As we survey these chapters of First Corinthians, we may wonder why God allowed so much that is wrong and sinful, and dishonoring to Him, to develop in the early history of His Church. With the Holy Spirit present in the Church, and in believers, then as He is now, but in those days on occasion acting in power beyond anything we see in these closing days; with the apostles living and going about teaching and preaching; and amid freshness and spiritual energy far more manifest among Christians then than today, how was it that evil of all sorts came out in bud, if not in full flower, so that many pages and even entire Epistles of the New Testament had to be devoted to exposing and correcting these bad ways and wrong teachings?
The answer is not far off. Let us seek it in the Word of God itself. Turn to Acts 20, and read the chapter from the 17th verse to the end, noticing the important place that verse 32 has, following, as it does, the solemn prophecy of the 29th and 30th verses. Next, let us turn to 2 Tim. 3, wherein is much about the “last days” of which there is much evidence nowadays; here again, in the last four verses, the believer’s resource is seen to be the Bible:
“All Scripture... is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.”
Other Scriptures may well be referred to in the same connection, but space here forbids. The testimony of all of them leads to the conclusion that God, who foresaw the evils that were to come, allowed all to appear in one form or another before the New Testament Scriptures were completed, in order that His children might find in the Book of Books that which would afford guidance for them when the early restraints upon the natural will would be gone. Christians are never to lose sight of their constant need for full dependence upon God, and prayer and His Word are their safe resource in days such as the present.
The early part of the 6th chapter takes up the subject of the setting right of wrongs in the affairs of life. Altogether out of place would it be for a believer to go to law to seek correction of some real or supposed injustice done to himself. Other weighty reasons for not seeking redress of wrong abound in other Epistles; here it was sufficient for the Holy Spirit, by the apostle, to remind the Corinthian saints first of all that we shall judge the world and angels.
“The unjust,” verse 1, is the character of man, the character we had before we knew the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. This term is used by God with reference to man six times in the New Testament-in Matt. 5:45 and Acts 24:15, where both the present and the future are in view; in 1 Peter 3:18 and 2 Peter 2:9 where the Cross of Christ, and the day of judgment to come are spoken of; and twice in this chapter (verses 1 and 9). Let him try ever so hard, man with all his philosophy, ethics and laws cannot attain to the character of being just or righteous in God’s sight; apart from receiving God’s salvation, he is still unjust.
When Christ judges the world (Acts 17:31) and angels (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6; Matthew 25-41; Rev. 21:10) His saints will be associated with Him in the judgments (Zech. 14:5; Jude 14-15; Rev. 19:14 and 20:4).
There is a certain obscurity of meaning in the latter part of the third verse as given in the King James translation; this is removed in J. N. Darby’s New Translation (1880): “Do ye not know that we shall judge angels? and not then matters of this life?”
Judgments of things pertaining to this life, far from being beyond the capacity of the gathered saints, should be given to those to decide who are little esteemed in the Assembly. Such matters do not require spirituality, but only ordinary intelligence and fair-mindedness.
So the apostle continues to treat of the subject in verses 5, 6, 7, seeking to put the Corinthian believers to shame. Was there indeed not a wise man among them? Not one able to judge between his brethren? Why did they not rather suffer wrong? Why not submit to being defrauded? Those whose future involves sharing in the coming judgment of the world and of angels, ought, viewing the matter on the very lowest ground, to care little about what injury may be done to themselves, or their possessions during this life’s short term.
But the inspired penman must tell those to whom he was writing that it was not only a question of their submitting to injustice; they themselves did wrong, and defrauded their brethren (verse 8). Solemnly then he warns them:
“Do ye not know that unrighteous persons shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not err; Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor those who make women of themselves; nor who abuse themselves with men; nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor abusive persons, nor the rapacious, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And these things were some of you; but ye have been washed, but ye have been sanctified, but ye have been justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” (verses 9, 10, 11. N. T.)
From the connection it is plain that the causes of the lawsuits at Corinth were in part, at least, contained in the list of verses 9, 10. The people of that city were notorious for ways such as these, and it was not only that the Christians there had grown up in such an atmosphere, and as the apostle says, “and such were some of you”, but there is always the tendency in our hearts to be affected by what goes on in the world around us. It takes spiritual power to combat and overcome these things.
“But ye have been washed” in verse 11 speaks of the cleansing power of the blood of Christ (Rev. 1:5; 1 John 5:6; John 13:10) by which the sinner is cleansed of his sins. This is done but once, and cannot be repeated. The New Testament Scriptures tell of another needful cleansing,-that of the saint-which is to be a constant thing: cleansing by the Word of God (Eph. 5:26; John 13:10 and 14).
The believer contracts defilement which hinders his growth and mars his communion with the Lord, unless and until confessed and removed through the active power of the Word of God applied to the conscience by the Holy Spirit. It is however the once-for-all cleansing by blood that is referred to in verse 11 of our chapter.
“Ye are” (or have been) “sanctified” speaks of another divine work in the bringing of a soul to Christ. It is the setting apart of the believer to God which is effected in his conversion (2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Peter 1:2; Acts 20:32 and 26:18). This is his fitness for heaven. The Father hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light, as it is said in Col. 1:12.
Progressive sanctification is abundantly referred to in the Epistles, but this is a distinct thing (See John 17:17; Eph. 5:26 (already mentioned above), 1 Thess. 5:23). One of the offices of the Word of God is to practically set His children apart from the world, to separate them from all that defiles both mind and body, to be for Him.
Are you, dear young Christian, proving daily in your own life the value of the Word of God in cleansing and sanctifying you, a chosen vessel for Christ?
“But ye are” (or have been) “justified”, is the third link of this wonderful chain of truth concerning him who trusts in Jesus. He stands acquitted of all charge before God, being put into the value of Christ’s work (Rom. 3:26; 5:1 and 9; 8:33; Acts 13:39; Titus 3:7). How marvelous is the grace of God!
Verse 12. All things are lawful to the Christian; he is free, but all things are not expedient (or, do not profit; see the marginal note in your Bible). “All things are lawful to me”, says the apostle, “but I will not be brought under the power of any.” Thus the believer’s liberty is preserved; he is not to be under the control of anything that would be unprofitable to him. Food is given to sustain life, not to become a governing object; then it is lust. So it is said in verse 13, “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats, but God will bring to nothing both it and them” (N. T.). Nor is the body for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
The Lord has taken up the believer’s body as well as his soul, though the body has not yet been redeemed out of its present state. (Rom. 12:1; 1 John 3:1-3; Phil. 3:17-21). And God has both raised up the Lord and will raise us up from among the dead by His power (Rom. 8:11).
Have you noticed in your reading of the Scriptures the interest God has in your body, young Christian? Here is a list of passages rich in profit to the soul (Rom. 6:12, 13, 19; 8:10; 12:1; Eph. 5:23; Phil. 1:20; 3:17-21; Col. 2:23; 1 Thess. 4:1-7; 5:23; 1 Tim. 4:3-5; James 3:6).
That our bodies (not our souls) are members of Christ is a truth brought out in the 15th verse; that he that is joined to the Lord is one Spirit, following in the 17th. The Holy Spirit who dwells in me- for our bodies are His temples (verse 19)- unites me to Christ. I am not my own; I have been bought with a price; therefore I ought to glorify God in my body (verse 20). What weighty reasons are here given, that His children may be kept from sin!