Introductory Thoughts
The scriptural form of church judgment was fashioned according to the practice that will take place in the future. However, the role of judgment in the early church seems to be much more involved than generally practiced in churches today. The spiritual believers took their disputes with other believers to be judged by the church. Those believers who failed to follow this guideline were considered to be the carnal believers at Corinth. They were unwisely taking their disputes before unsaved judges. Paul rebuked these believers and explained in context their future role of judgment: believers would take part in judging the world (1 Corinthians 6:2). Additionally, believers will have a lofty responsibility of judging angels (1 Corinthians 6:3).
Devotional Thoughts
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(For children): If you and a sibling had an argument, would you go to a next door neighbour whom you did not know to settle the matter? Of course not, you would go to dad or mom. The same is true with our church family. God wants us to settle any problems we have with someone at church within our church family, not by those outside the church.
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(For everyone): How could our judgment within a local body of believers actually work to preserve the testimony of our Lord Jesus Christ? How could it insure biblical solutions to our disputes?
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In our day, people love to sue others over the smallest matters. What kind of impression does it give the world when believers take part in this type of behavior?
Prayer Thoughts
- Ask God to help you learn to judge now.
- Ask the Lord to help you obey Him in all matters of life.
Song
WHAT THEN, SHALL CHRISTIANS SIN
