COURTING DANGER
1 Corinthians 6:1-8
INTRODUCTION: When I hear the word courting, my mind immediately goes to thoughts of dating, courtship and marriage. So, it was not so much of a jump to remember this story about marriage,:
A wife was sitting at the breakfast table and asked her husband, “What if something happened to me and I died first? Would you marry again?” He thought for a while and then responded, “Yes, I probably would.” Then she asked, “Well, would you bring your new wife to live in this house and have her sleep in our bed?” “Well, I hadn’t thought about it, but I probably would,” he said. She probed further, “Would you let her use my golf clubs?” “Oh no,” he replied, “She’s left-handed.”
Well, as amusing as that story might be, it is not the kind of courting we are looking at this morning. The Apostle Paul took time here in Chapter 6 to instruct the Corinthian Church regarding the use of legal remedies, the “Courts”, so to speak. He was concerned that this group of believers was too quick to involve the world in those matters better dealt with in the church.
Hence there present attitude and actions were courting danger!
Ultimately the biblical issue is Church division. Just as there can be internal actions that divide the church, there can also be external actions that divide the church. Paul hopes to set a biblical standard here for believers to follow.
I THE SEVERITY OF THE ACT – 6:1
1 Cor. 6:1 If any of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the saints?
A The word “DARE”
1 Word carries with it the idea of extreme conduct.
2 In other words conduct at the edge or beyond the edge of what is acceptable
B The issue in question
1 “A dispute”
2 The word means a “lawsuit” or some sort of legal quarrel
3 It also is a word that caries the meaning of an unimportant matter, or common matter.
4 So the issue is a quarrel over a trivial matter
a According to the San Antonio Express-News, a dozen students who took a Microsoft computer certification course at the Houston branch of Southern Methodist University are suing the school, contending they were misled the course would be easy.
b The Sacramento Bee reports that Lee Williams, 23, is seeking $25,000 in damages from a tattoo parlor for misspelling the word “villain” on his right forearm. The problem is, the incorrect spelling “villian” came from Williams himself, who was unsure as to the spelling of the word upon entering the parlor. After much debate he settled on the incorrect spelling. In fact, Williams did not even notice the error until years later, when a friend made fun of him.
c In Orlando, a lawsuit was filed against a rental car company by the estate of a woman who was killed in a car crash by a drunk driver. The woman was riding in a rental car driven by her boyfriend, an Irish tourist, who was legally drunk. He was eventually charged with manslaughter and driving under the influence.
The suit alleges that the rental car company should be liable for the woman’s death because the company “either knew or should have known about the unique cultural and ethnic customs in Ireland which involve the regular consumption of alcohol at pubs as a major component to Irish social life.”
C The Core Problem
1 WHAT MAKES THIS ACT SO SEVERE IS THAT CHRISTIANS WERE HAULING EACH OTHER INTO COURT FOR TRIVIAL THINGS. THINGS WHICH SHOULD NEVER HAVE BEEN BROUGHT TO THE COURTS IN THE FIRST PLACE
2 Believers need to understand that a relationship with Christ changes our actions, thoughts and desires.
a We are now under an obligation to settle issues like brothers
b By choosing the courts believers were choosing to settle issues like adversaries and not brothers
D What is at stake
1 Paul says that when we take matters into the court we are placing them with the ungodly.
a I am not saying that there are no Christian judges in the world today.
b There are Christian judges and we need more of them
2 What Paul is saying is that the church was bringing their matters before those who were without the benefit of God in their lives
a Those unable to see things from the Christian perspective
b Those whose judgments were based on the culture of the time
1) Treatment varied with the class of the individual
2) Laws favored the upper class
3) Those of a lower class were not able to bring legal action against those of a higher class.
3 Before the action even gets started – the judgment is against the believer and the church
a Settling our differences before the world damages the name of Christ
b Settling our differences before the world shows our failure to live the Christian life – we are not living by Christ’s teachings
c Settling our differences before the world shows a lack of the Spirit of God in us
James 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
In a sense to understand why this is such a severe and shameful act, we need to understand our future as believers …
II OUR FUTURE POSITION – “do you not know”
1 Cor. 6:2-6 Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. 5I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? 6But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
A Twice in these verses we see the phrase, “do you not know”
1 They carry the meaning of a “universal truth”
2 Could be translated as, “What!, Don’t you know!
B So either the Corinthians …
1 Really did not know, then they were ignorant and not near as smart as they presumed, or
2 Rejected the truth, and therefore
C Believers have a future as judges
1 Believers will judge the world
a Judge means, “right and power to govern, administer affairs, rule, hold authority”—Preacher’s Outline and Sermon Bible – Commentary
b So certain of this – Paul speaks of it in the present tense
Tim. 2:12 If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us:
Daniel 7:22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
2 Believers will judge angels
Jude 1:6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
2 Peter 2:4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment;
D If we are competent enough to judge both the world and the angels, Paul says we need to exercise competence in judging ourselves.
1 Shameful to seek advice from those who have no standing with God
2 Can you actually say that there is no one wise enough to arbitrate your dispute
3 Your alternative – “instead” reveals an evil attitude
ISSUES AT WORK WHEN WE MOVE OUTSIDE THE CHURCH
ü We place our case before those who are not believers and are therefore not sensitive to Christian values
ü More often than not the courts are places where people attempt to exact revenge on another
ü Legal actions often make the church look bad
III THE BIBLICAL POSITION
A Legal action outside the church is already a defeat for the church
1 The loses its testimony and is seen as hypocritical
2 The unbeliever sees the Christian as harsh, and the opportunity for salvation is lost
3 The name of Christ suffers
B The issue at stake is loss not revenge
1 Mundane loss is preferred over the spiritual loss of legal action
2 Biblically we do not have the right to sue or take legal action for our own personal gratification
a Even though it may be legal to do so
b God still declares the action to be sin
PRACTICAL CONSIDERATIONS:
ü Scripture does not condemn legal action against unbelievers. In fact, Scripture supports that action – Luke 18
ü Scripture does exhort us to maintain a testimony in everything we do – “do all for the glory of God”
ü We need to understand that there are spiritual consequences to EVERYTHING we do. Some are positive and some are negative.
ü Thos who are destined to judge the world and angels can judge within the church.
ü Partial obedience to Christ is really sugar-coated disobedience!
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