1 Corinthians 6:4 is Paul’s rhetorical challenge to the Christians in Corinth: if they must settle ordinary disputes in court, why would they hand those cases to people who have no standing in the church? Paul is rebuking believers who were suing one another before pagan judges, and he uses this question to point out how absurd that is.
If then, you have to judge things pertaining to this life, do you set them to judge who are of no account in the assembly?
1 Corinthians 6:4 (WEB)
What 1 Corinthians 6:4 Means
The verse opens with “If then,” which ties it to the argument in the verses before it. Paul has just said that believers will one day judge the world and even angels, so surely they are able to handle small matters of daily life. The phrase “things pertaining to this life” refers to ordinary, everyday disputes over money, property, and business, not eternal questions.
The key contrast is between the people Paul calls “who are of no account in the assembly” and the church itself. In the Corinthian setting, the outsiders who sat as judges in pagan courts had no respect within the Christian community, yet the believers were asking them to decide their cases. Paul finds this reversal shameful. The verse is a sharp question rather than a command, and it expresses his embarrassment at what the church had come to.
The verse does not forbid every legal action in every circumstance. Its immediate concern is the Corinthians’ habit of taking fellow believers to unbelieving judges over trivial matters, and the surrounding passage makes that clear. It is best read as a call for Christians to seek wise resolution among themselves rather than airing their conflicts before outsiders.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 6:4
First Corinthians is a letter from the apostle Paul, traditionally dated to the mid-50s AD, written to the church he had founded in Corinth, a busy port city in Greece known for commerce and diverse populations. The congregation faced many problems, including divisions, immorality, and disorder, and Paul addresses them one by one. Chapter 6 deals with believers who were bringing lawsuits against each other.
Verses 1 through 3 explain why this was so troubling. Paul reminds the Corinthians that God’s people will judge the world and angels, so the church should be able to settle its own small disputes. Verse 4 draws the conclusion: if matters of this life must be decided, the church has wise members who can do it. Verses 5 through 7 then press the point further, asking whether there is not even one wise person among them and suggesting that it would be better to be wronged than to fight in public.
Key Phrases in 1 Corinthians 6:4
Matthew 18:15
“If your brother sins against you, go, show him his fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back your brother.
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Jesus gives a clear pattern for resolving conflict between believers, beginning with a private conversation. This teaching reinforces Paul’s concern that Christians handle their disagreements directly and with care rather than dragging them into public view.
Philippians 2:3-4
3 Doing nothing through rivalry or through conceit, but in humility, each counting others better than himself; 4 each of you not just looking to his own things, but each of you also to the things of others.
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Paul urges believers not to act out of selfish ambition or vanity, but to consider others as more important than themselves. This attitude of humility is exactly what is needed when two Christians are tempted to fight over a matter of money or property.
A Short Prayer From 1 Corinthians 6:4
Lord, you see the disagreements that arise between us, including the ones that seem small and the ones that feel large. Teach me to bring my conflicts to you first and to seek wisdom from within your church rather than rushing toward a fight. Give me humility to yield what I can, and give me courage to speak honestly when peace requires it. Help me to honor you in the way I handle every dispute, so that your name is not put to shame. Amen.
