Bullet Point Bible - 1 Corinthians 6

Lawsuits Among Believers

¹ When any of you has a legal dispute with another, does he dare go to court before the unrighteous rather than before the saints?² Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you not competent to settle trivial suits?³ Do you not know that we will judge angels? Why not ordinary matters!⁴ So if you have ordinary lawsuits, do you appoint as judges those who have no standing in the church?⁵ I say this to your shame! Is there no one among you wise enough to settle disputes between fellow Christians?⁶ Instead, does a Christian sue a Christian, and do this before unbelievers?⁷ The fact that you have lawsuits among yourselves demonstrates that you have already been defeated. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?⁸ But you yourselves wrong and cheat, and you do this to your brothers and sisters!

Paul strongly rebukes believers for taking disputes to secular courts ("the unrighteous").
This practice damaged the church's witness and showed a lack of internal wisdom.
Believers ("saints") possess a future eschatological role in judging the world and even angels (1 Cor 6:2-3), highlighting the absurdity of being unable to handle earthly disputes.
Taking fellow Christians to court before non-believers was seen as bringing shame upon the community (1 Cor 6:5).
Paul implies that the church should have wise individuals capable of arbitrating disputes internally.
The very existence of lawsuits between believers signifies a spiritual failure ("already a defeat") regardless of the outcome (1 Cor 6:7).
Paul advocates for absorbing loss ("suffer wrong," "be defrauded") rather than escalating conflict publicly.
The irony is highlighted: instead of suffering wrong, the Corinthian believers were actively wronging and defrauding each other (1 Cor 6:8).
This section addresses practical community ethics, showing how theological identity (saints as future judges) should shape present behavior.
The term "saints" (Greek: *hagioi*) refers to all believers, set apart by God, not just exceptionally pious individuals.

Warning Against Unrighteousness

⁹ Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived! The sexually immoral, idolaters, adulterers, passive homosexual partners, practicing homosexuals,¹⁰ thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.¹¹ Some of you once lived this way. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Paul connects the previous discussion of wrongdoing (defrauding brothers) to a broader warning about behaviors excluding one from God's kingdom.
The rhetorical question "Or do you not know...?" suggests this should be basic knowledge for believers.
A list of vices characterizes those who will not inherit the kingdom, emphasizing patterns of unrepentant behavior, not isolated sins.
The list includes sexual sins (*pornoi*, *moichoi*, *malakoi*, *arsenokoitai*), idolatry, property sins (thieves, greedy, swindlers), and social sins (drunkards, revilers).
The terms *malakoi* and *arsenokoitai* refer to passive and active partners in homosexual acts, respectively, reflecting a consistent biblical prohibition.
Paul reminds the Corinthians that their past identities were marked by such behaviors ("Such were some of you"), offering hope and demonstrating the transformative power of the gospel.
He contrasts their past with their present reality in Christ using three key verbs: "washed" (cleansed from sin, likely referencing baptism), "sanctified" (set apart as holy), and "justified" (declared righteous).
This transformation is accomplished "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ" (by His authority and work) and "by the Spirit of our God" (through the Spirit's power and presence).
This passage underscores that salvation leads to ethical transformation, not license to continue in sin.
Inheriting the kingdom of God refers to final salvation and participation in God's eternal reign.

Christian Liberty and Bodily Purity

¹² "All things are lawful for me" -but not everything is beneficial. "All things are lawful for me"-but I will not be controlled by anything.¹³ "Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both." The body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.¹⁴ Now God indeed raised the Lord and he will raise us by his power.

Paul addresses slogans apparently used by some Corinthians to justify their behavior: "All things are lawful for me" and "Food is for the stomach..." (1 Cor 6:12-13).
He qualifies the first slogan: Christian freedom doesn't mean everything is beneficial ("helpful") or that believers should allow themselves to be enslaved ("dominated") by desires or practices.
True Christian liberty is freedom *for* righteousness, not freedom *to* sin.
Paul refutes the second slogan, which likely argued that bodily actions (like eating or sex) are morally indifferent because the body is temporary.
He counters that while food and the stomach are temporary ("God will destroy both"), the body itself has profound theological significance.
The body is "for the Lord," indicating its purpose is to serve and glorify Christ.
Conversely, "the Lord [is] for the body," suggesting Christ's care, redemption, and ultimate resurrection of the believer's body.
Paul connects bodily purity to the resurrection: just as God raised Jesus, He will raise believers (1 Cor 6:14), giving eternal significance to our physical existence.
This argument directly counters a dualistic view that separates bodily actions from spiritual reality.
The principle established is that choices should be evaluated not just by permissibility, but by benefit (to self and others) and freedom from enslavement.

The Body as a Temple

¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!¹⁶ Or do you not know that anyone who is united with a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, " The two will become one flesh ."¹⁷ But the one united with the Lord is one spirit with him.¹⁸ Flee sexual immorality! "Every sin a person commits is outside of the body" -but the immoral person sins against his own body.¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?²⁰ For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.

Paul uses another "Do you not know?" question, emphasizing the believers' union with Christ: their bodies are "members of Christ" (1 Cor 6:15).
Joining oneself to a prostitute is therefore depicted as uniting Christ Himself with impurity, a horrifying thought expressed with "Never!" (Greek: *me genoito*).
Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 (`"{{The two will become one flesh}}"`) to explain the profound union created through sexual intercourse, applying it even to union with a prostitute (1 Cor 6:16).
This physical union contrasts sharply with the spiritual union believers have with Christ: "joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him" (1 Cor 6:17).
The command is stark: "Flee from sexual immorality" (*porneia*), indicating no compromise is possible.
Paul argues that sexual sin has a unique impact "against his own body" (1 Cor 6:18), possibly referring to the deep violation of the body's God-given purpose and identity in Christ. This statement is debated, but clearly highlights the seriousness of *porneia*.
The climax of the argument: the believer's body is a "temple of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor 6:19), indwelt by God Himself.
This indwelling signifies divine ownership: "You are not your own, for you were bought with a price" (1 Cor 6:19-20), referring to Christ's redemptive death.
The necessary conclusion is the practical application: "So glorify God in your body" (1 Cor 6:20). Bodily actions must align with the body's holy status and divine ownership.
This section provides a powerful theological basis for sexual ethics, rooted in Christology (union with Christ) and Pneumatology (indwelling of the Spirit).

The Bullet Point Bible

1 Corinthians 6