Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:4-6.

We all know what it feels like when a conflict gets ugly. But what Paul describes here is something deeper—something darker. When believers drag each other before unbelievers, it's not just a problem. It's a symptom of a spiritual disease.

So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church? I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers, but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? — 1 Corinthians 6:4–6

Paul says it plainly: "I say this to your shame."

He is calling out their foolishness—their lack of wisdom—with almost painful bluntness. Paul isn't shocked that believers disagree. He's shocked that a church claiming to have the Spirit, gifts, teachers, apostles, and the mind of Christ somehow has no one wise enough to help two Christians settle a grievance.

That's not just sad. That's spiritually foolish.

And that foolishness reveals something deeper than the conflict itself: The issue isn't the lawsuit. The issue is the heart that would rather win than reconcile.

Dragging our spiritual family into court before unbelievers exposes a hidden sickness:

• Pride that won't yield
• Bitterness that wants public victory
• Immaturity that refuses correction
• Selfishness that doesn't care about the witness of the church
• A craving for personal justice instead of God's justice

The lawsuit is only the surface-level problem. The deeper problem is a church unwilling—or unable—to address spiritual rot in its own members.

Paul is essentially saying, "If you can't solve small disputes, what does that say about your spiritual condition?"

Because when believers run to unbelievers to fix their relationships, it reveals:

• A failure of discipleship
• A failure of community
• A failure of wisdom
• A failure of courage
• A failure of love

And the world watches all of it.

Paul's sting is intentional. He wants them to feel the weight of their compromise—not to shame them into despair, but to wake them into maturity. Because a church that can't handle conflict will never be a church that transforms culture.

The deeper message? Until the heart is healed, the conflict won't be. And no secular court on earth can fix what only the Spirit can restore.

DO THIS:

Bring one unresolved conflict before God today. Ask Him to expose anything in your heart—pride, stubbornness, or fear—that may be preventing reconciliation.

ASK THIS:

1. What does my response to conflict reveal about my spiritual maturity?
2. Who in my church family can help me work through a difficult grievance biblically?
3. What heart issue—not just the dispute—needs God's correction?

PRAY THIS:

Father, reveal the deeper issues in my heart that fuel conflict. Give me humility, courage, and wisdom to pursue reconciliation in a way that honors You. Heal what I cannot see and restore what is broken. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Give Us Clean Hands"

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:1-3.

We crave justice—deeply. When someone wrongs us, cheats us, mistreats us, or lies about us, something in our soul cries out, "Make this right." But too often we run to systems that don't share our worldview, don't understand our values, and don't operate under the Lordship of Christ. It's no wonder Paul is stunned: believers are running to secular courts to solve spiritual family matters.

Before Paul rebukes them, he raises their identity:

When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints? 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? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life! — 1 Corinthians 6:1–3

This is Paul at his sharpest—and most surprising.

"You will judge angels."

He's not talking about cute heavenly messengers. He's talking about evil angels—fallen beings—those who rebelled against God.

That's cosmic responsibility. That's eternal authority. That's weight reserved for the redeemed.

Paul's point is simple: If God trusts you with cosmic judgment, why can't you handle everyday conflict?

The Corinthians were acting spiritually powerless, begging unbelievers to settle disputes that believers—with the mind of Christ—were more equipped to handle. Their shame was magnified because they were behaving like spiritual infants while being destined for heavenly authority.

Paul isn't telling Christians to reject the legal system entirely. He's telling them to stop outsourcing what God equipped the church to handle spiritually and relationally.

• You're going to judge angels.
• You're going to judge the world.
• You're entrusted with eternal authority.
• So act like it now.

Paul's rebuke invites us to recover something the modern church has nearly lost: Spirit-filled, Scripture-shaped, wise believers resolving disputes in the household of faith.

We're not powerless. We're not dependent on the world for wisdom. We're not helpless victims needing secular referees.

God has given His people everything they need—truth, Spirit, counsel, unity, courage—to handle conflict within the family of God.

Paul's message is this: You carry future authority, so live with present responsibility.

Don't act like someone who needs the world to fix what the Spirit can resolve.

DO THIS:

Ask God to help you handle conflict with spiritual maturity. If there's a grievance you've been tempted to take outward, bring it inward—to wise believers who can help you resolve it with grace and truth.

ASK THIS:

1. Where have I run to worldly systems for justice instead of pursuing reconciliation within the body of Christ?
2. Who in my church family could help mediate a conflict biblically and wisely?
3. How does my future role in God's kingdom shape how I handle conflict today?

PRAY THIS:

Father, give me wisdom and courage to handle conflict in a way that honors You. Remind me of the authority You've given Your people, and help me pursue reconciliation with humility and strength. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Justice"

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 5:13.

Some threats don't walk through the front door shouting. They slip in quietly, sit in the pew, smile during worship, and destroy slowly. Paul ends this chapter by ripping the mask off one of the greatest dangers to a church's health: unrepentant sin that everyone sees but no one confronts.

God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you." — 1 Corinthians 5:13

Paul doesn't whisper this. He doesn't soften the command. He ends the chapter with a call so sharp we can feel the edge of it: remove what is destroying the body of Christ before it destroys you.

He's not talking about someone who's struggling or fighting sin. He's talking about the person who refuses correction, rejects repentance, and insists on living in open rebellion while claiming the name of Christ. This kind of sin doesn't stay contained. It spreads. It shapes culture. It numbs conviction. It confuses new believers. And eventually it corrupts the whole church.

This command echoes Jesus' words about cutting off a hand or tearing out an eye. Some things must be removed decisively because they can't be managed gently. If we don't cut out what kills us, it will cut out what's holy in us. And Paul draws a hard line that every believer must take seriously...

Our job is not to police unbelievers—God handles that. Our job is to protect the church. Not to condemn the world, but to guard the family of God. Not to rage at culture, but to confront the compromise within our own community.

This means addressing sin when we see it—not ignoring it, excusing it, or hoping it disappears. When a believer we love is drifting into rebellion, we step in. We speak clearly. We call them back. We risk the awkward conversation. That's what love does.

It also means raising concerns when leaders overlook sin. Paul's command applies to pastors, elders, small group leaders, and every believer in the house. If something poisonous is spreading, silence is not faithfulness. Silence is surrender.

And sometimes—this part is hard—the right response is to leave. If your church normalizes what God condemns, if leaders minimize sin or celebrate what Scripture calls destructive, if purity is treated as optional and holiness is mocked as legalism, then the command of Paul lands on your doorstep...

Don't let corruption disciple you. Don't stay where sin is protected. Don't remain where truth is optional.

Leaving isn't betrayal. Leaving is protection. Leaving is obedience. Leaving is spiritual survival.

Paul ends the chapter with a decision-point: Will we be a church that trims sin—or a church that tolerates it?

• Purge what pollutes.
• Remove what corrodes.
• Cut what kills.
• Protect what's holy.
• Guard what Christ died to make clean.

The world doesn't shape us. Sin doesn't define us. And compromise doesn't get a seat at the table. Christ leads us. Holiness marks us. Courage protects us. This is how chapter 5 ends—with fire and clarity. And now it's our turn to act.

DO THIS:

Ask God to reveal one area of compromise—personal or within your church—that needs decisive action. Speak up, confront it, or walk away if needed. Protect what's holy.

ASK THIS:

1. What sin have I tolerated that God wants removed?
2. Where do I need to speak up instead of staying silent?
3. Is my church confronting sin—or quietly accepting it?

PRAY THIS:

Father, give me courage to remove whatever harms my walk with You. Help me protect the purity of Your church and confront sin with boldness, humility, and conviction. Keep me faithful and fearless as I follow Your Word. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Clean Heart"