At the beginning of this chapter, Paul expresses disapproval of Christians who take civil (not criminal) disputes to the state to resolve, instead of being mature enough in their faith to resolve it themselves, with help from the Christian community if necessary.
Paul states that at some point in the future (we can assume after the return of Christ to earth), those who are truly Christians will take part in evaluating the universe(and possibly all of its inhabitants). The Greek word for "world" here is "Kosmos", which refers to all physical reality and not only the planet earth. Christians will in some way serve as a jury, hand-picked by God.
With this in mind, Paul calls the Corinthians to a higher standard of conflict resolution(v. 2). Christians will even evaluate angels at some point in the future. (This passage doesn't indicate if this will be only fallen angels, or if Christians will in some way evaluate all angelic life.) So we should learn to evaluate simpler matters of our own relational interaction with other Christians.
Paul's words in verse 5 and 6 indicate that the Corinthians are shamed(even of they don't feel it) by taking their civil disputes to the state, for three reasons:
1. It demonstrates their inability to resolve conflict in light of their future role in the universe.
2. It demonstrates their inability to resolve conflict any better than non-Christians, who don't even evaluate matters based on the standards of God, as Christians are meant to.
3. Their inability to resolve conflict well is put on display before non-Christians and presents a poor view of what it means to be a Christian.
He would rather they suffer wrong-doing from each other than go to a public court. (v.7) Instead, they take part in an endless cycle of hurting each other by their behavior.
Paul makes a very clear distinction between their behavior and the behavior that should be displayed by true Christians. In verse 9 he makes a list of the kinds of people that will not inherit the "kingdom of God". In other words, these people will not be a part of the eternal future that includes the presence of God and all those who have been made perfect by him. What we would commonly refer to as "heaven".
This list includes: Fornicators (The Greek word refers specifically to prostitutes, male or female), idolaters (someone who serves or worships idols/false gods), adulterers(Someone sexually unfaithful to their spouse. This is also metaphorically used in the Bible of those who are unfaithful to God), the effeminate (referring, in the Greek, to men who willingly submit themselves to unbiblical sexual activity), homosexuals (Greek refers to those who physically take part in homosexual behavior), thieves, the covetous, drunkards, revilers (those who are verbally abusive), and swindlers.
You may look at an item on this list and be alarmed. Does this mean that anyone who has ever done one or more of these things habitually will be excluded from heaven? The answer is no. As Paul continues, he says "and such WERE some of you." It's unlikely that all of these activities vanished the moment the Corinthians chose to believe and trust in Christ. But these activities are no longer their defining characteristics in the eyes of God. Why? Look at the rest of verse 11:
" but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God."
Anybody remember some of these vocab words from the last few weeks? The Corinthians were sanctified (set apart and considered appropriate to be an active part of God's agenda) and justified (declared righteous and without flaw) in the name of (we would say "by the authority of") Jesus Christ, through the changing power of the Holy Spirit.
When a person chooses to put their trust in the identity and sacrifical death of Jesus, they are given a new identity in God's eyes. Paul is not warning the Corinthians that they will be excluded from heaven because of their actions. He is calling them to live in a way that reflects the new identity God has given them.
Next Week- The cost of casual sex
Coffee House Question
Do you tend to ignore conflict, allow yourself to be "walked on", or talk through points of conflict with others? Why?
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