Discussion Jumpstarter
Study leader reference - not a definitive answer
Question 6
The speaker argues the Corinthians likely lacked full teaching access (possibly not even Matthew yet) when a brother sued a brother, but modern “born again” communities sue constantly and divorce necessarily involves court; what does that comparison suggest about our actual obedience to Jesus’s teachings, and where have we subtly accepted court-based conflict as normal?
Another way to ask: What does it say about us that Corinth may have had less teaching, yet Paul told them not to sue each other, while Christians today often go to court (including in divorce)? In what ways have we started treating court-based conflict as normal?
Discussion Jumpstarter
Direct Answer
Based on the speaker’s comparison, our problem is not lack of access but lack of obedience: Corinthians may not have known better at first, but modern Christians often know Jesus’s teaching and still treat lawsuits and court-based conflict as normal.
- He says suing was “a fairly new teaching” for Corinthians: “They didn’t have the New Testament…They may not have realized…It’s wrong to sue each other.”
- He adds uncertainty about sources: “I don’t know if they even had a copy of the Sermon on the Mount…We’re not given that information.”
- Once Paul told them, “so it stops,” implying they responded to apostolic correction.
- By contrast, he describes modern “born again” towns where “they’re all suing each other,” and “it didn’t make any difference” if the other person was Christian.
- He notes divorce requires court: “You don’t get a divorce without going to court against one another,” tying normalized divorce to normalized litigation.