1 Corinthians 6:7-11 meaning

In 1 Corinthians 6:7-11, Paul makes application to the principle that believers within a church should settle disputes among themselves, now asserting it is better to be wronged than to be a bad witness by participating in an open dispute before unbelievers.

In the previous section, Paul urged the Corinthian believers to settle disputes within the family of faith, seeking men with wisdom to help them discern justice. He set the stage in chapters 1-3 by asserting that the wisdom of God seeks the things of God, and how, at Christ's judgement of our lives, our worthless deeds will be burned up but our God-honoring deeds will remain as rewards. This contrasts with the wisdom of the world that seeks the things of the world, which is passing away.

We can imagine a reason someone might seek a civil court rather than a spiritual settlement within the church because the church does not possess the power of enforcement. Now Paul says it is better to be taken advantage of while seeking to settle within the body than to go to civil court and be a bad witness. Speaking of two brothers in Christ seeking a civil suit against one another, Paul says: Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded? (v. 7).

If a believer seeks a settlement within the body of Christ, it might be that the other party simply refuses to participate and will not bend to justice. Paul's point is that it is better to be wronged and even be defrauded than to be a poor witness by having lawsuits with one another. The Greek word translated as be wronged can also be translated as "be injured" or "be offended." The Greek word translated as be defrauded could also be rendered "be deprived."

The basic picture is that it is better to lose worldly goods than to be a poor spiritual witness. This fits with Paul's prior assertion that God's wisdom and God's rewards are vastly superior to the world's wisdom and the world's rewards. It is God's wisdom to focus on accumulating good deeds that will be like gold, silver and precious jewels in the refining fire of Jesus's judgment (1 Corinthians 3:11-15). Such good deeds will become lasting treasure, while all we can accumulate on earth will burn and be destroyed (2 Peter 3:12).

The goal of a lawsuit is to win. But Paul says the minute the lawsuit is filed against a brother in the church, it is already a defeat for you (v.7). His ironic point is "You are filing a lawsuit against your brother in order to win, but the minute you file, you lost." This is because Paul is offering the Corinthians an eternal perspective that recognizes the true nature of victory.

The Greek word "nikeo" means victory, and it is used frequently in scripture to describe spiritual victory. In Revelation, derivatives of "nikeo" are often translated as "overcome" and "overcomer" to describe those who lived as faithful witnesses and therefore won at life; those who live as faithful witnesses are the true victors. The overcomer is promised immense rewards in Revelation for their faithfulness, including the opportunity to share Christ's reign, as Paul already alluded earlier in this chapter, in 1 Corinthians 6:2-3 (Revelation 3:21).

This means that anyone desiring to win should be willing to lose. In saying, why not rather be wronged? why not rather be defrauded? (v.7), Paul means, "This is how to actually win." This is an application of the principle Jesus gave us that winning for eternity is often viewed as losing in the world's system:

"For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake and the gospel’s will save it. For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and forfeit his soul?"
(Mark 8:35-36)

The Greek word translated "soul" in Mark 8:36 is "psuche" which refers to the essence and nature of a person. It is often translated "life." Just as being willing to be wronged and to be defrauded is real victory versus filing a lawsuit against a brother is immediate defeat, so also does accumulating worldly success come at the cost of losing part of what God made us to be. All believers are given gifts, as Paul will discuss in Chapter 12, and are appointed to good works which God "prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them" (Ephesians 2:10).

When we choose to walk the ways of the world instead of the ways of Christ, we follow the "broad path" that leads to "destruction" (Matthew 7:13-14). For a believer, that destruction is the loss of good works they were supposed to accomplish but failed to do (1 Corinthians 3:15).

There is nothing easy about asking someone to willingly be wronged or to be defrauded. This is an example of what Jesus meant when He said that the "way is narrow" and difficult that "leads to life" (Matthew 7:14). It is not surprising that there are "few who find it," given how counter it is to the instincts of our natural man.

Jesus urged His disciples to set aside our natural bent toward retaliation and to endure loss rather than escalate conflict (Matthew 5:38-42). In God’s kingdom, the "victory" that matters most is not public vindication but living as a faithful witness, which is to love God by following His commands.

As Paul stated in 1 Corinthians 2:9, the rewards God has in store for those who love Him are beyond our capacity to imagine. Paul is elevating a basic choice each of us faces each moment—whether to pursue rewards that are temporary—like a legal win in a civil court against a brother—or to pursue what will endure when tested in Christ’s refining evaluation (1 Corinthians 3:11-15).

Choosing to absorb a wrong can be an act of faith: trusting God to see, to judge rightly, and to reward what is faithful. If we ask, "What do I deserve?" we naturally come up with a rationalization that places us at the center. The truth is we all deserve death (Romans 5:12). The better question to ask is, "What course of action can I choose that will best reflect Jesus and build on the foundation that is Christ with deeds that will last, like gold, silver, and precious stones?"

Paul follows his admonition that it is better to be defrauded than to be a poor witness with an allegation of hypocrisy: On the contrary, you yourselves wrong and defraud. You do this even to your brethren (v.8).

The reason the Corinthian believers are not willing to be wronged and be defrauded comes clear. They are the perpetrators of doing wrong to others. They are the ones who defraud. And apparently this is a lifestyle. In using even in saying You do this even to your brethren Paul infers that this is how they behave in the marketplace, but that they even do this to their brethren is particularly despicable. It is bad enough to abuse others, but abuse to members of their own spiritual family is particularly grotesque.

It sounds like there are members of the congregation that have made a habit of defrauding others and now they are continuing their pattern by defrauding fellow members of the congregation. The abused members are taking the ones who defrauded them to court. The entire episode is a terrible witness. The answer has three parts: 1) Stop defrauding anyone, but especially your brothers, 2) If you are defrauded, do not take it to a civil court, 3) Seek wisdom from within the church and settle things among yourselves.

By emphasizing even to your brethren, Paul underlines the family bond the gospel creates. These are not strangers or enemies—they are members of the same family. The church is meant to function like a living organism where one person's choices affect the whole. Apparently, this is not the mental model the Corinthians have of the church. Paul will later spend significant time painting a picture of the church (all believers in Christ) as Christ's body (1 Corinthians 12:12). Every member has a sacred role to serve with their gifts to benefit the whole.

Paul then turns to a sobering warning aimed at those who are practicing defrauding others: Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? (v.9).

To inherit the kingdom of God is to reign with Christ in His kingdom. All believers are given an inheritance to reign with Christ, as Paul implied earlier (1 Corinthians 6:2-3). But an inheritance can be squandered. Esau presents a picture of what it looks like to squander an inheritance. He forsook a future reward of the firstborn, which is to reign over his family, and traded it for a bowl of stew to satisfy his current appetite.

This is what those who are defrauding others are doing. By living as unrighteous they are on the path of failing to possess their inheritance. They are like the first generation to come out of Egypt, who died in the wilderness without possessing their inheritance because of unbelief (Hebrews 4:1, 11-12). They are like Esau who sold his birthright inheritance for a bowl of stew.

Hebrews 12:15-17 warns believers not to make the mistake of Esau and trade our future reward for immediate pleasure. As Romans 8:17 states, all believers unconditionally have God as their inheritance, but in order to be joint heirs with Christ we must share in His suffering. Jesus suffered injustice and endured that suffering on our behalf (1 Peter 3:17-18). Because He was willing to humble Himself, His name was exalted, but in the time and manner determined by His Father (1 Peter 5:6, Philippians 2:8-10).

There are a number of other rewards promised for faithful witnesses that may also be part of inheriting the kingdom of God. For example, there are a number of rewards promised to those who overcome in Revelation 2-3. Jesus spoke often of the kingdom of God, sometimes referring to it as the kingdom of heaven. Jesus used the terms "kingdom of God" and "kingdom of heaven" to describe the Messiah's rule and administration. His invitation to enter His kingdom is an invitation to live faithfully and follow His ways.

The servant leaders who will reign with Christ in His kingdom that is to come are those who have demonstrated a willingness to serve in this life. In this life, serving is a matter of faith. When Jesus taught us to pray, "Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven" (Matthew 6:10), it aligns our mindset with the reality that those who do God’s will by faith in this life will reign with Christ in the earth that is to come. The earth that is to come will be an earth that will be filled with righteousness (2 Peter 3:13). Those who practice unrighteousness in this life may forfeit all or part of their reward (2 John 1:8, Colossians 2:18).

To inherit the kingdom points to receiving the benefits and rewards of participation in God's reign. This includes benefits in this life as well as the next. Paul repeatedly aims the Corinthians toward living for Christ's evaluation instead of chasing "wins" in this age according to the ways of the world. The ways of the world center around the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the boastful pride of life (1 John 2:15-16). But this world is passing away, and so will any "win" we might gain within it (1 John 2:17).

Paul adds a clear warning against self-deception: do not be deceived (v.9). Sin is rarely chosen with eyes wide open. It often comes wearing a disguise—"I'm just defending myself," "I'm just getting what I'm owed," "I'm justified because they hurt me." Paul urges the Corinthians to see what is true through the eyes of faith.

Paul then provides a representative list of behaviors that do not align with inheriting God’s reign: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals will inherit the kingdom (v.9). A list like or similar to this appears a number of times in scripture. Two other examples follow:

• 1 Corinthians 5:11 says to avoid those who call themselves believers and exhibit these traits.
• Hebrews 13:4 states that God will judge fornicators and adulterers.
• Galatians 5:19-21 states that those who exhibit the fruits of the flesh will not inherit the kingdom of God.

We can see here that idolaters are mixed with a list of sins of immorality. In pagan culture, idolatry was usually commingled with immorality.

We can see this going all the way back to Israel coming out of Egypt. When the Israelites worshipped the golden calf, they "stood up to play" which is a euphemism for sexual immorality, as can be observed in 1 Corinthians 10:7-8. Pagan cultures practiced all sorts of immorality, including sexual intercourse between humans and animals (Leviticus 18:23). The Greek pagan culture was also licentious. In classical Greek literature, to "act like a Corinthian" was a saying that meant to behave immorally. Given that Corinth had two seaports, it is reasonable to presume this reputation carried forward to the first century. Pedophilia and adultery were normalized behavior in Greek culture. The Spartans were bisexual as a matter of policy.

But God's design is for male and female to become one. This was spoken by Adam in Genesis 2:24 and repeated by Jesus in Matthew 19:4-6. Marriage is particularly holy because it is a picture of Christ and His church. This is articulated in Ephesians 5:31-32, which also quotes Genesis 2:24. And Paul will also quote Genesis 2:24 later in this chapter, in 1 Corinthians 6:16. As Paul will say a bit later in this chapter, sexual immorality is a sin against one’s own body (1 Corinthians 6:18).

Therefore, sexual immorality is a form of self-destruction. Paul says something similar in Romans 1. There, he says the "wrath of God" pours out on unrighteousness. And the form His "wrath" takes is to give people over to the desire they decide to pursue. We can see the progression:

• The first stage of "wrath" is God "gave them over" to "impurity" from the "lust of their hearts" (Romans 1:24). God removes the inhibitions He built into nature so that people can have what they desire.

• The second stage of "wrath" for those who persist in following their lusts is that God "gave them over" to "degrading passions" (Romans 1:26). We might call these "addictions." We think we are pursuing the lust to gain happiness; instead, it leads us to slavery.

• The third stage of "wrath" is to lose our mental stability. God "gave them over to a depraved mind" (Romans 1:28).

This tells us that missing out on the benefits of the kingdom of God can begin in this life. To pursue sin is to become enslaved to sin. As Paul says to the believers in Rome:

"Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness?"
(Romans 6:16)

The blessings of the kingdom of God come about by choosing to follow and live the principles of the kingdom of God. This is true in this life as well as the next.

Prior to this chapter Paul had already covered the need to recognize and remedy social division and sexual immorality (1 Corinthians 1:11-12, 5:1). In the first part of Chapter 6, he covered division through failure to properly handle disputes (1 Corinthians 6:1-6). He just returned to the topic of sexual immorality, and will again. But now he adds another category of sin consistent with wronging and defrauding others, as some are doing within the church body in Corinth (1 Corinthians 6:8). Along with the sins of sexual immorality and idolatry in verse 9, he lists: nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God (v.10).

Verse 10 begins with nor because this continues the list of behaviors that will not inherit the kingdom of God that began in verse 9. In verse 8, Paul said some in the church in Corinth were wronging and defrauding others. The Greek word translated swindlers is rendered "ravenous" in Matthew:

"Beware of the false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly are ravenous wolves."
(Matthew 7:15)

The picture is one of extraction. To wrong or defraud is to exploit in order to extract. This is likely an outer action that began with an inner lust of envy. To be covetous naturally leads to being swindlers who devour others through wronging and defrauding.

This list of fleshly traits in verses 9 and 10 is a similar list to the one Paul gave in 1 Corinthians 5:11 where he instructed the believers in Corinth not to associate with anyone who named themselves a believer and also exhibited these fleshly traits. There he said that such fleshly traits are to be expected in the world, and we are to live in the world and be a witness to the world. We are to be in the world but not of it.

Sexual sin harms one's own body, and leads others to the same harm. These sins of relational and economic exploitation—taking what is not yours, craving what others have, numbing yourself with intoxication, using speech to tear down, and manipulating others for gain—will lead to divisions and breaches of fellowship within the body.

In the immediate context of lawsuits, words like thieves…covetous…swindlers land with special force. Court battles among believers were not merely "disagreements"; they could be expressions of covetousness and forms of swindling dressed up as justice.

Paul is writing as a spiritual father calling believers into a life that matches the new identity Christ has given them. Paul is about to remind them that Christ’s power which they have within can cleanse and renew them if they will exercise faith to walk in it.

The list in verses 9 and 10 indicates that sin creates clusters of more sin. Covetousness can lead to theft. Drunkenness can feed reviling. Reviling can justify swindling. And once a church normalizes these patterns—especially against "brethren"—it begins to look like the surrounding culture rather than reflecting Christ. That is why Paul has been urging them to clean out corrupting influences and live with sincerity and truth.

At the same time, Paul's warning is meant to be merciful. He is steering them away from a path that leads to destruction. Sin steals joy and forfeits reward, both now and in the age to come. The Corinthian believers can lose the huge benefits that come from living as faithful stewards. Instead of being slaves to sin, and experiencing death, they can live as slaves to righteousness and experience life (Romans 6:16, 23).

Death is separation, as we see in James 2:26 where physical death is described as the spirit separating from the body. Sin separates us from God's design for us. When believers walk in the ways of the world we are separated from the works God prepared beforehand for us to walk in, and therefore separate ourselves from our true identity (Ephesians 2:10).

Paul desires the Corinthians to avoid seeking the world's fleeting prizes, which separate us from God's design, and instead love God and seek praise that comes from Him through living in obedience to His commands.

As Paul said in 1 Corinthians 2:9, we cannot imagine the amazing rewards God has in store for those who love Him. Paul now reminds the Corinthians of their true identity in Christ, adding, Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God (v. 11).

In saying Such were some of you, Paul includes those in verse 8 who are wronging and defrauding. He includes those who are entangled in immorality. They are following in the ways of sin, giving in to their flesh. But in doing so they are not living consistently with their true identity. When they believed in Jesus they were:

• Washed
• Sanctified
• Justified

All in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

To be washed is to be cleansed from the filth of unrighteousness. To be sanctified is to be set apart from what is common to become a child of the living God, to have an inheritance in Him. To be justified is to be declared righteous in God's sight, apart from any deeds we have done or will ever do (Ephesians 2:8-9). Just as Abraham was justified before God simply because he believed, so it is with those who believe in Jesus (Genesis 15:6, Romans 4:3, John 3:14-15).

This is their true identity. The Corinthians are new creations in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17). To live in sin and follow the flesh is to revert to behaviors that are destructive and lead to loss. In saying such were some of you, Paul makes it clear that for these believers this is no longer their true identity. They have been delivered from all of that. So, they should walk accordingly. To fall back into this sort of fleshly behavior is to walk in slavery to sin, a slavery from which they have been delivered (Romans 6:16).

This new identity in Christ did not come about because they "turned over a new leaf" and started behaving better. It came about in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God. It is the power of Jesus that saves. All sins were nailed to the cross with Christ—past, present, and future (Colossians 2:14). It is in His name that salvation from sin is found (Acts 4:12).

As Jesus told Nicodemus, to be born again is as simple as having sufficient faith to look on Him, hoping to be delivered from the deathly power of sin. Jesus used the illustration of Israel in the wilderness, who were saved from death by snakebite through simply looking at a bronze snake that was lifted up. Jesus said He would be lifted up in the same way (John 3:14-15). All who believed enough to look upon Him in hope of salvation would be justified in God's sight and be delivered from separation from His family.

There is a parallel here with Paul’s second letter to his disciple Timothy (see commentary on 2 Timothy 2:8-13).

• Those who have believed in Jesus have died with Him, so they will live with Him forever (2 Timothy 2:11, 1 Corinthians 6:11).
• Paul desires that his readers endure in following Jesus faithfully so they might inherit the kingdom and receive the reward of reigning with Him (2 Timothy 2:12a, 1 Corinthians 6:2-3).
• He does not desire that they lose their inheritance in the kingdom of God and be denied the reward of reigning (2 Timothy 2:12b, 1 Corinthians 6:9)
• Notwithstanding anything believers might do, they are still His. Because believers are in Christ, He cannot reject them or He would be rejecting Himself (2 Timothy 2:13, 1 Corinthians 6:11, 14, 19-20).

So, Paul's logic seeks the best interest of his children in the faith. He reminds them that God has truly washed them, set them apart, and declared them righteous. They were delivered from their old life, so they should not go back into it. Sin leads to death, and Paul wants them to experience life. Sin also leads to a loss of reward, and Paul desires that they gain their full reward.