Episode 2827 - Lesson 4 - Tuesday July 21 - Protecting the Church's Identity

Protecting the Church's IdentityIn 1 Corinthians 6:1-11, Paul continues his discussion on how Christians should approach issues involving people in the church.Read 1 Corinthians 5:3, 12, 13, and 1 Corinthians 6:1-13. What is Paul trying to teach the Corinthians and us?The Greek word pragma in 1 Corinthians 6:1, translated as "matter" in the New King James Version, is a generic term meaning "thing." Here, it refers to a legal matter. It is important to remember that 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 does not refer to a criminal case. The authority of civil courts for criminal matters is affirmed in Romans 13:1-5. Paul addresses a case of litigation right after a case of sexual immorality, just as Moses did in Deuteronomy 22:22-24. This demonstrates how much Paul's manner of dealing with problems in the church is based upon the Scriptures.The fact that the case in 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 is bracketed by passages that deal with sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 5 and 1 Cor. 6:12-20) may suggest that the "matter" in 1 Corinthians 6:1 regards sexual immorality, too. We don't know for sure what the case is, whether a minor civil issue, such as a property dispute, or a sexual problem.Whatever the pragma ultimately was, Paul was not happy to see church members taking it to a civil court. Could not they, as Christian brothers and sisters, have worked it out among themselves, rather than bring the issue before "the unrighteous" (1 Cor. 6:1, NKJV)?It is also possible, as some suppose, that the litigants of 1 Corinthians 6:1 are the father and the son of 1 Corinthians 5:1. In any case, it is unnecessary to understand the issue to understand the point. Paul cared about the church's identity as a Christian community as seen by outsiders. Christians should not air dirty laundry in public (1 Cor. 6:6). Neither should they use secular means for judging inside matters. In the Roman world, individuals of a higher rank of wealth or political function tended to be favored in a court. Conversely, Christians must perform a Christlike judgment and distinguish themselves from secular standards.Think about Paul's catalog of vices in 1 Corinthians 5:10-11, and 1 Corinthians 6:9-10. Why does he list sexual sins along with other sins such as idolatry, thievery, greed, and extortion?