“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?”
The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. — Paul redefines defeat: to litigate at all is to lose, regardless of legal victory. The ēdē (already) marks present, not future, loss. By appealing to pagan courts, the believers acknowledge they have renounced the kingdom's justice altogether. Furthermore, the practical outcome contradicts Christ's call: why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? suggests that accepting injustice preserves Christian witness better than pursuing legal vindication.
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