As someone that has worked in the legal field for many years, these verses really struck a chord with me. There are so many frivolous lawsuits to be sure, yet there are many that are filed because of simple injustice and unfairness. Paul is again calling the church to be the church.
Recently, I enjoyed devotions from Rick Warren which focused on sin and the brokenness of our world because of sin. In this vein, he would say that injustice is going to happen because of sin, and we can’t fix that because we can’t stop people from sinning. Does that mean that the court system should not exist? And, if Christians have a beef with other Christians, those “beefs” should not go to court, if it does exist, but instead seek judgment from other believers?
As an aside, the court system in Corinth, at the time Paul was writing this to the church, was led by judges who were not necessarily believers. Rulings and findings would often go to the one with the highest place in society, not necessarily the “right” choice. Believers were putting their “dirty laundry” out for all to see publicly, while it could have been handled more discreetly “within the family of God”. Legal disputes were seen to betray and jeopardize the solidarity of community in Christ.
So what does this look like for us today? It seems to be saying we need to bring the church back into the mix and let elders and leaders of the church decide our disputes (like in Moses’ day, and the span of time of the “JUDGES”). The church has enough on it’s plate, inner struggles and such, is this the proper venue? Or perhaps the wisdom of verse 7 should speak to us and we should just “accept” the injustice. Let it go. Forget about it. Get on with our lives. After all, trials are messy, drag on forever, and many times the resolution is less than ideal or satisfying. Not to mention the financial strain. But accepting, turning the other cheek? That can be hard, but many people do it. Maybe that’s what’s right? What are your thoughts on this?
There is justice, after all, in heaven, and how startling are verse 9 and 10, that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom. We can probably see ourselves in that list of wrongdoers, but we have the chance, if we are cleansed and made right with God by calling on the name of Jesus. How many people need to hear this?
I don’t work in the trial arena anymore, but my years in the legal field were rewarding in the sense that we helped many people. My favorite areas of law were workers’ compensation where we helped the injured worker through a tough time in their lives, and the estate work, where we helped grieving families walk through the legalities of closing the estate of a loved one. While there is a lot of injustice in this world and crazy lawsuits filling up the court dockets, there are believers in the ranks of lawyers and judges, just as Paul would have hoped.
How did this passage speak to you? What are your takeaways?
Let’s pray. Lord, your world is broken and I grieve with you. Your mighty power and wisdom is available for us all, help us to ask for it. Help us to follow your plan for us no matter where it leads. Help us to focus on you and your will and set aside the issues the world puts before us. Help us to be strong and faithful. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
