Year 5, Day 75: 1 Corinthians 6

Theological Commentary: Click Here

Discipleship Focus: In

• In: This is the word we use to express our relationships with our spiritual family.  These are often the people who hold us spiritually accountable.  They are the ones to whom we typically go for discussion and discernment.  These are the ones with whom we learn to share leadership.  They are the ones with whom we become family on mission.

I think I’m going to take a fairly unusual tack to the opening section of 1 Corinthians 6.  In that section, Paul is telling the Corinthians that it is to their shame that they have to get the legal authorities involved.  It is to their shame that they cannot solve their problems among themselves.  It is to their shame that they cannot get along and realize that their temporal squabbles are nothing next to their spiritual calling.

I think their problem is actually a problem of In.  The Corinthians aren’t really in deep spiritual relationship with one another.  They may come to worship in the same place, but they aren’t caring for one another.  They aren’t listening to one another.  They aren’t investing in one another’s lives.  They are simply showing up, doing their obligation, and going about life as they want to live it.  They aren’t actually creating any meaningful relationship.  They aren’t creating spiritual depth that can sustain turmoil or conflict.

Thus, because they have no In with each other, they have no basis for resolving conflict!  In order to resolve conflict they have to turn to temporal authorities: judges.  This actually makes sense.  Why should we expect anyone who doesn’t have spiritual depth with another person to be able to resolve their differences in any way except in worldly courts?

If we want to be spiritual people, then we need to be in spiritual relationship.  We need to be spiritually deep with others.  We need to have that community of In to bring spiritual order to our life.

<><