CONTROVERSY

          It’s a great day to share more Daily Bread together. Welcome back to our study of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians. Last time we shared the Word, we talked about immorality. So what happens when you’re the victim of someone else’s immorality?

          Well, ordinarily, people take the accused party to court. That, of course is when worldly matters are concerned. But what about when you’re offended by a fellow Christian? Let’s go back to our letter from Paul and find out how Christians should settle controversy.

If any of you has a dispute with another,

do you dare go to court before the unjust (unbelievers)

and not before the saints (believers)?

Don’t you know that the saints will judge the world?

Psalms 49:14, Daniel 7:22, Revelation 2:26

And if the world will be judged by you,

are you unworthy of judging the smallest matters?

          How can that be? Did you forget that satan is an angel? Have you ever heard of the fallen angels? You can do some interesting research on the fallen angels in The Book of Enoch. Now, Paul goes on:

Doesn’t it make even more sense then,

that we should judge things that pertain to this life?

If then you have judgments

(hearings, testimonies, conflicts)

of things pertaining to this life,

let those who are least esteemed in the church judge them.

          Why would you want to do that? A number of reasons:

          Paul, still befuddled about the whole idea of brethren taking one another to man’s court to judge one another writes:

I speak to your shame.

(I’m ashamed of you, You should be ashamed, This is a shame, What a shame, Shame on you, Shame shame shame)

Can it be that there isn’t a single wise man among all of you?

Isn’t there even one who is capable of judging between his brethren?

But brother goes to court against brother,

and before the unbelievers no less.

Now for that reason there is absolutely a fault among you,

because you go to law with one another.

          Here comes a doozey! But first I thought I’d better give you some gentle reminders so you won’t think that I’m bordering on ridiculous here. First of all, nobody ever said that being a Christian was easy. Not even Jesus. Easy, no; rewarding, yes!

           Reminder #1. Let’s go back to the Beattitudes for a moment. Matthew 5:11-12 is where Jesus said, Blessed are you when men shall revile you and persecute you and say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake: Rejoice and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven. Notice He didn’t say anything about getting justice in this life when those things happen.

          Reminder #2. Now let’s skip over to when the Apostles were preaching about Jesus in Jerusalem. Acts 5:40-41 says, And when they had called the Apostles, and beaten them, they commanded that they shouldn’t speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go. And the Apostles left the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for His name.

          You probably noticed that both of those reminders involved attacks against your Christianity, but stick with me here.

          Reminder #3. Next we’re going all the way back to Proverbs 20:22, where the wisest man to ever live, king Solomon, wrote: Don’t say, I will recompense (repay) evil, but wait on the Lord, and He shall save you.

         Alright, now you’re reminded that meek doesn’t mean weak. And your first gut reaction to Paul’s next sentence will no longer be that vengeance is necessary for survival in life. Ready? Let’s continue. Paul says:

Why do you not rather take wrong (Leave it be and not retaliate)?

Why wouldn’t you rather allow yourselves to be defrauded (cheated)?

No, you do wrong and cheat,

and you do it to your own brethren!

Don’t you know that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?

          Do you detect a little shaking of Paul’s head with a little tsk tsk tsk tsk tsk as he was writing this?

           Ask yourself: Is vengeance more important than your inheritance of God’s Promise? Is it so important to you for nobody to think you’re a fool if you don’t get back at someone for some injustice that they committed against you? Do you not believe that vengeance belongs to the Lord?

Don’t be deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,

nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, nor thieves,

nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,

shall inherit the kingdom of God.

And some of you were guilty of these things at one time,

but you are washed, but you are sanctified,

but you are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus,

and by the Spirit of our God.

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not advantageous.

All things are lawful for me,

but I will not be brought under the power of any.

Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats:

but God shall destroy both it and them.

Now Paul adds more about the fornication issue that he spoke of in the last chapter.

Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord;

and the Lord for the body.

And God has both raised up the Lord,

and will also raise up us by His own power.

Don’t you know that your bodies are the members of Christ?

Shall I then take the members of Christ,

and make them the members of an harlot?

God forbid. What? Didn’t you know

that he which is joined to an harlot is one body?

For two, God said, shall be one flesh.

Genesis 2:24

But he that is joined to the Lord is one spirit.

Flee (avoid) fornication.

Every sin that a man does is outside the body;

but he that commits fornication sins against his own body.

What? Didn’t you know that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost

which is in you, which you have of God,

and you are not your own?

You are bought with a price:

therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

That’s a great thing to remember when we’re making our choices in our lives . . . we’re not our own. You’ve been bought with the price of Jesus’ life, so know that you owe Him yours, and live accordingly.

More great lessons ahead in this very informative letter from Paul, so don’t miss it, right here in our next Daily Bread.