1 Corinthians6

Paul rebukes the Corinthian believers for taking their disputes to secular courts, reminding them that saints will judge the world and should be able to resolve their own matters. He warns that the unrighteous, including fornicators and idolaters, will not inherit the kingdom of God, but reminds them of their cleansing in Christ. The apostle then emphasizes that believers' bodies are members of Christ and temples of the Holy Ghost, urging them to flee fornication and glorify God with their bodies, for they are bought with a price.
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Believers Should Not Sue One Another

1
Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints? ​
2
Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? ​
3
Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? ​
4
If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. ​
5
I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you? no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren?
6
But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
7
Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? ​
8
Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.

The Unrighteous Will Not Inherit the Kingdom

9
Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, ​
10
Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. ​
11
And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. ​

Sexual Immorality Defiles the Body

12
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. ​
13
Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. ​
14
And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. ​
15
Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. ​
16
What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. ​
17
But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. ​
18
Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. ​
19
What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? ​
20
For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. ​

Study Notes for 1 Corinthians 6

Verse 1

Paul addresses the scandal of Christians using pagan Roman courts ('the unjust') to settle financial and personal disputes, rather than seeking resolution within the community of believers ('the saints').

Verse 2

The idea that believers will 'judge the world' (perhaps participating in the final judgment alongside Christ) establishes the spiritual competence and authority of the church to handle internal conflicts.

Verse 3

Judging angels is an even higher spiritual task, further emphasizing the shamefulness (v. 5) of the Corinthians’ inability to resolve simple earthly matters.

Verse 4

This verse is likely sarcastic. Paul is highlighting the absurdity that they are taking their disputes to those 'least esteemed' (unbelieving judges) rather than appointing even the least experienced believer to mediate.

Verse 7

Paul introduces the higher ethical standard of self-sacrifice. It is a fundamental 'fault' (moral failure) to sue a fellow believer; it is better to suffer financial loss or injustice than to damage the reputation of the church.

Verse 9

Paul transitions from relational ethics (lawsuits) to personal ethics (sexual sin) by providing a vice list, characteristic of Hellenistic ethical teaching, defining those who stand outside the realm of God’s redemptive grace.

Verse 10

The list includes various forms of sin—sexual, idolatrous, and economic—demonstrating that persistent patterns of unrighteousness in any area disqualify one from inheriting God’s kingdom.

Verse 11

This powerful statement contrasts the Corinthians’ sinful past ('such were some of you') with their present status achieved through Christ: they are 'washed' (cleansed), 'sanctified' (set apart), and 'justified' (declared righteous).

Verse 12

Paul addresses a Corinthian slogan used to justify license: 'All things are lawful unto me.' He accepts the premise of freedom but limits it with two criteria: spiritual profitability ('expedient') and avoiding enslavement ('brought under the power of any').

Verse 13

The Corinthians tried to equate sex with food, arguing both are temporary and morally neutral. Paul rejects this, asserting that the body is not temporary but destined for the Lord and resurrection, giving it profound moral significance.

Verse 14

The bodily resurrection of Christ serves as the guarantee and pattern for the future resurrection of believers, reinforcing the importance of bodily sanctity in the present life.

Verse 15

Because believers’ bodies are intrinsically linked to Christ ('members of Christ'), sexual union with a prostitute is a profound spiritual desecration, treating Christ’s body parts as common or unholy.

Verse 16

Paul quotes Genesis 2:24 ('two shall be one flesh') to show that sexual union is never merely physical; it creates a deep, binding, and relational unity, making fornication a serious violation of self and God.

Verse 17

In contrast to the physical union with a prostitute, the believer is joined to the Lord in a spiritual union, underscoring the incompatibility of engaging in both relationships.

Verse 18

Paul uniquely isolates sexual sin ('flee fornication'). While other sins are often external actions (e.g., theft, slander), fornication is described as a sin committed 'against his own body,' violating the sacred trust of the Spirit’s indwelling (v. 19).

Verse 19

This verse provides the ultimate theological basis for purity: the body is not personal property but the sacred dwelling place ('temple') of the Holy Spirit, placed there by God.

Verse 20

The phrase 'bought with a price' refers to the redemption secured by Christ’s death. Since believers are owned by God, their bodies and spirits must be used to glorify Him, fulfilling the purpose of their salvation.

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