The Corinthians were suing one another. They elevated their rights so much that they were willing to appeal to the legal courts and hurt their fellow believers.
How unlike the gospel of Jesus Christ! Jesus gave up His rights, paid for the other person’s wrongs, and healed people at the cost of His own life!
Paul is concerned about how this “opposite gospel” behavior, which is no gospel at all, will look to unbelievers. When those in the church proclaim that Jesus laid down His rights to benefit and bless the world but then they demand their rights and curse each other through lawsuits or any other means, we appear to be hypocrites; our actions deny the gospel. We can see why Paul is concerned.
So Paul writes the following:
“The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.”
1 Corinthians 6:7-8 NIV
Question 1. According to 1 Corinthians 6:7, at what point in the process of a lawsuit is there a defeat?
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The moment we decide to defend our rights by suing our fellow believer or to correct an injustice that has been done to us by someone inside the church by appealing to someone outside the church, it is a defeat! We don’t even have to go to trial; we’ve already lost the battle! To sue another believer scandalizes the name of Christ, tramples on His blood, and mars the picture of the cross.
Paul is not here saying that we lay down and die, allowing others to treat us like a doormat or accept and enable abuse by being silent or denying an offense. Instead, he is telling us to use resources within the church (pastors, elders, peacemakers, etc.) to work on your behalf to seek relief from injustice.
Additionally, he is not saying that there will never be a time when a believer should be in a court of law. Explicit breaking of laws, physical abuse, governmental overreach of local church autonomy, etc., might all be reasons why a person or a local church might end up in court.
In this text, Paul addresses personal injustices - being cheated, defrauded, having our rights violated. Such situations are beautiful opportunities to display the cross, boast and glory in the cross, and suffer with Christ. “But if we are to share his glory, we must also share his suffering” (Romans 8:17).
There will be people in the church who strongly disagree with this passage of Scripture. They will cling to their rights and freedoms, even at the expense of others hearing and seeing the cross of Christ. We can challenge our hearts by asking: “Am I taking up my cross in this situation? Do my actions show that I am defending my rights or proclaiming the gospel?”
“But you must be careful so that your freedom does not cause others with a weaker conscience to stumble.”
1 Corinthians 8:9
If the priority of your life is maintaining your rights, and protecting your personal freedoms, then look long and hard at the cross of Jesus until your heart breaks over your sin that crushed your Savior to death. See your Savior giving up His rights, denying His freedom, and being defrauded for you so that you can be free from sin’s penalty in the court of heaven. Then you will be able to, for the joy set before you, endure your cross. You will know you are growing in the gospel when you willingly and joyfully lay down your rights to reveal Jesus to those who are watching you.
A growing believer is one who is so smitten with the love of God, so immersed in the passion of Jesus, that they are constantly looking for opportunities to die to their rights in order to display the cross.
“The willingness to sacrifice that springs from a loving heart rather than the desire for spiritual distinction is surely acceptable to God.”
Elisabeth Elliot, A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael
Question 2. Are there any issues in your life that you could reveal the glory of the cross to someone else if you would sacrifice your rights, or give up your freedom?
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