Do Not Sue the Brethren

Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the (A)saints? Do you not know that (B)the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall (C)judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have [a]judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!

Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. (D)Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. (E)Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor [b]homosexuals, nor [c]sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were (F)some of you. (G)But you were washed, but you were [d]sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.

Glorify God in Body and Spirit

12 (H)All things are lawful for me, but all things are not [e]helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of [f]any. 13 (I)Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for (J)sexual immorality but (K)for the Lord, (L)and the Lord for the body. 14 And (M)God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up (N)by His power.

15 Do you not know that (O)your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For (P)“the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 (Q)But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

18 (R)Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins (S)against his own body. 19 Or (T)do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, (U)and you are not your own? 20 For (V)you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body [g]and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 6:4 courts
  2. 1 Corinthians 6:9 catamites, those submitting to homosexuals
  3. 1 Corinthians 6:9 male homosexuals
  4. 1 Corinthians 6:11 set apart
  5. 1 Corinthians 6:12 profitable
  6. 1 Corinthians 6:12 Or anything
  7. 1 Corinthians 6:20 NU omits the rest of v. 20.

Lawsuits Discouraged

Does any one of you, when he has a [a]complaint (civil dispute) with another [believer], dare to go to law before unrighteous men (non-believers) instead of [placing the issue] before the saints (God’s people)? [b]Do you not know that the saints (God’s people) will [one day] judge the world? If the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent [c]to try trivial (insignificant, petty) cases? Do you not know that we [believers] will judge angels? How much more then [as to] matters of this life? So if you have lawsuits dealing with matters of this life, are you appointing those as judges [to hear disputes] who are of no account in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is not one wise man among you who [is governed by integrity and] will be able and competent to decide [private disputes] between his fellow believers, but instead, brother goes to law against brother, and that before [judges who are] unbelievers?

Why, the very fact that you have lawsuits with one another is already a defeat. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? On the contrary, it is you who wrong and defraud, and you do this even to your brothers and sisters.

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; [d]neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate [by perversion], nor [e]those who participate in homosexuality, 10 nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers [whose words are used as weapons to abuse, insult, humiliate, intimidate, or slander], nor swindlers will inherit or have any share in the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you [before you believed]. But you were washed [by the atoning sacrifice of Christ], you were sanctified [set apart for God, and made holy], you were justified [declared free of guilt] in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the [Holy] Spirit of our God [the source of the believer’s new life and changed behavior].

The Body Is the Lord’s

12 Everything is permissible for me, but not all things are beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be enslaved by anything [and brought under its power, allowing it to control me]. 13 Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will do away with both of them. The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body [to save, sanctify, and raise it again because of the sacrifice of the cross]. 14 And God has not only raised the Lord [to life], but will also raise us up by His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Am I therefore to take the members of Christ and make them part of a [f]prostitute? Certainly not! 16 Do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall be one flesh.”(A) 17 But the one who is united and joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Run away from sexual immorality [in any form, whether thought or behavior, whether visual or written]. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the one who is sexually immoral sins against his own body. 19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is within you, whom you have [received as a gift] from God, and that you are not your own [property]? 20 You were bought with a price [you were actually purchased with the precious blood of Jesus and made His own]. So then, honor and glorify God with your body.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 6:1 I.e. a property or civil claim (not a criminal matter) before it goes to court.
  2. 1 Corinthians 6:2 This is the first of six “Do you not know” statements in this chapter.
  3. 1 Corinthians 6:2 Or to form the smallest courts.
  4. 1 Corinthians 6:9 This list of sinners, which continues into v 10, is used by Paul to describe various sinful lifestyles. All such lifestyles are impossible for true believers, who continue to sin but not to live lives of sin.
  5. 1 Corinthians 6:9 Lit male homosexuals.
  6. 1 Corinthians 6:15 Corinth was famous for its prostitutes, and many if not all probably practiced their trade in connection with the worship of Aphrodite. Having relations with temple or cult prostitutes was considered acceptable behavior, and Paul’s admonitions here indicate that some of the Corinthian converts were continuing the practice.

Judging Problems Between Believers

When one of you has something against someone else in your group, why do you go to the judges in the law courts? The way they think and live is wrong. So why do you let them decide who is right? Why don’t you let God’s holy people decide who is right? Don’t you know that God’s people will judge the world? So if you will judge the world, then surely you can judge small arguments like this. You know that in the future we will judge angels. So surely we can judge life’s ordinary problems. So if you have such matters to be judged, why do you take them to those who are not part of the church? They mean nothing to you. I say this to shame you. Surely there is someone in your group wise enough to judge a complaint between two believers. But now one believer goes to court against another, and you let people who are not believers judge their case!

The lawsuits that you have against each other show that you are already defeated. It would be better for you to let someone wrong you. It would be better to let someone cheat you. But you are the ones doing wrong and cheating. And you do this to your own brothers and sisters in Christ!

9-10 Surely you know that people who do wrong will not get to enjoy God’s kingdom. Don’t be fooled. These are the people who will not get to enjoy his kingdom: those who sin sexually, those who worship idols, those who commit adultery, men who let other men use them for sex or who have sex with other men, those who steal, those who are greedy, those who drink too much, those who abuse others with insults, and those who cheat. 11 In the past some of you were like that. But you were washed clean, you were made holy, and you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Use Your Bodies for God’s Glory

12 “I am allowed to do anything,” you say. My answer to this is that not all things are good. Even if it is true that “I am allowed to do anything,” I will not let anything control me like a slave. 13 Someone else says, “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” Yes, and God will destroy them both. But the body is not for sexual sin. The body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 14 And God will raise our bodies from death with the same power he used to raise the Lord Jesus. 15 Surely you know that your bodies are parts of Christ himself. So I must never take what is part of Christ and join it to a prostitute! 16 The Scriptures say, “The two people will become one.”[a] So you should know that anyone who is joined with a prostitute becomes one with her in body. 17 But anyone who is joined with the Lord is one with him in spirit.

18 So run away from sexual sin. It involves the body in a way that no other sin does. So if you commit sexual sin, you are sinning against your own body. 19 You should know that your body is a temple[b] for the Holy Spirit that you received from God and that lives in you. You don’t own yourselves. 20 God paid a very high price to make you his. So honor God with your body.

Footnotes

  1. 1 Corinthians 6:16 Quote from Gen. 2:24.
  2. 1 Corinthians 6:19 temple God’s house—the place where God’s people worship him. Here, it means that believers are the spiritual temple where God lives.

Does anyone of you having a dispute with an Ach b’Moshiach dare to be judged before the resha’im (unrighteous, evildoers) and not before the Bet Din of the Kadoshim?

Or do you not have da’as that the Kadoshim will sit in mishpat over the Olam Hazeh? And if the Olam Hazeh is to be judged by you, are you incompetent dayanim to try the smallest cases?

Do you lack da’as that the malachim will come before our Bet Din? Not to mention the things of Olam Hazeh!

If, then, you have cases concerning matters of the Olam Hazeh, how could you appoint as your Bet Din dayanim men who have no standing in the kehillah?

I speak to your bushah (shame). Is there not among you even one chacham (wise man) who will be able to sit in mishpat between his Achim b’Moshiach?

But an Ach b’Moshiach takes another Ach b’Moshiach to court, and this before the courtroom of Apikorosim (Unbelievers)?

Already, therefore, it is a total defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be cheated?

But you yourselves do wrong and practice hona’ah (cheating), and this to your Achim b’Moshiach.

Or do you not have da’as that the resha’im (unrighteous ones) will not inherit the Malchut Hashem? Do not be deceived! Neither zannayim (fornicators) nor ovdei elilim (idolaters) nor mena’afim (adulterers) nor effeminate call boys nor homosexuals [IYOV 13:9; VAYIKRA 18:20; DEVARIM 22:22; VAYIKRA 18:22]

10 Nor ganavim (thieves) nor kamtzanim (misers) nor shikkorim (drunkards) nor megadefim (revilers) nor the ones doing hona’ah (swindling)—none of these will inherit the Malchut Hashem.

11 And some of you were these things. But you were washed and made tehorim (clean), you were made to be Am Kadosh, you were made to be yitzdak im Hashem in the name of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach Yehoshua Adoneinu and in the Ruach Hakodesh of Eloheinu.

12 "All things to me are proper (10:23)!" But not all things are beneficial. "All things to me are proper!" But I will not be mastered by anything.

13 "Okhel (food) for the stomach and the stomach for okhel," but Hashem will destroy both one and the other (1:8; 3:13; 5:5); but the body is not for zenut but for Hashem, and Hashem for the body.

14 And Hashem brought about the Techiyah from HaMesim for Moshiach Adoneinu and will also bring about the Techiyas HaMesim for us through His gevurah (power).

15 Do you not have da’as that your gufot (bodies) are evarim (members, limbs) of Moshiach? Should I then take the evarim (members) of Moshiach and make them evarim (members) of a zonah (prostitute)? Chas v’Shalom! (G-d forbid!)

16 Or do you not have da’as that of the one joining himself to a zonah, that V’HAYU L’VASAR ECHAD ("And they will be as one flesh" BERESHIS 2:24)?

17 But the one with deveykus ("cleaving, attachment" DEVARIM 11:22) to Hashem has achdus (union) in the Ruach Hakodesh with Elohim.

18 Flee zenut (MISHLE 6:23-7:27)! Every chet is outside the body, but the one guilty of zenut commits chet against the body itself.

19 Or have you no da’as that your body is a Heikhal Hashem of the Ruach Hakodesh in you, whom you have from Hashem, and you are not your own?

20 For [the Geulah redemption of] you [from the Golus of Chet] was purchased with a price; therefore, bring kavod to Hashem with your gufot. [TEHILLIM 74:2]