1 Corinthians 6

Bible Passage:  1 Corinthians 6

We all know that as members of the true church, we are one family Christ. We are a spiritual community. Yet, we are all human beings. As such, we are all prone to making mistakes and we all have our weaknesses. For this reason, conflicts will be inevitable. However, as the members of the body of Christ, we need to find godly solutions to any conflict that may arise between the brothers and sisters. The members at the church in Corinth had conflicts, which even led them to sue each other.

Today, if we have problems with other church members, we need to seek counsel from godly brothers and sister, instead of looking for worldly  solutions. Let us take Paul’s words to heart: “Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? ” (1 Cor 6:7)

This is completely different from the teachings of the world, and we may sometimes find it hard to accept. Nowadays, we are so afraid to be on the loosing side because evil is on the rise in today’s society. We are taught that, if we don’t speak up for ourselves, we will suffer harm and loss. However, we need to remember how our Lord Jesus was wrongly accused and made to suffer, despite being innocent, and yet, He did not speak up for Himself. Jesus was able to do so because He saw the people’s ignorance and understood their weaknesses. He set an example of mercy and kindness for us, when He prayed on the cross: “Father,  forgive them, for they do not know what they do” (Luke 23:34).

Quarreling with each other falls into the category of unrighteousness, just as sexual immorality. Although we may commonly think that these two things are worlds apart, Paul tells us that their gravity is the same in God’s eyes:

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God.” (1 Cor 6:9-10)

Since we have been redeemed from the bondage of sin through the precious blood of Jesus Christ, we need to live for Him. The Lord has bought us with His own blood, so we belong to Him. We need to understand that our body does not belong to us, although we have the freedom of choice. Although “all things are lawful for me”, not everything will be edifying for us and the people around us (1 Cor 6:12). Prime examples include holding hands with our boy-/ girlfriend or fiancé(e), or exploring a pub or a disco with our friends. We may feel that we are strong, and that we are just taking a look. After all, we are just curious and we won’t do anything bad.

Although we may not do anything “bad”, we may still be unnecessarily tempted:  “Therefore let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Cor  10:12). Worse still, we may make others stumble in their faith, if they follow our example to expose ourselves to unnecessary dangers and  thereby fall into the trap of temptation. If that happens, how will God feel? Will He not weep for them? What will we tell God, when the Day of Judgment comes?

So, if we really love God, let us not do anything that would grieve Him. Instead, let us honor God with our body and spirit.