1 Corinthians 6

David Lipscomb Commentary On 1 Corinthians 6 BEFORE CIVIL COURTS 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 1 Dare any of you,— [The word “ dare” implies that the re¬sort to civil courts to settle differences between Christians is wholly inconsistent with the will of Christ, and that even one case would be outrageous.] having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous,—To neglect or reject the authority of God at one point prepares the way and leads to the setting aside his authority at all points. The Corinthians turned from adherence to the law of God, and became followers of men. They gave up the high regard for morality and palliated the grossest forms of licentiousness. They set aside the leaders of the congregation as the divinely appointed tribunal for deciding dif¬ferences that might arise among them, and resorted to the tribunals of the heathen, or the government of the unbelievers; and Paul now comes to remonstrate with them for setting aside the divine authority. and not before the saints?—It was anticipated that Chris¬tians would have troubles or differences in their affairs, and Jesus gave (Matthew 18:15-20) rules by which to settle them. The judgment of the saints was obtained when the directions given were followed. Paul regarded it as a daring sin in Christians to neglect the law of Christ and seek the tribunals of the State. This did not conflict with Paul’ s own course of appealing to Caesar’ s court for protection, when the servants of Caesar were used to persecute him. He appealed to the protection Caesar’ s laws guaranteed when those were perverted and abused to punish him by the laws of Caesar. Caesar’ s courts are recognized as the courts of unbelievers; the decisions of the church as courts of the believers.

Since the days of the union of “ Church and State,” and while believers participate in State affairs, this distinction is lost sight of, and the admonition is disregarded. The decisions of the church are brought into disrepute, because they are so often mere efforts at compromise instead of decisions of justice. Compromise of right, truth, and justice can never command the respect of God or man.

2 Or know ye not—[A form of expression often used by Paul when he wished to bring to mind important truth, which his readers knew, but disregarded. The knowledge of the great future which was in store for the children of God was the strongest argument against the humiliating degradation to which their appeal to the civil courts to settle their differ-ences had subjected them.] that the saints—All Christians are called saints whether they live lives of consecration to God or not. They have separated themselves to the service of God and that sanctifies them. shall judge the world?—What this verse and the next means is a matter of doubt. When, how, and where the saints are to judge the world and angels, is difficult to determine. Macknight holds that the saints are now judging the world through presenting the gospel to it, because by it the world is justified or condemned, as it receives or rejects its teachings. But the judgment here seems to be a deciding, according to that word, who is guilty and who is innocent. Matthew says : “ And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28.)

Another position occupied by many commentators is that the saints will be associated with Christ when they reign with him and when he judges the wicked. The doctrine, they claim, glimmered faintly to Daniel and came as a message of consolation and hope in the time of national suffering and shame, “ and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.” (Daniel 7:18-22.) Christ’ s people will share his royalty (Romans 8:18; 2 Timothy 2:12) ; and therefore they will share the government (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30), which the Father has committed to the Son (John 5:22). In the great day the saints will intelligently and cordially approve and endorse the sentence pronounced by Christ on the millions on earth. Possibly this approval may be divinely appointed an essential condition, without which sentence would not be pronounced by man upon men, but by men themselves redeemed from their own sins, upon those who have chosen death rather than life. They further claim that it may be that final sentence cannot, according to the principles of the divine government of the universe, be pronounced upon the lost without the concurrence of the saved, that is, without a revelation of the sen¬tence so clear as to secure the full approbation of the saved. If so, the concurrence of the saved is an essential element in the final judgment; and they may truly be said to judge both men and angels.

That the sentence which the saints will pronounce is put into their lips by Christ does not make their part in the judgment any less real; for even the Son says, “ I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge.” (John 5:30.) As summoned by Christ to sit with him, the saints will approve and endorse the measures of reward to be given to themselves. To appeal to human courts of law was to appeal to men upon whom, as upon all men, they themselves, amid the splendor of the great assize, will pronounce an eternal sen¬tence. How and when the saints will judge the world seems difficult to determine, but as a truth it is accepted, and the apostle argues that they are competent to judge the differences arising among themselves. and if the world is judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?—[This appeal is quite intelligible. It may be asked: “ What has all this to do with the matter in hand? The rule of the saints is not yet.” The answer is that this judgment of the world is no private privilege arbitrarily bestowed. The saints are to share our Lord’ s activity, be¬cause they share his mind (2: 15, 16), and this mind is in part already formed in them. Thus of necessity their disputes ought to be referred to them, rather than to courts, since they are competent to judge and adjust their differences.]

3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more, things that pertain to this life?—Some think “ we” in this verse refers to the apostles, and not to the saints generally ; but the latter clause seems to show that it was written to vindicate the right of the saints to judge the temporal questions that come up between Christians. If so, it must refer to them. Angels are generally understood to mean the fallen angels, demons, as the angels ministering for God’ hardly need to be judged. Some think the saints are to judge these by preaching the gospel, as the power of Christ through it “ should spoil demons of their oracles and idols; should deprive these of their seats and strip them of their domain.” The power of the demon is supposed to have been curtailed, and the demons ceased to dominate persons on earth. These views seem strained and farfetched, hence are unsatisfactory, yet I have nothing better to offer.

4 If then ye have to judge things pertaining to this life, do ye set them to judge who are of no account in the church?— The meaning of this verse has also been involved in doubt. Does it mean that the least experienced and efficient members of the church shall be set to judge these temporal affairs? This cannot be true as the following verse shows. Some think the question was asked to reproach them for setting heathen tribunals over them.

5 I say this to move you to shame.—He shames them for leaving the Christian tribunals and going before those notori¬ous for their mercenary character as were the civil. What, cannot there be found among you one wise man who shall be able to decide between his brethren,— By their course they said this, and it was a slander and a reproach in the church. They boasted of their knowledge and spiritual gifts and acted as if there was not a prudent and intelligent person among them competent to settle their differences.

6 but brother goeth to law with brother, and that before un-believers?—[This question was most humiliating. It is the climax. That there should be disputes about property is bad; that they should go to law is worse; that they should do this before unbelievers is extremely humiliating and sinful.] This is the sinful end they had reached.

7 Nay, already it is altogether a defect in you, that ye have lawsuits one with another.—He insisted that going to law was wholly wrong— a reproach and a shame to the church. Why not rather take wrong? why not rather be defrauded?—A part of the religion of the church of Christ is to suffer and endure wrong for his sake. [The law of Christ contains principles according to which all such may be set at rest. And the difference between the laws governing worldly courts of justice and that of Christ is the difference of diametrical opposition. Law says, “ You shall have your rights” ; the law of Christ says, “ Defraud not your neighbor of his rights.” The law says, “ You must not be wronged” ; Christ says, “ It is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong.” ]

8 Nay, but ye yourselves do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.—Unless there were efforts to wrong and de¬fraud one another there would be but slight cause for differences among brethren. If each would look to his brother’ s interest instead of his own, the occasions of difference would be greatly lessened. The same sin exists today for the same causes. Men are covetous and selfish. They are anxious for more than belongs to them. They look every man to his own things, not to the things of others. (Philippians 2:4.) This leads them to differ and to appeal to the tribunals of Caesar in order to obtain them.

Some think there is less wrong in going to law now than in the apostolic days, because the tribunals are somewhat more liable to do justice than then, and because Christians sometimes take part in political affairs. But the latter is only a step further in the wrong prohibited. If Christians cannot appeal to the tribunals of the State to settle differences that arise between them, much less can they manage, control, and participate in the operation of these tribunals.

9 Or know ye not—[Some of them acted as if the gospel gave license to live in sin, instead of being intended to deliver from its power. All such persons are warned of their fatal mistake. He assures them that one who allows himself the indulgence of any sin cannot be saved.] that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? —Paul here, as did Jesus when he was appealed to to settle differences between two brothers (Luke 12:14), lays down principles that will remove the causes that produce the contentions about property. Those who act unrighteously in doing his brother wrong, or in going before the tribunals of unbelievers, cannot inherit the kingdom of God, that is, the heavenly kingdom. It is the heritage of these who are faithful as the sons of God in the world. Be not deceived:—[There was great danger of their being led to think lightly of sins which were daily committed by those amongst whom they were living, hence these words of warning] lest they should think one could inherit the kingdom while practicing the sins mentioned. neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers.—Much of the idol worship consisted in most degrading forms of debauchery and licentiousness. These sins were encouraged both as acts of worship and by the examples of their idols. [Notice how he distinguishes between fornication and adultery. Though both will exclude from the inheritance, the latter is in many respects the worst crime, because through it the family is broken up, and a third person is irretrievably injured.] nor effeminate,—[This word occurs in Matthew 11:8; Luke 7:25, where it is applied to clothing, and rendered “ soft raiment”— luxurious livers, who pamper their body. Applied to morals, it denotes those who give themselves up to a soft, and indolent way of living; who make self-indulgence the grand object of life. In the classics the word is applied to those who are given up to wantonness and sensual pleasures, or who are kept to be prostituted to others.] nor abusers of themselves with men,— Those who lie with a male as with a female.

10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.- -Christians should heed this warning and be sure that they are guilty of none of these crimes, “ for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:6.) It is difficult for people to realize to what extent these most degrading practices of licentiousness prevailed among the more enlightened classes of the heathens.

11 And such were some of you:—The Corinthians were noted for their indulgence in all these crimes. Their idols were of the licentious order, and Corinth was noted for its profligacy and crimes. Many of these Christians had been guilty of them before they obeyed the gospel. [The threefold “ but” in the clause which follows emphasizes strongly the contrast between their present state and their past, and the consequent demand which their changed condition makes upon them.] but ye were washed,—They had through faith in Jesus Christ died to sin, had been buried with him in baptism, wherein they were also raised with him to walk in newness of life. [They had washed away their sin exactly as Paul was commanded to do. (Acts 22:16.) Their seeking baptism was their own act, and they entered the water as voluntary agents just as Paul did (cf. 2 Timothy 2:21), seeking the forgiveness promised in the gospel, fulfilling the divinely ordained condition, and they actually received the remission of their sins (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38).] but ye were sanctified,—They were set apart to a life of holiness. [The crisis, of which their baptism was the concrete embodiment, had marked their transition from the rule of self to the service of God.] but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, — As servants of Jesus Christ they were justified [having passed from the condition of guilty sinners to that of pardoned children of God.] and in the Spirit of our God.—They were led by the Spirit of God which they had received.

AGAINST GENTILE WITH LIBERTY1 Corinthians 6:12-20 12 All things are lawful for me;—All things have a lawful use. [It is probable that Paul used these words of himself. Starting from the doctrine taught by Jesus Christ (John 8:32 John 8:36), and proclaimed by the mouth of the apostles (Acts 15:10; James 2:12; 1 Peter 2:16), he declared that the Christian was bound to a service of perfect freedom (Romans 8:2). But this principle needed very careful statement, if the Greeks were not to abuse it. No actions in themselves were unlawful provided (1) that they were in accordance with God’ s design in creation; (2) that they were calculated to promote the general welfare of all; and (3) that we were the masters of our own actions, not they of us.] but not all things are expedient.—It is not always expedient to use them. [The word “ expedient” signifies originally the condition of “ one who has his feet free” ; and hence that which frees from entanglements, helps on, and expedites. Its opposite, that which entangles, is similarly called an impediment. The sense, “ serving to promote a desired end of interest, for the sake of personal advantage, as opposed to what is based on principle,” in the modern sense of the word. Hence the meaning here is profitable for others as well as for ourselves. The derivative of the word here used is translated “ profit” in the following passages : 1 Corinthians 7:35 ; Hebrews 12:10; and “ profitable” in Matthew 5:29 Matthew 18:6; Acts 20:20. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any.—There is a lawful use of all appetites, desires, and lusts; but none of them must obtain the mastery over us. All appetites, passions and lusts are for our good, if properly used and restrained. If they enslave us, they degrade and destroy us. An improper use or direction of the appetites and desires brings evil, not good. [If we sacrifice the power of choice which is implied in the thought of liberty, we cease to be free; we are brought under the power of that which should be in our power.]

13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats:—Food is for the stomach. [Paul now proceeds to explicitly apply these principles to the matter in hand. The language indicates that some argued that if meats were morally indifferent, a man being morally neither the better nor the worse for eating the food which had been offered in an idol’ s temple, so also a man was neither better nor worse for fornication. To expose the monstrous error of this reasoning, he draws a distinction between the digestive, nutritive organs of the body and the body as a whole. The body is an essential part of human nature, and in the future the natural body will give place to the spiritual body. The spiritual body is connected with, and has its birthplace in, the natural body, so that the body that we now wear is to be represented by that finer and more spiritual organism in which the righteous are hereafter to be clothed. (15: 44.) The connection of the future body with the physical world and its dependence on material things we do not understand; but in some way it is to carry on the identity of our present body, and thereby it reflects a sacredness and significance of this body. The body of the aged is very different from that of the newborn babe, but there is a continuity that links them together and gives them identity.

So the future body may be very different from and yet the same as the present. At the same time, the organs which serve for the maintenance of the natural body will be unnecessary and out of place in the future body, which is spiritual in its origin and in its maintenance. There is therefore a difference between the organs of nutrition and that body which is part of our permanent individuality, and which by the power of God is to be made into an everlasting body. The digestive organs have their use and their destiny, and the body as a whole has its use and destiny. The two differ from one another; and if we argue from one to the other we must keep in view this distinction. By eating we are not perverting the digestive organs of the body to a use not intended for them; but we are putting them to the use God meant them to serve.] but God shall bring to nought both it and them.—Both the food and the stomach— the appetite for food— are to perish. They end with our earthly being. [They serve a temporary purpose, like the house in which we live, or the clothes we wear.] But the body is not for fornication,—This is not its lawful use. [There is a vital difference between the satisfaction of hunger and the gratification of the sexual appetite. The latter is only possible in the bonds of matrimony. Fornication is an abuse of the body, a defilement of Christ’ s member, an insult to the Lord himself, whose property is not only taken by theft from him, but handed over to a harlot. This is very plain speaking on the part of the apostle. But it is just; and if it was necessary in those days, it is equally necessary now.] but for the Lord;—[Here lies the true purpose of the body.] It is for the service of the Lord, who has an appropriate use and sphere for it. [It is destined to be the vehicle of spiritual faculties and the efficient agent of the Lord’ s purposes. It was through the body of the Lord that the great facts of our redemption were accomplished. It was the instrument of the incarnation, and of the manifestation of God among men, of the death and resurrection by which we are saved. And as in his body Christ was incarnate among men, so now it is by means of the bodily existence and energies of his people on earth that he extends his kingdom among men.] And to this great end it should be used instead of abused, and destroyed by fornication. and the Lord for the body:—[The Lord dwells in and acts and provides for the body. He thus sustains and keeps it from vanity and sin and corruption. It would be a wicked thing to tear away our body from that sacred connection and give it over to licentiousness.]

14 and God both raised the Lord, and will raise up us through his power.—The body, unlike the belly, has an eternity before it, and as evidence of this Paul says: “ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (Romans 8:10-11.) If the appetites, passions, and lusts are held in proper restraint and used as is good, then the Spirit of God will dwell in and be with us, and God, who raised Jesus, will by his Spirit raise us up to reign with him. [“ Will raise up us” here stands in contrast with “ shall bring to nought” in verse 13.

15 Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ?— Their bodies, with the Spirit of God dwelling in them, are the members of the body of Christ. (12: 27.) [This solemn truth, that there is a real community of spiritual life between Christ and the true believer, is employed here to remind them of the restrictions placed upon their liberty. The body of the Christian is Christ’ s, nay in a sense, it is a part of himself (Ephesians 5:30), so that the same Spirit which possessed Christ is the same which possesses the Christian. It is in Christ that he seeks to live, and it is the consuming desire of his heart that Christ would use his body to the accomplishment of his pur¬poses even as he used his own body while on earth.] shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot?—Sexual intercourse is the act that the Bible recognizes as making man and woman one. When a man who is a member of the body of Christ is guilty of fornication he [forms this union in an unlawful way and] makes the member of Christ one with a harlot. God forbid.—[If the Christian, is as truly a member of Christ’ s body as were the hands and feet and eyes he wore on earth, the mind shrinks, as from blasphemy, from the very thought of being joined to a harlot as is done by one guilty of fornication.]

16 Or know ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body?—When a man takes a woman unto himself they be¬come one flesh. for, The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh.—“ Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24.) [That these words refer originally to marriage does not lessen their appropriateness here. For they teach that the union of the sexes in the marriage relation was divinely ordained at the creation of the race, in order to unite husband and wife so closely that in them even personal distinction should in some respects cease. Intercourse with harlots desecrates this divine relation to a means of sin. Therefore in a Christian, it robs Christ of a member of his own body in order to place it in union with one utterly opposed to him, a union so close that they are one flesh.]

17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.— [To be united in one spirit to Christ and at the same time to be united to impurity is impossible.] To be one with Christ in spirit and at the same time in body with a harlot would make the Lord one with the harlot. This is the outrage of such a course of sin. A man marries a good woman; they are one flesh; he afterwards commits adultery and thus becomes one with a harlot; does not that make the wife one with the harlot? Has a Christian woman the right to become one with a harlot by living with a husband that is guilty of adultery? Fornication or adultery justifies a husband or wife in putting away the guilty party. Does it not go further and demand it? Has a Christian husband or wife the right to live with one guilty of adultery?

18 Flee fornication.—In view of the great sin, flee from it, keep out of the way of temptation to commit it. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body;—Other sins are without or apart from the body. [That is, all other sinful acts which affect the body approach it from without and affect particular members. They require some motive or weapon other than the body. The body is the subject.] but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.—[Fornication takes the body as a whole and makes it the instrument of sin. It joins the body of sinful union to a body of death, so that it becomes one flesh with the con¬demned harlot, thereby severing itself from the life in Christ, and thus it strikes directly at the body’ s future state. When a man and woman are united in marriage according to God’ s law, there is no such alienation from the Lord’ s body, and consequently no sin. This view is confirmed by the fact that the word here translated “ sinneth” means to “ go astray,” to “ miss the mark” ; so the words “ sinneth against his own body” imply the running counter to the object for which the body was created.] The oneness of the body of two persons that cohabit is more than a formal union. How much of the real nature and being of a man does a woman partake of in intercourse with him and especially in carrying children begotten by him in her womb with a circulation of blood through her whole body, and how much he is affected by her will likely never be definitely determined, yet there is more in becoming- one than we usually think. So a man guilty of fornication sins against his own body.

19 Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God?—The body of a Christian is a temple or a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, it is therefore a terrible thing to make a temple of God one with a harlot. [What has before been asserted of the church as a whole (3: 16) is now asserted of every member of it, and the Christian’ s body is the most sacred thing on earth, and every dishonor to it is an insult to him who has chosen it for his dwelling place.] Three epochs are marked by the word temple. In the Old Testament it means the material temple, the sign of localized worship and a separate people (Exodus 20:24; Deuteronomy 12:5 Deuteronomy 12:11 Deuteronomy 12:13-14) ; in the Gospels Jesus uses it of his own body (John 2:19-21) ; here it is used of every baptized believer, sanctified by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. and ye are not your own:—[Christians do not belong to themselves, even if they could commit fornication without personal contamination or self-violation. Christianity makes unchastity dishonor both sexes. There is no double standard of morality. The plea here is to Christians to be clean as members of Christ’ s body.]

20 for ye were bought with a price:—Man had sinned and was under the sentence of death. Jesus interposed and gave his life to secure a respite from the sentence and to open the way by which he might return to the favor of God and enjoy eternal life. The only way man can come to appropriate the cleansing efficacy of the blood of the Son of God is to come by faith and take the laws given by Jesus Christ into the heart and let them control and govern his life. Those who accept this offer of mercy are bought, redeemed, purchased. glorify God therefore in your body.—Inasmuch as they had been redeemed by Jesus Christ, he exhorts them that they should with their bodies glorify him. Live so as to honor him, and not through fornication defile the temple of God by making it one with a harlot. [We should so use the body as to please and do the service of God. To glorify God is to exalt and honor him as worthy of the highest praise and most faithful service. Our only and supreme desire should be to know the will of God that we may do it. For we show forth his praise by obedience to his law. “ The heavens declare the glory of God’’ in obedience to the law of creation, and much more do men glorify him by willing obedience to “ the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” This being so, what a profanation it is when we take this body, which is built to be his temple, and put it to uses which it were blasphemous to associate with God! Let us rather find our joy in realizing the ideal set before us, in keeping ourselves pure as a temple of God and in glorifying him in our body.]

Verse 1 1 Corinthians 6Just as 1 Corinthians 5 was devoted to the subject of the incestuous man and related thoughts, so this is devoted to another serious problem at Corinth, that of Christians going to law with one another before the pagan judges (1 Corinthians 6:1-11), and a special paragraph on sexual vice (1 Corinthians 6:12-20), the entire subject matter in both chapters being discussed in the light of the conceited glorying which characterized the Christian community in Corinth. ON GOING TO LAWDare any of you having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? (1 Corinthians 6:1) Against his neighbor … means “against a Christian neighbor,” because it would be impossible to force a pagan into a Christian tribunal unrecognized by the law of the land. Before the unrighteous … This is not a charge that all the pagan judges were unrighteous, but distinguishes between those within the church and those without, all of the latter being unrighteous in the sense of not being Christians. Not before the saints … Christ himself had laid down the rules for any follower of the Lord having a matter against his brother; and this rule involved: (1) a personal confrontation between wronged and wrongdoer, (2) another attempt at reconciliation if the first failed, with witnesses present, and (3) a general examination before the whole church. See Matthew 18:15-17. Also for extended discussion of this subject, see my Commentary on Matthew, pp. 279-281. McGarvey stated that “By going to law before the pagan tribunals, they were not only disobeying the Lord but committing treason against their own brotherhood."[1] As DeHoff noted, however, “It is sometimes necessary for Christians to appear in courts for justice; Paul himself appealed to Caesar."[2] “The Rabbis taught the Jews never to take a case before the Gentiles”;[3] and there were reasons excellent enough why the Christians should have likewise stayed out of pagan courts, except through the utmost necessity. Not only were the Christians more competent in an ethical sense, but the use of pagan courts would involve oath-taking in the names of pagan deities and other practices abhorrent to Christians. [1] J. W. McGarvey, Commentary on First Corinthians (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1916), p. 74. [2] George W. DeHoff, Sermons on First Corinthians (Murfreesboro, Tennessee, 1947), p. 56. [3] Donald Guthrie, The New Bible Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. T. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1970), p. 1058. Verse 2 Or know ye not that the saints shall judge the world and if the world is judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?Or know ye not … These words are the key to understanding this difficult passage. Macknight said: Because this question is repeated six times in this chapter, Locke thinks it was intended as a reproof to the Corinthians, who boasted of the knowledge they received from the false teacher, (but) were extremely ignorant in religious matters.[4]Dummelow unhesitatingly interpreted this and the two following verses as sarcasm on Paul’s part: They appeal to the “knowledge” of the Corinthians, who were puffed up with spiritual pride; and in their conceit had spoken of their hope to judge men and angels. If this be their expectation surely they can judge in matters of daily life.[5]This interpretation makes sense and is supported by many circumstances. First, the matter of human beings judging men and angels is just such a thing as would have been advocated by the conceited false teachers in Corinth; but there are many other reasons: (1) The greatest importance attaches to the words “know ye not,” which occur ten times in the letters of Paul to the Corinthians, and only twice in all the rest.[6] Farrar says that “(these words) are a fitting rebuke for those who took for knowledge their obvious ignorance."[7] Furthermore, this expression occurs six times in this chapter in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 1 Corinthians 6:9 1 Corinthians 6:15-16 1 Corinthians 6:19; therefore some very special significance attaches to it. This student believes that the words are a sarcastic reference by Paul to conceited arrogance of the Corinthians who professed to “know” so much. (2) All other interpretations involve vast difficulties. Jesus never promised that even apostles would judge angels. The passage in Matthew 19:28 speaks of their “judging the twelve tribes of Israel”; and, as Morris noted, “There is no record of Christ having said that all believers would share in that."8 The notion that people will judge angels, except in the most poetic sense, as in the thought of their doing so through preaching the gospel, or through their godly living, etc.; such a notion raises impossible questions. What angels shall people judge? Does it mean the devil’s angels? They have already been judged and cast down and reserved in chains of darkness, etc. (2 Peter 2:4). True, Peter said, “reserved unto judgment,” but this means “until the judgment day,” their sentence only being reserved and their judgment already determined. (4) Without going into all the fanciful interpretations heaped upon these words, this writer confesses full agreement with Adam Clarke who said: This place is generally understood to imply that the redeemed of the Lord shall be, on the great day, assessors with him in judgment; and shall give their award in the determinations of his justice. On reviewing this subject, I am fully of the opinion that this cannot be the meaning of these words; and that the interpretation is clogged with a multitude of absurdities.[9]Thus, it is believed that the matter of Christians judging men and angels is no valid Christian doctrine at all, but the speculative nonsense of the vainglorious experts in Greek philosophy at Corinth. (5) Christians themselves will be judged at the last day; and in 1 Corinthians 4:4, Paul had just declared that the one who judges “is the Lord.” Although it is said of saints that they shall “reign” with Christ, it is nowhere said that they shall judge with him. Despite many learned opinions to the contrary, therefore, this writer strongly inclines to the views expressed above. [4] James Macknight, Apostolical Epistles and Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1969), p. 84. [5] J. R. Dummelow, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1937), p. 901. [6] F. W. Farrar, The Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1950), Vol. 19, p. 192. [7] Ibid. [8] Leon Morris, Tyndale Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1958), p. 94. [9] Adam Clarke, Commentary on the Holy Bible (New York: Carlton and Porter, 1831), Vol. VI, p. 216. Verse 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? If then ye have to judge things pertaining to this life, do ye set them to judge who are of no account in the church?Paraphrase: You who know all about judging angels in the last day, how about judging some of these petty disputes you are disgracefully airing in the courts, of the pagans? And in your practice of resolving these little earthly matters, how is it that you set the pagan judges over such trivialities, such judges being of no account at all in the church, as they are not members of it. If the sarcastic vein is denied here, the rendering of the words “do ye set” would be imperative, that is, a command that they should choose some humble member of the congregation to be a judge of disputes. In such an interpretation, which is by no means unreasonable, the admonition would stress the rejection of value judgments of the world, letting the humble decide, instead of the mighty. Taking the words “do ye not know” as meaning “of course, it is a fact, requires some kind of thesis on just “how” the saints are going to judge the earth. Thus, Johnson explained such judging metaphorically: “The saints shall judge the world, because of their union with the Messiah, to whom all judgment is committed."[10]Shore likewise took the judging to be figurative, “arising out of the apostle’s intense realization of the unity of Christ and his Church Triumphant."[11] McGarvey wrote, “The saints will only participate as mystically united with Christ the judge."[12]Before leaving this subject, a word with regard to Daniel 7:22 is appropriate: The passage reads: Until the Ancient of Days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom. The judge in this place is mentioned in the first clause, being the Ancient of Days; and it was his judgment which was given to the saints, the same being a judgment upon their behalf, and not a judgment made by them. The great passage in Matthew 25:31-46 is in complete harmony with this interpretation of Dan 7:22. In all probability, the false teachers at Corinth had indulged in some very wild speculations. [10] S. Lewis Johnson, Jr., Wycliffe Bible Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1971), p. 604. [11] T. Teignmouth Shore, Ellicott’s Commentary on the Holy Bible (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1959), p. 303. [12] J. W. McGarvey, op cit., p. 75. Verse 5 I say this to move you to shame. What, cannot there be found among you one wise man who shall be able to decide between his brethren?To move you to shame … The sharpness of Paul’s biting sarcasm in the previous three verses was no doubt keenly felt in Corinth; and by this expression Paul means, “I meant for it to hurt.” However unusual the explanation offered here with regard to those Corinthian saints “judging angels” may seem to Christians today, there was probably no one in Corinth who could have failed to know what Paul meant. Wise man … to decide … In this clause, Paul dropped the sarcasm for a moment, asking, “Why don’t you appoint one of the wiser members to settle such disputes?” Thus it appears that Paul could not have meant in 1 Corinthians 6:4 that church members who were of “no account” should be entrusted with such an assignment. The apostles themselves when appointing brethren for such a purpose demanded that the ones appointed should be men “full of the Spirit and wisdom” (Acts 6:3). Thus, here is another strong reason for accepting the thesis that Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 6:2-4 were spoken in irony. Verse 6 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before unbelievers.Ellicott’s paraphrase of this is: “Your dragging these disputes before the tribunals of the heathen would imply that it is not possible to find a Christian friend to settle these trivial disputes."[13]ENDNOTE: [13] Ellicott, as quoted in One Volume New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Book House, 1972), in loco. Verse 7 Nay, already it is altogether a fault with you, that ye have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather take wrong? why not rather be defrauded?Passing beyond the question of “where” their lawsuits should be settled, Paul in this rebuked them for having any “lawsuits with one another.” The Christian is of a different temperament from the man who is always screaming about his “rights,” it being a far better way of life to “go the second mile … give the cloak also … and turn the other cheek” (Matthew 5:38-42). Verse 8 Nay, but ye yourselves do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.There were some in the Corinthian congregation who made a habit of defrauding their brethren, using sinful devices, procuring advantage by the instrumentality of the pagan system of justice. Such persons would have been those who were skilled in such lawsuits, or those who through some circumstance might have enjoyed preferment in such courts. In any case, some of the Christians were being defrauded by other members of the church. Verse 9 Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.A vast proportion of the whole Corinthian population participated in such sins as are catalogued here; and the prevalence of such wickedness throughout the ancient empire resulted in its total destruction, after these debaucheries had run their course; but it was not the destruction of an empire that Paul had in view here; it was the loss of souls. The various actions mentioned in this paragraph are designated as unrighteousness. The people who continue in such wickedness “shall not inherit the kingdom of God.” Fornicators … is a general term for several kinds of sexual vice. It is here made the head of a shameful list of sins; and, in 1 Corinthians 6:12, Paul returned to a fuller discussion of it. Idolators … In context, this referred to the patrons of the temple of Aphrodite atop the Acro Corinthus which dominated the Corinthian scene. As Halley said, “A thousand public prostitutes, kept at public expense, were always ready (in the temple) for immoral indulgence as worship to their goddess!"[14] In such an atmosphere, some of the Corinthians were finding it difficult to adjust to the strict code of Christian morality. Adulterers … has special reference to persons not faithful to the marriage vows. Effeminate … Macknight wrote that this word is translated from a Greek word meaning “catamite,"[15] the technical word for “a boy used in pederasty."[16] “Those wretches who suffered this abuse were likewise called pathics, and affected the dress and behavior of women."[17] Catamites were the passive partners in sodomy. Abusers of themselves with men … were the sodomites. Regarding the passive and active homosexuals referred to in these words, it should be remembered that an apostle of Jesus Christ condemned such persons in the judgment that they shall not inherit the kingdom of God. What is to be thought of churches which not only condone this sin, but in widely publicized cases have actually ordained homosexuals to the ministry? It is the judgment of this writer that churches exhibiting such a total disregard of the New Testament have, in so doing, forfeited all identity with Christianity. William Barclay’s masterful discussion of homosexuality should be read by every Christian. This was the cancer in Greek life that invaded Rome, and brought the vaunted empire to destruction. Fourteen of the first fifteen Roman emperors practiced this vice; others guilty of it were Socrates and Plato. Nero castrated and married a boy called Sporus, which he held as his wife, and at the same time married Pythagoras and called him his husband! Barclay’s conclusion may not be denied that: In this particular vice in the time of the early church, the world was lost to shame; and there can be little doubt that that was one of the main causes of its degeneracy and the final collapse of its civilization.[18]Thieves … covetous … drunkards … revilers … extortioners … Significantly, Paul classed thieves and extortioners as equally criminal, the latter referring to organized, “white-collar” crime, and thievery to common pilferage. Covetousness… is the inordinate desire, or love, of money, the same being a ruling passion, not only with the unregenerated, but also with many Christians themselves, who despite their prosperity give little or nothing to the church or philanthropy. This vice is rated with idolatry, sodomy, extortion, etc., being essentially a denial of God in human life. Drunkards … Who is a drunkard? The “wisdom” of this age recognizes no such character, the same having been elevated in the popular mind to the status of “an alcoholic”! As such he is not blameworthy in any degree, but merely suffering from “a disease,” the same required to be treated, tolerated, and even appreciated by the community. This is merely a part of the blindness of worldly wisdom. No man can become an alcoholic except by his own repeated violations of the Christian law of sobriety.

While it may be true, of course, but only in a sense, that drink No. 5,689 is a disease, drink No. 1 is a moral problem. The burning liquors on sale today are not fit for human consumption; and the use of any of them, even socially, is reprehensible. This writer does not expect social drinkers to approve of this viewpoint; but there is actually no intelligent denial of it. If one is really concerned with living the Christian life, far the best thing for him to do is to deny beverage alcohol any place whatever in his life. The whole Moslem world has known for centuries the true nature of the curse of alcohol, making abstinence from it a cardinal rule of their faith. [14] Henry H. Halley, Bible Handbook (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1927), p. 546. [15] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 88. [16] Britannica World Language Dictionary (New York: Funk and Wagnalls Company, 1959). [17] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 88. [18] William Barclay, The Letters to the Corinthians (Philadelphia: The Westminster Press, 1954), p. 60. Verse 11 And such were some of you: but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and in the Spirit of our God.Such were some of you … This was intended by Paul to call attention to the conditions from which they had been rescued by Christ. But ye are washed … sanctified … justified … This refers to the conversion of the Corinthians. “By sanctified' is meant, not the progressive course of sanctification, but the consecration to God by baptism."[19] As always, however, the scholars who deny baptism's necessity in any true conversion strive to soften the impact of these words, as in: "Nothing in the context identifies this with baptism."[20] "(They) submitted to baptism as THE SIGN OF THE WASHING away of sin."[21] Etc. Two considerations require the understanding of this place as a reference to Christian baptism, along with the sanctification and justification accomplished in the ceremony itself, when performed Scripturally upon a believing penitent: (1) There is the use of "the middle voice for WASHED, as in <a href="/bible/parallel/ACT/22/16" class="green-link">Acts 22:16</a>, carrying the meaning of you had yourselves washed.’"[22] (2) There is the appearance in the verse itself of the trinitarian formula for the administration of baptism. As Guthrie noted: “In the name of … Christ … Spirit … God …” Note the unconscious Trinitarianism. The words may recall the actual formula used in baptism and the complementary baptism of the Spirit … There is a reference here to the external and internal essential of baptism.[23]Justification has reference to the status of the believer “in Christ” who by virtue of his identity with the Saviour does not deserve any punishment whatever; it is a total and complete justification bestowed upon the believer when he is baptized “into Christ.” [19] F. W. Farrar, op. cit., p. 193. [20] Paul W. Marsh, A New Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Zondervan Publishing House, 1969), p. 386. [21] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 901. [22] Paul W. Marsh, op. cit., p. 386. [23] Donald Guthrie, op. cit., p. 1059. Verse 12 All things are lawful for me; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any. Paul here used a catch phrase which evidently had wide acceptance among the Corinthians. The liberty in Christ which made “all things lawful” was a relative, not an absolute principle; and any notion that the existence of appetites justified their gratification was not true then, or ever. “Some of them were evidently quoting this to justify their promiscuous sexual behavior; but Paul positively stated that it did not so apply."[24]ENDNOTE: [24] Henry H. Halley, op. cit., p. 546. Verse 13 Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall bring to naught both it and them. But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.Meats for the belly … This was probably another current proverb among the Corinthians with the meaning suggested by Marsh. As one indulges an appetite for food, that being the function of the stomach, so should the physical urge for sexual indulgence be gratified. Paul refutes the argument, stomach and food being temporal; but not so the body.[25]But for the Lord … The purpose of the body is not the gratification of its appetites; but it is for the Lord, a reference to the indwelling of the Spirit mentioned in 1 Corinthians 6:19. Sensuality is neither the highest nor the most satisfying use of the body. “Body” as used here has reference to the whole person including the physical body; and the highest happiness of the person is impossible of attainment through gratification, such happiness deriving only from the proper union between man and his Creator. ENDNOTE: [25] Paul W. Marsh, op. cit., p. 386. Verse 14 And God both raised the Lord, and will raise up us through his power.The resurrection of Christians is promised here, the proof of it already having been demonstrated in the resurrection of Christ. As the resurrection of Christ was bodily, so shall be that of Christians; and, in this light, an eternal purpose with reference to the body itself is indicated, the same being a telling argument against wasting the physical body through lust and sensuality. Verse 15 Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ? and shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot? God forbid.Know ye not … is still being used sarcastically in this passage, not in the sense of denying that Christians’ bodies are members of Christ, but as protesting the incongruity of debasing such members in immorality. Paul’s use of “body” in this passage makes it certain that the physical body is meant. Verse 16 Or know ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body? for, The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh.Or know ye not … carries the thought of “With all of your conceited knowledge, has it never occurred to you that participation with a harlot makes the participant and the harlot one flesh?” Paul proved it by the reference to Genesis 2:24. As Dummelow said, however, The words spoken by God (in the reference cited) were first spoken of marriage, and are here applied to an unholy union. Paul does not place the two on the same plane but only points out that in this one respect they are similar.[26]ENDNOTE: [26] J. R. Dummelow, op. cit., p. 901. Verse 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.One spirit … The true Christian, having been joined to the Lord through his conversion from sin, is one in spirit with the Lord, seeking in all things to conform his thoughts, words and deeds to such actions as are approved by the Lord and in harmony with the Holy Spirit. Verse 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.Flee fornication … For further remarks on this, see my Commentary on Hebrews, p. 325. The sin of fornication is against: (a) God (Genesis 39:9), (b) one’s body (as here), (c) the church, (d) the marriage institution, (e) the life of the nation, and (f) the very soul itself (Proverbs 6:32). Against his own body … Although Paul doubtless had specifically in mind the impact of sin against the physical body, his words are true in the widest possible application. No matter how “body” is understood, whether the physical body, the body of the family, the body of the Lord, the body of the social order, or even any corporate body - fornication is “against” any and all of these, many a corporation having been wrecked through fornication. Verse 19 Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own.What Paul had affirmed earlier with reference to the church’s being the temple of the Holy Spirit is here declared to be true of individual members of the church. God’s temple belongs to God, and therefore the individual who partakes of the nature of God’s temple belongs not to himself but to God; and thus he is not free to indulge his lusts and appetites but is obligated to conform his activities to those things which will honor and glorify the Lord whose property the Christian is. For extended comments on “The Indwelling Spirit,” see my Commentary on Romans, p. 291, and on “The Witness of the Spirit,” see my Commentary on Romans, p. 298. Verse 20 For ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body.Ye were bought with a price … has reference to the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ which is the purchase price of the church (Acts 20:28). Glorify God in your body … identifies the body as an instrument to be used by the Christian in the service of God and for his glory. The honor of the physical body is also implicit in such a view. In true Christianity, there is no hatred of the body, no torturing of the flesh, and no asceticism. Guthrie pointed out that Paul’s language here “reflects a contemporary custom”[27] prevalent in Corinth. Resort to a temple prostitute meant resort to a strange god; and the participants in temple immorality became the property of the god of that temple, the pagan society holding such persons to be free or “liberated”! “Our redemption by Christ from the enslavement of sin was no such fiction."[28][27] Donald Guthrie, op. cit., p. 1059. [28] Ibid.

“THE FIRST EPISTLE TO THE "

Chapter Six IN THIS CHAPTER

1. To see how brethren in Christ should settle their differences

2. To be impressed with the power of the gospel to transform the lives of people

3. To appreciate the proper use of our bodies in service to God

SUMMARY Having seen that the brethren at Corinth were often filled with strife, envy and divisions (1 Corinthians 3:3), and that Paul frequently describes them as being “puffed up” (1 Corinthians 4:6 1 Corinthians 4:18), it is not surprising that they were also guilty of the fault Paul deals with in this chapter: taking brethren to court before unbelievers. With an expression of shock and disbelief, he instructs them through a series of questions designed to help them see how absurd and wrong such a thing was (1 Corinthians 6:1-11).

The latter half of the chapter deals with what must have been a major problem in a city like Corinth: immorality. What might have been acceptable behavior with their bodies prior to becoming Christians is no longer acceptable, for even their bodies belong to the Lord, whose Spirit indwells them, and who will one day raise them from the dead by His own power. Therefore they should glorify God with their bodies (1 Corinthians 6:12-20).

OUTLINE I. TAKING TO COURT (1 Corinthians 6:1-11) A. PAUL’S REBUKE OF THIS (1 Corinthians 6:1-6)1. Dare they take their personal problems to be decided upon by the unrighteous? (1 Corinthians 6:1) a. When the saints will one day judge the world? (1 Corinthians 6:2) b. When the saints will one day judge angels? (1 Corinthians 6:3 a) c. How much more should they be able to judge matters of this life! (1 Corinthians 6:3 b) 2. More rebuke in the form of questions (1 Corinthians 6:4-5) a. Do they seek the advice of those least esteemed by the church to judge? (1 Corinthians 6:4) b. Don’t they have even one wise man among them who could serve as judge? (1 Corinthians 6:5) 3. The shame of it all: brethren suing each other before unbelievers! (1 Corinthians 6:6)

B. FURTHER BETWEEN (1 Corinthians 6:7-11)1. It is bad enough that they had lawsuits to begin with! (1 Corinthians 6:7-8) a. It would be better to accept wrong and be defrauded (1 Corinthians 6:7) b. But no, they found themselves doing wrong and defrauding their own brethren! (1 Corinthians 6:8) 2. A warning and a reminder (1 Corinthians 6:9-11) a. The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) b. They had been such, but had been washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus and by the Spirit of God (1 Corinthians 6:11)

II. GOD WITH YOUR BODY (1 Corinthians 6:12-20) A. THE BODY IS FOR THE LORD (1 Corinthians 6:12-14)1. What may be lawful may not be helpful, and should not overpower us (1 Corinthians 6:12) 2. The stomach may need food, but that need is only temporary (1 Corinthians 6:13 a) 3. The body, which is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, will be raised up by the power of God (1 Corinthians 6:13 b-14)

B. OUR BODIES ARE TO BE MEMBERS OF CHRIST, NOT A HARLOT! (1 Corinthians 6:15-18)1. Shall we take the members of Christ and make them one with a harlot? (1 Corinthians 6:15-16) 2. No, for we are to be one in spirit with the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:17) 3. Therefore flee immorality which is a sin against your own bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18)

C. THE BODY IS THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (1 Corinthians 6:19-20)1. The body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is from God, and is in it (1 Corinthians 6:19 a) 2. You are not your own, you were bought at a price (1 Corinthians 6:19-20 a) 3. Therefore glory God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:20 b)

REVIEW FOR THE CHAPTER

1. List the main points of this chapter- Taking Brethren To Court (1 Corinthians 6:1-11)

• Glorifying God With Your Body (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)

2. What was the nature of the problem being discussed in the first part of this chapter? (1 Corinthians 6:6)- Brethren taking each other to court, before unbelievers

3. What is Paul’s solution to such a problem? (1 Corinthians 6:5)- Find a wise man among brethren to decide the issues

4. What would have been better than displaying their differences before the eyes of the world? (1 Corinthians 6:7)- For the one in the right to accept wrong, to be defrauded

5. What were some of the Corinthians before they became Christians? (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)- Fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, extortioners

6. Though something may be lawful, what two other criteria does Paul mention which should govern our use of it? (1 Corinthians 6:12)- Is it helpful?

• Does it overpower us?

7. To whom does our bodies belong? (1 Corinthians 6:15)- Christ

8. What is the body of one who is a Christian? (1 Corinthians 6:19)- A temple of the Holy Spirit who is in them

9. What then should we do with our bodies? Why? (1 Corinthians 6:20)- Glorify God

• We were bought at a price

Questions by E.M. Zerr On 1st Corinthians Chapter 61. What is general subject of this chapter? 2. Are human laws condemned? 3. Did Paul ever endorse such law? 4. What is it he condemns here? 5. Does he forbid trying of cases altogether? 6. Where should these cases be taken? 7. Give his proof of their right to judge. 8. Were the Corinthians among these ? 9. What is said about angels? 10. Tell what matters are under consideration. 11. What words are the basis for your answer? 12. Is verse 4 a command? 13. What caused Paul to speak to their shame? 14. Point out the irony in verse 4. 15. Who are the unbelievers in 6th verse ? 16. Instead of going to law what should they suffer? 17. Instead of so doing what was their conduct? 18. Who will fail of the Kingdom of God ? 19. Tell the precaution Paul here gives. 20. What words in verse 9 refer to sodomites ? 21. How serious is the sin of covetousness? 22. What is an extortioner? 23. Among whom had such things been practiced? 24. What event had changed them ? 25. In what authority had it been accomplished ? 26. Was Paul at liberty to do as he pleased? 27. When should some lawful things not be practiced ? 28. Give a meaning of “ expedient.” 29. What did Paul determine about his body? 30. Does this apply to things legislated on by the Lord 31. What will God finally do with these things? 32. Does this mean they are necessarily wrong? 33. State the relation of the body and fornication. 34. Of the body and the Lord. 35. State the promise about being raised. 36. What fact is given as evidence? 37. Of whom are our bodies as members? 38. In abusing our bodies who else is concerned? 39. Can a Christian be one flesh with a harlot ? 40. Cite the scripture for your answer. 41. How many spirits with the Lord? 42. State our proper attitude toward fornication. 43. How does this sin differ from others? 44. What service do our bodies render the Holy Spirit ? 45. From whom does this Spirit come ? 46. What does Paul say about our personal ownership? 47. Give his reasons for the statement. 48. Was anything given in exchange for possession? 49. What use should we make of our bodies? 50. To what other part of our being does this apply?

1 Corinthians 6:1-20

1 Corinthians 6:4. The original Greek manuscript did not have punctuations, hence the question mark does not show here, but the inflection of the words in the composition does indicate the form of the sentence. It will help in seeing the idea of this verse to quote the version in Living Oracles which is as follows: “If, then, you have the cognizance [decision] of such matters, why do you set those to judge who are of no account in the congregation?” The congregation had very little esteem for the judges in .those secular courts, yet these brethren who had some personal dispute over a temporal matter, were going to these courts for settlement instead of letting the church decide it (according to Matthew 18:17).

1 Corinthians 6:2

1 Corinthians 6:2. Jude is from IMMO. The outstanding definitions of Thayer are, “To approve, esteem; to be of opinion, deem, think; to determine, resolve, decree; to pronounce an opinion concerning right and wrong.” These definitions set forth the idea that the saints (Christians) are to declare the laws by which the world at present is to be ruled religiously, and is to be judged at last. But they could not do this correctly without an inspired law for their guidance which was given by the apostles. That is why Jesus told them (Matthew 19:28) that they were to “sit upon twelve thrones, judging [Immo] the twelve tribes of [spiritual] Israel.” And after the apostles produced this law by inspiration, the church was to perpetuate the rule under the apostolic teaching. That is why Paul taught in Ephesians 3:10 that it was “by the church the manifold wisdom of God” was to be made known. The reasoning of Paul is that if the Lord thought his disciples were wise enough to apply His law on the great matters pertaining to the righteous life now and the judgment to come, they should be able to decide such small matters as disputes over temporal transactions.

1 Corinthians 6:3

1 Corinthians 6:3. On the same basis as the preceding paragraph, Christians are teaching and applying the divine law that sets forth the judgment of angels. A part of that law is shown in 2 Peter 2:4 and Jude 1:6, that tells of the judgment to be pronounced against those angels that sinned. It is in this sense that we shall judge angels, not that any man will literally participate in the procedure at the last day. But the same point is made as that made in the preceding verse, namely, if Christians are entrusted with teaching and applying the law that is to be imposed upon the former inhabitants of Heaven, they certainly should be able to decide matters pertaining to the inhabitants of this life or which concern only temporal life.

1 Corinthians 6:5-6

1 Corinthians 6:5-6. This paragraph, following immediately upon the statement of the preceding one, shows that it was not an instruction as to what they should do, but was a criticism in question form of what they were doing, which Paul says was shameful.

1 Corinthians 6:7

1 Corinthians 6:7. Instead of disgracing the church before the secular courts, a brother would better take the loss he thinks the other is trying to impose on him.

1 Corinthians 6:8

1 Corinthians 6:8. It would be wrong to go to law even when a brother was being defrauded, but it is worse when he takes the case to court in order to despoil another of his rights, as some of these Corinthians were doing.

1 Corinthians 6:9

1 Corinthians 6:9. Having dealt with the specific evil concerning going to law, the apostle broadens his teaching to consider various forms of evil. Chief among the corruptions that existed among the people of Corinth was the different forms of immorality that were practiced by many with very little concern as to right or wrong. In fact, much of that was a part of the heathen religious ceremonies of that country, which accounts for the indifferent attitude that even the professed disciples of Christ showed on the subject. The present verse, also some others in the chapter, will show us how much concern the apostle felt over it. The word effeminate and the phrase abusers of themselves with mankind both refer to sodomites. The second means a male who uses another male in the place of a female, and the first means a male who permits his body to be so used. (See the notes at Romans 1:27, volume 1 of the New Testament Commentary, on the subject in the italicized phrase.)

1 Corinthians 6:10

1 Corinthians 6:10. Most of the characters named are so well known as not to need detailed comment. Revilers are those who use false degrading speech against others, and extortioners are men who acquire unjust gain from others on one pretense or another.

1 Corinthians 6:11

1 Corinthians 6:11. Some of the Corinthians had been guilty .of these evils, but the Gospel had shown them the way to be redeemed from such practices. Yet they were in constant danger of going back to them if they were not vigilant, hence the apostle is sending them this teaching contained in several of the verses. Washed, sanctified and justified all refer to the work of becoming a Christian, which was completed by having their bodies washed with pure water (Hebrews 10:22).

1 Corinthians 6:12

1 Corinthians 6:12. The original word for expedient is defined “profitable” in Thayer’s lexicon. A thing could not be profitable that was not lawful, but it might be lawful and not profitable. This verse has special reference to foods of all kinds. (See next verse.) There is no direct legislation against any kind of food (Romans 14:1-3; 1 Timothy 4:4), but it would not be profitable for a Christian to become a slave to his appetite, and Paul says he will not be brought under it.

1 Corinthians 6:13

1 Corinthians 6:13. A more convenient wording of the first clause would be, “foods for the body, and the body for foods.” These two are perfectly adapted to each other, but they are both to be done away with, which is the meaning of destroy, and that is why Paul declared in the preceding verse that he would not allow himself to become enslaved by his appetite. This teaching is true independent of any other subject, but Paul is using it to introduce another point about the right use of the body. The same physical use is made of the body in the act of fornication as in lawful intimacy, but the Lord did not intend for man to abuse his body in that way, any more than He intended for him to abuse the use of food for the body. It is easy to see why the apostle is again dealing with the subject of immorality, in view of the prevalence of that evil in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 6:14

1 Corinthians 6:14. The destruction of the body mentioned in the preceding verse, did not mean its annihilation, but that its temporal form requiring food would be discontinued. The human body is made in the image of God, and its importance in His estimation is great, so much so that it will be raised from the dead at the last day.

1 Corinthians 6:15

1 Corinthians 6:15. The value of a man’s body is still in the apostle’s mind, and he declares it is a member of Christ; not literally, of course, but a part of that great body of which Christ is a member. In view of such a sacred relation, Paul deplores the sin of using the body to unite with an immoral woman, again referring to the loose morals being practiced by so many in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 6:16

1 Corinthians 6:16. We know the apostle was not using that statement in some special or strained sense, for he supports it by quoting the words of God and Christ where we know the language applies to the intimate relation of the sexes, the only “ceremony” the Lord ever gave as a basis of marriage. (See Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5-6.)

1 Corinthians 6:17

1 Corinthians 6:17. The intimate relations of a male and female make them one body, and the faithful joining of a disciple to the person of Christ makes them one spirit.

1 Corinthians 6:18

1 Corinthians 6:18. Flee fornication. The prevalence of immorality in Corinth, and its effects on the disciples of Christ, continues to be one of the apostle’s chief concerns. To fee from a thing means more than merely not partaking; it means to run away as from a poisonous adder. Every sin refers to sins of a material or physical nature, not that immorality is the only sin that a man can commit within his own personality, for when he harbors filthy thoughts, that is a sin within his own person. However, they are not bodily sins, while fornication is: it constitutes a sin against his body that was made in the image of God.

1 Corinthians 6:19

1 Corinthians 6:19. In chapter 3:16 Paul tells the Corinthians that “ye are the temple of God,” and it means they as a congregation. In our present verse he tells the same brethren that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. There is no discrepancy, for the church is made up of individuals, whose bodies must be kept pure in order that the church as a whole may be pure. This is why God claims possession of the bodies of the saints; it is in order that His spiritual body may be right.

1 Corinthians 6:20

1 Corinthians 6:20. If a person wishes to own something he will pay a price for it, and the value of the price will depend on the estimation he has of the thing to be bought. God rated the persons (both fleshly and spiritual) of the disciples so highly, that He paid the price of the blood of Christ for them (Acts 20:28; 1 Peter 1:18-19). It is hence the duty of Christians to use their bodies and spirits (minds) in such a way as to glorify God.