Paul continues teaching the Corinthian holy-people (sanctified-people, Christians, saints, children of the only true God) regarding the matter of judging inside of the church of God when certain specific situations arise among them.
I Corinthians 6:1-3:
6:1Does someone of you dare, having a matter towards the different-person, to be judged on the unrighteous-people and not on the holy-people? .2Or, you knew2 that the holy-people judge the world, don’t you? – (yes) – and since the world is judged in you, are you unworthy of (the) least judgments? .3You knew2 that we will judge angels, don't you? – (yes) – indeed-not-something (concerning) everyday-living!
Does any of you holy-people dare (venture), when one of you has some business (deed, action) either already done or about-to-be done towards another one of you, to be judged on the unrighteous people (to have a decision made regarding this matter before, in-the-presence-of the people who are unjust, people who do not have holy spirit-life within them and therefore are not right/just before God in the spirit category, and so you would receive their judged-sentence), and not to have a decision made regarding this matter on the holy-people (your brothers in Christ having the same holy spirit-life)?
You know (perceive), don’t you, that the holy-people judge the world (including its inhabitants)? The Greek construction of this question must receive the answer "yes, we know this." Those who refuse to believe what God says thereby refuse God’s free-gift of holy spirit. The judgment is that they are not children of God and the present world they belong to must come to an end. The world and its inhabitants (excluding holy-people) will receive God's just judgment at a future time (refer to Revelation 20:11-15 and 21:1 and following).
Since you holy-people are the efficient-cause (emanating from the holy spirit within you) that the world is judged, are you unworthy of the least judgments (are you people who are not of equal-value or like-worth of the smallest means or criteria of judgment in places where judgment regarding certain matters would take place, the tribunals or judgment-seats)? The context here is within the church, not outside of the church. In comparison to the world being judged within the sphere of action of all holy-people by means of our holy spirit, the matters which arise within the church of holy-people are the least in size and difficulty. Why? Because the same manner in which the world is judged in all holy-people must be the manner in which decisions are to be made among all the holy-people within the church of God. What is the means or instrument or place in which these judgments are to be made from God's point of view? Within our holy spirit – it does not matter what physical location these judgments take place in.
Paul is not advocating that every holy-person/Christian must spend his time judging every other holy-person – no, definitely not - because this would contradict what Paul has taught elsewhere. But, the context here is referring to the time when holy-people do not agree on some matter and we need another person to make a decision, to give the judgment regarding this matter, as a court-case, in order to make a just-settlement between the two opposing parties. We are to settle the matter peaceably within the church of God, not going outside to the law-courts of the unrighteous-people (unjust-people in the spirit category). Why would any child of the only true God allow somebody who is not a child of God to judge his everyday-living activities? Doesn't that seem utterly revolting!
Don't you know (perceive) that we, all of us holy-people together, will in the future judge angels? The Greek construction of this question must receive the answer "yes, we know this." We holy-people will make decisions regarding angels after we have been gathered-together by our Lord Jesus Christ.
An angel is a spirit-being whose office and character is one of a messenger in official service via words and/or actions. The word "angel" comes from the Greek word aggello which means to tell or deliver a message and therefore an angel could be called a "messenger." Those angels who have continued to take their instructions from the only true God are also now under the command of the Lord Jesus Christ. But those angels who have refused to take their instructions from God and have instead decided to follow the devil are known as devils (devil-spirits, demons, evil, unclean or unholy spirits). The devil (satan, the snake/serpent, etc) was once one of God's angels, but he rebelled against God wanting to take God's place and he continues attempting to do so. We should also note that the Bible shows us that no human-being was or is or will be a spirit-being angel!
Paul writes: don't you know that we holy-people will judge angels? This kind of judgment indeed is not something which concerns matters or things of everyday living! It definitely is not dealing with matters fitting for this earthly life of mankind at this time because judging angels deals with spiritual matters. Paul did not expect them to make judgments regarding angels at that present time, but he did expect them to make judgments regarding everyday living. The Corinthian holy-people were fully capable of doing this now because they had already been given the ability, the able-power within them: holy spirit-life.
[Reference: Daniel chapter 7; Romans 8:19-25; I Corinthians 5:12; II Peter 2:4, and 3:7; Revelation 3:21, and 19:11-20:15.]
.4Therefore indeed if-ever you may have everyday-living judgments - the (people) having been despised2, do you cause these-people to-sit-down (as your judges) among the church? .5I say to you towards shame; thus there is among you not-one wise-person who will be able to throughly-judge up-among (the) midst of his brother, isn’t there?, .6but brother with brother is being judged and this on unbelievers!
This is not irony – Paul is being very straightforward regarding what was happening within the Corinthian church at that time. He writes: following-on logically from what I have just written, indeed should you holy-people have judgments or tribunals concerning matters or things of everyday living, do you cause the people who are being despised (thought-nothing-of, treated-with-contempt, set-as-naught, those who belong-to the world and do not have holy spirit-life within them) to sit-down as your judges in your seats of judgment among the church of God?
There is no direct answer to this question and Paul does not continue by saying, "Oh no, sorry, I was only joking, lying, that's not happening at all in your Corinthian assembly"! What does Paul write? He writes: I am laying this all out before you here for the purpose of shame (causing you to turn in on yourselves and recoil from that-which is wrong when you reflect on your own walk, behavior, conduct). In this manner there is among you not one wise-person (none, not anyone who is skillful or expert in the application of personal-knowledge) who will be able (have the ability, able-power, capability) to judge through-and-through (to make a separating or differentiating decision, wholly distinguish or discern, judge the difference) regarding everyday living up among the middle being right-there with his brother (another holy-person), isn’t there? The Greek construction of this question must receive the answer “yes, there is not one wise person who will do this between one-another.”
Why is this so true regarding what was happening in the church in Corinth at that time? Because contrary to any one of them being wise regarding situations of this manner, a brother is being judged in company and association with his brother - and this tribunal is taking place regarding this matter on unbelievers (before, in the presence of people who do not believe what God says, and therefore they do not have holy spirit-life within them)! You are allowing decisions to be made regarding holy-people's everyday living by people who do not have belief (no faith, no trust) in what the only true God says.
[Reference: Luke 12:57-59; II Corinthians 6:15.]
Paul is making it very clear that he knew what was happening in the church in Corinth by telling them so, and he continues to teach them quite-strongly regarding their walk/behavior, which ought to be in accordance with God's will.
Verses 7-10:
.7Already indeed wholly there is inferiority with you because you have judgments with yourselves – because-of-what do you not rather be treated-unrighteously? – because-of-what do you not rather be deprived? .8But you treat-unrighteously and deprive – and this (towards) brothers! .9Or, you knew2 that unrighteous-people will not inherit God's kingdom, don’t you? – (yes.) You must not be caused-to-wander – neither fornicators nor idolaters nor adulterers nor soft-people nor homosexuals .10nor thieves nor covetous-people nor drunkards, not revilers, not catching-people, will inherit (the) kingdom of God.
By this time indeed entirely there is inferiority (being in a lower position and state than what you were in previously relative-to God – in the walk category only) to/with/among you because you have judgments (you hold pronounced-decisions, sentences-passed, lawsuits) in company and association with yourselves! On account of what (why) not more-so allow yourselves to be unjustly-treated (wronged) by a brother within the church? On account of what (why) not more-so allow yourselves to be deprived by a brother within the church? “To be deprived” means: to have something taken away-from you by another, the something being what you need for completeness, resulting-in your not-having completeness in that specific area even though you may still have a portion of it.
But on the contrary, you presently and actively treat with injustice and deprive – who? Your brothers – people who are also holy-people, people who are children of God just as you are! Or, don't you know (perceive) that the unrighteous people (unjust because they do not have holy spirit-life) will not inherit God's kingdom (they will not become inheritors/heirs of any allotted-portion of the kingdom of God)? The Greek construction of this question is in such a manner that the answer must be "yes, we know this" – and therefore there is no justifiable excuse for any of us holy-people to behave among one-another the same way as unrighteous-people behave.
Paul continues: you must not be caused to wander (not allow yourselves to err or not-stay in your rightful place, not be led-astray from the truth of God's Word, like a planet is constantly moving around when viewed from the earth unlike the stars which retain their position relative-to each other) – you must not be caused to wander…
…none of these people will inherit the kingdom of God. These people who refuse to believe what God has given to be believed will not become inheritors (heirs) of God’s kingdom. Therefore you must not be deceived by the things that they do among one-another – no matter how "religious" they may seem to be.
[Reference: Leviticus 18:22 and 23; John 10:1 and 10(a); Acts 15:19, 20, 28-31; Romans 1:21-32; Ephesians 5:5; Galatians 6:7-10; I Thessalonians 4:3-8; I Timothy 1:10; Jude 5-7; Revelation 21:8.]
Verse 11:
.11Even some (of you) used-to-be these-things!; but you washed-yourselves-away-from (these-things), but you were made-holy, but you were made-righteous – in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God.
With emphasis, Paul shows them that he is aware of their differing backgrounds, etc, by writing that even some of them were unrighteous-people in the past (that is: before they believed what God said and therefore before they received holy spirit-life). Some of them used to be fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, soft-people, homosexuals, thieves, covetous-people, drunkards, revilers, and catching-people. If they had remained like this without having received holy spirit-life, then they too would not inherit the kingdom of God.
But contrary to staying in that unsaved category of being unrighteous-people and behaving in all these different sinful ways listed above, Paul reminds the holy-people that:…
How? "…In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the spirit of our God."
It is only:
…that any person has the availability to wash himself/herself away-from being unrighteous, and to be made holy, and to be made righteous. A person must do his part according to what God says and then God does His part by means of the Lord Jesus Christ according to what God says which is what He promised. This is also known in the scriptures as being baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ or being baptized in holy spirit.
[Reference: John 3:16, 17, 17:17, and 20:31; Acts 2:1-41, 9:17, 18, 22:12-16, and 26:18; Romans 10:8(b)-17; I Corinthians 1:30; Ephesians 5:25(b)-27; II Thessalonians 2:13 and 14; I John 2:12.]
Verse 12:
.12All-things are permitted to me but all-things do not contribute, all-things are permitted to me but I will not be exercised-with-authority by something!
Having just reaffirmed that they are already washed and holy and righteous from God's point of view, Paul continues teaching the Corinthian holy-people using himself as an example regarding the walk/behavior category within the church of God.
He writes: all-things are permitted to me during the everyday living of life (all things are available to be done by me, I can physically do them without hindrance, they are possible to me). Why? Because from the very instant that God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ first made it available for a person to receive holy spirit permanently (Acts 2:1-4) until the very instant when Christ will come to gather the church of holy-people (I Thessalonians 4:13-18), this time-period is the age of blessing and grace whereby God does not fully recompense that-which is due to the Christian or the non-Christian, to the person who loves God or who hates God, the good angels of God or the devil-spirits who take their direction from the devil, including the devil himself. The time of wrath will begin as soon as Christ gathers all the holy-people together with him taking us away-from the earth.
All-things are permitted to me, but contrary to doing and being party-to everything that is available in this present world, NOT all-things contribute. All of them do not bring-together with the other parts to make one whole unit, a unifying collection. Not all-things confer help and benefit. Not all-things are conducive to a holy-person's well-being and therefore are not all contributing to the whole church's well-being in our walk with and for God while living in this world.
All-things are permitted to me – but, contrary to that being my standard for everyday living, emphatically I will not have authoritative-power used on me by anything (here referring to anything which belongs-to this present world and is contrary to God's Word). Paul will not have any authority being exercised over him by the power of anything or anyone being the instrumental-agent of this world no-matter who or what may think they have the right and the might to do so! He has decided that he will not allow anything or anyone to control him, to control what he does or does-not do or think or say, etc. He refuses to be influenced by the world, by people, by spirits, by anything contrary to God and the Lord Jesus Christ to the degree of being in subjection to them.
[Reference: Romans 5:2; Ephesians 1:6, 7, 2:8 and 4:7; II Corinthians 4:4; for further information regarding the gathering-together of all holy-people, and the day of wrath, you may read my studies on I Thessalonians, II Thessalonians, and chapter 15 of this study on I Corinthians.]
Verses 13 and 14:
.13The foods (are) for the belly and the belly (is) for the foods - but God will render both this-thing and these-things ineffective; and the body (is) not for fornication but for the Lord and the Lord for the body - .14but God both raised-up the Lord and He raises us up-out-from (deadness) by means of His ability.
These verses emphasize the total-contrast between the physical category of this world, and who we are spiritually having become children of the only true God because we have holy spirit-life within us.
Regarding the everyday living of this life, yes, we holy-people must physically eat physical food in order to stay physically alive. But Paul explains that in this physical realm: the foods that we eat are for and go-to the belly, and the belly is made for and it receives the foods – but God will render both the belly and the foods ineffective (inactive, inoperative, useless). We holy-people are not to live our lives concentrating on getting foods, nutritious or otherwise, for the belly, because even if we have the so-called "perfect" physical body or a not-so-perfect physical body, it matters nothing to God, because the outcome will be that God will render both the foods and the belly ineffective; flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God (I Corinthians 15:50).
And, the physical body is not for fornication. Fornication is not the purpose for having a physical body. But on the contrary, the physical body of a holy-person is for the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Lord is for the body. This is true because:
We holy-people are made-alive spiritually the moment we receive holy spirit-life which is the spirit of Christ, and in the future we will be gathered-together by the Lord Jesus Christ and we will also be given spiritual bodies – all of this is made available by means of God's ability (able-power, capability). The holy and spiritual ability by-which God raised the Lord and gave him his spiritual body, is the same holy and spiritual ability by-which God presently raises us up out from this world spiritually by giving us holy spirit-life and He will in the future raise us up out from this world by means of the Lord Jesus Christ giving us our spiritual bodies.
[Reference: Matthew 15:17; Acts 2:22-36; Romans 8:9-11; chapter 15 of this work "Study of I Corinthians"; II Corinthians 4:14-18, and 13:4 and 5; Ephesians 1:19-23; Philippians 3:20 and 21; Colossians 1:27, and 3:1-4; I Thessalonians 4:3 and 4; Jude 5-7.]
Verses 15-17:
.15You knew2 that your bodies are limbs of Christ, don't you? – (yes) – therefore, having lifted the limbs of Christ, should I make (them) limbs of a female-fornicator? – may it not become! .16You knew2 that the (person) being-glued-together to a female-fornicator is one body (with her), don't you? – (yes) – for He says, "The two will be into one flesh"; .17but the (person) being-glued-together to the Lord is one spirit!
You knew and you still know (perceive), don’t you, that your bodies presently and actively are limbs of Christ – members of Christ's body spiritually? Again, this question is constructed in such a manner in Greek that the answer must be "yes, we know this.”
Paul continues reminding and teaching the Corinthian Christians about the holy spirit that all of them had already received from God by means of the Lord Jesus Christ. This holy spirit-life is the spirit of Christ. Each holy-person is spiritually a limb of the one spiritual body of Christ. We are joined or tied-together spiritually in Christ's body (not multiple bodies but one, just like one physical human body has different limbs in it such as two arms, legs, a nose, etc, see I Corinthians 12:12-27). Christ himself is the head of his one body (Ephesians 1:22 and 23). Christ has not been cut-up and distributed in little pieces to each of us, but we received the spirit of Christ because it is the same spirit, the spirit that God gave Christ when He resurrected him. Our life is Christ because we have Christ’s spirit within us.
Instead of viewing ourselves as physical bodies needing food for the belly, etc, we are to view ourselves from God's viewpoint which is that we holy-people are limbs of the one body of the resurrected Christ because we all have the same holy spirit-life within us which is the spirit of Christ having all the power and authority of the resurrected living Christ himself. We have the same life because we have Christ in us, the hope of glory (Colossians 1:27).
You knew and continue to know that your bodies are limbs of Christ, don't you? Therefore, having lifted (taken-up and carried) the limbs of Christ's body away-from where they ought to be in the walk/behavior category, should I (Paul myself as an example) make them the limbs of a female-fornicator (a prostitute, one who sells herself to partake in sexual relations with another in order to receive payment for it, she sells herself and does what the other says so as to receive a reward from her ‘partner’)?
In the context of this passage Paul is referring to Christians (men and women), who have holy spirit-life within them but who refuse to believe all that God has given them by means of their holy spirit-life. These Christians, who do not behave themselves in accordance with God and the Lord Jesus Christ, sell themselves figuratively speaking, opening themselves up to receiving information, etc, from the world and devil-spirit influences. They would be spiritually fornicating with idols while physically having sexual relations at the meetings as a form of sacrifice in order to gain spiritual favor from God; this spiritual favor would be the payment they would ask in return for their "service to God"! But the thought of such a thing being so repulsive to Paul is conveyed in his expression of: may it not become (may it not come into being that such a thing could happen at any time)!
How could a holy-person who is a limb of the body of Christ make himself a limb of a female prostitute in the walk/behavior category from God's point of view? Because as Paul explains to the Corinthian holy-people: you knew and you still know (perceive), don’t you, that the person who is being glued together (adhering, sticking, cleaving himself) to a female fornicator is thereby one body with her? And again, the unwritten answer is "yes, we know this." Anyone who makes the decision to fornicate with fornicators is in fact a fornicator himself/herself in the walk (behavior, physical, flesh) category - no matter what he/she may think is the reason for doing such acts.
Paul continues teaching by reminding them, “…for He says, "The two will be into one flesh"….” In truth, God says that the two people will be into (directed to, resulting in) one flesh (only one flesh from God’s viewpoint, not two different fleshes existing and behaving separately from one-another). God revealed this information to Moses when he was writing about the first man and woman, Adam and Eve, and this is recorded in the Book of Genesis. God is the One Who brought this to light by speaking it. Let us read what is written:
Genesis 2:21-24:
And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof;
And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man.
And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man.
Returning to I Corinthians, Paul wrote: .16You knew2 that the (person) being-glued-together to a female-fornicator is one body (with her), don't you? – (yes) – for He says, "The two will be into one flesh"; .17but the (person) being-glued-together to the Lord is one spirit!
In verse 17 Paul continues: the person being glued together (adhering, sticking, cleaving himself) to/with the Lord is one spirit (only one spirit from God’s viewpoint, not two different spirits existing and behaving separately from one-another)! This is God’s and the Lord Jesus Christ’s viewpoint of all holy-people, because when we believed what God has given to be believed regarding Himself and His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, we were given holy spirit-life, the same life that our Lord/Master has. We became one spirit. We have the spirit of Christ within us. We are limbs of the one spiritual body of Christ. We holy-people and our Lord Jesus Christ are one spirit – in comparison to a husband and wife being one flesh.
[Reference: Matthew 19:3-9; John 17:21-23; Romans 12:4 and 5; I Corinthians 12:12-27; Ephesians 1:22, 23, 4:4, and 5:21-32; Colossians 1:27; Jude 5-7; Revelation 2:20-25, and 17:1-19:9.]
I Corinthians 6:18-20:
.18You must flee fornication; every sin which if-ever a man may do is outside-of the body, but the (person) fornicating sins into (his) own body. .19Or, you knew2 that your body is (the) interior-temple of the holy spirit in you which you have from God, and you are not of yourselves, don’t you? – (yes) – .20for you were bought of price; indeed you must glorify God in your body.
Paul writes very bluntly: you holy-people must flee (put yourselves in flight) away-from fornication. Why should we flee from fornication during the everyday living of their lives? Because all/every sin (sinful action, every deed which is contrary to God) which a man may do (perform) during the everyday living of his life is outside-of (on the outside of) the physical body. But the person who is fornicating (carrying-out that-which a fornicator does, having wrongful sexual activity/relations, committing pornographic actions) presently and actively sins (misses the correct-mark, swerves from what is right) into his own body. He directs that sin from the outside into the inside of his own body, since the person being glued together to a female-fornicator is one body with her. The person fornicating sins into his own body, not into the other-party involved with him during the action of fornication as though they were two separate fleshes.
Paul and others had previously taught the holy-people in the church in Corinth regarding holy spirit and all that it involved having the power and ability of the resurrected Christ inside their physical bodies. Next here in this letter he asks them: you knew and you still know (perceive), don’t you, that your body (singular – altogether as one unit) presently and actively is the interior-temple of, belonging-to and containing the holy spirit within you which (spirit) you have/hold from God and you are not belonging-to yourselves? Again, the unwritten answer to this two-fold question in the Greek construction must be in agreement – "yes, we know."
The 'interior-temple' refers to the innermost-part of God's temple, as the most sacred area within the temple in Jerusalem where the only true God's presence was manifested-forth, called the "Holy of Holies." Paul expected the Corinthian holy-people to know that their physical body (singular because from God's point of view they are all together as one-unit) is the interior-temple of the holy spirit-life within them which they have from God, their Father, and that they are not their own, they do not belong-to themselves. There is no place for "doing it my way" or "doing what the committee says" if it is against what God says! The interior-temple of God now consists of all holy-people, no matter what location we may live in. God's interior-temple is not a stone or brick building or any other materials which can be burned-down. Today God's interior-temple is made up of His people who have received holy spirit, the spirit of Christ in us, and the Lord Jesus Christ is the foundation (refer to I Corinthians 3:16 and 17).
“.19Or, you knew2 that your body is (the) interior-temple of the holy spirit in you which you have from God, and you are not of yourselves, don’t you? – (yes) – .20for you were bought of price; indeed you must glorify God in your body.”
In truth, you holy-people were bought of price. You were bought as a person buys in a market-place and pays the correct honorable price, the holding-worth of the item, the value of the item concerned. Jesus Christ is the one who paid the price that was necessary for redemption – his perfect walk with and for God his Father including his sacrificial offering of himself. The totality and fully-manifested reality of having been bought of price will come to pass when the resurrected Christ will come to gather all holy-people together with him.
For you were bought of price – absolutely you must glorify God in your body. Indeed all of you holy-people together must actively give God the glory (importance, splendor, renown) within your body (one-unit because of having the same holy spirit-life within you, you are the one spiritual body of Christ). All that you do with your body during the everyday living of your lives must be to God's glory.
[Reference: John 2:18-22; Acts 15:20, 29, and 20:28; Romans 14:7-9, 15:5-9, and 16:27; I Corinthians 3:16, 17, and 7:23; II Corinthians 3:17, and 6:16; Galatians 1:24, 4:4-9, and 5:16-26; Ephesians 1:11-14; I Thessalonians 4:3-8; Hebrews 9:11-14; I Peter 1:13-25, and 4:11. Note: verbs with a superscript 2 (2) immediately following them indicate the "perfect" tense - details are provided in the "Relevant Notes" link of this study.]