Love thy neighbor - 1 Corinthians 6:1-11

Do you have trouble getting along with people?  Most of us do not as a rule, but perhaps once in a while we will disagree with someone's opinions or actions.  How do you settle tensions in a relationship?  Do you avoid dealing with a difficult situation and live in denial that anything is amiss?

I think we all, at one time in our lives, struggle with a difficult personality.  This may be a family member, a co-worker or a neighbor or an acquaintance.  Any one of us could be that disagreeable personalty as well.  We all have bad days or weeks.  There are times when the issue could be more serious, a time when we need the intercession of someone else to help us mend the break.  Scripture encourages us, as believers, to heal the rift without taking our Christian brother to court where a non-believer has authority,

"If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people?" (1 Corinthians 6:1)

The issue here isn't who we turn to for help in these difficult times but rather what is the example we are setting for the world.  Paul's words go on, "The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?" (1 Corinthians 6:7)  We are being called to get along with one another.  Paul is reaffirming the need to stop any division in the church and love our brother.

Like most of the teaching in the Bible this is all contrary to our human nature, proving Heaven is an upside down world.  Oh, how we long for those topsy turvy times.



Read the 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 text here.  Listen to audio of the 1 Corinthians 6:1-11 text here.