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1 Corinthians
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As we continue in our series through 1 Corinthians, we come to chapters 5 through 7, where Paul turns his attention to issues of sex and sexuality — some have even called this section "sex in the city." Corinth, much like many modern cities, was a place obsessed with sex, and the church there was in a mess. Last week we heard about incest that wasn't being dealt with properly; today we see believers suing one another and other forms of wrongdoing running rampant in the church.
Throughout this letter, and particularly in this section, Paul is trying to reorient the Corinthians back to what is true — back to Christ. This is something we constantly need too. Living in the city we do, in the age we do, with all the noise we take in, we need reorienting back to Christ again and again.
"When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life? So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. 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. 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. 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 men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God. 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."
The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ — in fact, much of Paul's discourse in this letter and throughout the New Testament — is this: you come as you are, but you do not stay as you are.
That was the message of Jesus. He welcomed all — tax collectors, sinners, adulterers, prostitutes. Zacchaeus up a tree, the woman at the well. The religious leaders around him would ask, "What are you doing?" But Jesus welcomed all.
Not long ago, someone asked, "Am I welcome at King's?" They had heard a sermon preached that conflicted with the way they were living, and so they wondered if they were still welcome. The answer is: of course you're welcome. That's what Jesus taught. That's our mantra: come as you are. Bring your mess, your lifestyle, your sin, your pain, your questions, your confusion, your sinful practices. Whatever your background, whatever your belief, whatever your fault — come as you are. This church, like the church in Corinth, is made up of people from every kind of background who were once rebelling against God.
But you must not be deceived — if you are going to surrender your life to God, if you're going to follow Jesus, the language of Scripture is to lay down your life and pick up your cross. If you're going to call yourself a Christian, then you do not stay as you are. The way you operated out there is different to the way you operate in here. It is a different thing entirely.
When I was at university, I'd get chatting with people, and eventually mention I was a Christian. They'd often say, "Oh, I didn't realise — you seem so normal." I used to take that as a compliment, thinking I'd "passed the normal test."
Now, as I've gotten older, if someone said that to me, I'd be grieved. I'd think — what have I done wrong? Because we are not called to blend in. We're called to stand out, to go against the tide, for good reasons — to be recognisably different, living by a different standard, singing off a different hymn sheet.
Here's a picture that might help. In day-to-day life, you go about your business — on the tube, on a building site, picking up the kids — and you accumulate dirt, dust, and grime on your hands and clothes. No one minds. That's just normal life.
But if you tried to walk into an operating theatre in that state, in the middle of serious surgery, everything changes. You have to scrub up, sterilise your hands, roll up your sleeves, put on a gown and a mask, tie your hair back. Why? Not because the surgeons are being difficult or think they're better than everyone else, but because what's happening in there is precious. Even a small bit of dirt or grime could start an infection that spreads — much like Paul's image elsewhere of a little yeast working through the whole batch of dough.```
The standards on one side of those doors are different to the standards on the other side — and that's because the standard exists because of the purpose of the place.
Paul is clear: we shouldn't be shocked when the world acts like the world. In chapter 5 he essentially says that if you tried to avoid all immoral people, you'd have to avoid people altogether. Outside the church, people operate by a different standard — and that's simply how it is.
So should we cut off friends, family members, or colleagues who live differently from us? No — that's not what Paul is saying at all. Those outside operate by a different standard. But when it comes in-house, it's an entirely different issue, because the church is different. The church is God's temple, His holy dwelling place, precious to Him. Just as you wouldn't dare walk into an operating theatre living as you did outside, so too you don't carry on as before once you belong to God's holy, precious church. You belong to something different now.
So by all means, come as you are — you are welcome, whatever your background. But don't be prepared to stay as you are. If you're going to follow Christ, if you're going to honour God, something must change. This applies to the issue of incest we saw last week, and it applies to the issues in our text today — how we handle disputes, and how we handle deception.
The issue in Corinth (verse 1) is that believers had grievances against one another and were taking each other to court before unbelievers rather than resolving things among the saints. Lawsuits can be divisive and painful; they can breed distrust and disrupt harmony, causing devastating damage. Paul's message is clear: don't bring that into the church.
It helps to understand the Greco-Roman legal system of the time — a very exploitative system where those with money and influence could use the courts to grind down people with less power. There are echoes of this today: people who can't afford legal fees while the wealthy retain the best solicitors and legal teams. It was far worse then, and Paul is aware of how believers could be exploited by such a system.
Paul reminds the Corinthians of who they are becoming. In verses 2-3 he asks:
"Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?... Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life?"
This echoes Paul's words in 2 Timothy 2:12 — "If we have died with him, we will also live with him; if we endure, we will also reign with him" — and Revelation 22:5, which speaks of believers reigning forever with the Lord. If believers are going to reign with Christ, judging the world and even angels, surely they can resolve trivial, small disputes among themselves now.
In verse 6, Paul says literally, "brother going against brother before unbelievers" — in other words, stop airing your dirty laundry. Why take your mess outside and put it on display before a watching world?
Importantly, Paul is not saying we should sweep conflict under the carpet — that's exactly what he rebuked the church for doing with the incest case in chapter 5. Sin and conflict must be dealt with seriously. So reading chapters 5 and 6 together, we see two priorities held in tension:
Paul presses this further, saying that to have lawsuits with one another at all is already a defeat — a sign that something has gone wrong among God's people that needs addressing in a manner worthy of who we are becoming in Christ.
When we suffer wrong, we face a choice: pursue personal vindication or care more for our brothers and sisters in the Lord. Paul is exposing a heart issue here. Some of us care more about winning than about unity in the body of Christ.
We have to ask ourselves hard questions. Wouldn't you rather suffer as a wrongdoer than cause division and strife among God's people? Sometimes the answer is: I'll wear it.
Before moving further, it's essential to be crystal clear: this text is in no way advocating that criminal behaviour be handled in-house by the church. This is not a justification for covering up abuse, fraud, or criminal activity by leaders. When serious allegations are made, they must go through the appropriate legal channels — this is non-negotiable, especially given the scandals we've seen in church leadership in recent days.
A better example of what Paul has in mind: two believers in a financial dispute — say, over unpaid rent between housemates in the church. Rather than immediately taking each other to court, that's the kind of dispute that can be brought to the church for mediation, seeking a path to unity. But sexual abuse or other criminal activity? We don't sort that in-house — we take it straight to the police.
This passage has sadly been used harmfully to suppress wrongdoing in the church. Paul would grieve to know that. His heart in this chapter is: deal with it in the right way, to honour the Lord and protect His bride.
Having addressed disputes, Paul moves to a second issue: deception. He writes:
"Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived."
There are two ways sin deceives us.
The nature of sin is that it convinces us it isn't that serious — it's not that big a deal. This is exactly the devil's tactic, and Paul pleads with the Corinthians: don't dilute or water down the severity of sin.
Paul lists ten things — two sets of five. The first five concern sexual sin; the next five concern non-sexual sin. He then repeats, emphatically, that those who persist in these things "will not inherit the kingdom."
The first list — sexual sins:
"Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality..."
This list isn't exhaustive — it reflects specific issues present in Corinth, much as they are present in our own city today. Our culture often tells us, "It's fine, times have changed, there are no real consequences." But sin does matter, and it can be devastating.
There is a lot of confusion on this subject, particularly around homosexuality. Some suggest this is a controversial teaching, but in Paul's mind — and throughout Scripture, including the Ten Commandments — this was not controversial at all. It would have surprised no one in the Corinthian church, nor anyone who knows their Bible, that these things are listed as sin. We are living in days, even within the church, where this teaching is being watered down. But the Bible is not unclear. Even same-sex attraction itself is disordered — not a natural, God-given desire. Paul makes this same point in Romans: > "For this reason God gave them up to dishonourable passions... the men likewise gave up natural relations with women and were consumed with passion for one another, men committing shameless acts with men and receiving in themselves the due penalty for their error." (Romans 1:26–27) This is not natural desire; it reflects humanity being given over to unnatural desire — just as adultery and fornication are also sin. Some might say, "Joe, times are moving on, you've got to get with the times." My answer: I'm not trying to get with the times — I'm trying to get with 1 Corinthians 6. We honour the Scriptures. And let me be clear: this is not preached in shame. Whatever sin you're caught up in, you can overcome it by the blood of Jesus Christ.
The second area of deception is thinking that other people's sins are worse than our own. This especially happens with homosexuality, which culture has singled out as uniquely sinful. But Paul doesn't rank sins — heterosexual and homosexual sin outside of marriage are both condemned equally. No sin is seen as more heinous than another.
This is why Paul immediately follows the first list with a second:
"Nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God."
People often ask, "Joe, is a gay person welcome at King's?" But no one ever asks, "Is the greedy person welcome? What about thieves? What about those who are sleeping around?" They should ask that question too — because the answer is the same: all are welcome. There is no tier system ranking sin. We must not be deceived by what the culture says, or even by voices within the church that suggest otherwise.
Having listed these sins, Paul turns the Corinthians back to their own story — and to Christ. This is the heart of the passage: you come as you are, but you don't stay as you are.
"And such were some of you."
Even naming the most grievous sins he can think of, Paul cannot help but turn immediately to the grace of God. This list describes what many of them were before Christ changed their lives — sexually immoral, idolatrous, greedy, thieves, slanderers, drunks, practicing homosexuality. That was the behaviour of your past.
But the healing power of the gospel has changed that. You no longer need to operate that way. You handle disputes differently now. You are no longer deceived by sin in the same way. And you can remind yourself: you have been delivered.
"But you were washed, you were sanctified, and you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God."
This is the beautiful Trinitarian work of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit renewing and changing us so that we are no longer who we once were. This truth gives us the motivation, desire, and power to repent of sinful behaviour, to leave it behind, and to inherit the kingdom of God. We are called to bring our lifestyle into line with who Christ has declared us to be — washed, sanctified, justified — and to walk in step with that new identity.
Lord, I thank You for the saving work of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I pray that we as a church continue to be reminded of it, strengthened by it, and transformed by it. May we never be the same as we honour Your name. May we continue to live out this calling, this holy priesthood. May we inherit Your kingdom. Help us by Your Holy Spirit. We pray in Jesus' name. Amen.
