1 Corinthians 6

1 Corinthians 6 is the sixth chapter of the First Epistle to the Corinthians in the New Testament of the Christian Bible. It is authored by Paul the Apostle and Sosthenes in Ephesus. In this chapter, Paul deals with lawsuits among believers and with sexual immorality.[1]

1 Corinthians 6
1 Corinthians 7:33–8:4 in Papyrus 15, written in the 3rd century.
BookFirst Epistle to the Corinthians
CategoryPauline epistles
Christian Bible partNew Testament
Order in the Christian part7

Text

The original text was written in Koine Greek. This chapter is divided into 20 verses.

Textual witnesses

Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:

Lawsuits among believers

Paul criticises those who take up lawsuits with other believers before the civil authorities – those who have no standing in the church. There should be people within the church who are "wise enough to decide between one believer [or brother] and another": Paul asks whether there are any of these people, and states that it would be better to be wronged and to be defrauded than to take a matter to court before the "unrighteous" – for that is itself a greater fraud.[3]

Theologian Albert Barnes treats Paul's question as rhetorical: "Can it be that in the Christian church – the church collected in refined and enlightened Corinth – there is not a single member so wise, intelligent and prudent that his brethren may have confidence in him, and refer their causes to him?"[4] William Robertson Nicoll, in the Expositor's Greek Testament, argues in contrast that "The litigation shows that there is no man in the Church wise enough to settle such matters privately; or he would surely have been called in."[5]

Martin Luther, Beza, Lachmann, Osiander, Hofmann and Meyer "make the passage sterner and more telling" as an assertion than the common way of viewing it as a question, which is adopted also by Tischendorf and Ewald.[6]

Verse 9

Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived. Neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites,

— 1 Corinthians 6:9, New King James Version[7]

Modern usage and controversy

In 2019, Australian rugby player Israel Folau paraphrased from 1 Corinthians 6:9–10 on social media,[10] posting content that read "Drunks, homosexuals, adulterers, liars, fornicators, thieves, atheists and idolators - Hell awaits you."[11] He was subsequently stripped of his multimillion-dollar contract when he refused to recant the post. $2 million was raised by the Australian Christian Lobby for his court costs. His appeal[12] was subsequently settled.[13]

In 2023, American baseball player Matt Dermody was a source of controversy for the Boston Red Sox of Major League Baseball after it came became known that he had stated homosexuals "will go to hell", citing 1 Corinthians 6:9, in a post he had made on social media and later deleted.[14] The following week, citing that post and other, unspecified, social media content, the team released Dermody, who at the time was pitching in Minor League Baseball.[15][16]

Verse 10

thieves, the greedy, drunkards, the verbally abusive, and swindlers will not inherit the kingdom of God.

— 1 Corinthians 6:10, New English Translation[17]

Verse 12

All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

— 1 Corinthians 6:12, New King James Version[18]
  • "helpful" (NKJV) or "expedient" (KJV): Gill comments that "everything is not lawful to be done when the doing of them destroys the peace, comfort, and edification of others; when it stumbles and grieves weak minds, and causes offence to them"; see (1 Corinthians 10:23),[19] so not "expedient" to use this liberty, to grieve a weak brother or to make oneself a "slave to one's appetite".[20]

Verse 16

Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For "the two", He says, "shall become one flesh."

— 1 Corinthians 6:16, New King James Version[21]

Verse 19

What? Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God, and that you are not your own?

— 1 Corinthians 6:19[23]
  • "You are not your own": the believers are often reminded in the Scripture (cf. 1 Corinthians 7:22; Romans 6:18; Romans 6:22; John 8:30; Romans 14:8) that they "have passed from slavery to sin into slavery to Christ", but the slavery in Christ is the "true freedom of man", which enable a person to fulfil the law of one's being.[24]

Verse 20

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

— 1 Corinthians 6:20[25]
  • Cross reference: 1 Corinthians 7:23[26]

The majority of early manuscripts end this chapter with the words δοξάσατε δὴ τὸν Θεὸν ἐν τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν, doxasate de ton theon en tō sōmati humōn, 'therefore glorify God in your body'. The Textus Receptus adds καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ὑμῶν, ἅτινά ἐστι τοῦ Θεοῦ, kai en to pneumati humōn, hatina esti tou theou, which the New King James Version translates as "and in your spirit, which are (i.e. body and spirit) God's".[25] The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that "these words are not found in many of the best MSS. and versions, and they somewhat weaken the force of the argument, which is intended to assert the dignity of the body. They were perhaps inserted by some who, missing the point of the Apostle's argument, thought that the worship of the spirit was unduly passed over."[24]

See also

References
  1. See section headings in New International Version: 1 Corinthians 6:1–20
  2. Gregory, Caspar René (1908). Die griechischen Handschriften des Neuen Testament. Leipzig: J.C. Hinrichs'sche Buchhandlung. p. 46.
  3. 1 Corinthians 6:1–8
  4. Barnes' Notes on 1 Corinthians 6, accessed 27 March 2017
  5. The Expositor's Greek Testament on 1 Corinthians 6, accessed 27 March 2017
  6. Meyer's NT Commentary on 1 Corinthians 6, accessed 27 March 2017
  7. 1 Corinthians 6:9: NKJV
  8. Note [b] on 1 Corinthians 6:9 in the New King James Version
  9. Note [c] on 1 Corinthians 6:9 in the New King James Version
  10. Davis, Ben (Jul 17, 2019). "Did Israel Folau actually misquote the Bible? Nope!". Caldron Pool. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  11. "Israel Folau: Australia end player's contract over anti-gay message". bbc.com. 15 April 2019. Retrieved 16 June 2023.
  12. "'Pause button' hit after Folau's Christian Lobby fund passes $2m mark". Sydney Morning Herald. 27 June 2019. Retrieved 27 June 2019.
  13. "Sacked rugby player Folau settles anti-gay case". BBC News. 4 December 2019.
  14. Avila, Alejandro (June 8, 2023). "Red Sox Keep Pitcher Matt Dermody Despite Outrage Over Old Tweets Saying Homosexuals 'Will Go To Hell'". outkick.com.
  15. Speier, Alex (June 14, 2023). "'I really regret it because it caused pain.' Chaim Bloom and the Red Sox are reexamining Matt Dermody's situation". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  16. Speier, Alex (June 16, 2023). "Red Sox release controversial pitcher Matt Dermody, who posted a homophobic tweet in 2021". The Boston Globe. Retrieved June 16, 2023.
  17. 1 Corinthians 6:10: NET
  18. 1 Corinthians 6:12 NKJV
  19. 1 Corinthians 10:23
  20. "1 Corinthians 6:12 - Commentary & Verse Meaning - Bible". Bible Study Tools. Retrieved May 19, 2020.
  21. 1 Corinthians 6:16 NKJV
  22. Genesis 2:24
  23. 1 Corinthians 6:19 MEV
  24. Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges on 1 Corinthians 6, accessed 26 March 2017
  25. 1 Corinthians 6:20 NKJV
  26. 1 Corinthians 7:23
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