Day 9/5 – Judging Disputes

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Thoughts from the Diary of a Desperate Man by Walter A Henrichsen (“Walt”)
Judging Disputes
Day Two Hundred Forty-eight

“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?” I Corinthians 6:2

Engaging a fellow-believer in litigation before a secular court did not happen in the Old Testament Theocracy; there was no such thing as a secular court. During the dispersion the Jews settled such cases among themselves. But how does God want Christians in New Testament times to handle such matters? Paul answers by prohibiting the settling of civil disputes between believers by the government. Note that he does not prohibit Christians suing non-Christians, nor does he argue that the believer must submit to extortion if another “believer” threatens with a civil suit. He says that you cannot initiate such a suit. Criminal matters, in most societies, are considered crimes against the state and are thus handled by prosecuting attorneys who act on behalf of the state.

In the life to come you will judge the world. If you call upon secular authority to settle civil disputes, you communicate that Christians have no basis for judging such matters, implying that God does not judge right and wrong. This harms the cause of Christ.

When tempted to bring a civil suit against another Christian, consider the following. First, in litigation, what is right and protecting your rights often part company. As you force others to defend themselves they easily convince themselves that their cause is just, even when the evidence demands the opposite. Second, There is no quicker way for you to discover the object of your hope than to be defrauded by another. As you wrestle with this issue, ask, “If God wants to make me rich, does He need this money to do it?” If no, then don’t litigate and trust God to make up the difference.

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Psalm 146-147 1 Corinthians 15:1-28 (New King James Version)

Psalm 146-147
The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the Lord
146
Praise[a] the Lord!
Praise the Lord, O my soul!
2
While I live I will praise the Lord;
I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.
3
Do not put your trust in princes,
Nor in [b]a son of man, in whom there is no [c]help.
4
His spirit departs, he returns to his earth;
In that very day his plans perish.
5
Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help,
Whose hope is in the Lord his God,
6
Who made heaven and earth,
The sea, and all that is in them;
Who keeps truth forever,
7
Who executes justice for the oppressed,
Who gives food to the hungry.
The Lord gives freedom to the prisoners.
8
The Lord opens the eyes of the blind;
The Lord raises those who are bowed down;
The Lord loves the righteous.
9
The Lord watches over the strangers;
He relieves the fatherless and widow;
But the way of the wicked He [d]turns upside down.
10
The Lord shall reign forever—
Your God, O Zion, to all generations.
Praise the Lord!
Praise to God for His Word and Providence
147
Praise[e] the Lord!
For it is good to sing praises to our God;
For it is pleasant, and praise is beautiful.
2
The Lord builds up Jerusalem;
He gathers together the outcasts of Israel.
3
He heals the brokenhearted
And binds up their [f]wounds.
4
He counts the number of the stars;
He calls them all by name.
5
Great is our Lord, and mighty in power;
His understanding is infinite.
6
The Lord lifts up the humble;
He casts the wicked down to the ground.
7
Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving;
Sing praises on the harp to our God,
8
Who covers the heavens with clouds,
Who prepares rain for the earth,
Who makes grass to grow on the mountains.
9
He gives to the beast its food,
And to the young ravens that cry.
10
He does not delight in the strength of the horse;
He takes no pleasure in the legs of a man.
11
The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear Him,
In those who hope in His mercy.
12
Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem!
Praise your God, O Zion!
13
For He has strengthened the bars of your gates;
He has blessed your children within you.
14
He makes peace in your borders,
And fills you with [g]the finest wheat.
15
He sends out His command to the earth;
His word runs very swiftly.
16
He gives snow like wool;
He scatters the frost like ashes;
17
He casts out His hail like [h]morsels;
Who can stand before His cold?
18
He sends out His word and melts them;
He causes His wind to blow, and the waters flow.
19
He declares His word to Jacob,
His statutes and His judgments to Israel.
20
He has not dealt thus with any nation;
And as for His judgments, they have not known them.
[i]Praise the Lord!
Footnotes:
• Psalm 146:1 Heb. Hallelujah
• Psalm 146:3 A human being
• Psalm 146:3 salvation
• Psalm 146:9 Lit. makes crooked
• Psalm 147:1 Heb. Hallelujah
• Psalm 147:3 Lit. sorrows
• Psalm 147:14 Lit. fat of wheat
• Psalm 147:17 fragments of food
• Psalm 147:20 Heb. Hallelujah

1 Corinthians 15:1-28
The Risen Christ, Faith’s Reality
15 Moreover, brethren, I declare to you the gospel which I preached to you, which also you received and in which you stand, 2 by which also you are saved, if you hold fast that word which I preached to you—unless you believed in vain.
3 For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, 4 and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, 5 and that He was seen by [a]Cephas, then by the twelve. 6 After that He was seen by over five hundred brethren at once, of whom the greater part remain to the present, but some have [b]fallen asleep. 7 After that He was seen by James, then by all the apostles. 8 Then last of all He was seen by me also, as by one born out of due time.
9 For I am the least of the apostles, who am not worthy to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. 10 But by the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all, yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me. 11 Therefore, whether it was I or they, so we preach and so you believed.
The Risen Christ, Our Hope
12 Now if Christ is preached that He has been raised from the dead, how do some among you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. 14 And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty. 15 Yes, and we are found false witnesses of God, because we have testified of God that He raised up Christ, whom He did not raise up—if in fact the dead do not rise. 16 For if the dead do not rise, then Christ is not risen. 17 And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins! 18 Then also those who have [c]fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men the most pitiable.
The Last Enemy Destroyed
20 But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have [d]fallen asleep. 21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. 27 For “He has put all things under His feet.” But when He says “all things are put under Him,” it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. 28 Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all.
Footnotes:
• 1 Corinthians 15:5 Peter
• 1 Corinthians 15:6 Died
• 1 Corinthians 15:18 Died
• 1 Corinthians 15:20 Died