A Little Q & A For Your Thursday From The Enon Church Of Christ

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Date: Feb 18 2016 1:39 PM

The Question:

Dear Sir:  We were sued by members of our church.  The elders could not get them to discuss it and they even moved their membership to another church.  They won their suit, even though it was a set up.  Will you please discuss brothers suing brothers?

 The Answer:

“Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?  I say this to your shame.  Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren?  But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!  Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another.  Why do you not rather accept wrong?  Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?” (1 Corinthians 6:1,5-7).  God is clear in saying that Christians will have a "case against" each other in this life.  There is no question that even believers are going to disagree to the extent they cannot reach an agreeable solution.

But, God is also clear in saying how that resolution is to be achieved.  It is not through the legal system of whatever society, but through the efforts of a trusted Christian whose integrity and faith are known.  When Christians take their arguments to outsiders for resolution, they are saying that believers are no different from the world.  To disagree is reality.  To sin by taking the disagreement to unrighteous (non-believing) judges is what God condemns.

God also knows, that even using a wise man from the church is not going to satisfy everyone.  In a legitimate dispute, two sides can be honest and still disagree.  If the wise man chooses for one side against another, one side will be disappointed.  But God has a solution for that problem too.  He says it is better to lose and be defrauded, than to bring shame on the Lord and His body.

According to your question, you could not use God's solution.  The other side chose to let unrighteous men make the decision, not trusting God or God's people to be right and fair.  They chose to bring shame on God and His people.  You cannot change what they have done.  You can only be what God wants you to be.  It is still better to lose an unfair case (be defrauded) than to bring reproach on God's name.  God notices when you suffer unfairly for Him.  He will reward you.

At the same time, He will deal with those who bring shame on the church. In the very next verses, after dealing with the problem of lawsuits, Paul says, "Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?" (1 Cor. 6:9).  People who reject God's will on sexuality, morality, or greed, will not inherit the kingdom.  If you were defrauded, then the other side better enjoy their money now.  They will not enjoy facing the Lord.

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