6:7
Paul here is urging them to have a different perspective on things. One goes to court to win, but in taking a civil action involving fellow Christians one has already lost. There is an internal defeat in the failure to recognise that we have the ability to reach just decisions on such matters ourselves. There is an external defeat in that the world will mock the church. Getting “our rights” is not the most important thing, sometimes it is actually better to lose!
6:8
The real problem was that there was cheating and wrongdoing within the church, this is the issue that most needed to be addressed. When we get full of ourselves, when we become consumed by the urge to “get our rights” our thinking and judgement becomes clouded. In fact, it can even happen that in the pursuit of getting our rights we will ourselves do wrong!
6:9,10
The Corinthians were living as though immorality in all its forms did not really matter. This was the worldview of some parts of Greek philosophy. Paul’s rejoinder is that behaviour most certainly does matter. In today’s climate there is little doubt that the focus on this list will fall on “practising homosexuals”. Let’s look at two aspects of this. First, it is one item among many. The list contains sexual immorality in general, idolatry, thieving, greed, drunkenness, adulterers, revilers and swindlers. So in one sense there is nothing special about homosexual acts as being sinful, they are just one sin among many. Moreover, it is clear that all forms of sinful behaviour are to be avoided. Secondly, there is actually no doubt that homosexual acts are sinful. There are those who come up with pseudo-sophisticated arguments that the Bible does not know anything about “loving homosexual relationships” and does not actually apply to these. All I can say is try arguing that one with God, I don’t fancy your chances.
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