Many societies, both "western" and "eastern", are becoming more and more litigious, as every slight thing, even an accidental thing, becomes a matter of litigation. In his day, Paul was quite shocked that Corinthian Christians were taking each other to court. Worst of all: they were suing each other in Roman courts. Paul was both a fervent Christian and a fervent Jew. Hence, Christians suing each other in a Gentile court was doubly irksome and unpalatable. As a Jew, he would have found it intolerable that a Gentile judge should exercise jurisdiction over any member of the Chosen People. It is God who is "judge of the whole earth" (Gen 18:25; cf. Ps 94:2). "Not from the east, nor from the west, not from the desert nor from the mountains but from God the judgement comes" (Ps 75:6-7).

A man once asked Jesus to arbitrate in a dispute with his brother over an inheritance. Jesus rejected this, saying "Who appointed me your judge?" (Lk 12:13-14) The rule of law is necessary for the good of society, of course, but we may widen the scope of Jesus' words to insist on what St Paul teaches: in "minor matters", litigation is not a Christian thing as it is devoid of love.