Struggling With Lawsuits and Context
Memory Verse: Therefore, my beloved brothers, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that in the Lord your labor is not in vain.
1 Corinthians 15:58
Sermon Sentence: Paul believed unity in the church would be enough to fairly and justly navigate life’s difficult decisions between believers.
Day 1
Read 1 Corinthians 5:9-6:11
We took, what seemed like, a long break from our series in 1 Corinthians. In that break, I took the opportunity to spend extra time studying for what was coming next in the series, chapter 6. It is a really tough passage to find application to the everyday believer, because the content of the beginning of the chapter seems to be not widely applicable. For instance, I have not been in any lawsuits. So it is tough for me to preach about them or give application to the whole church about them. The rest of chapter 6 talks about something that becomes really uncomfortable to discuss in mixed crowds.
But chapter breaks are not from the original text. That is what the heart of my argument is against all of the commentaries that I have spent time with. They section 6:1-11 off by itself. Which has some wisdom and great learning to be gleaned, but it is not the point of what Paul is trying to say. To get the point of what he is saying and not feel like he is running off on a tangent, you have to read the end of 5 and the rest of 6. Paul is not trying to give a discourse on why the Christian shouldn’t suit the Christian. He talks about it briefly, but as a sub-point, not his main point. His main point is how the Christian should be accountable to the Christian because of the logic derived from the discussion about secular courts.
But again, I am going against what the majority of the commentaries are saying. That is why I include my thought process here for you to consider. I don’t disagree with all of the commentaries that I have read, I just simply think they don’t land the discussion where Paul wanted to go.
What do you think about my take on this text?
How important is the context of these verses to get the point of what Paul is saying?
If you were to sum up all of Paul’s point in Chapters 5-6, in two to three sentences, how would you do that?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
We took, what seemed like, a long break from our series in 1 Corinthians. In that break, I took the opportunity to spend extra time studying for what was coming next in the series, chapter 6. It is a really tough passage to find application to the everyday believer, because the content of the beginning of the chapter seems to be not widely applicable. For instance, I have not been in any lawsuits. So it is tough for me to preach about them or give application to the whole church about them. The rest of chapter 6 talks about something that becomes really uncomfortable to discuss in mixed crowds.
But chapter breaks are not from the original text. That is what the heart of my argument is against all of the commentaries that I have spent time with. They section 6:1-11 off by itself. Which has some wisdom and great learning to be gleaned, but it is not the point of what Paul is trying to say. To get the point of what he is saying and not feel like he is running off on a tangent, you have to read the end of 5 and the rest of 6. Paul is not trying to give a discourse on why the Christian shouldn’t suit the Christian. He talks about it briefly, but as a sub-point, not his main point. His main point is how the Christian should be accountable to the Christian because of the logic derived from the discussion about secular courts.
But again, I am going against what the majority of the commentaries are saying. That is why I include my thought process here for you to consider. I don’t disagree with all of the commentaries that I have read, I just simply think they don’t land the discussion where Paul wanted to go.
What do you think about my take on this text?
How important is the context of these verses to get the point of what Paul is saying?
If you were to sum up all of Paul’s point in Chapters 5-6, in two to three sentences, how would you do that?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 2
Read Acts 22:1-21
In our passage for this week, we find this verse:
'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 6:11
Today, we will focus on Paul’s appeal to the idea of being washed. We do this thing that may seem weird to the outsider, but is genuine in its teaching and application. We baptize people. What does that mean? We put them under water in a symbolic representation of sins being washed away. Water is a running theme in the Bible and the idea of water as a washing agent is connected to the idea of purifying, or making good for use. Ritually, there are countless places that illustrate this idea in religious practices and then also in allegorical tales of water. So when we start to draw the parallels to the symbolic display that is baptism, it is not a far jump in our minds. If we believe that sin is connected to the ideas of dirt and staining, then we can also connect the ideas of being done with sin and the idea of washing clean. The ritual is not the actual washing, but rather the symbolic representation of that idea. This is why we have the same Greek word from 1 Corinthians 6 used here in Acts 22. Paul lumps the ideas altogether here by talking about “rising”, “being baptized,” and “calling on His name.” There are all things that should be done, but they are also all symbolically talked about.
Have you followed in obedience to being baptized as it is discussed in the Bible?
What else do you learn from Paul’s sermon here?
What is your main takeaway from this story?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
In our passage for this week, we find this verse:
'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 6:11
Today, we will focus on Paul’s appeal to the idea of being washed. We do this thing that may seem weird to the outsider, but is genuine in its teaching and application. We baptize people. What does that mean? We put them under water in a symbolic representation of sins being washed away. Water is a running theme in the Bible and the idea of water as a washing agent is connected to the idea of purifying, or making good for use. Ritually, there are countless places that illustrate this idea in religious practices and then also in allegorical tales of water. So when we start to draw the parallels to the symbolic display that is baptism, it is not a far jump in our minds. If we believe that sin is connected to the ideas of dirt and staining, then we can also connect the ideas of being done with sin and the idea of washing clean. The ritual is not the actual washing, but rather the symbolic representation of that idea. This is why we have the same Greek word from 1 Corinthians 6 used here in Acts 22. Paul lumps the ideas altogether here by talking about “rising”, “being baptized,” and “calling on His name.” There are all things that should be done, but they are also all symbolically talked about.
Have you followed in obedience to being baptized as it is discussed in the Bible?
What else do you learn from Paul’s sermon here?
What is your main takeaway from this story?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 3
Read Hebrews 10
In our passage for this week, we find this verse:
'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 6:11
Today we will be focusing on the word “sanctified” from our text in 1 Corinthians. I by no means declare that this is an easy concept or even that this chapter is an easy chapter. Its not! I struggle so much through it. But I do understand that “sanctification” is the idea of being made holy. So, sanctification is something we experience when we are saved through Jesus. We are made holy. We are set apart for God. But it is also something that we are becoming. We are becoming holy, set apart. How can it be both? That is the work of Jesus in our lives. This truth is also the reason we can say that we are forgiven for our sins: past sins, present sins, and future sins. We confess our sins, not because we need forgiveness to be in right standing with God, but because we are in right standing with our God. Our confession is not agreeing with God that this was a sin and therefore is not a part of our lives, because we have been forgiven. We were and are sanctified. So therefore we can live like we are becoming sanctified.
Notice in verse 10 that Jesus' sacrifice was for our sanctification “once for all.” So it was complete in its work for our sins and universal in its offer to everyone. Not universal in its acceptance by everyone, but certainly in the offer to all. Verse 14 backs this up even further.
What is sanctification?
How do you understand sanctification now and in the future in light of this?
What does this passage teach you about sanctification that you have not fully understood before?
How does this become your prayer today?
In our passage for this week, we find this verse:
'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 6:11
Today we will be focusing on the word “sanctified” from our text in 1 Corinthians. I by no means declare that this is an easy concept or even that this chapter is an easy chapter. Its not! I struggle so much through it. But I do understand that “sanctification” is the idea of being made holy. So, sanctification is something we experience when we are saved through Jesus. We are made holy. We are set apart for God. But it is also something that we are becoming. We are becoming holy, set apart. How can it be both? That is the work of Jesus in our lives. This truth is also the reason we can say that we are forgiven for our sins: past sins, present sins, and future sins. We confess our sins, not because we need forgiveness to be in right standing with God, but because we are in right standing with our God. Our confession is not agreeing with God that this was a sin and therefore is not a part of our lives, because we have been forgiven. We were and are sanctified. So therefore we can live like we are becoming sanctified.
Notice in verse 10 that Jesus' sacrifice was for our sanctification “once for all.” So it was complete in its work for our sins and universal in its offer to everyone. Not universal in its acceptance by everyone, but certainly in the offer to all. Verse 14 backs this up even further.
What is sanctification?
How do you understand sanctification now and in the future in light of this?
What does this passage teach you about sanctification that you have not fully understood before?
How does this become your prayer today?
Day 4
Read Romans 3
In our passage for this week, we find this verse:
'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 6:11
“Righteousness” is one of those types of words that you only hear in church. For me personally, that has always hung me up and made it a bit of a difficult word to get in the quick processing part of my mind. Think of it close to goodness, but maybe a bit more fuller in moral categories. It is the idea of being declared good in the standing of the judge. The problem becomes bleak when we understand that Paul is using that very idea to talk about our standing before God. There is none that is righteous. Not even one. That is bleak and condemning in its isolation. It is also not where Paul lands.
Paul goes on to talk about a hope that can be breathed into this situation of life that we all need. “No one is righteous.” It really is that bad. If no one is righteous and we believe in justice, or the fact that things that are not right will be dealt with, then how can we ever expect to see justification, or the act of declaring that something is back to balance and good? This is where Paul starts to teach about the righteousness of God in verse 21. There is none that is righteous, but God. That means all that is righteous must come from God. So how can those who are the unrighteous become the righteous? That happens in a transfer that happens “through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” When we receive righteousness, even the righteousness of God, it comes through faith in Jesus. So work this formula out: we are unrighteous, everyone of us. God’s righteousness is the only hope of being declared righteous and that is received by faith in Jesus for all that believe. When we receive the gift of God’s righteousness we are declared justified. This is the idea of justification as it is expressed in our key text.
How would you explain “justification?”
Why is it important to understand that “there is none righteous” in life?
Take a look at verse 26 and explain how it makes sense in your life.
How does this become part of your prayer today?
In our passage for this week, we find this verse:
'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 6:11
“Righteousness” is one of those types of words that you only hear in church. For me personally, that has always hung me up and made it a bit of a difficult word to get in the quick processing part of my mind. Think of it close to goodness, but maybe a bit more fuller in moral categories. It is the idea of being declared good in the standing of the judge. The problem becomes bleak when we understand that Paul is using that very idea to talk about our standing before God. There is none that is righteous. Not even one. That is bleak and condemning in its isolation. It is also not where Paul lands.
Paul goes on to talk about a hope that can be breathed into this situation of life that we all need. “No one is righteous.” It really is that bad. If no one is righteous and we believe in justice, or the fact that things that are not right will be dealt with, then how can we ever expect to see justification, or the act of declaring that something is back to balance and good? This is where Paul starts to teach about the righteousness of God in verse 21. There is none that is righteous, but God. That means all that is righteous must come from God. So how can those who are the unrighteous become the righteous? That happens in a transfer that happens “through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe.” When we receive righteousness, even the righteousness of God, it comes through faith in Jesus. So work this formula out: we are unrighteous, everyone of us. God’s righteousness is the only hope of being declared righteous and that is received by faith in Jesus for all that believe. When we receive the gift of God’s righteousness we are declared justified. This is the idea of justification as it is expressed in our key text.
How would you explain “justification?”
Why is it important to understand that “there is none righteous” in life?
Take a look at verse 26 and explain how it makes sense in your life.
How does this become part of your prayer today?
Day 5
Read 1 Corinthians 6:1-11
This is one of those texts that I have had to go back to many, many times to understand. The first pass didn’t work in my mind. And then the next 100 passes haven’t really helped either. It is only in spending time with it and really breaking it down that I feel I have a good grasp on the point of it. So revisit our text before we dive into the stuff that is a bit easier to apply.
You may feel like we have talked about two different things this week: lawsuits among believers and then this explanation of “washed, sanctified, and justified”, but they do all go together if you understand the point. Don’t leave out the third idea from this passage that is just lurking in the background and will require that we bring out to get a full understanding: it's the idea of sexual immorality in the church.
So here is my flow of thought the way that I understand it now: Paul is livid that there is a situation of blatant and ridiculous sexual immorality in the church. His judgement feels swift and heavy. So he backs it up by explaining that he feels he has the authority and backing to be this strong against the sin. Why? Because there is a judgement place that is given to the follower of Jesus that arises out of the fact that we have all submitted ourselves to the same teachings of Jesus. The secular law and court system is not the place that we should be judging each other, because we have a collection of ideas that we have said we will submit ourselves to. So why would the unbeliever judge the believer? Or why would the believer judge the unbeliever? They don’t even have the same ideas. Which lands him in his last point: the unbelievers shouldn’t be expected to live or think like the believers. And that very idea is what separates you. You once were the unbeliever. But now you are a follower of Jesus. So therefore, act like what you claim that you believe and stop looking more like the unbelievers. You can not mix the ideas of unbelief and then claim to be a believer. Nor can we stand for it when others do.
How does this help you understand what is going on in this passage?
If someone were to ask you what 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 was about, how would you explain it to them?
How would you explain what 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 specifically is about?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
This is one of those texts that I have had to go back to many, many times to understand. The first pass didn’t work in my mind. And then the next 100 passes haven’t really helped either. It is only in spending time with it and really breaking it down that I feel I have a good grasp on the point of it. So revisit our text before we dive into the stuff that is a bit easier to apply.
You may feel like we have talked about two different things this week: lawsuits among believers and then this explanation of “washed, sanctified, and justified”, but they do all go together if you understand the point. Don’t leave out the third idea from this passage that is just lurking in the background and will require that we bring out to get a full understanding: it's the idea of sexual immorality in the church.
So here is my flow of thought the way that I understand it now: Paul is livid that there is a situation of blatant and ridiculous sexual immorality in the church. His judgement feels swift and heavy. So he backs it up by explaining that he feels he has the authority and backing to be this strong against the sin. Why? Because there is a judgement place that is given to the follower of Jesus that arises out of the fact that we have all submitted ourselves to the same teachings of Jesus. The secular law and court system is not the place that we should be judging each other, because we have a collection of ideas that we have said we will submit ourselves to. So why would the unbeliever judge the believer? Or why would the believer judge the unbeliever? They don’t even have the same ideas. Which lands him in his last point: the unbelievers shouldn’t be expected to live or think like the believers. And that very idea is what separates you. You once were the unbeliever. But now you are a follower of Jesus. So therefore, act like what you claim that you believe and stop looking more like the unbelievers. You can not mix the ideas of unbelief and then claim to be a believer. Nor can we stand for it when others do.
How does this help you understand what is going on in this passage?
If someone were to ask you what 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 was about, how would you explain it to them?
How would you explain what 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 specifically is about?
How does this become part of your prayer today?
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