Pt 22 FAULTY WITNESS
1 Corinthians 6:1–8
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.
Faulty Witness Showcased Through Submission.
In the first point we are going to look at the tragic witness we display to the world when we submit out selves to the world rather than to the Lord for justice between brethren.
Faulty Witness Exhorted Through Exhibit.
The Faulty witness will be exhorted by Paul through the understanding of scripture that it should not be so among any true Christian, whom scripture teaches will one day judge the world.
Faulty Witness Displayed Through Discord.
The Faulty witness is dressed down by Paul in this rebuke, because their discord is presenting a faulty witness to the world, “set the least esteemed in the church to judge between”. He is astonished that there is not a wise man among them to judge what he sees as a “the smallest of matters“
Faulty Witness Remedied Through Reflection.
He returns to the biblical concept of turning the other cheek between them if that be the case. He sees in scripture the validity of the eternal compared to the temporal, each shall receive the just recompense of the reward of his doing.
Faulty Witness Showcased Through Submission.
1 Corinthians 6:1
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
I could have called this point The Just Seeking Justice From The Unjust; this phrase certainly testifies to the irony that is occurring.
How can it be considered justified for the just to be looking for justice by the unjust? Yet that is exactly what is happening practically.
Christians are meant to have an INNER KNOWLEDGE of that which is truly right and wrong, that which is sinful compared to that which is good, yet here they can’t judge the smallest of matters we are told in the next verse.
While that is the clear rebuke, that is not Paul’s primary displeasure. He is upset respecting how badly these Christians are re-presenting Christ!
It is the WITNESS, the FAULTY WITNESS that they are quite literally SHOWCASING by their willingness to SUBMIT themselves to those who cant even judge their OWN SIN! “The unjust“.
It is a FAULTY WITNESS SHOWCASED THROUGH SUBMISSION!
The last two sermons on the previous chapter, I pointed out that Christians in wilful sin blaspheme their testimony of God through it.
They witness nothing of the transformative work of the Gospel in their hearts, no contrition for sin, no repentance, they have no fear of God, they do whatever it is that pleases them, yet insist on being called “Christians”.
They are like the seven women of Isaiah 4:1, do you know who they are?
Isaiah 4:1
1 And in that day seven women shall take hold of one man, saying, We will eat our own bread, and wear our own apparel: only let us be called by thy name, to take away our reproach.
Such are they of the contemporary Church of Corinth.
They do burnouts in the car park in front of a crowd with a fish sticker on the bumper!
Their justification of sin will morph inexorably into calling evil good, and good evil. Verifying the wicked but vilifying the righteous.
Paul had written that this is exactly the natural progression of the last days church. Writing about the CHURCH to Pastor Timothy, he states;
2 Timothy 3:1–5
1 This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. 2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, 3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, 4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; 5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.
This is the prophesied state of the Church beloved, NOT OF THE WORLD.
The world has ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY, turn to Romans 1.
You can read the Chapter in its entirety at your leisure as I only want to show the character of THE UNJUST” who has rejected the reality of God and whose reprobate hearts are being justified by their minds, leading to such behaviour written of from verse 28;
Romans 1:28–32
28 And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29 Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30 Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful,proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31 Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32 Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.
Now these are the very people the members of the Church of Corinth are submitting themselves to to find “justice”.
THIS IS A FAULTY WITNESS.
Not only is this likened to a school teacher submitting themselves to a kindergartener for their education, but also like a family renown for their close love, affection and tolerance, seeking advice on unity by a man from a broken home.
Or a married couple looking to a divorcee to give his deliberations and judgement on which way to fit the toilet roll.
Really??
1 Corinthians 6:1
1 Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the saints?
Paul is not just amazed at the irony of what they are doing, but his underlying concern is about how this looks to a world whom they are charged to preach the gospel ….
Remember that gospel?
The one that speaks of love and unity?
The LOVE between those who belong to Christ is the very identifying factor that the world may know his work is real.
Turn to;
John 13:34–35
34 A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
The Corinthians are demonstrating A FAULTY WITNESS WHICH THEY SHOWCASE THROUGH THEIR SUBMISSION.
They submit themselves to a world that does not even recognise its own lawlessness to judge between brethren, as such they give the world a faulty witness of God and of Jesus.
Faulty Witness Exhorted Through Exhibit.
1 Corinthians 6:2-3
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?
Paul moves to exhibit the truth of all that the Bible teaches and brings to their remembrance that which ought to have come to their minds PRIOR to them SHOWCASING a FAULTY WITNESS THROUGH THEIR SUBMISSION.
This FAULTY WITNESS is EXHORTED THROUGH EXHIBIT.
EXHIBIT A: the saints shall judge the world
There will come a time when the saints are going to rule and reign with Christ.
Psalm 149:5–9
5 Let the saints be joyful in glory: let them sing aloud upon their beds.
6 Let the high praises of God be in their mouth, and a twoedged sword in their hand; 7 To execute vengeance upon the heathen, and punishments upon the people; 8 To bind their kings with chains, and their nobles with fetters of iron; 9 To execute upon them the judgment written: this honour have all his saints. Praise ye the LORD.
Daniel 7:21–22
21 I beheld, and the same horn made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; 22 Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom.
Revelation 20:4
4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.
This is EXHIBIT A, this is the first area that Paul Exhorts their faulty witness through the standard and truth of the scriptures.
Beloved, how often do you employ the scriptures before you make important decisions concerning a brother or a sister in the Lord?
It is our willingness to ask “What does the Bible say?” is the foundation point from which we judge how to deal with a matter.
If that is your final authority, then and ONLY then can you have any degree of confidence you are moving in the right direction.
Like the service manual in a complicated piece of equipment, Life has many moving part and many faults, only going back to the service manual for life can we have any confidence we might repair the fault.
You CANNOT GO to those who do not even know who the manufacturer is to help fix the faulty part beloved.
if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
What is the answer to that question?
If you are deemed to judge the world then, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest mattersnow?
EXHIBIT B 3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels?
That the angels who fell with Satan are to be reserved unto judgement, the scriptures make plain.
Many of the devils cried out to Jesus testifying;
“Matthew 8:29
29 ….What have we to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God? art thou come hither to torment us before the time?
Jude 6
6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day.
1 Cor 6:3 is the only direct reference I could find where the saints are going to judge angels.
Paul presenting the fact that the saints will certainly sit on thrones in judgement with Christ (ref Lk 22:30, Mt 19:28) respecting the twelve tribes.
Nevertheless, the statement is there and presented as if they ought to have known it;
3 Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?
If the brethren are going to judge matters of eternal consequence, how much more ought they be able to judge matters that are temporal?
Faulty Witness Displayed Through Discord.
1 Corinthians 6:4-6
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.
John 13:35
35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.
The discord in the Church that sinks to a level where “brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers” tells the opposite of that which Jesus spoke of in John 13:35.
If it is love between brethren that testifies to being the disciples of Christ, what “shall all men know” when discord drives them to the ungodly for justice?
Ill tell you what they will know. That there is NO DIFFERENCE BETWEEN YOU AND THEY!
The single most evident witness of two lives in discord one with another, testifies that at least ONE is in discord with Jesus? Just like unbelievers.
When a Christian husband and wife go to the secular world for “counselling”, what does this say to the secular counsellor about Christianity? Is it any different from them who are in the world?
Paul wrote of those who claim the name of the Lord and yet act and behave as those in the world in Romans 2, it is there that he makes clear they blaspheme the name of the Lord in doing so;
Romans 2:22–24
22 Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege? 23 Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God? 24 For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.
King David was told by the Lord of the effect of his own sin with Bathsheba;
2 Samuel 12:14
14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
So too Israel to the nations when they were not in the Land, caused the name of God to be blasphemed;
Ezekiel 36:20
20 And when they entered unto the heathen, whither they went, they profaned my holy name, when they said to them, These are the people of the LORD, and are gone forth out of his land.
And so is a FAULTY WITNESS DISPLAYED THROUGH DISCORD when;
brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers.
Paul states the entry to the passage;
4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church.
It seems clear that the leaders and the Pastor in the Church of Corinth are not able to discern judgements of things pertaining to this life, yet so simple is the truth to be seen that all it would take are “the least esteemed in the church” “to judge“.
He does not write this as if this ought to be a wise and novel notion, to the contrary, he writes this to their shame that there is not a mature Christian among them willing to judge the matter;
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?
I admit to not knowing whether it is fear to speak or ignorance that restrains people to say that which is evidently wrong among them.
Its clear by Paul’s writing that he is astonished “that there is not a wise man among” them that may judge even “the smallest matters” (v2).
Zeitgeist
There is a German philosophical term that made its way into the english language in the 19thcentury called “tsaitgaist” (Zeitgeist) this is a very common philosophical term today that is describing the times we are presently living in, so it is worth noting down.
It is a compound word Zeit (Time) & Geist (Spirit/Ghost).
It refers culturally to the “Spirit of the Age” and it can apply broadly to a culture or civilisation or it can even be narrowed down very locally, even to a body or group of people.
There was a classic book published in 1841 by Poet Charles Mackay titled “Extraordinary Popular Delusions and The Madness of Crowds“, where he goes into great details of how large bodies of people can get swept away in everything from mortgaging their homes to by a single Tulip in Holland in 1637 (he gives example of a man who sold 12 acres of land to by a single bulb of a particualar species), to thestaggering veneration of Relics in the catholic Church.
The journalist Douglas Murray brought that book right up to date in his “The Madness of Crowds: Gender, Race and Identity” published in 2019.
It is a Mob mentality, where an idea or concept receives wide acclaim among a people or group of people receiving the same information.
While it is recognised to occur in a given timeframe, it is also referred interestingly to as a “spirit”, an irrational belief that is receiving greater and greater acclaim the more people accept it without question.
We had seen this recently during the Covid madness.
We are still in the midst of the WOKE madness that is numbing the minds and hearts of the world, a “Mind Virus” according to a prominent industrialist.
We had seen it dominate a nation in its hatred of a select people, which rose to justify their complete extermination, the Jews under Adolf Hitler during the Holocaust in Nazi Germany.
(I will be speaking much more to this during our upcoming Mayday Series at the end of May, and adding more context to it for the Young Adults Camp this year, simply titled AXIOMS please pray for that.)
But I want you to also note that such is seen in the local body from time to time.
It is again, just as simply as following on from the fifth chapter, our willingness to not identify sin as sin, leaves us blinded to discerning other errors amongst us.
Coming from a Charismatic Church I had seen first hand the willingness of people to remain silent even when some of the most ridiculous behaviours were occurring before my eyes.
In 1837, Hans Christian Anderson retells an old story that can be traced as far back as the 1200’s in India which he titled “The Empoeror’s New Clothes”.
In short, the Emperor of the land was long obsessed with fancy new cloths that he loved to parade among the people.
A time came when he was conned into believing he had the very newest technology in material that would appear completely invisible ONLY to the incompetent or stupid among his people.
Only the wise can see the clothing.
He paraded the himself, fully dressed, but without a stitch.
It took a child, the least esteemed among the people, to reveal the truth of the matter.
“The emperors got no clothes” Perhaps it also takes a naive courage to stand and to speak!
Where are the real men today? Where are those willing to call a spade a spade? Far too many “applaud the emperors new clothes”, far too few call out his nakedness.
So it is with so much that we witness both in the world and in the church.
Be willing to stand on the truth of God, his word and his character, even if the world and the apostate church think you are mad.
Faulty Witness Remedied Through Reflection.
1 Corinthians 6:7–8
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.
Set aside just for a moment that we have here a man who calls himself a Christian and is yet defrauding his brother, quite an astonishing hypocrisy in itself. But notice that Paul draws the attention to a great biblical principal that neither of those in discord are giving consideration to.
What is the principal at play?
It is identified in the words;
Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?
Matthew 5:38–48
38 Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth: 39 But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. 40 And if any man will sue thee at the law, and take away thy coat, let him have thy cloke also. 41 And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain. 42 Give to him that asketh thee, and from him that would borrow of thee turn not thou away.
43 Ye have heard that it hath been said, Thou shalt love thy neighbour, and hate thine enemy. 44 But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; 45 That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.
46 For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? 47 And if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? do not even the publicans so? 48 Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.
Beloved, there are going to be times when you will need to identify a response for the actions of false brethren who blaspheme the Lord publicly, as we had seen in chapter 5, and a response respecting those who defraud you privately.
One is that which warns others and defends the nature and character of the Lord, the other is that which “Esteems the reproach of Christ as greater riches than all the treasures in Egypt“, that, like Moses, you have a greater respect for the recompense of the reward in eternity than you do in this temporal world. (Heb 11:25-26)
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?
A FAUTY WITNESS CAN BE REMEDIED THROUGH REFLECTION.
When our focus is both on a Biblical response to matters personal, we can have joy and rest even in times of being defrauded of material possessions.
That brother who presumes he has gained by defrauding you deludes himself by granting to you even greater eternal riches than he could ever have gained in this temporal world.
The fact of the matter is that, if indeed this be a Christian who has defrauded a brother, such a man has LOST any gain eternally and transferred it on to the brother defrauded.
If this be NOT a brother, the willingness of the Christian to take wrong, to be defrauded, has within it opportunity to present the glorious gospel of Christ that may one day win the defrauder to Christ.
1 Peter 2:19–25
19 For this is thankworthy, if a man for conscience toward God endure grief, suffering wrongfully. 20 For what glory is it, if, when ye be buffeted for your faults, ye shall take it patiently? but if, when ye do well, and suffer for it, ye take it patiently, this is acceptable with God. 21 For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:
22 Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: 23 Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: 24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed. 25 For ye were as sheep going astray; but are now returned unto the Shepherd and Bishop of your souls.
Paul will later show in this chapter, that we all were sinners set to judgement, all sinners defrauding God of all that is good and right, holy and just, yet he was willing to set himself as nothing for us, Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
It is OUR WITNESS that points to Christ in ALL we do respecting the body of Christ.
Yes, there are times to call out sin, to bring it into the light of day, to “mark them which cause division” (Rom 16:17-18) as we saw last week, and there are times we judge righteous judgement between us “that the ministry be not blamed” (2 Cor 6:3).
Actually, this is a good place to finish this message;
2 Corinthians 6:1–10
1 We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. 2 (For he saith, I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of salvation have I succoured thee: behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.) 3 Giving no offence in any thing, that the ministry be not blamed:
4 But in all things approving ourselves as the ministers of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in necessities, in distresses, 5 In stripes, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labours, in watchings, in fastings; 6 By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness, by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned, 7 By the word of truth, by the power of God, by the armour of righteousness on the right hand and on the left, 8 By honour and dishonour, by evil report and good report: as deceivers, and yet true; 9 As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and, behold, we live; as chastened, and not killed; 10 As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
Bring matters that concern one another to one another, let both love and the perspective of Christ govern our hearts that we do not become FAULTY WITNESSES, but ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor 5:20).
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