1 Corinthians Chapter 6

Paul challenges believers to settle disputes faithfully and honor God with bodies that belong to Christ.

1 Corinthians 6:1-8

Lawsuits Before Unbelievers

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

Washed and Made New

1 Corinthians 6:12-17

The Body Belongs to Christ

1 Corinthians 6:18-20

Flee Sexual Immorality

1 Corinthians 6:1

Paul is astonished that one believer with a civil grievance against another would take the case before the city’s courts rather than seek judgment within the church. “Unjust” does not mean that every pagan magistrate always ruled falsely; it distinguishes judges outside the covenant community from “the saints” and exposes the incongruity of asking the surrounding status system to govern a Christian family.

Jewish communities in the dispersion commonly maintained internal ways of resolving disputes, so Paul’s proposal was not administratively fantastic. The Christian assembly, however, was socially mixed and had to learn a form of judgment not governed by rank.

The opening “Dare any of you” conveys moral audacity. A lawsuit was not merely a neutral tool used in an unfortunate circumstance; in their setting it likely invited a socially unequal court to decide a family dispute. Wealthier litigants could hire advocates, cultivate judges, and use public proceedings to shame an opponent.

Paul’s concern is justice within fellowship. An internal process that reproduces bias or protects the powerful would preserve neither. Roman civil justice strongly favored people with wealth, rank, influential friends, and skilled advocates. In a commercial and administrative center such as Corinth, litigation could become another instrument of competition. The reference to defrauding in verses 7–8 suggests property or financial disputes.

Paul addresses ordinary conflicts between believers, not crimes that must be reported or cases involving abuse, coercion, or immediate danger. Churches must never hide wrongdoing from lawful authorities under the pretense of handling everything internally.