1 Cor 6: Other shortcomings

• v.1-6 Lawsuits Among Believers
• v.7-11 Face your failures
• v.12-20 Beware Sexual Immorality

[Chapter Synopsis: Not only had this church become polluted with divisions and disunity, and even sexual immorality which they seem to be tolerating, but they (possibly not surprisingly in the light of the former things) had been taking one another to court over disputes, so Paul addresses these things by reminding them that a) they have a future in a new heaven and new earth where they will be judging (reigning) and b) they are now all part of the body of Christ and individually and corporately temples of the Holy Spirit so any such sexual sins are sins against those temples.] 

v.1-6 Lawsuits Among Believers

[Passage Synopsis: Christian taking Christian to court shames us before the onlooking world. It shouldn’t happen, the church should be capable of sorting out such disputes.]

v.1 If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?

v.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?

v.3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life!

v.4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church?

v.5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?

v.6 But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!

[Note: What are you doing letting the world judge your disputes, the church should do it. One day we are to judge and rule the new world. How will we do that if we can’t do it with small issues now? One day it will be angels, now it should be one another, so don’t ask ‘the world’ to judge you. Shame on you! Isn’t there someone who can do this? Instead you are showing the world what poor believers you are!]

v.7-11 Face your failures

[Passage Synopsis: The fact of these lawsuits shows up your failures. How can you wrong your brothers and sisters? Don’t you know that all ongoing wrongdoers won’t inherit the kingdom of God. You should have left all that behind in your past pre-Christian life.]

v.7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?

v.8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.

v.9,10 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men  nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

v.11 And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

[Note: You’ve clearly already lost the plot as you wrong one another. Wrongdoers – sexually immoral, adulterers and male sexual offenders etc. etc. – won’t inherit the kingdom. [The words ‘men who have sex with men’ translate two Greek words that refer to the passive and active participants in homosexual acts.] That may be what you were like before you were saved but now God has changed you.]

v.12-20 Beware Sexual Immorality

[Passage Synopsis: The presence of sexual immorality among believers – in whatever form it takes – means we fail to realize we are using our bodies for sin, and we forget our bodies are the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and are supposed to be holy.]

v.12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.

v.13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

v.14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also.

v.15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never!

v.16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”

v.17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

v.18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.

v.19,20 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

[Note: You may claim freedom but not everything is good, some things enslave. For example, food shouldn’t be the issue, and neither should sexual immorality; see your body as belonging to God, start from that point. God’s power raised Jesus and he will raise our bodies also [i.e. (implied) our physical bodies matter to Him.]. Don’t you realize we are one with Christ so how can you unite with a prostitute? If you do you are making yourself one with her [Gen. 2:24], but if you are united with the Lord, you are one Spirit with him, so avoid sexual immorality because you sin against your own body, and realize our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and are supposed to be holy; you were bought by Christ and belong to him.]

For those who may wish to make a study of this chapter, to perhaps think some more about what you have been reading, use the link below: