July 14th, 2010, 1 Corinthians 6

Key Verse:

Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers . . .

(1 Corinthians 6:5)

Central Truth:

"Greed is good" worked for Gordon Gekko but not for someone who claims to be a follower of Jesus Christ.

I graduated from High School in 1986. Back then Greed was Good. Litigation was exploding. The perception of the day seemed to be that you just needed one good lawsuit to have everything you wanted. Now, it seems we cannot do anything without signing wavers, releases etc.

In my late 20’s I came across 1 Corinthians 6. Paul is writing to the church in Corinth which is struggling. The city of Corinth is a large, immoral city. The church has broken out with a rash of lawsuits in the courts pitting Christians against Christians, and the suits are being judged by non-believers.

Paul gives us a clear solution from God as to how we settle our differences among believers:

1st-Take your grievance to the person who wronged you.

2nd-Take it to the church. (Wise God fearing people, typically elders of a church).

or simply surrender the ‘loss’ to God.

This sounds fairly simple, but there is a key component. Before you ever take the first step you must surrender the decision, outcome and yes potential financial loss, to God. Then your heart is in the right place to approach your brother. Even if you are 100% in the right, step aside and let God handle it. Your brother may be struggling with something you cannot see, and the light of the Lord you reflect on him could be just what he needs. Then simply walk away from it, leaving the problems with God. You are free to live without guilt or greed.

What about with non-believers? I think there is a time to defend ourselves against this world and a time to simply show the love of God. That situation is much more difficult. Pray for God’s wisdom and seek godly council when faced with such a issue.

In the end (I mean the very end when we stand before God), we will not have our checkbooks, homes, cars, and possessions. We will have an accounting of our life and how we shared the love and grace that Jesus gave us. No matter how large your potential worldly loss may seem today, it will seem very small when you explain it to God.