By: Casey Zachary
The Corinthian Church was plagued with many problems. One issue that crippled relationships within the church and ruined their witness to the community at large was lawsuits between believers. This passage has often been used as a to teach that Christians should never, under any circumstance, sue other Christians, however, such a reading seems to miss the point Paul is attempting to make.
One idea contemporary Christians must bear in mind is that the threat of improper boasting is always a temptation. The church in Corinth boasted in many things, but they failed to boast in Christ. Christians constantly need to evaluate motivations and actions to consider whether they reflect the transformative work of the Spirit in their lives.
To use this passage as a proof text to say Christians who are taken advantage of have no recourse if the other party is a Christian is mistaken. A healthy way to apply this in a contemporary way is to conclude that there is no tolerance for a Christian defrauding or behaving in an unjust manner towards another Christian. If Christians choose to “suffer wrong” or “be defrauded” that is their prerogative, but they are under no Biblical mandate to do so. This pericope does not preach that a Christian shall under no circumstances have a lawsuit with another Christian. It does not say, for example, that a Christian plumber who does a job for a church and does not get paid the full amount simply is obligated to suffer a loss. Nor does is say that if the plumber does a poor job, that the church just has to take the hit and pay someone else money to redo the job. What Paul is trying to teach here is that the church must stop being dishonest and pay for the job. What Paul is saying is that the plumber should stop being a swindler and do the job correctly.
When situations arise that could lead to severe disputes and even lawsuits, this passage helps demonstrate the value of having structures in place within a church body to assist in determining who is acting unfairly and attempt to correct it. Ideally, proper discipleship coupled with the genuine love that is fostered in a church body with solid leadership will mitigate many issues individuals encounter. However, at times, neither prayer, mediation, nor arbitration succeed. This section of Scripture does not prohibit those being cheated by another Christian from taking the matter to court. It does prohibit a Christian from cheating another Christian.