1 Corinthians 6
2 Corinthians 6 can be divided into three main parts. First (vv. 1-2), Paul urges that we should not receive God’s grace in vain, emphasizing that this is the time of salvation. Second (vv. 3-10), by giving examples of his life as a minister, he shows how he faithfully served the gospel amid various trials, hardships, and diverse circumstances. Third (vv. 11-18), he pleads with the Corinthians to open their hearts and form sincere relationships, urging them to live a holy life belonging to God.
1verseDare any of you, having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?
2verseDon’t you know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
3verseDon’t you know that we will judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?
4verseIf then you have to judge things pertaining to this life, do you set them to judge who are of no account in the assembly?
5verseI say this to move you to shame. Isn’t there even one wise man among you who would be able to decide between his brothers?
6verseBut brother goes to law with brother, and that before unbelievers!
7verseTherefore it is already altogether a defect in you that you have lawsuits one with another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?
8verseNo, but you yourselves do wrong and defraud, and that against your brothers.
9verseOr don’t you know that the unrighteous will not inherit God’s Kingdom? Don’t be deceived. Neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor male prostitutes, nor homosexuals,
10versenor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor slanderers, nor extortionists, will inherit God’s Kingdom.
11verseSome of you were such, but you were washed. You were sanctified. You were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.
12verse“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are expedient. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be brought under the power of anything.
13verse“Foods for the belly, and the belly for foods,” but God will bring to nothing both it and them. But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
14verseNow God raised up the Lord, and will also raise us up by his power.
15verseDon’t you know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!
16verseOr don’t you know that he who is joined to a prostitute is one body? For, “The two”, he says, “will become one flesh.”
17verseBut he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.
18verseFlee sexual immorality! “Every sin that a man does is outside the body,” but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
19verseOr don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
20versefor you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
An Attitude for Receiving God’s Grace
Verses 1-2 In these verses, Paul, as a fellow worker with God, reminds us not to receive the grace we have received in vain. Paul stresses that this is a very important time—“now,” the time when the grace of salvation is being given—and urges us not to let it pass thoughtlessly.
Paul’s Ministry and Sincere Evidence
Verses 3-10 show how Paul and his fellow workers put into practice the ministry of Christ through their own lives. They list how they live by sincerity, love, the Holy Spirit, and God’s power even amid various sufferings such as affliction, distress, persecution, labor, sleepless nights, and fasting. Their outer and inner selves may seem different, but in every situation Paul testifies to Christ. This points to both the identity of a minister and the attitude of a believer’s life.
A Request for New Relationships and Holiness
Verses 11-18 Paul tells the Corinthians to open their hearts by urging them not to shut their emotions off. Then he instructs them to be careful not to unite with unbelievers or share their values. As those God is with, he emphasizes that they must live as a set-apart, holy community.
Meditation Points
- How am I receiving God’s grace right now?
- What can I learn from the minister’s heart and attitude that Paul reveals?
- What holiness should our community keep between the world’s values and faith?
Try Applying It to Yourself
- What will I practice in the place I belong today so that I do not receive grace in vain?
- I reflect on what kind of heart and attitude are needed to keep sincerity even in suffering.
- In relationships, I check whether I am “opening my heart,” and whether I am staying within God’s holy calling.
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