Permissible But Not Beneficial

INTRO

Chapters 1—4 dealt with divisions in the church. Chapters 5—7 deal with an overarching theme of sex. The Corinthian church had issues in how they handled their sexual relationships. In today’s chapter, Paul dealt with some lawsuits among believers and then moved back into the overarching theme.

Remember, Paul wrote the letter to the Corinthians because the Corinthian church was having lots of problems. Their primary problem was they were functioning as babes in Christ. They combined the spiritual truths of Christ they learned from Paul with worldly, carnal desires and philosophies. Those outside the church could no longer tell what the Corinthian church believed because their conduct had become so worldly. Our phrase for Corinthians is The Last Adam, “So it is written: ‘The first man Adam became a living being’; the last Adam became a life-giving Spirit” (1 Corinthians 15:45). Paul was surprised he was still having to write the Corinthians about these kinds of carnal, fleshly issues.

TEACHING

1 Corinthians 6:1-8: Wiersbe observed that Paul commanded the Corinthian church to “Consider lost sinners.”¹ The Corinthian church developed a habit of taking their civil disagreements before the secular courts. Paul admonished them to settle their disagreements with one another within the church. John MacArthur noted, “Suing another believer in a secular law court was a daring act of disobedience because of its implications related to all sin—the displeasure of God.”² Believers who ran to nonbelievers to help them settle disagreements within the church showed their immaturity in their faith. Wiersbe pointed out, “Over 200,000 civil suits were filed in the federal courts in one recent 12-month period. Nearly 1,000,000 lawyers are handling them. In one year, more than 12,000,000 suits were filed in the state courts.”³

Paul pointed out that Christians were going to help Christ judge the world in the millennial kingdom, but the Corinthian church was unable to handle relatively minor disputes amongst themselves. “The one who is victorious and keeps My works to the end: I will give him authority over the nations—and he will shepherd them with an iron scepter; he will shatter them like pottery—just as I have received this from My Father” (Revelation 2:26–27). “The victor: I will give him the right to sit with Me on My throne, just as I also won the victory and sat down with My Father on His throne” (Revelation 3:21).

Further, Paul told the Corinthians that believers would be a part of judging angels. “Then I saw the beast, the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to wage war against the rider on the horse and against His army” (Revelation 19:19). Those who believe in Christ will take part in ruling over the angels that have fallen.

Paul challenged believers that it would be better for them to tolerate injustice or be cheated by another believer than to take these disputes before secular authorities (vv. 7–8). These types of disputes served to defame the name of Jesus before unbelievers and made it more unlikely they would become believers.

1 Corinthians 6:9–20: Wiersbe pointed out Paul’s exhortation to “Consider the Lord.”⁴ Paul listed actions of people who will not “inherit God’s kingdom” (vv. 9–10). While Christians may sometimes perform these actions, MacArthur noted, “People who are characterized by these iniquities are not saved. While believers can and do commit these sins, they do not characterize them as an unbroken life pattern . . . True believers who do sin resent that sin and seek to gain victory over it.”⁵ We will all have our moments of sin. No person is perfect. This list outlined the behaviors of the natural man. They described the lifestyle of a person who was not saved. It is not possible to combine the lifestyle of the natural man and the spiritual man. The Corinthian church tried to keep their old lifestyle and combine it with Christ. Many believers are doing the same thing. We don’t want to give up anything that feels good, but we want to add Jesus to the mix. Paul pointed out that once we experience Christ we are “washed,” “sanctified,” and “justified.” Believers are now different. The behaviors outlined in 9–10 are used to describe the unsaved, but if you are saved, this should no longer be part of your lifestyle.

While Paul noted, “Everything is permissible for me,” the Corinthians were encouraged to “not be brought under the control of anything” (v. 12). “For you were called to be free, brothers; only don’t use this freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but serve one another through love” (Galatians 5:13).

CLOSING

Nelson’s Commentary listed five suggestions to free us from the tyranny of things that may be permissible but not helpful:6

1. Determine your limits.
2. Let time go by before making decisions and commitments.
3. Pay attention to agreement or disagreement with your spouse and/or a close friend or associate.
4. To manage the commitment you are taking on, what are you willing to give up?
5. Commit to giving away as well as taking on.

Christians have a lot of freedom in Christ, but that freedom is not an excuse to live a life characterized by sin. We were bought with a price. Our question is not, “What is permissible?” but should be “What will build the kingdom?”