2 “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life?”
Paul introduces doctrinal questions to argue why litigation should stay within the local church.
6:2
Do you not know
This is the first of six times Paul asks, “Do you not know” in chapter six. Appeal to doctrine is an argument not to go to court with a fellow believer.
that the saints will judge the world?
The idea of saints judging the world refers to a future judgment that will occur in the Millennium. This is an argument from a major premise to the minor premise. If Christians will one day judge the world, can Christians judge a small issue between two Christians on earth?
And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters?
If Christians will judge the world, cannot Christians judge between the smallest tribunals? The word “if” means “if, and it is true,” so it is a fact that Christians will one day judge the world.
6:3
Do you not know that we shall judge angels?
Paul continues to enhance the contrast of going before a public non-Christian court and going before the local church by indicating that Christians will judge angels.
How much more, things that pertain to this life?
Paul continues the argument from the greater to the lesser by arguing that if Christians will judge the higher being of an angel, he most certainly can judge a lesser being of a human.
PRINCIPLE:
The church has the competency to decipher legal matters among Christians.
APPLICATION:
Believers will judge the world one day in the future (Daniel 7:22; Matthew 19:28; Revelation 20:4). If they have this massive responsibility in the future, it is only logical that they can judge on a much smaller scale an issue between two believers. Christians have the capacity to move beyond “my friend, right or wrong.” Objectivity goes beyond subjective friendship or politics in the local church.
John 5:22
Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son,…
How could any person be able to judge other people? They would have to know every single thought and everything that they did in their entire lives. And that’s impossible!
I do not understand this verse. It doesn’t make any sense.
Jack, this passage is not referring to sins people commit but to legal issues within the church.
So this is a weird one. Judging people? Judging Angel’s? So this is what makes sense to my finite mind. When God wins and we are all residing in the kingdom of heaven, we will then begin to live in the system that God had desired. The system being the kingdom of heaven. What is a kingdom? It is a system, a structure of a society. In this case a heavenly society with God as the true head. The people of heaven will be elected by God to man their station- much like today’s court systems and things of that nature. God is god of order and his kingdom will have order. However in a perfect kingdom with no sin, I’m not sure what we will be judging? There will be no conflict, everything will be perfect but maybe there will still be decisions to make about work or land. So maybe the courts will help people make decisions? Rather than decide who is right and who is wrong? The judging of Angel’s is a weird one too. But maybe it’s the fallen Angel’s? God sets up committees to clean up after the great war? So there are parts of this that are initially confronting and seem wrong. But our experience colors our perceptions of the bible. But a kingdom that includes residing saints as judges with the one true God as the head of the system in a land that is not corrupted by sin may look very different then the court system that we know here on earth.
Katrina, the reference is to the Millennial kingdom on earth, not the eternal kingdom in heaven.