Link Matthew 5:39 to 1 Cor 6:7 meaning.
How can Matthew 5:39 help us understand 1 Corinthians 6:7?

Setting the Scene

1 Corinthians 6 finds believers dragging one another before pagan courts.

• Paul replies in 6:7: “The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated?”

Matthew 5:39 records Jesus’ literal command: “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. If someone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also.”


What Jesus Said: Matthew 5:39

• “Not to resist an evil person” = deliberately choosing non-retaliation.

• “Turn…the other” cheek = accept a personal insult or injury instead of striking back.

• Jesus’ words are straightforward, authoritative, and binding for His followers.


What Paul Said: 1 Corinthians 6:7

• “Why not rather be wronged…cheated?” echoes the same spirit as “turn the other cheek.”

• Lawsuits between believers violate Jesus’ non-retaliatory ethic and damage witness.

• Paul sees willingness to absorb a loss as a victory of love, not a defeat.


Connecting the Dots

• Paul applies Jesus’ teaching from the Sermon on the Mount to a real church dispute.

• Both passages call for:

– Forfeiting personal rights for the sake of obedience.

– Trusting God to vindicate rather than seeking self-vindication.

– Preferring relational peace over material restitution.


Reinforcing Scriptures

Romans 12:19 – “Do not avenge yourselves…‘Vengeance is Mine; I will repay,’ says the Lord.”

1 Peter 2:21-23 – Christ “when He suffered, He did not threaten but entrusted Himself to Him who judges justly.”

Proverbs 20:22 – “Do not say, ‘I will repay evil’; wait for the LORD, and He will save you.”


Practical Takeaways

• Evaluate conflicts: Is protecting my reputation or assets worth disobeying Christ?

• Pursue reconciliation inside the church before involving secular courts (cf. Matthew 18:15-17).

• Accept that following Jesus may include real financial or emotional loss—yet He calls this “blessed” (Matthew 5:10-12).

• Model Christlike forbearance so unbelievers “may see your good works and glorify” God (Matthew 5:16).

Why is it better to be wronged than to sue fellow Christians?
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