1 Corinthians 6: Bodies and disputes that belong to Christ

Corinth's public lawsuits expose the same contradiction that has appeared in its factions: people claiming spiritual wisdom are unable to live without defrauding one another. Paul first asks why ordinary disputes must be carried before outsiders, then goes deeper and calls the lawsuits themselves a defeat when brother is wronging brother. The vice list that follows is not detached moral cataloguing. It leads to "such were some of you" and to a changed identity described as washing, sanctification, and justification. The chapter then turns to sexual conduct through another disputed slogan about liberty. Paul grants no freedom that becomes a new master and refuses to treat bodily appetite as self-justifying. Bodies belong to the Lord, are destined for resurrection, are members of Christ, and are temples of the Holy Ghost. The final claim is the one that gathers everything: "ye are not your own." Disputes and bodies alike are being handled under another ownership.