“Going to Court with a Brother”

BIBLE READING:1 Corinthians 6

Paul is saying, "If you go to man's law in charging your brother, you have already lost! It does not matter how the judge decides it.  As far as God is concerned, you have lost the case!"

Paul's instructions are clear. In a case involving brothers, a Christian had better be prepared to "lose," as an act of faith, out of respect for Christ, the Head of the church. By faith, we know that He will judge the situation. He has enough wisdom to do that and the power to carry out His judgments.  Do we have enough faith to allow Him to do it?

 He owns us! We are His slaves! He purchased every one of us with His blood! He has the right to judge between brothers, and we are to submit to His authority by faith and allow Him to judge.   If a judgment is reached within the church, the brothers must be willing to accept it with the knowledge that they can, by faith, appeal to a higher court, and Christ will vindicate the righteous. It may not happen overnight, but if we pray in faith, and wait patiently, He will do it!

The Jews had long held that Israelites were not to take cases before the Gentiles. In John Gill's Exposition of the Whole Bible) he states,  "He that tries a cause before the judges of the Gentiles, and before their tribunals, although their judgments are as the judgments of the Israelites, lo, this is an ungodly man; and it is as if he blasphemed and reproached, and lifted up his hand against the law of Moses our master", as it is said, Exo_21:1 "Now these are the judgments which thou shalt set before them, and not before Gentiles; and not before idiots, private or illiterate men.''

 You might ask, "Is this possible today?"  Why wouldn't it be?  The Jewish law says to settle problems within the community and here Paul says the saints (Christians) will judge the world and angels.  If we are going to judge the world and angels, can't we judge the smallest matters between brethren? (1 Cor 6:2)