‘Dare any of you, having a matter against a fellow Christian, go to law before the unrighteous and not before those who are holy (‘the saints')?' ‘Having a matter.' The use of the middle voice might suggest a hint of selfishness, ‘having _their own_ matter'. Paul's point here is that Christians... [ Continue Reading ]
CHRISTIANS ARE NOT TO GO TO COURT AGAINST THEIR FELLOW-CHRISTIANS (6:1-9A). The idea that the church judges internal matters like sin leads on to the idea that the church can also act as judge in disputes. The general principle behind this passage is that Christians should be able to sort out matter... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Or do you not know that God's people (‘the saints') will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge in the smallest matters? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?' But the church's expertise in such matters may... [ Continue Reading ]
‘If then you have to judge things pertaining to this life, set those to judge who are of no account in the church (or ‘do you set to judge those---'). I say this to move you to shame. Is it so that there cannot be found among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brothers, but brot... [ Continue Reading ]
‘No already it is altogether a defeat (or ‘defect') for you that you have lawsuits with one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?' Indeed it demonstrates to the world a spiritual defeat, and is itself a spiritual defeat. For to have lawsuits between Christian brot... [ Continue Reading ]
‘No, but you yourselves do wrong and defraud your brothers.' But even worse than the bad witness of Christian brothers falling out is that in fact some of them are actually using the law to defraud their brothers. They have become extortioners. They have learned to use the law to their own ends. An... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the Kingly Rule of God?' Do they not realise in all this that those who behave unjustly or wrongly thereby reveal that they are disqualified from the coming Kingly Rule of God? Paul is always quite firm in his view that those who continually fai... [ Continue Reading ]
PAUL NOW STRESSES THAT ALL IMMORALITY IS TO BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS (6:12-20). ‘All things are lawful to me, but all things are not expedient. All things are lawful to me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.' It is probable that Paul had had quoted at him, ‘all things are lawful to me... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Meats for the stomach, and the stomach for meats. But God will bring to nothing both it and them. But the body is not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised the Lord and will raise us up through his power.' Again this is probably dealing with a further arg... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ. Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it not be. Or do you not know that he who is joined in close union to a prostitute is one body, for “The two, says he, will become one flesh”. But he who i... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits fornication sins against his own body.' Thus picture now widens. What Paul is saying not only applies to consorting with a prostitute, it applies to all sexual misbehaviour. So there is only one thing to do with suc... [ Continue Reading ]
‘Or do you not know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God, and you are not your own, for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.' Now he expresses his incredulity that a Christian should forget his unique position in Chris... [ Continue Reading ]