First Corinthians 6: The People's Court? (Briefly)

The New American Standard Bible

First Corinthians 6: 1-8

Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints? 2 Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? If the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters of this life? 4 So if you have law courts dealing with matters of this life, do you appoint them as judges who are of no account in the church? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not among you one wise man who will be able to decide between his brethren, 6 but brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers? 7 Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? 8 On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren.
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My mentor at Columbia Bible College ('Uncle Gerry', that has a theory) quoted this section of First Corinthians 6 to me, during my time as an undergraduate.

The theology being, that when one is wronged by another Christian within the Church, it is the moral and ethical act/action to at least, on one's part, settle the issue within the Church, and not within the civil/secular courts.

Better to suffer loss, than not do so, and defraud the Church and the Gospel, is what the Scripture implies and what my mentor taught.

Courson opines that the Corinthians, and by implication, the Universal Church, was to judge themselves. Courson (2005: 1037). There was also an aspect here of suffering loss for the sake of the gospel. Courson connects it to what Jesus Christ stated in regard to turning the other cheek in Mathew 5.

Fee explains here that for the author, the Apostle Paul, theology was not just an abstraction, but the application of the Gospel in this realm, this world. Fee (1987: 248). In other words, applying the Gospel for disciples, is to apply Gospel morality, ethics and theology to disputes as opposed to seeking, as alternative, civil law and secular law.

This is in the context of disputes. I am not implying here that I theologically, favour a form of Christian theocracy (rule) or theonomy (law) in this realm...

I absolutely do not.

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4 βιωτικὰ μὲν οὖν κριτήρια

In this life indeed therefore a law court... 

Overall, I find his work fantastically helpful, but Greek scholar Bauer, is not what I would consider, crystal clear on this section on his conclusion, perhaps this is the correct approach. Bauer (1979: 453). It could be that the Apostle considers those he is writing to as acting incompetent to judge as even with the most insignificant courts (Bauer (1979: 453); or that the these men at Corinth have preferred insignificant non-Church, secular, judges. Bauer (1979: 453).

It seems to me that both senses fit here. The moral/ethical failure of the men in the Church at Corinth, led to the shameful use of civil/secular, judges/courts.

BAUER, W. (1979) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Translated by Eric H. Wahlstrom, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press.

COURSON, JON (2005) Application Commentary, Thomas Nelson, Nashville.

FEE, GORDON (1987) The First Epistle to the Corinthians, Grand Rapids, William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company.

MARSHALL, ALFRED (1975)(1996) The Interlinear KJV-NIV, Grand Rapids, Zondervan.