In high school, my sister played basketball for a notoriously tough coach. His teams had rigorous practice schedules. He made sure they ran enough suicide drills to be in top shape on the court. During practice, he required them to shoot enough free throws to ensure they would have a great average come game time. He was so hardnosed that if they were playing in a tournament in another state, he would not let them sightsee between games. They had to go the hotel and rest instead.
He also was intimidating. If a player made a mistake on the floor, he would let them have it in front of everyone. His players had to have thick skin. But his high standards brought out the best in them. When his girls took the floor, they would win. And many of his players went on to play college basketball.
When I read this passage in 1 Corinthians 6, I catch glimpse of this hardnosed coach in the Apostle Paul. Paul is challenging the Corinthians to live up to Christ’s high expectations. He is demanding they be different from the unbelieving world around them.
The point of this entire passage of Scripture is that those who call themselves followers of Christ can look forward to an amazing future in heaven, but they also have an enormous responsibility in the present. Specifically, in this section Paul deals with Christ’s high expectations regarding lawsuits among Christians and Christian morality, particularly as it relates to sexual sin.
An entertainer named Weird Al Yankovic records comical parodies of pop songs. One of his latest parodies is called “I’ll Sue Ya.” It crudely pokes fun at the lawsuit culture that has emerged in the United States.
Here are a few of the lyrics: “I sued Taco Bell ’cause I ate half-a-million Chalupas and I got fat; I sued Panasonic, they never said I shouldn't use their microwave to dry off my cat, huh. I sued Earthlink ’cause I called ’em up, and they had the nerve to put me on hold; I sued Starbucks ’cause I spilled a frappucino in my lap and brr, it was cold. Yeah, if you stand me up on a date, if you deliver my pizza 30 seconds late, I’m gonna sue, sue, yes, I’m gonna sue. Sue, sue, yeah, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
The example lawsuits “I’ll Sue Ya” mentions are outlandish, but in America’s litigious culture, any grievance can be turned into a court case. Like in 2002, when McDonald’s was sued by two teenagers who claimed the franchise was responsible for making them obese.
What would Paul have to say about all these suits? To begin with, Paul is not talking about lawsuits filed by nonbelievers. Paul is dealing with lawsuits filed by Christians against other Christians. One would hope the culture within the church is different.
Among Baptists, several lawsuits have been filed over the appointment of trustees at Baptist institutions. These are not frivolous lawsuits. But despite our opinions about them, this indicates Christians rarely behave differently when it comes to lawsuits than the world around them.
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Why is this so important to Paul? When a person becomes a Christian, he or she is made new in Christ. This does not just affect a person’s spiritual life. Following Christ should transform every aspect of our life, from relationships, to job performance, to money management, to filing lawsuits and sexual morality.
As Christians, we have to be willing to allow Christ to penetrate every area of our lives. We should act like we belong to the Lord. This also is important because unbelievers are watching. When public disagreements happen between Christians, the world says, “See, they are no different than anyone else.” Unbelievers are making decisions about whether or not to follow Christ based on our actions.
In addition, Paul firmly believed even the most flawed faith community is equipped better to dispense God’s justice than the secular courts. With all its bickering, the Corinthian church did not seem fit to judge a spelling bee, much less settle disputes among believers, but Paul believed true justice only came from God. Therefore, the church, as God’s agent in the world, should be the one to dispense justice.
I am certain many Christians who read this passage of Scripture dismiss it as completely unrealistic. Before we do that, we have to ask ourselves the following question: If Paul was alive today, would he be easier on us than the Corinthians? Would he let us off the hook? Of course he would not. Therefore, we cannot simply dismiss his instructions as impossible.
Paul tells the Corinthians, “Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?” (v. 7). This has to be the most challenging verse in this entire passage. Taking this verse seriously means that when we are wronged by other Christians, we consider just letting it go. What if we simply swallowed our pride, let go of self-righteousness and the need to be right, and just let it go. What would it take to have this kind of faith and trust in God?
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