An utter failure

Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated? - 1 Corinthians 6v7

Jesus tells us that the world is going to know that we follow Him by the love we have for each other. Yet the people of Corinth we so carnal that they were taking their fights before the general public, even to the extent of taking each other to court. They were talking about love, having great agape feasts, yet the city saw them fighting in the courts.

Paul says in no uncertain terms that to take each other to court it is a total failure on the church’s part to do so. So bad it fact that they would be better off to have wrong committed against them and be cheated than to go to court against each other. Paul says that surly there is someone in the church who can sort things out.

I don’t think Paul is saying here that we need to accept abuse and cheating by other believers. That issue is addressed in Matthew where Jesus told us that if we have a fault we are to talk to the person, then take a couple others, and finally to the church.

If we are not going to do that we are better off to be “ripped off” by a brother than to take him to public court.

If the world knows that we follow Christ by our love for each other, what does it know when we are fighting each other?