Introduction
† Paul confronts a serious problem among the believers in Corinth. Instead of resolving disputes among themselves with wisdom and maturity, they were taking each other before pagan courts. This showed a failure to understand the authority and identity believers had in Christ.
† The chapter also addresses moral purity, reminding believers that their bodies belong to the Lord and are not meant for immorality. Paul connects personal conduct directly to the reality that believers are the temple of God.
† Early Christians understood this passage as instruction for living faithfully during the transition period before the judgment that came upon Jerusalem in AD 70 (Hebrews 8:13).

1 Corinthians 6:1
When one of you has a dispute with another believer, how can you dare to take the matter before unbelieving judges instead of bringing it before God's people?
† Paul rebukes believers who were allowing pagan courts to judge matters that should have been settled within the church community (Matthew 18:15-17).
† The church was meant to function as a body guided by the wisdom of Christ, not dependent on worldly authorities to resolve spiritual matters.
† Clement of Alexandria noted that Christians were expected to demonstrate higher moral judgment than the surrounding culture.

1 Corinthians 6:2
Do you not realize that God's people will judge the world? If the world is to be judged by you, are you not capable of settling small disputes?
† Paul reminds them of their future authority in Christ. Believers were called to share in the judgment of the old covenant world that was passing away (Matthew 19:28).
† If they would participate in judging the world, surely they could resolve everyday conflicts among themselves.
† Irenaeus wrote that the saints would share in Christ's authority because they belong to His kingdom.

1 Corinthians 6:3
Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more matters that belong to this life?
† The statement highlights the elevated role believers have in God's plan.
† Angels here likely refers to fallen spiritual authorities connected to the old covenant system that was being judged (2 Peter 2:4).
† Eusebius explained that the authority of the saints was evidence of the new covenant order replacing the old.

1 Corinthians 6:4
So if you have disputes about everyday matters, why do you appoint those with no standing in the church to judge them?
† Paul exposes the inconsistency. Those outside the faith were being asked to settle matters among people who supposedly possessed the wisdom of God.
† The church was meant to model justice and righteousness before the world (John 13:35).

1 Corinthians 6:5
I say this to your shame. Is there not one wise person among you who can decide between believers?
† Paul appeals to the maturity that should exist within the church.
† The body of Christ should always contain people capable of wise discernment (James 1:5).

1 Corinthians 6:6
Instead, one believer goes to court against another believer, and this happens in front of unbelievers.
† Their behavior damaged the witness of the church.
† Public legal battles between believers displayed division rather than unity (John 17:21).

1 Corinthians 6:7
The very fact that you have lawsuits with one another means you have already been defeated. Why not rather accept being wronged? Why not allow yourselves to be cheated?
† Paul calls them to a higher standard, choosing humility instead of demanding personal rights.
† Jesus taught the same principle when He told His followers to turn the other cheek (Matthew 5:39).

1 Corinthians 6:8
Instead, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do this to fellow believers.
† The problem was not just lawsuits but the sinful behavior behind them.
† Paul exposes the hypocrisy of harming the very people who were part of the same spiritual family (Romans 12:10).

1 Corinthians 6:9
Do you not know that those who practice wrongdoing will not inherit God's kingdom? Do not deceive yourselves. Those who live in sexual immorality, worship idols, commit adultery, practice homosexuality,
† Paul lists behaviors that characterized the old corrupt world system.
† The kingdom of God required a transformed life (Galatians 5:19-21).
† Early Christian writers consistently warned believers not to return to the moral corruption of pagan society.

1 Corinthians 6:10
thieves, greedy people, drunkards, slanderers, and swindlers will not inherit God's kingdom.
† These behaviors reveal hearts that remain unchanged.
† The new covenant community was expected to live differently from the surrounding culture (Ephesians 4:22-24).

1 Corinthians 6:11
And this is what some of you once were. But you were washed, you were set apart, you were made right with God in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
† Paul reminds them that their identity had changed. They were no longer defined by their past sins.
† Conversion meant cleansing and restoration into God's covenant people (Titus 3:5).

1 Corinthians 6:12
You say everything is permitted for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything may be permitted, but I will not allow anything to control me.
† Christian freedom was never meant to become an excuse for sinful behavior.
† True freedom means living under the authority of Christ rather than under the control of desires (Romans 6:12).

1 Corinthians 6:13
Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will destroy both of them. The body is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
† Some Corinthians treated sexual behavior like appetite, something morally neutral.
† Paul rejects that idea and teaches that the body has a sacred purpose connected to the Lord.

1 Corinthians 6:14
God raised the Lord from the dead, and He will also raise us by His power.
† The resurrection power of God confirmed the future hope of believers (1 Corinthians 15:44).
† This resurrection life was tied to the transformation of the covenant people.

1 Corinthians 6:15
Do you not realize that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take what belongs to Christ and join it to a prostitute? Absolutely not.
† Paul stresses the spiritual union believers have with Christ.
† Sexual immorality contradicts that sacred relationship.

1 Corinthians 6:16
Do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it says the two will become one flesh.
† Paul quotes the creation principle of unity in Genesis 2:24.
† Sexual relationships were designed to reflect covenant union.

1 Corinthians 6:17
But the one who joins himself to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him.
† This describes the deep spiritual connection believers have with Christ.
† That union shapes how believers live and conduct themselves.

1 Corinthians 6:18
Run away from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
† Paul urges believers to flee immorality rather than flirt with it (2 Timothy 2:22).
† Sexual sin damages both the body and the spiritual life.

1 Corinthians 6:19
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you received from God? You do not belong to yourselves.
† The imagery of the temple reflects the new covenant reality where God's presence dwells among His people (Ephesians 2:19-22).
† Believers collectively form the dwelling place of God.

1 Corinthians 6:20
You were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body.
† The price refers to Christ's sacrifice which redeemed believers from the old covenant world (Acts 20:28).
† Because they belong to Christ, their lives should reflect His holiness.

Historical References
† Josephus described the moral corruption and internal conflict among Jews and factions leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70, which mirrors the warnings Paul gives about judgment and conduct.
† Irenaeus wrote that believers must live in holiness because they belong to Christ's kingdom and share in His authority.
† Clement of Alexandria taught that Christian conduct must reflect the holiness of the God who dwells within His people.
† Eusebius recorded how the early church understood these teachings as preparation for the great transition that occurred in the first century.

How it applies to us today
† Believers today should resolve conflicts with wisdom, humility, and love rather than hostility and division.
† Our lives should reflect the reality that we belong to Christ and not to the world.
† The church should demonstrate moral integrity in a culture that often rejects God's standards.
† Remembering that we are the temple of God should shape every decision we make.

Q&A Appendix
Q: Why did Paul rebuke believers for going to court?
A: Because the church was meant to resolve its own disputes with wisdom and unity (Matthew 18:15-17).
Q: What does it mean that believers will judge the world?
A: It refers to the authority Christ gives His people in His kingdom (Matthew 19:28).
Q: Why is sexual immorality treated so seriously?
A: Because believers' bodies belong to Christ and are the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).
Q: What does it mean that believers were washed and sanctified?
A: It means they were cleansed and set apart through Christ (Titus 3:5).
Q: Why does Paul say believers were bought with a price?
A: Because Christ's sacrifice redeemed them and made them His own (Acts 20:28).

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †
© Fulfilled Prophecies - Dan Maines.

Source Index
† 1 Corinthians 6
† Josephus, Wars of the Jews
† Irenaeus, Against Heresies
† Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History
† Clement of Alexandria, Stromata