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 6:9-11.

When believers forget who they are, they start acting like who they were. That's exactly what was happening in Corinth. The lawsuits, the fighting, the mistreatment, the "me-first" mindset—none of it fit who they had become in Christ.

So Paul brings them back to the foundation:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. — 1 Corinthians 6:9–11

Paul's list is not gentle. He names sins the Corinthians once embraced—sins they preferred not to talk about—sins that defined how they lived, what they desired, and who they believed they were.

Then he hits them with four words that change everything: "Such were some of you."

Past tense. Former identity. Old life. Dead self. Not who you are anymore. The Corinthians were living as if their old identity still held power over them. Paul reminds them of the supernatural reality that reshaped their entire existence:

Your filth is gone, not managed. Christ didn't rinse you—He cleansed you.

Set apart. Made holy. Placed into a new category of belonging.

Declared righteous. Given a new standing before God. Not because you earned it, but because Christ secured it.

This was Paul's entire point: Believers acting unrighteously had forgotten they had been made righteous. Their behavior didn't match their identity. Paul is not saying, "Try harder." He's saying, "Remember who you are."

Identity fuels obedience. Identity kills sin. Identity restores relationships. Identity corrects foolishness like lawsuits, bitterness, pride, and division.

And identity always begins with what Christ has done—not what we achieve.

Paul drags the Corinthians out of their petty battles and back into their eternal status:

• Washed from who you were
• Sanctified for who you are
• Justified for who you're becoming

The gospel didn't just change your destination. It changed your definition. And when you remember who you are, you start living like who you truly are.

DO THIS:

Slow down today and say these three truths out loud: Washed. Sanctified. Justified. Let your identity shape your obedience.

ASK THIS:

1. Which part of my old identity tries to pull me back the most?
2. Which truth—washed, sanctified, or justified—do I struggle to believe today?
3. How does remembering my identity change how I treat others?

PRAY THIS:

Father, thank You for washing me, sanctifying me, and justifying me in Christ. Help me live from this identity, not from my past. Let my life show who You've made me to be. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Who You Say I Am"

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"