Lawsuits in the Church
1 Corinthians 6Do any of y’all who has a dispute against another, dare to judge before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? Don’t y’all know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by y’all, are y’all unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Don’t you know that we will judge angels? How much more, things of this life? If then y’all have judgments about things of this life, do y’all appoint as judges those who are of no account in the church? I say this to shame y’all. Isn’t there even one wise person among y’all who would be able to decide between the brethren? Instead one sibling goes to court with another sibling, and this in front of unbelievers! Indeed, it is already a total defeat for y’all that y’all have lawsuits one with another. Why wouldn’t y’all rather be wronged? Why wouldn’t y’all rather be defrauded? But instead y’all wrong and cheat, and y’all do this to your* siblings!
Or don’t y’all know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Empire of God? Don’t y’all be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor practicing homosexuals, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit the Empire of God. Such were some of y’all. But y’all were washed, y’all were sanctified, y’all were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.
Permissible Versus Beneficial
“All things are permissible for me,” but not all things are beneficial. “All things are permissible for me,” but I will not be mastered by anything. “Foods for the stomach, and the stomach for foods, but God will do away with both.” The body, however, is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. Indeed God raised up the Lord, and he will also raise us up through his power. Don’t y’all know that y’all’s bodies are members of Christ? Should I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Absolutely not! Or don’t y’all know that anyone who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”+Gen 2:24 But whoever is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Y’all must flee sexual immorality! Every other sin that a human commits is outside the body, but whoever commits sexual immorality sins against their own body. Or don’t y’all know that y’all’s body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in y’all, whom y’all have from God? Y’all are not y’all’s own. For y’all were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in y’all’s body.