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Chapter 6

1 Paul reacts strongly to having heard that the Corinthians are suing one another in pagan Roman courts, instead of having a member of the Christian community determine such issues - apparently these concerns are about civil rather than criminal matters. Paul distrusts the standards of the pagan world: Christians should submit to judgements based on Christian standards. Paul is not saying that the pagan courts are corrupt, nor that Christians will not obtain justice in them. But because their standards were not the thinking and laws of God, believers had no business using them. The Christian law of love qualifies all judgements. The Jews adhered strongly to this principle.
2 Since Christians - the saints - are to judge the world (Dan 7:22-27; Matt 19:28; Lk 22:28ff: Jesus nowhere says that all believers will share in judging the world, but Paul treats it as well-known), they ought to be capable of judging disputes among themselves. Again Paul is affronted at their inadequate understanding of the Gospel message. As Christians we cannot act alone: our actions affect each other, for good or evil.
3 “The world” here includes angels, and therefore means the entire universe of intelligent beings. If believers are to judge angels, “how much more” (a very strong expression) are they are capable of judging the things of this life.
4 “If” in the sense that if you do need courts to judge everyday matters - really such lawsuits should not arise. If so, do you then appoint as judges men who count for nothing in the church - the despised - ie non-believers? Doing this indicates contempt for the judicial process. Accepting Christ means rejecting the world’s standards, it is then quite out of character to then go to law by such worldly standards.
5 In chap 4 Paul was not wishing to shame his hearers, but here he is. Paul was there questioning their wisdom, but here he asks if they do not have even one wise man among them to settle internal disputes. “To settle a case” - not so much concerned with conducting a trial, but rather with the ability/wisdom to give a decision - not litigation, more like arbitration. “Between brothers” emphasises (as other translations do not) that we are discussing disputes between brothers, who should be united. Surely there are suitable people among their leaders to act as judges or arbiters, and so keep the community identity and integrity, and apart from the ungodly? It is very serious if they cannot do so. See Exod 18:21-27 - for Jews, a judge is partial, taking care of the innocent and oppressed and punishing the wicked.
6 It is extraordinary that brothers should go to law against each other, but even more amazing that they should do so in front of unbelievers. Civil cases were judged by duoviri, senior magistrates, who were often very subject to influence and bribery. Again Paul’s concern is partly that of involving outsiders in the community’s internal affairs. (But in the Church’s recent troubles, not involving outsiders has appeared to make the problem worse.)
7 Moreover there should not be any offences among them requiring judgement. Even having lawsuits against each other is a failure in itself - the verdict matters little. The injury is to the body of Christ. Better to suffer injustice than appeal to pagan courts. Plutarch says one must put up with a bad sibling, as the responsibility nature places on the family. Accepting Christian standards of judgement may require us to “turn the other cheek” (Matt 5:39-40; 1 Pet 2:23) and put up with injustice (in the pagan sense) to show our complete acceptance of the Gospel. They should not use the secular courts to seek recompense from their brothers, or for retribution - they should turn the other cheek.
8 Even worse than being unwilling to suffer wrong, they were actively doing wrong to each other. There should be no place for sharp practice among Christians. Not worse because to brothers, but a double sin - against ethical standards and against brotherly love.
9 And even worse, since they should be preparing for the eschaton - the Lord’s return. List of 10 typical vices of the time - expanded from 6 in 5:11 - which exclude from the kingdom of God, and therefore from the Church. These vices show what it really means to be unjust and emphasises Paul’s anger at their use of pagan courts. [Adultery is intercourse by a married person with someone not his/her spouse; fornication is intercourse between a man (occasionally restricted to unmarried) and an unmarried woman]. “Wicked” means those who behave wickedly, unjustly - the activity is condemned, rather than the class of wicked people, and wickedness is contrasted with God.
10 This list is of sins against others.
11 The tremendous revolution brought about by accepting the gospel is highlighted: “that is what you (some) were”. The church was formed by preaching to many with the lowest standards - with the help of the Holy Spirit! The activities (washed, sanctified, justified) are in aorist tense, meaning decisive actions which were completed at the time. All three verbs may refer to the same thing, from different angles. Last part of verse very trinitarian, leading eventually to the development of this doctrine. These types of behaviour should now be in the past.
12 The rest of this chapter is a profound, densely packed theology of sexuality. Paul tests the Corinthians’ slogan of “All is lawful” by comparing sexuality with other bodily functions, such as eating. It is not the case that every natural function can be freely indulged in - not everything natural or legal is beneficial - so Paul does not accept that sexuality is morally indifferent. Referring to prostitution illustrates the difference between what is legal and what is morally right for Christians - and Paul develops a theological argument to show why sexual immorality is wrong and what human freedom really should mean. That way lies the danger of being dominated by one’s body, instead of giving lordship to Jesus. None of our choices should lead to mastery over us by our appetites. Loose behaviour is not true freedom, but bondage to compulsions that enslave us. Hence the frequent comparison between immorality and idolatry. These limitations on the believers’ freedom will be discussed further in chap 10. Other religions had laws stating what must be avoided to be saved, eg food laws; but the Christian is saved by free gift from God, not by his own merit. It is easy to see how this might have led Paul’s hearers to think they were freed from all such restrictive laws, including those of morality. Christian freedom should not lead to unrestricted licentiousness, but an unbounded opportunity to show love - you can only refrain from eating pork a few times a day, but there are infinite occasions for showing love to others. A play on words: “All in my power, but not I under the power of anything”.
13 The stomach’s purpose is to digest food; but God has no permanent plans for the stomach, as He has for the body. The body’s purpose is not for immorality, as the stomach’s purpose is for food, the body - the whole person - is not designed for immorality, it is given over to the Lord. The body is the instrument through which we serve God, the means whereby we glorify God. “Body” here means the whole personality, the whole person made and meant for God. And the Lord is necessary for the body to function, just as food is needed for the stomach to function. We can only live the life God intended for us by accepting God’s help. Food is for the stomach, the stomach for food, and both will be destroyed. But the body is for the Lord, the Lord for the body, and resurrection is the destiny of both.
14 The resurrection of the body, guaranteed by Christ’s resurrection, shows the importance of the body, and forbids us to treat the body lightly. If the body is to be raised, it must not be put into the category of things to be destroyed. The destination of both our bodies and the Lord’s is resurrection. This verse anticipates ch 15. A dualism seeing the body and spirit as separate and therefore the body of no importance after death - or now - may have been part of the Corinthians’ beliefs: Paul strongly denies this. The body does die, but it will rise again.
15 Believers are members/parts of the body of Christ: sexual sins take away members from their proper use as members of the body of Christ and they become “members” of the prostitute’s body - not members in the same sense, but use of the same word emphasises the grievousness of sexual sins. “Prostitute” may refer to religious prostitution, an accepted part of pagan culture, in which case such a sin is even worse - “Never!”. But “prostitute” also refers to any sexual relationship which conflicts with Christ’s claim over us.
16 Jarring horror expressed at being joined to a prostitute, (assumed by Paul to be understood by all) which is the very opposite - a parody, an antitype - of the marriage union commanded by Genesis (2:24), and contrasts with the union between a believer and Christ, and the union between Christ and his Church (Eph 5:29-32). Love between husband and wife reflects the love of Christ for his Church, but union with a prostitute conflicts with Christ’s claim over us. One purpose of our body is to communicate, the marital union is a supreme act of self-communication/disclosure and of self-giving/commitment. “Casual sex” is anything but casual - it is a sacrilege.
17 Just as the physical union is so close - glued so that it results in one body, so spiritual union with Christ results in one spirit with him - think about it!! Believers are one with Christ, they have “the mind of Christ” (2:16). They react the way Christ would.
18 Present imperative - literally “make it your habit to flee immorality”. Sexual immorality is sinning against one’s own body, and therefore violates the very orientation of our bodies. Paul does not say it is the most serious of sins, but it has a unique relationship to our bodies. Other sins are (usually) sinful in the excess - sexual sins are sinful in themselves. Other sins may be committed outside the body, or not commit the whole person, but sexual sins are offences against one’s very personality.
19 Paul’s vision becomes trinitarian. A temple is sacred because of God’s gift - in this case the body is a temple (literally “shine or sanctuary”, ie excluding the precincts) because God has given us his Holy Spirit to dwell in us. Because the temple is God’s, and because the believer is that temple, it follows that the believer is God’s. We do not belong to ourselves because God has bought us once for all with his sacrifice on the Cross. (Opposes the price paid to the prostitute!!). Cf manumission, in which a slave purchases his freedom by paying the price into the temple treasury, thereby technically enabling the deity to purchase him, so the slave then belongs to the god, and is therefore effectively free. The words used bring to mind that the price to purchase us has been paid, and we are therefore free. But we are God’s slaves: he has bought us to be his own. The first time in history a moral argument was made against libertinism, other than arguments based on ascetism, legality or utility. Paul’s argument is original and forceful. Our body is not ours - it is God’s - with all that that implies for morality and euthanasia, etc.
20 Far from being morally indifferent, our sexuality is an opportunity for us to express our relationship with God, Christ and the Holy Spirit in a very intimate way, and so give glory to God. How we use our sexuality either gives great glory to God, or gives Him deep offence. We are obliged (by this gift of freedom) to honour God - the positive side of the negative “flee fornication”. The aim of Christian service is the glory of God, not to do what is attractive to Christ. The “therefore” is literally “already” - ie do it so fast that it is already done. It is urgent - get it done, do not delay.

Paul's First Letter to the Corinthians

Chapter 6