arunma
23rd December 2005, 03:05 AM
Today I read this Scripture, and it caused me to think about something.
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud--even your own brothers! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. 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. (1 Corinthians 6:1-11, English Standard Version)
This passage from the word of God is often used to show God's displeasure over the sin of homosexuality. Now, let us make no mistake, homosexuality is a sin that we in the church should discourage in any way that we can, even among nonbelievers. But I think that the passage has a more pressing meaning which is usually ignored: lawsuits among believers (which is the section heading that most translations use). Here in America, over 80% of Americans claim to be Christians, and yet we sue each other. And I think that the American church ought to speak out against this moral evil.
The first thing I noticed is that the Apostle makes an implicit assumption that isn't true of the modern American church: that the ecclesiastical leadership has a means to deal with matters of law and justice within the church. Our blessed Lord himself made precisely the same assumption when he taught us how to deal with Christian brothers who sin against us (see St. Matthew 18:15-17). I've realized that no church that I know of, not even my own, has any way of dealing with legal matters. I think that if the Apostle were alive today, he would also ask us, "are you incompetent to try trivial cases?" I realize that lawsuits among believers usually take place between people who are parts of different congregations. But you'd think that if we are able to establish ecumenical fellowships across denominations, then we can at least have a mechanism to deal with disputes between the saints without resorting to the secular courts.
Besides that, I don't call the practice of suing brethren a moral evil without a Biblical basis. In America, how quick we are to commit the sin of greed. My rights, my property, and my constitutional right to the pursuit of happiness is more important than the Israel of God. Of course, we as Christians should be the first to know that the pursuit of secular, materialistic happiness is idolatry, because Colossians 3:5 associates idolatry with covetousness. More importantly, the teaching of the Apostles is more restrictive than the American constitution. Paul pleads, "Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?" And he uses rather harsh language towards those who sue believers, "When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?" I find myself asking the same question. Why do Christians rely on Gentiles to settle our disputes for us?
My real problem here is that the Bible actually tells us what to do. Paul says, "I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers?" Why, then, do American churches not appoint Christians to settle our disputes? I think this is a serious issue which American Christians should deal with. Does anybody else see the problem that I do?
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud--even your own brothers! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. 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. (1 Corinthians 6:1-11, English Standard Version)
This passage from the word of God is often used to show God's displeasure over the sin of homosexuality. Now, let us make no mistake, homosexuality is a sin that we in the church should discourage in any way that we can, even among nonbelievers. But I think that the passage has a more pressing meaning which is usually ignored: lawsuits among believers (which is the section heading that most translations use). Here in America, over 80% of Americans claim to be Christians, and yet we sue each other. And I think that the American church ought to speak out against this moral evil.
The first thing I noticed is that the Apostle makes an implicit assumption that isn't true of the modern American church: that the ecclesiastical leadership has a means to deal with matters of law and justice within the church. Our blessed Lord himself made precisely the same assumption when he taught us how to deal with Christian brothers who sin against us (see St. Matthew 18:15-17). I've realized that no church that I know of, not even my own, has any way of dealing with legal matters. I think that if the Apostle were alive today, he would also ask us, "are you incompetent to try trivial cases?" I realize that lawsuits among believers usually take place between people who are parts of different congregations. But you'd think that if we are able to establish ecumenical fellowships across denominations, then we can at least have a mechanism to deal with disputes between the saints without resorting to the secular courts.
Besides that, I don't call the practice of suing brethren a moral evil without a Biblical basis. In America, how quick we are to commit the sin of greed. My rights, my property, and my constitutional right to the pursuit of happiness is more important than the Israel of God. Of course, we as Christians should be the first to know that the pursuit of secular, materialistic happiness is idolatry, because Colossians 3:5 associates idolatry with covetousness. More importantly, the teaching of the Apostles is more restrictive than the American constitution. Paul pleads, "Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?" And he uses rather harsh language towards those who sue believers, "When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?" I find myself asking the same question. Why do Christians rely on Gentiles to settle our disputes for us?
My real problem here is that the Bible actually tells us what to do. Paul says, "I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers?" Why, then, do American churches not appoint Christians to settle our disputes? I think this is a serious issue which American Christians should deal with. Does anybody else see the problem that I do?