Settle Lawsuits among Believers

1Dare any one of you, having a matter with the other, go to be judged before the unrighteous, and not before the saints? 2have ye not known that the saints shall judge the world? and if by you the world is judged, are ye unworthy of the smaller judgments? 3have ye not known that we shall judge messengers? why not then the things of life? 4of the things of life, indeed, then, if ye may have judgment, those despised in the assembly — these cause ye to sit; 5unto your shame I speak: so there is not among you one wise man, not even one, who shall be able to discern in the midst of his brethren! 6but brother with brother doth go to be judged, and this before unbelievers!

7Already, indeed, then, there is altogether a fault among you, that ye have judgments with one another; wherefore do ye not rather suffer injustice? wherefore be ye not rather defrauded? 8but ye — ye do injustice, and ye defraud, and these — brethren!

9have ye not known that the unrighteous the reign of God shall not inherit? be not led astray; neither whoremongers, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor sodomites, 10nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, the reign of God shall inherit. 11And certain of you were these! but ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were declared righteous, in the name of the Lord Jesus, and in the Spirit of our God.

Our Bodies are Members of Christ

12All things are lawful to me, but all things are not profitable; all things are lawful to me, but I — I will not be under authority by any; 13the meats [are] for the belly, and the belly for the meats. And God both this and these shall make useless; and the body [is] not for whoredom, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body; 14and God both the Lord did raise, and us will raise up through His power. 15Have ye not known that your bodies are members of Christ? having taken, then, the members of the Christ, shall I make [them] members of an harlot? let it be not! 16have ye not known that he who is joined to the harlot is one body? ‘for they shall be — saith He — the two for one flesh.’ 17And he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit;

The Body is a Temple of the Holy Spirit

(Romans 12:1-8; 1 Corinthians 3:16-18)

18flee the whoredom; every sin — whatever a man may commit — is without the body, and he who is committing whoredom, against his own body doth sin. 19Have ye not known that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit in you, which ye have from God? and ye are not your own, 20for ye were bought with a price; glorify, then, God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.