1Cor 6:9-10 | KingComments | STEP | . Actually, it was a bad thing that there was no one at Corinth, who could judge in an insignificant dispute. Had there been someone, then the conflict would have been resolved. Unfortunately, there was not such a person and because both brothers who were in conflict, wanted their right, they seek that by consulting an unbelieving judge. What a mess! Still there was another way for the brothers to resolve their conflict and that was if one of them would be willing to be the least. In fact, it is very foolish that believers quarrel about miscellaneous silly things. Why is it that we do not rather want to suffer injustice? We should be willing to allow the other to enjoy his benefits. We should wish him luck! To be able to do that, you should conquer yourself first, for it is hard to respond like that. We are all eager to have the things we think to be entitled to. It is not our nature to be willing to be the least. However, we have a great example in the Lord Jesus. He never demanded His rights, but endured injustice and let Himself be wronged. He knew that it was not the time to claim His own rights. And He knew exactly what His rights were. Yet He waited – and He is still waiting – on the time of His Father. It is really true: every injustice you suffer here voluntarily will be compensated by the Father at His time. . If you can work up the courage to suffer injustice or to rather be defrauded, you will also be kept from defrauding another person. Paul had to blame the Corinthians that they themselves were wronging and defrauding others and even their brothers. This is how we believers are by nature. Our sense of righteousness can be strong if our own interest is at stake. We then, so-called, fight for our rights, which we after all have, while in fact we are wronging our brother or are defrauding him. . Paul takes it seriously. When you are doing wrong it means that you are like the unrighteous. And an unrighteous person cannot enter the kingdom of God, just as little as fornicators can and all other doers of awful sins, which Paul summarizes in . That’s quite something Paul is saying here. He ranks a person, who wrongs his brother, with the doers of those awful sins. He empowers his words by saying: “Do not be deceived!” It is about inheriting the kingdom of God. In that kingdom there is no room for any sinner. Only people who have broken with their sinful past and now want to live for God, belong there. In case you drop back in old sins, you should immediately confess it and break with it again. . It is necessary for you to be reminded occasionally of what you were in the past. At the same time you are also reminded of everything that happened to you, namely, you are: 1. “washed”, 2. “sanctified” and 3. “justified”. First: Your sins are washed away through the blood of the Lord Jesus. All that was wrong has disappeared. Second: You are sanctified , which means that God has separated you for Himself to live for Him. You had to be washed, for when you were living in sin, God couldn’t use you. But there is yet one more thing. You are, third, also justified . God not only separated you from the world to live for Him, but He also connected you to Himself. You may and can be very close to Him. You understand that these wonderful things didn’t happen because you are so great. God could do that “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God”. Only because of Who the Lord Jesus is to God and because of the work He has accomplished, could God deal with us like that. And the Spirit of God, Who dwells in you, assures you that God has dealt with you like that. . The connection between and is as follows. In you see that God has delivered you from the chains of sin in which you were imprisoned. When you were not yet washed etcetera, you were not free. You might have thought you were, but now you can see that you were a slave of sin then. You were living under obligations that you imposed on yourself or that others imposed on you. That belongs to the past now. You can do everything now. That’s what is said, even twice: “All things are lawful for me.” That is true. Only, both times something is added. That is not to limit your freedom, but to practice it properly. The first addition is: “But not all things are profitable.” Just examine yourself if it’s helpful if you want to do something that is in fact not sinful or wrong in itself. When I think of our children or of other young people, it is possible that because of something I do, I give a bad example to them, even though it is something that’s not wrong for me. Pay attention that Paul is speaking in the ‘I’ form here. It’s about how you and I practice Christian freedom in our daily life. The second addition is: “I will not be mastered by anything.” If you don’t practice this freedom properly, you will fall back under a law. You will notice that things that are quite helpful, will take control over you. Could I really do something without becoming addicted to it? For when I become addicted to something, I am not in control anymore, but I am controlled. . Here Paul speaks about food. Many people let their stomach lead them. Food, delicious and much, is very important to many people. Food is something that is lawful. God supplies us with food to nurture our body. You may enjoy your food with thanksgiving to God ( ). But here the application is also: how do you practice it and how important is it in your life? With Isaac and Esau for example, their ‘appetite for something delicious’ did not turn out well. They didn’t deal with food properly. Esau sold his birthright for one plate of lentil stew ( ). Of Isaac you read that “he had a taste for game”. Because of his love for savory food, he decided to, against the will of God, grant Esau the blessing of the firstborn ( ). Here you have some examples of people who couldn’t say: ‘I will not be mastered by anything.’ They had no self-control anymore and they did things they later regretted. Food is for the stomach and the stomach for the food, but God will do away with both of them. That hasn’t got anything to do with the annihilation of man. Everyone will always exist, whether in heaven or in hell. The issue here is that in heaven food and stomach will be of no use anymore. . The Corinthians draw the wrong conclusion that it wouldn’t be important to take care of the body. It seems they use their body for immorality. In the world around us, everything is about sex. What Paul is saying here to the Corinthians, is also topical for us. Because of the influence of Christendom, matters like fornication were clearly considered as something bad. But the influence thereof is now disappearing at a very fast pace in the West. With a lot of young people and also among older people, sexuality has been degraded to a consumption product. In our Western world, the truth of God, also regarding marriage and sexuality, has been generally jettisoned. We are dealing with a generation that doesn’t know anything at all about what the Bible says about marriage and sexuality. Their thoughts and talk about it and what they’ve often already done with it in practice, prove that as to these things they have often completely gotten off track. It is necessary that young people (and of course also older people) who are converted and have become believers in the Lord Jesus, are taught from the Bible about the functioning of their body. The Corinthians hadn’t been converted for very long. Some of them had been living in all kinds of awful sexual immoralities ( ). They lived in the midst of their compatriots, who were and still are in the habit of living like that. Therefore they were in danger of losing the awareness of the impact of certain sins. This applies to us as well. The world around you is living its own dissolute life. Values and standards are fading. If you don’t watch out, you may slowly be dragged along and you will also gradually lose the right view of matters. The only way to continually have a right view of good and evil is by listening to God’s Word. Then you will have the right view of God’s purpose with your body. You cannot do whatever you want with your body. Regarding food and drink, you may gratefully receive it to nurture your body. And you may certainly enjoy it. But your body is not for sexual immorality (or fornication)! By sexual immorality is not meant prostitution in the first place. Sexual immorality is a collective term for all unlawful sex, thus for sexuality outside marriage. Your body and the Lord belong together. Your body is for the Lord and the Lord takes care for your body. That’s why you should never enter into a relationship with your body with someone whom the Lord has not purposed for you, that means your own wife with whom you are legally bound by marriage. Now read 1 Corinthians 6:7-13 again. Reflection: Do you sometimes explore, when doing things, if they are useful? Just also explore which things you are mastered by.

‏ 1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Be Wronged – All Things Are Lawful

1Cor 6:7. Actually, it was a bad thing that there was no one at Corinth, who could judge in an insignificant dispute. Had there been someone, then the conflict would have been resolved. Unfortunately, there was not such a person and because both brothers who were in conflict, wanted their right, they seek that by consulting an unbelieving judge. What a mess! Still there was another way for the brothers to resolve their conflict and that was if one of them would be willing to be the least. In fact, it is very foolish that believers quarrel about miscellaneous silly things. Why is it that we do not rather want to suffer injustice? We should be willing to allow the other to enjoy his benefits. We should wish him luck!

To be able to do that, you should conquer yourself first, for it is hard to respond like that. We are all eager to have the things we think to be entitled to. It is not our nature to be willing to be the least. However, we have a great example in the Lord Jesus. He never demanded His rights, but endured injustice and let Himself be wronged. He knew that it was not the time to claim His own rights. And He knew exactly what His rights were. Yet He waited – and He is still waiting – on the time of His Father. It is really true: every injustice you suffer here voluntarily will be compensated by the Father at His time.

1Cor 6:8. If you can work up the courage to suffer injustice or to rather be defrauded, you will also be kept from defrauding another person. Paul had to blame the Corinthians that they themselves were wronging and defrauding others and even their brothers. This is how we believers are by nature. Our sense of righteousness can be strong if our own interest is at stake. We then, so-called, fight for our rights, which we after all have, while in fact we are wronging our brother or are defrauding him.

1Cor 6:9-10. Paul takes it seriously. When you are doing wrong it means that you are like the unrighteous. And an unrighteous person cannot enter the kingdom of God, just as little as fornicators can and all other doers of awful sins, which Paul summarizes in 1Cor 6:10. That’s quite something Paul is saying here. He ranks a person, who wrongs his brother, with the doers of those awful sins. He empowers his words by saying: “Do not be deceived!”

It is about inheriting the kingdom of God. In that kingdom there is no room for any sinner. Only people who have broken with their sinful past and now want to live for God, belong there. In case you drop back in old sins, you should immediately confess it and break with it again.

1Cor 6:11. It is necessary for you to be reminded occasionally of what you were in the past. At the same time you are also reminded of everything that happened to you, namely, you are:

1. “washed”,

2. “sanctified” and

3. “justified”.

First: Your sins are washed away through the blood of the Lord Jesus. All that was wrong has disappeared.

Second: You are sanctified, which means that God has separated you for Himself to live for Him. You had to be washed, for when you were living in sin, God couldn’t use you.

But there is yet one more thing. You are, third, also justified. God not only separated you from the world to live for Him, but He also connected you to Himself. You may and can be very close to Him.

You understand that these wonderful things didn’t happen because you are so great. God could do that “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God”. Only because of Who the Lord Jesus is to God and because of the work He has accomplished, could God deal with us like that. And the Spirit of God, Who dwells in you, assures you that God has dealt with you like that.

1Cor 6:12. The connection between 1Cor 6:11 and 1Cor 6:12 is as follows. In 1Cor 6:11 you see that God has delivered you from the chains of sin in which you were imprisoned. When you were not yet washed etcetera, you were not free. You might have thought you were, but now you can see that you were a slave of sin then. You were living under obligations that you imposed on yourself or that others imposed on you.

That belongs to the past now. You can do everything now. That’s what is said, even twice: “All things are lawful for me.” That is true. Only, both times something is added. That is not to limit your freedom, but to practice it properly. The first addition is: “But not all things are profitable.” Just examine yourself if it’s helpful if you want to do something that is in fact not sinful or wrong in itself. When I think of our children or of other young people, it is possible that because of something I do, I give a bad example to them, even though it is something that’s not wrong for me. Pay attention that Paul is speaking in the ‘I’ form here. It’s about how you and I practice Christian freedom in our daily life.

The second addition is: “I will not be mastered by anything.” If you don’t practice this freedom properly, you will fall back under a law. You will notice that things that are quite helpful, will take control over you. Could I really do something without becoming addicted to it? For when I become addicted to something, I am not in control anymore, but I am controlled.

1Cor 6:13a. Here Paul speaks about food. Many people let their stomach lead them. Food, delicious and much, is very important to many people. Food is something that is lawful. God supplies us with food to nurture our body. You may enjoy your food with thanksgiving to God (1Tim 4:3). But here the application is also: how do you practice it and how important is it in your life?

With Isaac and Esau for example, their ‘appetite for something delicious’ did not turn out well. They didn’t deal with food properly. Esau sold his birthright for one plate of lentil stew (Gen 25:29-34). Of Isaac you read that “he had a taste for game”. Because of his love for savory food, he decided to, against the will of God, grant Esau the blessing of the firstborn (Gen 25:28 ; Gen 27:3-4). Here you have some examples of people who couldn’t say: ‘I will not be mastered by anything.’ They had no self-control anymore and they did things they later regretted.

Food is for the stomach and the stomach for the food, but God will do away with both of them. That hasn’t got anything to do with the annihilation of man. Everyone will always exist, whether in heaven or in hell. The issue here is that in heaven food and stomach will be of no use anymore.

1Cor 6:13b. The Corinthians draw the wrong conclusion that it wouldn’t be important to take care of the body. It seems they use their body for immorality. In the world around us, everything is about sex. What Paul is saying here to the Corinthians, is also topical for us. Because of the influence of Christendom, matters like fornication were clearly considered as something bad. But the influence thereof is now disappearing at a very fast pace in the West. With a lot of young people and also among older people, sexuality has been degraded to a consumption product. In our Western world, the truth of God, also regarding marriage and sexuality, has been generally jettisoned.

We are dealing with a generation that doesn’t know anything at all about what the Bible says about marriage and sexuality. Their thoughts and talk about it and what they’ve often already done with it in practice, prove that as to these things they have often completely gotten off track. It is necessary that young people (and of course also older people) who are converted and have become believers in the Lord Jesus, are taught from the Bible about the functioning of their body.

The Corinthians hadn’t been converted for very long. Some of them had been living in all kinds of awful sexual immoralities (1Cor 6:9-11). They lived in the midst of their compatriots, who were and still are in the habit of living like that. Therefore they were in danger of losing the awareness of the impact of certain sins. This applies to us as well. The world around you is living its own dissolute life. Values and standards are fading. If you don’t watch out, you may slowly be dragged along and you will also gradually lose the right view of matters. The only way to continually have a right view of good and evil is by listening to God’s Word. Then you will have the right view of God’s purpose with your body.

You cannot do whatever you want with your body. Regarding food and drink, you may gratefully receive it to nurture your body. And you may certainly enjoy it. But your body is not for sexual immorality (or fornication)! By sexual immorality is not meant prostitution in the first place. Sexual immorality is a collective term for all unlawful sex, thus for sexuality outside marriage.

Your body and the Lord belong together. Your body is for the Lord and the Lord takes care for your body. That’s why you should never enter into a relationship with your body with someone whom the Lord has not purposed for you, that means your own wife with whom you are legally bound by marriage.

Now read 1 Corinthians 6:7-13 again.

Reflection: Do you sometimes explore, when doing things, if they are useful? Just also explore which things you are mastered by.