Devotion: 1 Corinthians 6:2

1 Corinthians 6:2 Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases?

Just the day before yesterday we learned that Paul was lecturing the Corinthian church for taking their internal problems to the secular, pagan courts. And Paul reminded them that they will judge the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). Today’s verse comes right before that verse and we get another look at how we should be handling our own affairs within the Church.

As we learned then, the believers were bringing suit against one another in pagan courts rather than seeking mediation within their church. Because of this the fellowship was being disrupted and there was a lack of unity amongst them. And in the process of doing this, they were bringing shame upon themselves and the Corinthian church.

We saw that Paul told them they’d judge the angels. But before he said that to them, he pointed out that the saints, the believers, the Christians, would one day judge the world. His argument was that we as believers are going to be participants in the final judgement, which includes judging the world and even the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3). And because they were to be judges of such high honor, weren’t they more than capable of handling their own, everyday little disputes amongst themselves? He was trying to appeal to their high calling and spiritual wisdom. He was suggesting that handling these matters within the confines of the church was far better than taking their issues before non-believers in pagan courts that did not act out of love and unity.

On a side note, it is important to understand the culture of the time. In Corinth, public court cases were common. But though common, these legal proceedings were often corrupt and full of pride. Paul sought to encourage the believers to engage in a more Christian approach to resolving conflict with their fellow church members and brethren.

The same is true of us today. We should seek to resolve issues with our church leadership as mediators rather than taking issues with other believers to secular courts. We are called to love one another as ourselves and to live in harmony with other believers, so why would we seek outside litigation when it came to internal disputes? Learn from the mistakes of the Corinthians and trust that God’s way is better than the world’s.

Prayer: Lord, When disputes arise, let me be reminded to turn to the church and its leadership to help resolve things before I take secular legal action. I want to follow the example set forth by Paul, not the Corinthians. Amen

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