Should A Christian Sue An Individual 1

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Should a Christian sue an individual? by Crown Financial Ministries Part one of two parts Personal lawsuits Does a Christian have a right to sue another person? With tens of thousands of lawsuits filed yearly, ranging from perceived emotional distress to legitimate losses caused by faulty products or personal injury suffered in an accident, lawsuits have become a common occurrence in today''s society. The purpose of a lawsuit is to provide someone who has suffered a loss at the hands of another party legal means to recover the property or other damages from the offender. It is one person's accusing another of an offense and requesting that a judge or jury make a decision about guilt or innocence and compensation. Unfortunately, suing today has become a first, rather than a last, recourse—even for many Christians. How should a believer respond when cheated by another individual? Does it make a difference whether the offender is a Christian? What if a Christian is sued? Is countersuing a justifiable defense? What are our rights and options when we have a legitimate case against another individual for a loss? It is apparent from Paul's writing in 1 Corinthians 6 that lawsuits were commonplace in the first century. “Does any one of you, when he has a case against his neighbor, dare to go to law before the unrighteous and not before the saints?” (1 Corinthians 6:1). However, the ministry believes that it is also abundantly clear from 1 Corinthians 6 that Christians are not to sue other believers in the world's courts, even at the risk of being wronged by a brother. “Actually, then, it is already a defeat for you, that you have lawsuits with one another. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be defrauded?” (1 Corinthians 6:7). The recourse provided when two Christians are involved is outlined in Matthew 18. The principle is simple: We are to take any offense directly to another believer. In Matthew 12:7, God says He desires compassion from His people more than He demands sacrifices of them. This means, when in doubt, lean more toward mercy than justice. Ideally, our desire is that by giving up our right to sue we are assured that God will intervene to recover the material assets that we have lost. However, there is no such promise or assurance made in God's Word. God may choose to do so; but again, He may choose not to. “Someone in the crowd said to Him, ‘Teacher, tell my brother to divide the family inheritance with me.' But He said to him, ‘Man, who appointed Me a judge or arbitrator over you?'” (Luke 12:13-14). Since the implication in 1 Corinthians 6 concerns one believer suing another believer, what about suing non-believers? God's Word deals as much with our attitudes as with our actions. Many Christians have acted acceptably but have had wrong motives or attitudes. When a Christian has the attitude toward others that God requires, most legal action directed toward those people will change. God's Word teaches us to surrender our rights, even to unbelievers (Luke 6:29-30). That means literally to put others first, even if we feel they are wrong. This attitude sometimes can be costly and can result in personal loss. When the decision is solely ours and the loss is solely ours, the question becomes, “Do we really believe that it all belongs to God?” If so, we must then ask, “Do I trust God? Or do I just say that I trust God?” All means, short of a lawsuit, should be pursued in trying to resolve the situation, including proceeding according to the outline in Matthew 18:15-17. Once these options have been exhausted and the situation is still not resolved, God's Word teaches that the offender should be forgiven, the offense “written off” and forgotten, and then the results left in the hands of God. On the other hand, if somebody brings a suit against you, you have a right to defend yourself. Paul defended himself against unjust claims throughout the book of Acts (16:37; 22:25; 25:11). Although Paul did not attack his accusers or attempt to extract any compensation from them, he did vigorously defend himself against their claims, several times even reciting Roman law applicable to his case. As long as our motives are right and we are not seeking retribution, we can defend ourselves. As American citizens, we have the legal right to sue if we feel that we have suffered loss. As Christians and fellow believers, however, our primary purpose is to serve God. Thus, we give up our rights to God. In so doing, rather than going to the courts of this world with an issue of personal injustice, we must turn only to God regarding the personal injustice and leave the results to Him.

7/9/2008 9:16 PM