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1 Corinthians 6:1-11

​ â€‹1 Corinthians 6: Lawsuits Against Believers
 
When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of saints? (1 Co 6:1) …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? (1 Co 6:6)
 
The heart of 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 is how believers should suffer being wronged rather than bring a lawsuit for vengeance or justice.
 
1 Corinthians 6:7-8
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! 
 
Paul implies the brothers are both wronging each other by bringing a lawsuit instead of suffering the wrong.
 
God’s character is to turn a blind eye. He ignored our sins repeatedly in the Old Testament; however, there are many occasions where he stops turning a blind eye because people cry out to Him. He doesn’t want to see His children hurt.
 
When He saves the Israelites he says, I’m not saving you because of your righteousness, but because of their wickedness (Deut. 9:5)
 
God makes Adam & Eve clothes to cover their nakedness & shame, the result of sin (Gen 3:21)
 
Noah’s son, Ham, finds him naked and tells his brothers. His brothers take a sheet and walk into the tent backward to cover their father without looking. While Ham pointed out His father’s nakedness/shame/sin, the other brothers covered it. Noah hadn’t mistreated anyone. It wasn’t a sin of that nature. (Genesis 9) Because of this, Ham's relatives (Canaanites) go on to be cursed, while the other two are promised blessings. 
 
Before the angel of the Lord talked to Joseph, he was going to divorce Mary because she was pregnant. But he was a righteous man so he was going to do it quietly so he wouldn’t shame her. (Matthew 1:19)
 
We aren’t supposed to point out people’s sins, but have mercy
Love covers over a multitude of sins  
 
There are three words used for wrath in the Old Testament: orge, charon, ebrah.
The total count of these words is 111 verses.
 
26 verses aren’t God’s wrath (24 percent)
10 verses reference God’s wrath (9 percent)
 
Cause of God’s wrath in Old Testament…
27: people mistreating others (25 percent)
16: idolatry (15 percent)
8: heart issue (7 percent)
6: pride (6 percent)
3: disobedience
3: selfishness
3: unbelief 
2: oppose God
1: anger
1: covet/rob
1: dishonesty
1: Profane Sabbath
1: Promiscuity
1: unfaithfulness
 
It’s been stated the unbelievers are the unrighteous in this passage (1 Co 6:1, 6)
 
1 Corinthians 6:9-10
Or 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 malakoi, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.
 
Malakoi (4) (Strong’s Greek Reference: 3120)
It is in verse Matthew 11:8 twice, Luke 7:25, and 1 Corinthians 6:9.
It’s used to reference soft clothing in Matthew and Luke.
However, there have been various translations for 1 Corinthians 6:9 from effeminate to men who practice homosexuality.
 
As well the context of this kind of behavior in that society was violent, harmful, without consent, toward boys...they eventually created a law where you couldn't rape a free born Roman citizen, but the slaves weren't considered citizens. They were considered belongings so it wasn't rape. And Paul was saying don't do this either. 

Josephus on Sodom and Gomorrah: when the Sodomites saw the young men (the angels) to be of beautiful countenance, and this is to an extraordinary degree…they resolved themselves to enjoy these beautiful boys by force and violence. 

Cicero wrote: "It seems to me that this habit of loving boys originated in the Greek gymnasiums, where these love affairs are free and tolerated" (Tusculanae 4, 33). 

Clement of Alexandria- for example writes that the Sodomites had “through much luxury living fallen into uncleanness, practicing adultery shamelessly and burning with insane love for boys.” .... this insane love for boys was also adultery outside of their marriages. 

Homosexuality took place as a result of adultery or prostitution outside of an already existing marriage or against a young boy, a child. No, it was never okay in that context that was so commonly practiced. Adultery is not okay. Unfaithfulness is not okay. And doing this non-consensually and/or violently is not okay. 

Pleonektes (4) (Strong’s Greek Reference: 4123)
1 Corinthians 5:10-11; 1 Corinthians 6:10; Ephesians 5:5
Greedy, covetous, rapacious, person; defrauder, trampling on rights of others
 
Loidoros (2) (Strong’s Greek Reference: 3060)
1 Corinthians 5:11; 1 Corinthians 6:10
Injuring another’s reputation by denigrating, abusive insults
 
All of these descriptions are things that hurt and harm others. They bring death instead of life right here in the kingdom of God here on earth. They crush people’s spirits, damage reputations, and create division and strife.
 
1 Corinthians 6:11
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.
 
This passage is talking about wronging and defrauding others. Paul says, why are you doing that? Just let your brother wrong or defraud you. Instead you wrong him by bringing him to court. Then he says you were unrighteous, but now you aren’t. So don’t wrong and defraud each other anymore. You used to do this, but you were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus and by the Spirit of God so be merciful, instead of desiring vengeance, because this is your new self, not your old self. You aren’t producing life, but dead works. And from this you repented.

The unrighteous won't inherit the kingdom of God. They will continue in their old selves being hated, and hating one another, never satisfied, full of strife, grief, anger, malice, always striving for something they won't ever be able to obtain, because only in Jesus can we find that peace and fill that "God-shaped hole" in our hearts. 

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