Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Playing by the Rules”
Our Bible verse for today: “Therefore, to have legal disputes against one another is already a moral failure for you. Why not rather put up with injustice?” 1 Corinthians 6:7 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Your ability to shrug off an offense is a measure of your spiritual maturity.”
In 1 Corinthians chapter 6 the Apostle Paul was teaching a lesson about spiritual maturity. That might not seem obvious at first reading, but that is what the passage is really about. To make his point, Paul used the example of believers suing fellow believers in civil court. Evidently that was happening among the Christians in the city of Corinth and Paul said it was an embarrassment to the cause of Christ and it needed to stop.
But there is an underlying Biblical principle in play here that is actually the larger and more important point. A mature Christian is not easily offended and even when they are, they can shrug it off rather than making a big deal out of it. Consider carefully the deeper meaning of this verse offered to us by the Amplified Bible translation:
“Why, the very fact of your having lawsuits with one another is a defect (a defeat, an evidence of positive moral loss for you.) Why not rather let yourselves suffer wrong and be deprived of what is your due? Why not rather be cheated (defrauded and robbed)?
Spend some time with that Amplified explanation. Think about it. The very fact that a Christian would get caught-up in or consumed by thoughts that they have been wronged is according to Paul, a defect in that person’s spiritual maturity. It represents a defeat, a moral loss. Now, that doesn’t necessarily mean that we are to simply ignore wrongs done to us, but it does mean that we don’t carry our response to extremes. If you want a “Biblical” model for dealing with an offense from a fellow Christian, read the words of Jesus in Matthew 18: 15-17. There you will find His answer for conflict resolution.
Now, go back again to the Amplified Bible’s translation of Paul’s words. “Why not rather let yourselves suffer wrong?” He’s saying here that rather than making a big deal out of what is probably only a small deal, why not just let it go? Are you a big enough person to do that? Have you grown spiritually to the point where you are not easily offended and you can simply shrug things off without making a big deal out of it?
This is a matter of “Playing by the Rules”. In the Bible God shows us how to properly handle conflicts and offenses, so that is how we are to do it. First, consider just letting it go. Most things that bother us really don’t matter all that much and we should be able to simply shrug them off.
Second, in those cases where a wrong does need to be addressed, do it Biblically. Don’t get petty about it. Don’t wallow in self-pity feeling sorry for yourself. Don’t sit around licking your wounds and feeling resentful. Address it like Jesus taught us in Matthew 18:15-17. Go to the person and talk to them about it. Then, if necessary, ask a couple of other mature Christians to join the discussion to help you achieve resolution. Then, if those two steps don’t resolve the issue and if the issue is really important enough, assemble the church and ask the group to help work through it.
But remember, first and foremost, your ability to simply shrug off minor offenses and annoyances is an accurate and revealing measure of your spiritual maturity. In most cases that should be the way it is handled.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 