Lesson 5: The Church’s Problems—Lawsuits
As we look at our society, we note
the decline, not only in morality but in civility. People show less courtesy
toward one another, whether in a store line or in traffic. They want something,
and other people are simply obstacles to that goal. The notion of personal
rights, that I am entitled to
something, has led to an increase in litigation, as people sue one another in a
vast array of claims and counter-claims, some legitimate but many frivolous. No
one is immune, not even Christians. We try to avoid it, but we may not be able
to prevent it. What if litigation enters the church, and members sue other
members?
Illustration: Sarah is struggling with history at school and
is concerned about the midterm exam. Jeff knows this and decides to go into the
extortion business. Seeing that she wrote her locker combination on the cover
of her notebook, he copies it and steals her notes. The next morning, and the
day before the exam, he says to her, “If you want your notes back, give me your
lunch money.” She is trapped. If she does not pay, she will fail the exam. If
she complains to a teacher, Jeff will just deny the accusation, it might take
days to sort out, and she will still fail the exam. So, she pays. After the
exam, she is really stewing that Jeff, who is supposed to be a Christian, has
gotten away with this. There is a Student Council, which handles such cases.
Jeff might still deny it, but she notices that he wrote her locker combination
on the cover of his notebook, and she could use that as evidence. What should
she do?
Should the church get
involved or leave such matters to the courts. Last time, we saw that the church
is responsible to judge the immoral behavior of its members. Paul continues his
treatment of “judging” in chapter 6 by stating that the church is also
responsible to adjudicate in civil suits among its members.
C. Lawsuits 6:1-11
1 Cor 6:1 If any
of you has a dispute with another, dare he take it before the ungodly for
judgment instead of before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will
judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to
judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more
the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters,
appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! 5 I say this to
shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a
dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother goes to law against
another—and this in front of unbelievers!
—Lawsuits
7 The very
fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated
already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you
yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers. 9 Do you not
know that the wicked will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived:
Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor male prostitutes
nor homosexual offenders 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor
slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what
some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified
in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
1.
Symptom
• Civil disputes
(v. 1)
2.
Cause
• Pride (v.
7)
3.
Solution
a. Settle your
disputes internally (v. 1).
1) Appoint
your own judges (v. 4).
Comment: About “Appoint as judges…men…in the church” (v. 4)
Paul is following the rabbinic interpretation
of Exod 2:1.38 b Git 88b
R. Tarfon [b. 60 C.E.?] used to say: “In any place where you find
heathen law courts, even though their law is the same as the Israelite law, you
must not resort to them since it says [in Exod], ‘These are the judgments which
you shall bring before them,’ that is
to say, ‘before them [your own judges]’ and not before heathens.”
2) Take a
personal loss (v. 7). 3) You only hurt each other (v. 8).
b. Think about the future judgment (see
Comment). 1) These present issues are lessor matters (v. 2).
2) These
present issues are physical matters (v. 3).
3) These
present issues are carnal matters (v. 9).
Comment: About Paul’s eschatological framework
Paul’s entire argument
against airing internal disputes in public courts is based on his
eschatological understanding of the church.39 He asks three “Do you
not know” rhetorical questions:40
•
V. 2—Do you not
know that in the future you will be judging the very ones to whom you now
appeal for judgment?41
•
Given the great responsibility you will have then,
should you not show yourself competent to deal with lesser matters now?
Conflict Management: Cultivating Concord in the Church
at Corinth
•
V. 3—Do you not
know that in the future you will be rendering judgments on matters in the
spiritual realm?
•
Should you not, therefore, be able to handle these
matters of the physical realm?
•
Vv. 9-11—Do you
not know that in the future the wicked will not be in God’s kingdom?
•
Should you not be demonstrating your separation from
carnal issues as you look toward the kingdom?
As one commentator remarks (Fee 1987:230),
Such people have no standing at all with the people
of God. The absurdity of the Corinthian position is that the saints will judge
the very world before whom they are now appearing and asking for judgment. Not
only does such an action [contradict] who they are as the people of God, but it
does so in the presence of unbelievers, the very people [for] whom the church
is to be God’s alternative.
Query: What is the church’s relationship to civil courts?
•
Are civil courts inherently bad? Why/not?
•
No, they are part of a governmental system that God
ordained to establish and maintain social order.42
•
No, Paul used them.43
•
Under what conditions may believers use civil courts?
•
When dealing with unbelievers (which Paul does not
address here), although it is still probably better to avoid them, if possible.44
•
What two additions in vv. 9-10 does Paul make to his
list of sins in 5:9-10 that are becoming less stigmatized in modern society?
(adultery and homosexuality)
•
Paul is echoing prohibitions in Torah.45
•
With all due respect to the Gay community, what does
this say about homosexuality being a preference
one receives at birth or a legitimate alternative
lifestyle (especially in view of v. 11)?46
Application: Getting back to the primary issue, lawsuits
between believers, what do you think of this remark by one commentator (Fee
1987:238)?
The difficulties with our [applying] this text are related
primarily to our general lack of a biblical self-understanding, especially in
terms of the essential eschatological framework of our existence as the people
of the future who are to be totally conditioned by that future as we live in
the present. Therefore, our priorities tend to be warped towards the values of
this age rather than of the age to come. Here we have great need of deep
reformation [especially since m]ost legal actions on the part of Christians are
predicated on “rights” and “the pursuit of property” in the present age.
—Lawsuits
Upon hearing there are lawsuits in
the Corinthian church because of pride among the members, Paul’s notes that the
failure of these men—and it may only involve a couple of individuals—is
actually a failure of the church, in that their practices bear little
distinction from the surrounding pagan culture. Christians, if they are to have
any impact on society, must be demonstrably different from society.
What we see in this
section is that the impact a church has is not just a group project. On the contrary, the impact of any given church is
more often measured by the individual lives of its congregants. Moreover, one
of the simplest, yet most effective, ways we demonstrate the difference of
Christianity is in our behavior toward each other. Jesus said, “By this all men
will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35).47
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Relevant and civil comments are welcome. Whether there will be any response depends on whether Dr. Manuel notices them and has the time and inclination to respond or, if not, whether I feel competent to do so.
Jim Skaggs