RIGHT’S FAULT
I Corinthians 6:6, 7, 8 But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law one with another. Why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.
At first glance this scripture seems to be directed at those who defraud others. Of particular note is the point of brothers going before unbelievers. It is therefore a believer who is defrauding. Oh my! Brother’s never fight, right? Families never wrong one another. Certainly, families conduct themselves in love toward each other at all times!
There was a time in history when being “family” meant less than being a chosen friend. Before the spread of the gospel of Christ in this world many peoples placed greater value on chosen relationships than on the familial. After all, we don’t choose family and can’t determine their physical, mental, or spiritual character. Why not place greater value on a chosen individual rather than the fortune or misfortune of a birth? Even today, many of us have better relationships outside of family. But, unlike yesterday’s world, we don’t toss our family, literally, to the wolves. In this world’s yesterday it was common practice to kill the unwanted, abandon the disliked, and abort the inconvenient.
The difference between families today and yesterday is the marked value placed on blood. It is often said, “Blood is thicker than water.” Where did this concept come from? It came from Jesus Christ’s blood atonement. It came to brothers in Christ through the blood of Christ for the souls of many. If God shed His blood for the least to the vilest offender without condition or discrimination, then the bond of blood is far greater than the bond of choice. There is much of Jesus in our world today that we take for granted as being of the world. Have we truly considered how much change Jesus wrought in today’s world? The world is not as it once was.
Our physical and spiritual family makeup is ambivalent to our particular preferences. In our physical family, whether by blood or adoption, it is our father’s doing. Fathers make the decisions, good or bad, that affect the size and scope of each family. There is only one begotten Son in God’s family, but God adopts as son or daughter any who believe on Jesus Christ. We are more than merely adopted into God’s family, but adopted in the power of God’s own shed blood; blood applied to every believer for the cleansing of sin and as a cloak of righteousness. It is through the blood God sees righteousness; the righteousness of Christ. So, we are family!
God’s family lives in two realms. Some live in a far country while others strive in this world. Every Christian in this world strives against the flesh. The flesh we strive against is not always our own. This passage is about right gone wrong.
Read the scripture carefully! Who is at fault? The fault lies with he who is seeking right. The fault lies with the one who seeks to gain recompense, restoration, or repentance. They seek recompense and restoration for themselves and repentance from another. Though they are right in their position of being wronged they are wrong in their suit. Who is this passage meant to edify? It is for the child of God’s sibling rivalry. There is but little attention given to the persecutor. It is evident in other scripture that the act of defrauding is a sin and a calamity. But, what is not quite so evident is the sin of the defrauded, or wronged, when they take matters into their own hands rather than take a wrong. Where is our faith in God? Where is our trust of God our Father? Why seek to settle a matter in a pagan court rather than God’s? Who is defrauding who? We should settle back in our hurt pride, relieved wallet, and battered character trusting God to settle the matter on His own or within the family. God has given the course of settlements in the Bible. When we are unable to bring a grievance before a brother or the church then God is more than able to handle the situation. Perhaps, to suffer a little by taking it on the chin and going on is the better part of valor and a treasure in Heaven!? It is always easy to think of the committer of conspicuous wrong being the party at fault. Seldom do we consider our own fault in lieu of another’s great wrong.
The final verse declares both parties wrong. Ye who grieve another are wrong. Ye who bring suit are wrong. Ye who do not suffer are wrong. Ye who can’t take it are wrong. Ye who fight in public are wrong. Ye who take family matters outside the family are wrong. Ye who supplant God’s sovereignty are wrong. God will recompense. God will restore. It is for us to repent and God will help in even this. Oh, how our pride hurts.
Why does God make such tough demands? It is for the saving of lost souls! How many walk past a church and curse because of the antics of God’s family on Earth? How many good people go to Hell because they are of better moral character than those Christians in the church down the street? How many Christians take opportunity to tear down a sister church, criticize a brother, or outright defraud God’s family in full view of a dying world?
Psalm 113: 5, 6 Who is like unto the LORD our God, who dwelleth on high, Who humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven, and in the earth!
Who is like unto the Lord, indeed? High and humble is our God. Which part goes with which? Isn’t it interesting that God is high in heaven and humbles toward the earth. Have we reached heaven? Certainly we have eternal life. But, contrary to popular opinion we haven’t arrived yet. A Christian should be like unto the Lord Jesus Christ. After all, Christian means to be Christ-like.
Before pursuing every conceivable and available option to right a wrong, consider any fault in your own right.
If right has fault isn’t right wrong?
