Judge in View of God’s Judgment

Rev. Andrew Preus, pastor at Trinity Lutheran Church in New Haven, MO, joins host Rev. Timothy Appel to study 1 Corinthians 6:1-11. St. Paul continues the theme of judgment within the Church by addressing the matter of lawsuits among fellow Christians. St. Paul is amazed that the Corinthians dare to stoop to such a low, for they ought to have the mind of Christ. If they will one day judge angels as Christians, they should right now be able to judge such trivial matters like property among themselves without dragging the case before the pagans. The fact that lawsuits arise at all among Christians is already a shame by itself, for Christians are to live as brothers who would rather be defrauded for the sake of reconciliation within the family of God. They had been among the unrighteous before, when they lived apart from faith in Christ engaging in all kinds of wickedness. Now, however, they are washed, sanctified, and justified by the true God. “Nothing But Christ Crucified” is a series on Sharper Iron that goes through the epistle of 1 Corinthians. In response to correspondence from the Christians in Corinth and reports about matters arising in the congregation, St. Paul writes to address various matters of Christian faith and life. Throughout it all, he directs our attention to the power and wisdom of God for our salvation: Christ crucified.