Paul addressed a number of certain practices by the Corinthians particularly among themselves. One such practice dealt with litigation. “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints” (I Corinthians 6:1)? The believers in this local assembly were taking one another to court to remedy perceived injustices one to another. Paul’s grievance was not that they had such legal matters between themselves, but that they sought remedies outside of the church.
He challenged them, “Do ye not know the saints shall judge the world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?” (I Corinthians 6:2-3). In the world to come, i.e. Christ’s kingdom to be set up when he returns, the saints of God will judge (rule) the nations including angels with Christ. Since that is true, shall we not judge the affairs of this life (“smallest matters”)?
No doubt, grievances can occur between believers in the local assembly, which are not inconsequential and may certainly require mediation. In such cases, Paul exhorts them to look to those within the church who can hear the matter and judge appropriately. “If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church” (I Corinthians 6:4). His use of the phrase “least esteemed” is a bit of sarcasm on his part whereby he trivializes the matters of this life compared with the matters in the life to come.
But the real issue that Paul desires to address is greater than the right process for settling a score! The issue has more to do with the heart attitude that believers should cultivate in the first place. “Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?” (I Corinthians 6:7) What a penetrating question – why do you not take the wrong?
As brothers and sisters in Christ, our love for one another should exceed our own welfare. As Paul wrote to the Galatian believers, we are to “serve one another in love” (Galatians 5:13). Love is not about equity, but giving. Paul’s own example with the Corinthians clearly sets this forth. “And I will very gladly spend and be spent for you though the more abundantly I love you, the less I be loved” (2 Corinthians 12:15). Paul was not concerned with how much he spent on their behalf. Love does not consider cost. Love only seeks opportunity.
Have you ever suffered loss in a relationship with someone else? (Keep in mind not all losses are financial.) The emphatic response of our self-seeking society would be, “That person needs to pay! I must recover what is mine.” Our society knows little of incurring personal cost for the welfare of others. It is tragic that we’ve come to value things more than people. But what would love demand of you? Fill in the blank!
From the Chaplain 