Should a Christian go to law for redress ?

As far as I am aware there is no blanket injunction in Scripture forbidding a Christian to go to law for any purpose. However, Paul does condemn those who were seeking legal redress when defrauded by their brethren (1 Corinthians 6). However, he also condemns those who were doing the defrauding (verse 8). Further, Paul points out that those who they were going to for redress were unjust (verse 1) and also unbelievers (verse 6).

However, apart from the cases covered by what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 6 it should be noted that there are no cases recorded in the New Testament of Christians going to law against either Jews or Gentiles. Christ never did nor his disciples according to the Biblical record. All the cases recorded were ones where Jews or Gentiles were the instigators. Apart from our Lord’s own trial we have Peter, John and Stephen brought before a council (Acts 4; 5; 6/7; 12). Then there was Paul (Acts 16; 18; 21 et seq). Paul was not averse to making the authorities aware of the fact that he and Silas were Roman citizens (Acts 16:35-40 and 22:25-29) and in doing so he, we may say, put the wind up the authorities. However, he never went further and took what today would be called legal action against the authorities. It may be noted that in Acts 18:15 the case against the Christians was thrown out as the charges related to words, names and the Jewish law.

If we come closer to our own times we find that persons such as J.N.Darby and B.W. Newton never went to law to settle their differences. (A History of the Brethren Movement by F Roy Coad, page 144 - a quotation from Neatby). What they did was to put any criticisms in writing and where appropriate bring the assembly into the matter as Christ instructed us (Matthew 18:15-17). At any rate that is the line Mr. Darby sought to follow.

It is an important point which a Christian should remember is that many seek the ruler’s face; but a man’s right judgment is from Jehovah (Proverbs 29:26). Have we got more confidence in unbelievers than in our heavenly Father ?

Christ when here on earth warned his disciples that they would be brought before rulers and kings for his sake (Matthew 10:16-20; Mark 13:9; Luke 12:11/12). We would not want to be like those who seek to humiliate Christians before the world by prosecuting them. James speaks of those who are flush with money bringing cases against Christians (James 2:6).

When I was a child a man called at our house one evening and chatted to my parents. I did not discern anything wrong with him, but my parents realised that he had psychiatric problems. He had bought the land next to our place and therefore came to see it and work on it from time to time. He lived elsewhere. However, what one noticed was that he was often talking of suing people and from then on one has had a pretty poor opinion of persons who are often talking of suing people or running to the police over every little grievance. I know today someone who recently went to the police making a false accusation. She has learning difficulties.

What all this amounts to is that we should be very sure before the Lord that taking legal action is the right thing to do in the circumstances. If I have responsibility for other peoples money (see 1 Peter 4:15) I may have a duty to protect it and this may involve legal action or attending a tribunal, etc. However this is different from trying to get at people and/or harm them financially, because of what they have said about me personally or my friends ! When Christ was on earth there were those “watching him, [and seeking] to catch something out of his mouth, [that they might accuse him]” (Luke 11:54). Christians should not be engaged in that sort of activity. See also Mark 12:13.

As regards those not in Christian fellowship it is not for us to judge them. We have to leave them with God. We may pray for them of course, but must remember that those without God judges (1 Corinthians 5:13).

Paul, we may say, put up with personal criticism. What he said was: “Railed at, we bless; persecuted, we suffer [it]; insulted, we entreat...” (1 Corinthians 4:12/13). In this he was in accord with his master’s teaching in Matthew 5:43-48. Paul was prepared to go through evil report and good report (2 Corinthians 6:8).

Lastly we have the example of Christ who when suffering threatened not. Christ did not appeal to the courts of this world, but to his Father: the one who judges righteously (1 Peter 2:23). This passage was once quoted to my Father after he had been excluded from fellowship in 1949. The only reply he could give was: “We are not all up to it” ! Are we threatening people with legal action if they do not do what we think they should. Is that Christlike ? Paul who had himself threatened people (Acts 9:1) enjoined the Ephesians to give up threatening (Ephesians 6:9).

April 2009