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4000 E. Collins
Rd. “Preaching the Living
Word through the Written Word (2Tim 4:2)” |
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DISORDERS IN THE CHURCH (FAILURE TO RESOLVE DISPUTES AND PRACTICE PURITY) 1Co 6:1-20 (8/10/11) Grace Bible
Church, Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl
Hilbert I.
PROHIBITION OF LAWSUITS AGAINST BELIEVERS (1Co 6:1-11) A. Saints Will
Judge World (1-3) 1. [1Co 6:1] -
The problem beginning in chapter six was that the Christians in Corinth were
taking other Christians to the worldly courts to settle their matters. a) Paul shows he
is offended by their insolent behavior by using the phrase “do you dare?”
“Dare” (polma) is emphatic in the
construction and means in a negative sense, with a
component of boldness or insolence dare
to or presume to (1C 6.1) (RWP). b) The reason this was wrong was
because they had sought the “unrighteous” (adikos - here the unsaved), and not the saints (hagiōn - the saved) to settle
matters of the church. 2. [1Co 6:2] -
This was wrong was because it is believers will accompany Christ in judging
the world (Rev 2:26; 3:21). If believers will use spiritual discernment to
judge the world in the future, do they have no spiritual discernment to judge
the “little things” (elachistos)
now? 3. [1Co 6:3] -
In addition, since believers will judge angels in celestial matters (cf. Heb
1:14), do they not have some spiritual discernment to judge “matters of life”
(biōtika) now? B. Spurning the Government
of the Church (4-6) 1. [1Co 6:4] -
This is a difficult passage to interpret. “Appoint” (kathízete) can be taken as an indicative or an imperative. a) If it is an
indicative, then those of “no account in the church” refer to unbelievers who
have no place in the church. b) If it is an
imperative, then it is those of “very low account” within the church
(believers) who would have more spiritual discernment than the world. c) The context
seems to support the indicative usage. Paul’s argument then is, in taking
in-house church matters to the world’s court system, the church is handing
its authority of the church over to the world. 2. [1Co 6:5] -
Such action would bring “shame” (entropê
- with a sense of failure and humiliation) to the body and church of
Christ. It would suggest that there is not even one believer in the church
who has the spiritual discernment to judge its own matters. 3. [1Co 6:6] -
As a result there is a lawsuit between brother to brother. Those Christians
and the church spurn the divinely established government of the church and
get a black eye before the “unbelieving” (apistos)
community. C. Spirit of
Defraud (7-11) 1. [1Co 6:7] -
Paul goes on to say that this area has not been a spiritual success for the
Corinthians but rather a “defeat” (hêttêma
- loss or failure). a) Paul makes
the point that it would have been better to take the wrong and be defrauded. b) Here
“defraud” is the Greek word aposteréō
and means “to deprive from or rob” It very well could refer to monetary
value or possessions. 2. [1Co 6:8] -
Instead of being wronged for the sake of Christ, the Corinthians were
purposely wronging and defrauding their own “brethren.” 3. [1Co 6:9-10]
- In order to show how wrong they were in this matter and how sinful their
actions really were, he gives a list of sinful behavior that would show
individuals as unsaved. a) He mentions
“covetousness” (pleonéktês -
wanting more than one’s share) and “swindlers” (harpax - violently greedy and willing to
deceive) which were sure to drive home the point of their sinful behavior. b) Paul states
that those who persist in such behavior were unsaved and would not inherit
the kingdom of God. His point was not that the Corinthians were not saved,
but they were definitely acting as though they were not. 4. [1Co 6:11] -
Some of the Corinthians were those things before coming to Christ, but since
have been washed, sanctified, and justified by the blood of Christ. Paul was
exalting their position in Christ, but rebuking them for their condition. II. PRACTICE OF
PURITY AMONG BELIEVERS (1Co 6:12-20) A. Lord Owns the
Believer’s Body (12-14) 1. [1Co 6:12] -
Verse 12 may have applied to the previous section but it certainly applies to
this next section. The phrase “all things are lawful” may have been a slogan
of the Corinthian church which gave them a license to sin. Instead they were
to practice purity. a) Paul, with
his spiritual discernment, fills in the blanks. Yes there is Christian
liberty for the believer, but that does not make it “profitable” (sumphero - bring together for
advantage of edification, cp. 1Co 10:23). b) Yes there is
Christian liberty for the believer, but a believer is not to be mastered (exousiazō - have authority
or mastery over) by anything or anyone other than the Lord, especially
sin. c) These are
pertinent questions that must be asked in conjunction with a Christian’s
liberty. 2. [1Co 6:13] -
However, we begin to see that Paul was speaking in reference to the
Corinthian view toward sexual immorality (porneia
- any kind of sexual sin). a) An
illustration of food and the stomach shows that God has a purpose for
creating everything. b) In addition
there is a purpose for the body. It is not for immorality but to glorify the
Lord in all things. 3. [1Co 6:14] -
The body of the believer is involved in salvation for even the believer’s
body will be redeemed and resurrected (1Th 4:13-18). B. Lord is One
with the Believer (15-18) 1. [1Co 6:15-16]
- Paul goes on to further explain that sexual activity unites the two
parties. Sexual activity is a gift from God but only within the boundaries of
marriage. a) If a person
commits immorality with anyone including a prostitute (pornê from pernêmi - to export for sale), a problem of the
Corinthian culture and obviously the church, they become one flesh with that
person. Gen 2:24 is cited to support his argument. b) Since a believer
is a member of the body of Christ, sexual immorality physically unites Christ
with a prostitute. c) Paul responds
to such a thought with the strongest negative expression, “May it never be” (mê genoito - not even in slightest
possibility). 2. [1Co 6:17] -
Conversely when a sinner places his faith in Christ he joins himself to
Christ and is united in one spirit with the Lord. 3. [1Co 6:18] -
Paul commands the Corinthians to put as much distance as possible between
themselves and the sin of immorality. a) Literally it
is, “You all must keep on running away (phuégete,
- flee, run away, escape, shun ,avoid, English word is fugitive) from
immorality (porneia
- any and all of sexual immorality). b) Sexual
immorality is sin like other sin before God but it has a devastating
addictive characteristic, not to mention the destructive consequences of such
sin, and is described as a sin committed against the body. C. Lord Dwells
in the Believer’s Body (19) 1. [1Co 6:19] -
In fact, the believer’s body is the permanent dwelling place of the Holy
Spirit. a) Our body is a
temple (naos - inner room i.e. holy of
holies) for the Holy Spirit, a thought Jews and Greeks would have
rejected. b) If the Spirit
is the “Holy” (hagios) Spirit, and
He indwells the believer, the believer’s body and life must also be “holy” (hagios). A further motivation against
sexual immorality. D. Lord
Purchased the Believer (20) 1. [1Co 6:20] -
Furthermore, the believer was bought with a price by the blood of the Lord
Jesus Christ. a) Therefore the
believer and his body is not his own to do with as he pleases. b) Rather, as
one who was purchased and possessed by the Lord, must seek to glorify the
Lord by staying within God’s divine directive for the body. III. OBSERVATIONS
AND APPLICATIONS A. The believer
must use spiritual discernment (biblical thinking) in every area of life. B. The
believer’s life must exemplify his present and future spiritual position. C. The believer
must not abuse his Christian liberty but in everything must seek to glorify
the Lord. |
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