1 Corinthians 6: 1-3
1 When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?
2 Or 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?
3 Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!
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The Corinthians had a hard time settling their own disputes with one another in the church. They'd been going to court with each other over trivial matters. I can understand this because I get easily angered over small things and can freely speak my mind. It's easy to be entangled in the blame game, so convinced that I'm right and someone else is wrong, but Paul points to a shocking truth to put this in perspective.
He says that in the end, the saints - those who have been bought by Jesus and have trusted him in faith to live by following him - these men and women will judge the entire world. What does he mean by this?
I don't think it means that we will all be courthouse judges in heaven, that just doesn't fit right with any description of eternal life with God. To understand what Paul means by this, it's necessary to go back to what man was created for in the first place.
Genesis 1:26
November 9, 2011 8:40 AM Then God said, "Let us make man in our image, after our likeness. And let them have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over the livestock and over all the earth and over every creeping thing that creeps on the earth."
This is important because God had a clear purpose for making people. It's not an accident, or a coincidence that we are the way we are. There's a reason we have our cognitive abilities, our physical attributes, our soulful yearnings; there is a design to all of that. And things are designed for a purpose, not just haphazardly.
God created Adam to be someone who had rulership and authority over the entire creation (this is what it means to "have dominion"). Eve was created to be a helper and equal partner in this task. Man was made to rule the world. But not in a militaristic and corrupt sense. He was made to rule as a steward (or "house servant") under God's supreme kingship. When Paul says that the saints are to be judges of the world, he has to be pointing back to man's original design and purpose: to have dominion over the world; to judge the world under God's supreme rulership.
And so, if this is our ultimate destination, Paul's comment makes sense. We're not just going to get to heaven and do nothing all day for eternity but sing songs to God. There's no indication in all of Scripture that God has some other purpose for man after sin entered the world. The created purpose remained the same throughout history, we just haven't been able to fulfill it. But we sure are still trying.
With all the APEC business going on today, it's clear that people are involved in ruling and governing and stewarding the world. Everyone has their political opinions, even if they don't have a political stance. People talk about it at lunch, at Starbucks, on Twitter, on blogs, on YouTube, at work, in their dreams - we all have a sense that our ideas could make the world a better place; that shows a glimpse of our divine purpose, to be judges of the world.
And so Paul points this out because if we are unable to settle minor disputes among each other within the church, how will we expect to be prepared to judge the world when our time comes?
Of course, when Jesus returns, it's all going to work out - but only because Jesus is going to put everyone in their place, according to how they've lived their lives in this one lifetime. To those who have been faithful, he will put them over much in his kingdom (Matthew 25:21).
For me, this passage in 1 Corinthians is a huge wake-up call. If I am not able to settle minor disputes in my life, what does that say about the focus of my life? If my focus is on eternal things, and what my life will be like when this life is over, I should be working towards something. I should be pushing myself to prepare for a life much better than this one. This extends beyond just how I settle disputes. If my life in God's kingdom is to be one of rulership and stewardship, how do I rule and steward the areas of my life that I am responsible for?
How do I manage my money? How do I lead my wife and children? How do I perform my job? How do I manage the ministries I am involved in? How am I a part of my church? How do I steward my relationships with family and friends? What do I do to help the needy? How do I stand up for injustice? How do I deal with temptation? What is my response when I sin? What values do I live by? How faithful am I to my promises and commitments?
All these areas and more reflect what kind of steward I expect to be after I die and then live forever in God's kingdom. How am I measuring up?
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