1 Corinthians 6:1-3

Scripture: 1 Cor. 6:1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?

1 Cor. 6:2 Or 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?

1 Cor. 6:3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

Teaching: Paul concluded chapter 5 by admonishing the Corinthians for not handling sin rightly. Christians are called to witness to the world for Christ – how can they do that if they are unwilling to be in the world (instead judging the world for their sin and withdrawing from it) and unwilling to root out sin in their own midst (while hypocritically judging others when they are just as sinful)? It is the opposite of what Christ commanded.

In chapter 6, Paul begins a new topic that flows well from this teaching in chapter 5: lawsuits against believers. Apparently, Paul had been told that when grievances arose in the Corinthian church, the church members were taking them before Greek judges for judgement rather than the church. Like chapter 5, the idea of judging rightly is at hand. Paul is frustrated by the Corinthians perception that the world – those lacking the wisdom of God, faith in Christ, and the Christian worldview and ethic -- will be able to arbitrate their arguments.  He will continue to develop this point in the coming verses but his first argument as to why this is wrong comes in verses 2-3.

In these verses, Paul picks up on the fact that the Church will one day be ruling with Christ in the Kingdom, judging the world in that day. Jesus taught this on many occasions in Scripture, such as Rev. 2:26-27; 5:9-10, 20:4; and Luke 19:15-19. His point is that if Christ has entrusted us to rule alongside him one day over the entire world, are we unable to judge “trivial cases” today? And if we will one day be set above the angels (speaking of fallen angels/demons), judging them alongside Christ (Jude 6), how much more are we enabled to rightly judge matters in this life? (By judge alongside, the Bible means that we will have some level of participation, perhaps standing witness to what has been made possible by Christ, in the final judgement by Christ to Christ’s glory, not our own). So, Paul’s admonishment here is that by taking their grievances to worldly courts for judgement, the Corinthians were not understanding what has been given to them by faith in Christ. They have the wisdom, understanding, and worldview to judge rightly – i.e. through a Christ-like lens made possible by the Holy Spirit – that the world at large did not have,

Takeaway: When one understands sin for what it is – disobedience to God that creates a debt and separation from God, our Creator – one can see why Christ needed to die on the cross to pay it. Thus, the sin of the world takes on a new and more sinister darkness when understood through Christ. It is no longer petty or harmless – it is deadly, each and every sin, or else Christ would not have had to go to the cross for it. But the world sees sin differently – on a scale, where sins are all relative and as long as yours isn’t as bad as someone else’s, you’re a good person. This could not be further from the truth. And this truth is understood by faith in Christ and an understanding of God’s Word. Thus, Christians will judge matters differently than the world because of their appreciation for the depravity of all sin. Christians will judge things differently because their outlook on life is into eternity, not just to their own earthly death. What matters to the Christian is not what is convenient now but what is righteous eternally. This perspective, given by the Holy Spirit, is what enables a Christian to rightly judge the matters before them, and the lack of the Holy Spirit prevents the world from the same. Paul begins chapter 6 by alerting the Corinthians to this truth. Today, if you are needing truth, right judgement, or wise discernment – seek the Lord for it. Seek counsel from spiritually wise Christians who can grasp the true nature of an issue and offer godly wisdom to it. Do not seek wisdom from those who do not know Christ, and thus, are unqualified to offer anything of eternal value.