Commentary on 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

CHRISTIANS SHOULD NOT CONDUCT THEIR LITIGATIONS BEFORE PAGAN TRIBUNALS
A Summary of 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 

Speaking at the end of the last chapter of judging, St. Paul is reminded of another abuse at Corinth. It was natural that in a city so large and busy there should arise disputes and difficulties among the Christians, as among others; but it was seriously wrong in the faithful to have recourse to Gentile courts for the solution of their difficulties. The gravity of the matter lay in this, (a) that in those early times such a custom was likely to cause a division between the Gentile and the Jewish Christians, for the Jews had received from Claudius permission to have their own courts of justice (Josephus, Antiq. xix. 5, 3); and (b) that the pagans would become aware of all the troubles of the Christians, and would thereby be scandalized. The Apostle, therefore, blames the Corinthians for bringing their disputes before pagan tribunals (1 Cor 6:1-6), and then rebukes them for having any serious misunderstandings at all (1 Cor 6:7-11).

1 Cor 6:1. Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to be judged before the unjust, and not before the saints?

Against another, i.e., a fellow Christian.

The unjust, i.e., unbelievers, who were generally called unjust by the Apostle because they did not have faith, by which the just man lives (Estius). It is to be noted that the Apostle identifies the αδικων, the unjust, of this verse with the απιστων, the unbelievers, of verse 6. Doubtless justice was not to be expected from the heathen (St. Chrys.).

The saints, i.e., Christians, who are all “called to be saints” (1 Cor 1:2), and are therefore supposed to be holy and just. It was from such as these, who were just by their vocation and manner of life, that justice was to be sought, and not from pagans who were without faith, the very principle of justice.

1 Cor 6:2. Know you not that the saints shall judge this world? And if the world shall be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?

Know you not, etc. Our Lord had promised the Apostles (Matt 19:28) that in the final judgment of the world they should have part in judging the tribes of the earth. And now St. Paul says that a similar honor will be conferred on all faithful Christians (Wis 3:8; Rev 2:26-27; Rev 20:4). If’ then, the 

saints, i.e., the Christians, are ultimately to sit in judgment on the whole world, are they not worthy to judge the smallest matters, literally, “are they unworthy of the lowest tribunals?”

1 Cor 6:3. Know you not that we shall judge angels? how much more things of this world?
Not only are faithful Christians to sit in final judgment on all men, but on angels also. If St. Paul’s argument is a real proof of his thesis, that Christians are able to judge the cases of their fellow Christians, his words here must be taken in their literal sense. Then the faithful will hereafter really judge angels. This they will do not independently of Christ, but as associated with Him, “who was appointed by God Judge of the living and the dead” (Acts 10:42).

Are Christians to judge all angels, or only some of them? The text seems to mean only some, for it says αγγελους (angelos = angels), not τους αγγελους (the angels). Therefore St. Thomas says: “This word of the Apostle is to be understood of the judgment of comparison, because some men shall be found superior to some angels” (Suppl. q. 89, a. 8 ad 1). Probably, however, all angels, both good and bad, are to be judged by the Christians. But why are good angels to be judged in the General Judgment? Because men and angels constitute the one Church of which Christ is the head and judge; and that good angels should be judged in the General Judgment pertains both to the glory of divine justice and to the praise of angels (a Lapide).

1 Cor 6:4. If therefore you have judgments of things pertaining to this world, set them to judge, who are the most despised in the church.

Things pertaining, etc. Literally, “Things of every-day life,” i.e., if you have cause for litigation, rather than go to pagans, take the lowest and meanest of Christians as your judges; they will be able to settle your difficulties, since one day they are to be the judges of men and angels. Some exegetes read the second clause of this verse interrogatively, understanding the pagans to be referred to: “Do you set up as judges those who are most despised in (the eyes of) the Church, namely, the pagans?” (Le Camus). It seems better, however, to take καθιζετ (set) as imperative, in view of its emphatic position, as well as that of ἐξουθενέω (the most despised).

1 Cor 6:5. I speak to your shame. Is it so that there is not among you any one wise man, that is able to judge between his brethren?

Is it so that there is not, etc. Better, “Is there then no one wise among you,” etc. Having spoken ironically in the preceding verse, saying that the Corinthians should choose as their judges the most ignorant of the faithful rather than go to pagans, the Apostle now explains that he was not laying down a rule which they should follow, but only emphasizing the shame and absurdity of their conduct.

Any one wise, etc., i.e., have you not among you anyone who is competent to handle your cases and solve your difficulties— you who are glorying in the greatness of your respective party leaders? (1 Cor 3:18; 1 Cor 4:10).

1 Cor 6:6. But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before unbelievers. 

The shame of their conduct is still further indicated. It is a disgrace that one Christian should be going to law with another; and further, such a thing is a great scandal to the pagans. What respect could a Gentile have for the faith of Christians in the face of knowing all about their mutual quarrels, frauds, dissensions and injustices?

1 Cor 6:7. Already indeed there is plainly a fault among you, that you have lawsuits one with another. Why do you not rather take wrong? why do you not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?

It is an imperfection in their life that the faithful should have lawsuits before any tribunal whatsoever.

A fault. Literally, a “defect,” a “falling off.” The Apostle is counselling, not commanding, that the Christians should avoid having lawsuits when defrauded. Those authors, like St. Chrysostom and Estius, who hold that in such a case it is a sin to go to law “have to make so many exceptions, in which lawsuits are free from sin, that they show how erroneous is their opinion” (Cornely). The imperfection and fault of a just law suit lies in the many evils that are usually connected with it, such as, lying, anger, defaming, and the like (Martini).

Why do you not rather, etc., as our Lord also counselled (Matt 5:39-40). It is per se more perfect patiently to bear injuries and injustices than to insist on one’s rights; but there are exceptions to this rule, as we learn from the conduct of our Lord and St. Paul (John 18:23; Acts 16:37; Acts 22:24).

1 Cor 6:8. But you do wrong and defraud, and that to your brethren.

Instead of practicing the perfection counselled in the preceding verse the Corinthians in their litigations wronged and defrauded their own brethren, to whom they were bound to show special charity.

But you. “You” (ὑμείς = humeis) is emphatic, in contrast with those who follow the counsel of our Lord to bear wrongs patiently.

1 Cor 6:9. Know you not that the unjust shall not possess the kingdom of God? Do not err: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers,
 1 Cor 6:10. Nor the effeminate, nor liers with mankind, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor railers, nor extortioners, shall possess the kingdom of God.

9, 10. A severe punishment is reserved for those who do injustice to their brethren. This the Corinthians should know from the doctrine already explained to them.

The unjust, i.e., those who violate justice.

Shall not possess, etc., i.e., shall be excluded from the kingdom of heaven.

Do not err, i.e., do not be deceived by false doctrines. Perhaps there were in Corinth some, like the Antinomians afterwards, who taught that it was not necessary to keep the Commandments. Or it may be that some of the Christians thought that the abrogation of the Mosaic Law did away, not only with its ceremonial observances, but also with its moral precepts, the Decalogue. At any rate, the Apostle proceeds to call attention to certain grave sins that were very prevalent at Corinth.

The effeminate (μαλακοι = malakoi) are those who passively commit unnatural sins of impurity. 

Liers with mankind, i.e., sodomites, those actively guilty of unnatural sins.

1 Cor 6:11. And such some of you were; but you are washed, but you are sanctified, but you are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Spirit of our God.

The faithful are reminded that before their conversion to Christianity some of them were guilty of the sins just enumerated, but that now their whols condition of life has been changed.

You are washed, i.e., you are cleansed in the waters of Baptism from all stain of sin. The past tense is used in the original: “You have been washed, sanctified, justified.” The allusion is to the effects of Baptism.

You are sanctified, i.e., you have received sanctifying grace, the theological and moral virtues and the gifts of the Holy Ghost.

You are justified, i.e., you are not only called just, but you are actually rendered just, so that, whereas before your conversion you were enemies of God and slaves of Satan, you are now God’s friends and adopted sons. The verbs expressing sanctification and justification are in the passive voice in Greek, thus strongly indicating that a real interior change is effected in the individual Christian soul, and not a mere external imputation, as Protestants
 teach.

In the name, etc. Christ is the meritorious cause of justification; the Holy Ghost, by appropriation, is its efficient cause. This verse shows the perfect equality between the Son and the Holy Ghost (Theodoret).