1 Corinthians 6
AI Bible study · KJV · Grammatical-historical hermeneutics
Summary
Paul rebukes the Corinthian believers for taking legal disputes before secular, unbelieving courts and for engaging in sexual immorality, reminding them of their high calling as saints and their union with Christ. He centers his ethical instructions on the theological reality that the believer's body is not their own but belongs to God as a temple of the Holy Spirit.
- The scandal of brothers suing brothers before the unjust.
- The irony that those destined to judge the world and angels cannot resolve simple disputes.
- The sharp contrast between their past lives of unrighteousness and their present washing, sanctification, and justification in Christ.
- The warning against the abuse of liberty through sexual immorality.
- The theological grounding of ethics in the body's union with Christ as His members.
- The 'unjust' as the venue for litigation
- The future judgment of the world and angels
- The transformation of the past self ('such were some of you')
- The 'one flesh' union vs. 'one spirit' union
- The body as a temple of the Holy Spirit
This passage establishes the definitive Christian sexual ethic not by appealing to external legalism, but by grounding it in the ontological reality of the believer's union with Christ. It forces the church to recognize that all sin is personal and spiritual, especially when it involves the body.
Because believers have been bought by God and united to Christ, their bodies belong to the Lord and must be used for His glory rather than for self-seeking or sin.
Themes
The chapter moves from the social/community sphere of legal disputes to the individual sphere of sexual ethics, using the recurring phrase 'Know ye not' to correct their ignorance of their own identity in Christ.
The phrase 'Know ye not' (or variations of the Greek εἴδω [G1492] 'do you not know') acts as a recurring rhetorical hammer to expose the believers' inconsistency.
Paul contrasts the 'unrighteous' and 'unbelievers' with 'saints', and the 'one flesh' union with an harlot against the 'one spirit' union with the Lord.
The phrase 'And such were some of you' acts as the crucial hinge between their past state and their current identity in Christ.
Believers are defined by their future authority in the Kingdom, which should inform their present behavior and capacity for self-governance.
- Judgment of the world
- Judgment of angels
The Gospel has fundamentally altered the believer's standing, making their former patterns of unrighteousness incompatible with their new life.
- Washed
- Sanctified
- Justified
The body is not merely material to be used for pleasure, but a member of Christ and a temple of the Holy Spirit, demanding holiness.
- Members of Christ
- Temple of the Holy Ghost
- Bought with a price
Christian freedom is not a license for self-indulgence but is governed by what is beneficial and what maintains one's autonomy from fleshly power.
- All things are lawful
- Not be brought under the power of any
- God will raise up believers by His own power (1 Corinthians 6:14)
- Set the least esteemed in the church to judge life's disputes (1 Corinthians 6:4)
- Flee fornication (1 Corinthians 6:18)
- Glorify God in your body (1 Corinthians 6:20)
- The unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God (1 Corinthians 6:9-10)
- Do not be deceived (1 Corinthians 6:9)
- Do not be brought under the power of any (1 Corinthians 6:12)
Context
- Corinth was a bustling, litigious commercial center where Roman law was highly accessible, making lawsuits a common social weapon.
- Cultic prostitution was prevalent in the surrounding culture, which the believers were in danger of mimicking.
- The culture viewed the body as disposable or merely a vessel for appetite, a mindset Paul explicitly counters.
- Taking a 'brother' to court was a public sign of failure and a loss of witness to the watching 'unbeliever' world.
- The passage follows 1 Corinthians 5, which addressed sexual immorality within the church; this chapter expands the scope to legal disputes and the theology of the body.
- It is part of Paul's broader argument against the Corinthian 'wisdom' and their pride in their spiritual status.
- Paul alludes to Genesis 2:24 regarding the 'one flesh' union, applying the theology of marriage to the sin of fornication.
- The concept of the 'temple' anticipates later New Testament teaching on the church and the individual believer's relationship to the Spirit.
- Genesis 2:24 (quoted in v. 16 to explain the depth of union with a harlot vs. union with Christ).
- κρίνω (krínō) [G2919]: Paul uses the verb for 'judge' or 'try' to highlight that the Corinthians are ignoring their future authority to resolve present trifles.
- πρᾶγμα (prâgma) [G4229]: Often translated 'matter' or 'grievance', it signifies the 'deed' or 'affair' they are fighting over, which Paul views as minor.
- ἐκκλησία (ekklēsía) [G1577]: Paul reminds them they are the 'called out' assembly, making it shameful to outsource their governance to the 'unjust' (ἄδικος [G94]).
- Matthew Henry observes that 'lawsuits could not take place among brethren, unless there were faults among them,' emphasizing that a Christian should prioritize a 'forgiving temper' over the victory of a courtroom.
- The irony of the Corinthians' pride: they think themselves wise enough to litigate, but Paul labels them 'incompetent' (ἀνάξιος [G370]) to judge even 'trivial cases' (ἐλάχιστος [G1646]).
- The distinction between 'all things are lawful' and 'not expedient' serves as a framework for discerning conduct where scripture is not explicit.
- The exact nature of 'judging angels' (v. 3) is historically debated, with some viewing it as an eschatological event and others as a reference to a present spiritual reality, though the text leaves the mechanics undefined.
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