1 Corinthians 6
Paul reproves the Corinthians for taking disputes to secular courts instead of settling them among themselves, asking why they do not rather let themselves be wronged, defrauded, or suffer loss. He catalogs the unrighteous who will not inherit the kingdom of God: the sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, swindlers—and such were some of you, but you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful; all things are lawful, but not all things build up. Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will do away with both; the body is for the Lord and the Lord for the body. Paul forbids fleeing sexual immorality: while every sin is outside the body, the one who practices sexual immorality sins against his own body, violating the intimate union that constitutes becoming one flesh. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own, bought with a price? Therefore glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:1
Do you dare take matters to court before the unbelieving judges? — Paul opens with sharp rebuke, introducing the theme of internal church disputes. The rhetorical question (dares anyone among you) frames the scandal not merely as litigious behavior but as theological capitulation. Taking disputes before pagan judges contradicts the identity of believers as those destined to judge the world itself (Dan 7:22), revealing a profound inversion of eschatological expectation and present Christian dignity.
1 Corinthians 6:2
Do you not know that the Lord's people will judge the world? — The foundation of Paul's rebuke rests on realized eschatology: believers already possess judicial authority in God's present arrangement. The phrase recalls Old Testament and apocalyptic traditions where the righteous sit in judgment. If believers will judge the cosmos (kosmos) in the age to come, how much more trivial matters of daily life? This demolishes the credibility of seeking external judgment.
1 Corinthians 6:3
Do you not know that we will judge angels? — The escalation reaches cosmic scope. Not only will believers judge the world but even angelic beings—a stunning assertion of the Christian's heavenly status. The use of nous (common sense, reason) rebukes the Corinthians for intellectual blindness to their own dignity. If such authority awaits, internal disputes should be settled by the spiritually mature within the community itself.
1 Corinthians 6:4
Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! — The sarcasm cuts sharply: the Corinthians are taking petty lawsuits to pagan magistrates when even the 'least qualified' believer would be preferable. The phrase exouthenēmenous en tē ekklēsia (those without account in the church) emphasizes that spiritual discernment, not worldly status, determines fitness to judge. The rhetorical force underscores how degrading this practice appears.