A Study in I Corinthians-Week 06

I Corinthians 6:1-20

For the next 5 weeks we’ll be continuing our study of I Corinthians.

Keeping in mind the theme of unity in the church, we will now examine two other sources of disunity in the church. This chapter has some things to say about the Christian and his relation to the state. While our conversation (GK: Politeuma) is in Heaven (Philippians 3:20), we still have a responsibility to the state…Jesus said so (render to Caesar…).

The Verses

01. 1-6 This is not an admonition against suing people, but against suing other Christians. So what if a Christian does something “worthy of a lawsuit?” We really need a system in place that will arbitrate such things, for if one Christian sues another, how does that promote unity in the church? We are not to achieve unity by acquiescence, but by deliberate, positive action. (Vs 2) There will come a time when our imputed innocence in Christ will form a judgement on the world. (Vs 3) We were created a little lower than the angels, but in Christ we are given a station above the angels.

02. 7-8 This business of unity requires that we settle issues by giving up ourselves. Lawsuits among the brethren, whether by some internal court or by a secular court, will do nothing but promote disunity.

03. 9-11 Paul reminds us that if there is one among us who is not saved (wicked), we don’t have to worry about him/her. He/she will not make it into Heaven. In fact, there will be no (read the list in Vs 9 & 10). We were all, all of those things if we broke any part of God’s Law we have broken it all (James 2:10 & 11). Once again Paul tells us that we don’t get to Heaven by being good Christians, but by being washed by the blood of the Lamb.

04. 12-17 Remember when I told you that we are all entitled to our opinions, but we are not entitled to express it if it results in division? Here is the same principle stated another way. The book of Galatians is dedicated to exposing our freedom in Christ. But it also reminds us that we must not use our freedom as an excuse to sin. Vs 7 tells us that we are to be united, us…the Church, because we all profess Christ. He is the source of our unity.

05. 18-20 We get hung up on the “sexual immorality” part of this (and Paul is clear that sexual immorality is a hideous sin…a sin against ourselves), but he is equally clear that the principle here is that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. If we are, why on earth would we want to try to force some kind of coexistence between our sinful nature and Christ living in us?


Here’s the wrap: If we have been born again, we have to realize that we are not our own. We have been bought with a price (Vs 19 & 20). That price was more than you or I could pay, even if we wanted to. That price enslaves those who are saved to Jesus. That price was the actual experience of the darkness and penalty of sin placed upon Jesus on our behalf. Do we not, therefore, owe complete allegiance to Him, and by yielding it to Him, do we not achieve the unity about which Paul speaks?