Defeated Already

I Corinthians 6:1-11

We are inundated by a culture that values winning disputes at any cost.  If you don’t stand up for all of your rights then you’re considered to be weak or the unfortunate target of injustice.  While there are some serious issues going on in our nation there are some humorous things happening too.  For example, Fox News shared the following story about a court case between Aitken vs. NBC:

“Austin Aitken said he watches "Fear Factor" often and had no problem with past episodes in which the reality show's contestants ate things like worms and insects in pursuit of a $50,000 prize.  But the Cleveland man said showing people eating rats mixed in a blender was degrading to the contestants and the viewers.

"These networks are going too far. Period," Aitken said Thursday. "They need to check themselves, clean up their own acts. It's barbaric, some of the things they ask these individuals to do."

Aitken's handwritten lawsuit contends the rat-eating made his blood pressure rise, making him dizzy and lightheaded.

"I didn't see the doorway on route to my room," his lawsuit reads. "I ran into it causing suffering, injury and great pain."

Asked why he didn't shut off his television before the rat-eating segment, Aitken said he couldn't do it quick enough.”   

Reuters recorded another crazy lawsuit (Chiscolm vs Bank of America):

Dalton Chiscolm is unhappy about Bank of America's customer service -- really, really unhappy.  Chiscolm in August sued the largest U.S. bank and its board, demanding that "1,784 billion, trillion dollars" be deposited into his account the next day. He also demanded an additional $200,164,000, court papers show.

Attempts to reach Chiscolm were unsuccessful. A Bank of America spokesman declined to comment.

"Incomprehensible," U.S. District Judge Denny Chin said in a brief order released Thursday in Manhattan federal court.

"He seems to be complaining that he placed a series of calls to the bank in New York and received inconsistent information from a 'Spanish woman,'" the judge wrote. "He apparently alleges that checks have been rejected because of incomplete routing numbers."

Another story comes from Leagle.com about Overton vs. Anhauser Busch:

“On June 6, 1991, plaintiff sued defendant, a brewer and seller of beer and malt liquor, claiming that defendant had violated the provisions of the PAA by placing before the public advertisements for its products that contain "statements and/or representations which are untrue, deceptive and/or misleading." As a result, plaintiff claimed, he and the general public had been led to consume defendant's products, which defendant knew were dangerous and likely to cause serious health problems, including addiction and death. In support of his claims, plaintiff pointed to defendant's television advertisements featuring Bud Light as the source of fantasies coming to life, fantasies involving tropical settings, and beautiful women and men engaged in unrestricted merriment. Plaintiff sought monetary damages in excess of $10,000, alleging that defendant's misleading advertisements had caused him physical and mental injury, emotional distress, and financial loss.”

Even though some of these stories are quite humorous, there are some really sad things going on in our days in the church and also during the days of Paul.  He felt like the church was becoming too much like the world and it was depending too much on the world to solve its problems.  And his words brings up a question: “Is it worth winning a dispute no matter what the cost?”  I’ll explain what I mean in just a few moments.  But, first, let me read I Corinthians 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?”

Apparently, there were at least two kinds of court cases during Paul’s day.  There were civil cases and criminal cases.  An example of a civil case would be one person in the church paid another person in the church to do some work for him, but the one who was paid didn’t do the work that he promised.  Another kind of civil case could have been a dispute between two church members about a boundary marker on their adjacent properties.  A criminal case could have involved a theft or an act of violence to a person.  The common thought is that Paul was probably talking about civil cases in 1 Corinthians 6.  Therefore, if someone committed an act of molestation or violence, that would still need to be reported to the governing authorities.  Paul said in Romans 13:1-5:

“Everyone must submit himself to the governing authorities, for there is no authority except that which God has established. The authorities that exist have been established by God. Consequently, he who rebels against the authority is rebelling against what God has instituted, and those who do so will bring judgment on themselves.  For rulers hold no terror for those who do right, but for those who do wrong. Do you want to be free from fear of the one in authority? Then do what is right and he will commend you.  For he is God’s servant to do you good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not bear the sword for nothing. He is God’s servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment on the wrongdoer. Therefore, it is necessary to submit to the authorities, not only because of possible punishment but also because of conscience.”

Paul explains to the Romans that the government is God’s servant to reward those who do good and punish those who do evil.  God had provided a way to keep peace in a world full of sinners. Back in our Corinthians passage, Paul goes on to say:

“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? Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, appoint as judges even men of little account in the church! I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? But instead, one brother goes to law against another—and this in front of unbelievers!”—I Corinthians 6:2-6

I think there are at least two underlying problems that were causing these Christians to sue one another.  First, they had a poor view of God’s people.  Second, they had a poor view of God’s word.  You see, you aren’t defined by who you think you are, or even who I think you are.  You are who God says you are.  If you’re a Christian that means that you are holy in God’s eyes.  You’re a saint.  And He’s given you the Holy Spirit.  God can use each of you to guide other people in making godly decisions.  Some days I may not act like a saint or sound like a saint or smell like a saint.  But I’m still a saint. 

The Corinthians also seemed to have a low view of God’s word.  We can all fall into this trap.  Each of us has to ask ourselves if we really believe that God’s word can help us with everyday life problems.  Getting advice for parenting is a great example.  The Bible has laid out some clear details on how to raise your children.  There are some black and white issues but there also some very clear commands in the Bible.  Some modern psychologists may have some helpful insights but if they say anything that contradicts God’s word then they’re wrong.  Many parents have reaped a whirlwind of destruction over the last 50 years because of worldly advice.  When I say “worldly,” I don’t mean the helpful education we can receive from experts around the world who specialize in specific fields of study, nor do I mean experience that comes from travelling the world.  I mean the spirit in this world that is against God, whether purposefully or not, whether hidden or up-front.  These Christians in Corinth were hoping that the systems of this world could solve their problems.

Pastor John MacArthur described the cultural atmosphere during the time of Paul in this way:

“The legal situation in Corinth probably was much as it was in Athens, where litigation was a part of everyday life.  It had become a form of challenge and even entertainment.  One ancient writer claimed that, in a manner of speaking, every Athenian was a lawyer.  When a problem arose between two parties that they could not settle between themselves, the first recourse was private arbitration.  Each party was assigned a disinterested private citizen as an arbitrator, and the two arbitrators, along with a neutral third person, would attempt to resolve the problem.  If they failed, the case was turned over to a court of forty, who assigned a public arbitrator to each party.  Interestingly, every citizen had to serve as a public arbitrator during the sixtieth year of his life.  If public arbitration failed, the case went to a jury court, composed of from several hundred to several thousand jurors.  Every citizen over thirty years of age was subject to serving as a juror.  Either as a party to a lawsuit, as an arbitrator, or as a juror, most citizens regularly were involved in legal proceedings of one sort or another.” –(MacArthur, John,  First Corinthians)

How would you define a win?  Whether in basketball, baseball or football, you always want to end the game with one more point than the other team.  That’s a clear definition of a win.  But how should you define a “win” as it relates to disputes between Christians?  Paul says this:

“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? Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers.” –I Corinthians 6:7-8

The Christian may have won a lawsuit against his brother but he had lost in God’s eyes.  He may have won physically or financially but he had lost spiritually.  For him to lose spiritually didn’t mean that he stopped being a Christian.  But he did stop acting like someone who loved Jesus.  I think a win in a dispute between Christians is this: both parties are seeking to honor Christ in the dispute.  And that’s really difficult to do especially when tension or hurt feelings get involved.

So, how can we do something that seems so terribly difficult to do?  I think the answers are revealed in verses 9-11 of our passage:

“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 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 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.”—I Corinthians 6:9-11

Paul gives one question, one command, and one reminder.  First, he says, “Do you not know…”  Don’t you know that you’re acting like the people of this world, who don’t know Christ?  Paul wasn’t giving a complete list of all the sinful things in the world around them.  He seemed to be giving a quick snapshot of what some people acted like in the world.  It also seems to be a warning to help someone evaluate whether or not they are in Christ.  Second, Paul says, “Do not be deceived…” He gave a command to the church saying that they need to wake up and stop thinking like the world.  It wasn’t ok for some of these sinful things to continue on in the church.  Third, he gave a reminder, “But you were washed...sanctified...justified…”  Years ago I shared these verses with a relative who went to church.  The first thing out of her mouth was, “If verse nine and ten are true then no one can get into heaven.”  And she would have been right if verse eleven was not there.  But, for some reason, she totally missed the second part, the good news.  All of us are guilty of sinning and being sinners.  So, none of us deserve to be a part of the kingdom of God.  But when a person believed the gospel then they were “washed” clean of their sins, “sanctified” and “justified”.  Their identity used to be a thief or a drunkard or a greedy person.  Now, they have a brand new identity. 

I think these verses bring up a question based on the reality of what we see in the church today.  Is it possible for someone to be a Christian and still struggle with sin?  I think the answer is yes.  To get this answer we have to back up to something else Paul said in I Corinthians 2:14-3:1:

“The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned. The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man’s judgment: ‘For who has known the mind of the Lord that he may instruct him?’  But we have the mind of Christ.  Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ.”

Paul says that there are three kinds of people in this world.  One type of person is the “man without the Spirit.”  In other words, they’re not Christians.  They don’t belong to Christ.  The second type is the “spiritual man.”  This one seems to understand how to follow the Holy Spirit’s leading in their own life.  The last type of people are those who are “infants in Christ.”  He says that they’re “in Christ” so they are Christians.  It’s just that they are “infants.”  They are immature.  They are saved but they are still acting “worldly.”

I want to close by summarizing a few thoughts I mentioned earlier.  They are things I’ve had to think about personally.  When it comes to solving my everyday problems, do I have a high view of God’s word or a low view of God’s word?  I also had to ask myself if I have a high view of God’s people or a low view of God’s people.  And how can I find the gumption to do the difficult things that Paul talked about in I Corinthians 6 when emotions can run high?  First, I need to know that I’m not supposed to be like the people of this world.  Second, I need to fight the deception that this world is using to cloud my mind.  And lastly, I need to remember that I’ve already been washed clean.  I’m a brand new person because of Christ.