Having raised the issue of the relations of Christians both to other Christians and to those outside the church, Paul’s mind seems to move to the matter of how Christians relate to one another outside the life of the church. His discussion focuses on the issue of Christians suing each other in pagan courts of law. One cannot determine how Paul knows about this problem; nevertheless, he discusses the matter in some detail. Although interpreters regularly refer to these verses as an excursus, the discussion is not simply a digression from the main lines of thought.

6:1 Paul views Christians taking one another into pagan courts as an example of the degree of the Corinthians’ lack of understanding—or better, love—as will become clear later in the letter (ch. 13). He launches his critique of t…