1 Corinthians 6

Chapters 5 and 6 of 1 Corinthians form a section in which Paul addresses problems in the church at Corinth that had been reported to him. Chapter 6 follows on from the case of sexual immorality and the question of the church's judgment raised in 1 Corinthians 5. Beginning with 1 Corinthians 7, Paul answers questions the congregation had sent him in writing.

Outline

• Verses 1–6 Paul rebukes the practice of taking matters between believers before the courts of unbelievers. If the saints are to judge the world and even angels, he asks, is there not one wise person among them able to judge between brothers?
• Verses 7–8 He says that going to law against one another is already a fault, and that it would be better to suffer wrong and be defrauded. Instead, he points out, they themselves are defrauding their brothers.
• Verses 9–11 He declares that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God and gives a list of sins. He then says that some of them had been such people, but they have been washed, sanctified, and justified.
• Verses 12–14 He qualifies the saying "All things are lawful unto me." The body is not for fornication but for the Lord, and just as God raised up the Lord, He will also raise us up.
• Verses 15–17 Because the body is a member of Christ, it cannot be joined to a harlot. Here he quotes the words "two … shall be one flesh."
• Verses 18–20 He commands them to flee fornication. Because the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and has been bought with a price, he urges them to glorify God in their bodies.

Key Verses

• 1 Corinthians 6:11 "But ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified." A declaration of salvation that contrasts the believer's past with the present.
• 1 Corinthians 6:12 "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient." Frequently cited in discussions of Christian liberty and its limits.
• 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost …?" Serves as the basis for the teaching that the body is to be treated as holy.

People and Places

• Paul: The apostle who wrote the letter. His name does not appear in this chapter.
• Corinth: A Greek port city and home of the church to which the letter was sent.

Points for Reflection

• The slogans in verses 12–13: Many commentators regard "All things are lawful unto me" and "Meats for the belly" as slogans put forward by the Corinthians. On this interpretation, Paul quotes these slogans and then refutes them.
• The vocabulary of verses 9–10: The original terms rendered "effeminate" and "abusers of themselves with mankind" are translated and interpreted in differing ways. These verses are frequently cited in discussions of homosexuality and the church. Many denominations read them as grounds for prohibiting same-sex sexual activity, while some scholars take them to refer to exploitative relationships of the time.
• Verses 1–8 and lawsuits: Some read this passage as a principle forbidding all lawsuits between believers, while others read it as an exhortation to resolve such matters within the church first.
• The temple metaphor: 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 compares the community to a temple, while this chapter calls the individual's body a temple of the Holy Spirit.
• Connections within the New Testament: The phrase "one flesh" in verse 16 is a quotation of Genesis 2:24 and is also used in Ephesians 5:31–32. The resurrection mentioned in verse 14 is treated in detail in 1 Corinthians 15.

In the Korean Church

• Verses 19–20 are widely used in sermons on keeping the body pure. They are also frequently cited when Korean churches teach abstinence from alcohol and tobacco (alcohol and tobacco).
• Verses 1–8 are often raised in church circles when church disputes are taken to secular courts.