Corinth Exegesis

1. Introduction The book of 1st Corinthians introduces a church that is having difficulties loving the world.
In the middle of numerous lessons and guidance about several subjects, the apostle Paul wrote in chapters 6:1-11 about thoughtless lawsuits in the church and their awful consequences. The city of Corinth was a known city of the Peloponnesus peninsula, capital of Achaia, located
North of Argolis1. The city of Corinth was destroyed by the Romans in 146 B.C., when Rome became overpopulated, the city was re-named as Colona Laus Julia Corinthiensis, by a decree of Julius
Caesar, incorporated as a Roman colony in 44 B.C. with the purpose to house Roman freedmen at the promise of freedom and riches.2 Corinth became known for
8 Ibid., 2191.

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2. Exegesis The exegesis of the passage is 6:1-11. Paul claim that not only were the causes for going to court wrong, but going before the court of corrupt magistrates of the city was entirely sinful. Paul was so preoccupied with lawsuits against and among brothers in Christ, because these would promote anger and bitterness, create divisions within the church, and wrongly affect the witness of the gospel in Corinth. Paul, completely outraged by this situation, did not start arguments but he give statements of disproval, rhetorical questions, irony, and threats. The exegesis can be separated into three sub parts: 6:1-6, 6:7-8, and 6:9-11. In 6:1-6, Paul claims that the church was competent enough to judge trivial cases among brothers. He began his statement to the Corinthians with “Dare any of you”, the opening statement reveals both, the character of the problem and Paul’s deepest feelings towards it.9 Thiselton explains that the question brings the strong remark of censure: How dare you! 10 In verse 1, “Having a case against another” is the language for lawsuit.11 The unrighteous in verse 1 were probability the judges or magistrates that were
Paul finishes verse 6 with a rhetorical question, with a tone of arrogance, the Corinthians believers should been ashamed because their behavior, they were not capable enough to judge or settle a dispute among their congregants.18 Paul says on verse 7 that having a lawsuit against and among brothers in the church is a defeat already for all. It doesn’t matter who wins or loses the case, all lose in spiritually. Paul, longing to see them laying down their insolence, asks “Why not suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?” The word “defrauded” in Greek means “to deprive of one what is due.” The apostle believed that the Corinthians, for the profit of their witness, should just be let down and accept that pain for the kingdom. Paul repeated and used the idea of Jesus “to turn the other cheek” as He did all over his writings (Matt. 5:39; 1Thess. 5:15; Rom. 12:17). In verse 8, the apostle said that instead of being cheated, defrauded, or wronged, the believer at
Corinth were acting that way towards others, even to the people they were expected to love the most, their brothers. Verses 9 and 10, Paul seems to enforce to the Corinthians about