been hurt, and have done our own share of hurting others. Conflict is an inevitable part of life, but how we handle it can either glorify God, or hinder our testimony. Besides, lawsuits don’t always turn out real well. Just because you think you have the right on your side doesn’t mean you’re going to win. And would it really be worth it to win a case before a judge of no account and lose before the judge of all the world? Paul tells the Corinthians, “It is already an utter failure (a defeat) for you that you go to law against one another” (vs. 7). When we make our choices about the way we live, what we do, and how we treat others, it will be good to ask these three questions: Is it holy before the Lord? Is it helpful to the body of Christ? Is it a hindrance to a lost person? One way to give a proper answer to those questions is to follow the directions in this chapter and don't take a fellow Christian to court. We have alternatives. Besides, we are told:
2. Christians Will Be Judges of the World and the Angels
Verses two and three of this chapter ask, “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? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?” Matthew 19:28 and Revelation 20:4 indicate that at the end of history Christians will be called to judge the rest of humanity. And angels, who now are superior to human beings, will one day be under our authority. Think about that for a moment – when Jesus comes again God is going to trust believers (us) to be qualified to judge the world and judge the very angels of heaven. To describe how this will happen would be to speculate. We can’t be sure exactly how all that is going to work, but that is going to be part of our destiny at sometime in the future.
Paul’s immediate aim, though, is not to lay out any end-time doctrines. Rather his aim is to highlight the ridiculous contrast between the church’s glorious future destiny and its present failure to exercise judgment over minor disputes between its members. The point here is this: If we are going to judge the world and even angels, don’t you think there ought to be someone in the church wise enough to settle a civil case. Paul calls these small, trivial matters. But that is only in comparison to judging the world and angels. Christians wronging other Christians should not be considered a trivial matter.
So we should use the judgment that God has given us to work out our differences while still on this earth. Paul is saying, “Since one day you will sit upon God’s supreme court over the world, aren’t you qualified to judge the small, everyday matters that come up among you?” Those who are destined to judge the world and angels should make judgments within the church. Therefore, when problems arise...
3. Christians Should Exercise Wisdom and Grace In Settling Disputes
In verse five Paul asks, “Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?” Paul expects there must be at least someone in the congregation at Corinth that would be respected by both conflicting parties, and who would be able to function as a judge or mediator in a dispute. The courts can’t deal with heart issues that are at the core of many lawsuits. But the church can and should.
A court process usually fails to deal with the underlying causes of conflict. In contrast, the church can point people to Christ and help them deal with the root causes of their problems. Once issues of sin and personal offense are resolved, the legal issues can often be settled with little additional effort.
Ken Sande, founder of Peacemakers, gives the example of a farming dispute between three brothers. The church settled the matter and then encouraged the families to get together for a meal once a month and talk about anything but farming. The brothers took their advice, which strengthened their bond. No civil judge could have ordered these gatherings.
So again the point is not only that we should not look to unbelievers to settle disputes, but that the body of Christ has been given sufficient resources within her members. And the church should use them. We should be able to settle disputes in house, or at least with the help of another wise, discerning, mature believer. We may have to agree beforehand to abide by the judgment. But especially in the temporary things of this world, we need to do what’s right, and focus on eternal things.
So, what happens if the other party is unwilling to participate in some type of mediation? In that case it will probably be wise to take Paul's advice and simply choose to accept being wronged. “Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!” (vs. 7-8). The Lord will honor your willingness to sacrifice some of your rights for the sake of Jesus' Kingdom.
Actually, Jesus told the Corinthian Christians how to handle their situation long before it arose. Jesus did not say to use the courts, but directed a course of action that works! In Matthew 5:15-17 Jesus said, “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother. But if he will not hear, take with you one or two more, that ‘by the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established.’ And if he refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if he refuses even to hear the church, let him be to you like a heathen and a tax collector.”
See how wonderfully that works? In light of our text, if both people are Christians, and they have a problem with each other, they first are to try to work it out between themselves. If that isn't sufficient, then they are to bring in others who can help to mediate an agreement. And then, only after the other attempts, if the problem remains, it should be brought before the church to find a resolution. But then, after trying each step in order, if the offending party is unrepentant, you may stop having any relationship with that person.
So what is it that we learn from this section of scripture? A Christian should not file a lawsuit against another Christian believer. We may not like that restriction, but that is what the Lord says. I don't think there is any way around it. But does this mean that if someone else in the church is taking advantage of you, there is no recourse? No. It means simply that the church, not the court, should try to settle the dispute.
CLOSE:
I read about a man who lent another Christian some money and was having trouble getting the man to pay him back. He talked to the man privately about the matter, but made no progress. He went to the church leaders and they talked to the man, but still he wouldn’t pay – probably couldn’t pay.
Finally, he sent the man a receipt that said his debt was paid. When the borrower asked the lender what happened, because he knew he had not repaid the man, the lender said, “I did everything I could to get you to pay the money back without avail. So I talked to the Lord about it, and He said that He would pay me back, and that He would collect from you.”
Sometimes we just have to leave things with the Lord and let Him do the final sorting out of things. He is the One, although He was treated horribly when He was nailed to that cross for our sins, who said, “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”
It is that grace and that forgiveness that He offers to us now.
