ESOCS Devotional 23 October 2026 – Lawsuits and the Brethren
MEMORY VERSE: “Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?” 1 Corinthians 6:1 KJV
TEXT: 1 CORINTHIANS 6:1-11
Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2 Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3 Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? 4 If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? 5 I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? 6 But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!
7 Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? 8 No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 9 Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, 10 nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.
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In our text, Paul was teaching how the congregation should handle smaller problems between believers. Society has set up a legal system where disagreements could be solved in courts. But Paul declares that disagreeing Christians do not have to go to a secular court to resolve their differences. As Christians, we have the Holy Spirit and the mind of Christ, so should not turn to those who lack God’s wisdom. Because of all that we have been given as believers, and because of the authority that we will have in the future to judge the world and the angels, we should be able to deal with the disputes among ourselves.
But why did Paul say that Christians should not take their disagreement to unbelievers in secular courts? (a) If the judge and jury are not Christians, they are unlikely to be sensitive to Christian values. (b) The basis for going to court is often revenge, this should never be a Christian’s motive. (c) Law suits harm the cause of Christ and make the church look bad, causing unbelievers to focus on its problems rather than on its purpose.
But we should know that the above does not mean that Christians cannot use civil courts to defend themselves against the charges of unbelievers. If a brother breaks the laws of the land in reference to his brother, then such a case is for the civil courts to settle.
What Paul is saying in this context does not refer to those brethren who break civil law, regardless of if their breaking of the law affects an unbeliever or a believer. If one violates civil law, he is accountable to the civil courts of the land.
Reflections
- Christians have not yet discovered and known who they are.
Prayer
- Dear Lord, may the Holy Spirit direct the Body of Christ aright.
Further Reading: Psalm 82:6
ESOCS Devotional 23 October 2026
