Choosing to Lose?

Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?

1 Corinthians 6:7

Several years ago, a pastor friend I know found himself in a strange and uncomfortable position. He was being sued in secular court by one of the elders from his church. This elder was unhappy with some of the pastor's decisions. The elder took his concerns to the church leadership board, but they supported the pastor. So the disgruntled elder did what comes naturally in today’s litigious culture and filed suit against the pastor.

As it turns out, this kind of behavior among Christians isn't new. In the middle of the first century A.D., believers in Corinth were taking their grievances with each other to secular courts (6:1). For this practice, the Apostle Paul rebuked them. Instead of relying on suing each other when they have unresolved conflicts, the Corinthian Christians should look to their church for help (6:2-5). Here, among those who will one day join with God in judging the world, there should be sufficient wisdom to settle disputes between brothers and sisters in Christ.

For Paul, the very notion of Christians suing each other is anathema. Not only does such behavior reflect poorly on the church, but it alsocontradicts the essence of Christian faithfulness. As Paul writes in verse 7, “Even to have such lawsuits with one another is a defeat for you. Why not just accept the injustice and leave it at that? Why not let yourselves be cheated?'' These rhetorical questions echo the teaching of Jesus, who specifically urged us to turn the other cheek and walk the second mile. In fact, Jesus said, “If you are sued in court and your shirt is taken from you, give your coat, too” (Matt 6:40.

Surely, those who heard Jesus say this were perplexed, perhaps even offended. The same would be true of the Corinthians as they read Paul's comments about not suing and accepting injustice. I expect that many of us are similarly unsettled as we read the first part of 1 Corinthians 6.

Most of us will not be tempted to sue our fellow Christians. But we will all be challenged at times by people who mistreat us. Choosing to lose for the sake of Christ, choosing to forgive rather than get even, may seem as silly to us as it once did to the Corinthian Christians. Yet, it is giving up our lives for the sake of Christ that leads our lives enriched by the grace and mercy of God.

QUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION: When have you been challenged to “choose to lose” for the sake of Christ? What did you do? Do you find yourself right now in a situation where you are struggling with whether to accept injustice or seek to get even? What does God want you to do?

PRAYER: O God, our Righteous Judge, you know how hard it is for us to read what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6 without objecting. We are so used to turning to secular courts to settle our problems, rather than turning to the church for help. Moreover, this notion of choosing to lose can seem simply wrong. How natural it feels to us to get even, to fight, even to sue.

Help us, Lord, to think, not in the way of our culture, but in the way of your kingdom. Give us discernment concerning the best way to respond when we have been wronged. May your church, Lord, fulfill its rightful function in helping your people find justice and reconciliation.

Show me, Lord, how to put this challenging teaching into practice in my own life. I pray in the name of Jesus, who calls me to turn the other cheek. Amen.