Honor God with Your Body, Ron Ward
WASHED, SANCTIFIED, JUSTIFIED
Passage: 1_Corinthians 6:1~11  
Key verse: 11b
Lawsuits Among Believers
6 If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?(A) 2 Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world?(B) And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? 5 I say this to shame you.(C) Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers?(D) 6 But instead, one brother(E) takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!(F)
7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?(G) 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters.(H) 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God?(I) Do not be deceived:(J) Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers(K) nor men who have sex with men[a](L) 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers(M) will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And that is what some of you were.(N) But you were washed,(O) you were sanctified,(P) you were justified(Q) in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 The words men who have sex with men translate two Greek words that refer to the passive and active participants in homosexual acts.
Cross references
- 1 Corinthians 6:1 : Mt 18:17
- 1 Corinthians 6:2 : Mt 19:28; Lk 22:30; 1Co 5:12
- 1 Corinthians 6:5 : S 1Co 4:14
- 1 Corinthians 6:5 : Ac 1:15
- 1 Corinthians 6:6 : S Ro 7:1
- 1 Corinthians 6:6 : 2Co 6:14, 15; 1Ti 5:8
- 1 Corinthians 6:7 : Mt 5:39, 40
- 1 Corinthians 6:8 : 1Th 4:6
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 : S Mt 25:34
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 : Job 13:9; 1Co 15:33; Gal 6:7; Jas 1:16
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 : Lev 18:20; Dt 22:22
- 1 Corinthians 6:9 : Lev 18:22
- 1 Corinthians 6:10 : 1Ti 1:10; Rev 21:8; 22:15
- 1 Corinthians 6:11 : S Eph 2:2
- 1 Corinthians 6:11 : S Ac 22:16
- 1 Corinthians 6:11 : 1Co 1:2
- 1 Corinthians 6:11 : S Ro 4:25
Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source:  BibleGateway
Given the divisions in the Corinthian church, it is not hard to imagine that there were also legal disputes among the Christians. But they did not settle the matter amongst themselves. They sued each other! In doing this they denied Christ's work in them. He had died for them and made them holy! They were competent to judge even angels. They should resolve disputes within the church. God would judge those outside the church. Paul had pointed out they had authority to judge inside the church (5:12,13) They were behaving shamefully.
2. You were sanctified (7-11)
In these verses, Paul gave a fatherly lecture to his spiritual children. The lawsuits among them made it look like they were defeated. Paul counseled them: It would be better to let themselves be cheated or wronged than cheat and wrong each other. They should remember who they were at one point. They were unwashed and unsanctified. But Christ died for them to wash them, sanctify them and justify them. They were whom Christ died for. So are we! Do we let disputes make us forget this?
Prayer: Father, help me love my brothers and sisters in the gospel.
One Word: You were justified