This week we begin with a question the Corinthians had actually written to Paul about: may I take another Christian to court?

Listen to how Paul opens, in the English Standard Version: “When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?” Does he dare. Paul is not neutral about this. And then he makes an argument so large that most of us have never taken it seriously:

“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 6:2–3, ESV)