Judging the World and Angels in 1 Corinthians 6

1 Corinthians 6:2–3 reads:

"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"

The question asks whether “the saints” refers to kingdom saints, and whether the “we” in verse 3 refers to the church, that is, the body of Christ considered distinct from those kingdom saints.

subsection*Who Are “the Saints” Here?

I agree that “the saints” in verse 2 are kingdom saints—believing Jews in the context of the kingdom promises and the kingdom offer. Within my framework, “saints” designates those who believed in Jesus as Messiah during the period when the kingdom was genuinely being offered to Israel, and the Corinthian congregation included such individuals.

When Paul says, “the saints shall judge the world,” I take that as a reference to the role that Israel’s believing remnant and related saints will have in the administration of judgment in the messianic kingdom and the associated events. Daniel speaks of this:

"Until the ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom." (Daniel 7:22)

Here, judgment is given to the saints, and they possess the kingdom. This aligns naturally with 1 Corinthians 6:2.

subsection*The Identity of “We” in Verse 3

The more difficult question is whether “we” in verse 3—“we shall judge angels”—refers to the broader church, distinct from the saints of verse 2, such that we could say:

Saints (kingdom believers) judge the world. The church (the body of Christ) judges angels.

That construction is attractive from a systematizing standpoint. It yields a neat parallel: Israel and kingdom saints handle earthly judgment, while the body of Christ handles heavenly judgment. However, I do not believe the context of 1 Corinthians 6 supports such a division.

In the immediate context, Paul is addressing the Corinthian believers directly:

"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?"

Notice that Paul moves fluidly between “ye” and “we.” In verse 2, he speaks of “you” and “the saints.” In verse 3, he says, “we shall judge angels.” I understand “we” here to be Paul together with the Corinthians—that is, Paul and his audience as a united group, not Paul plus a separate, later-defined category called “the church” in contrast to “saints.”

Given my earlier definition, both Paul and the Corinthian believers at that time could be considered saints in the kingdom sense and also participants in the body of Christ. Thus, the “we” naturally includes these saints. The context does not indicate a shift to a different entity.

subsection*Does the Body of Christ Judge Angels?

Could we leverage this passage to argue that all members of the body of Christ will judge angels, even if we are not saints in the kingdom sense? That argument faces several difficulties:

There is no explicit cross-reference elsewhere that clearly states the body of Christ, as such, judges angels. Other judgment texts, such as Daniel 7:22 and Revelation 20:4 , speak of judgment being given to saints who possess the kingdom or sit on thrones, but they do not explicitly identify these as the body of Christ. The book of Revelation, in particular, is not easily read as describing the body of Christ occupying those thrones of judgment. It focuses heavily on Israel, the nations, and those who come through tribulation.

Jude 6 mentions angels reserved in chains “unto the judgment of the great day,” but does not identify the human agents, if any, who participate in that judgment. To assert that the body of Christ is the judging party would be to read into the text more than it says.

Thus, the idea that “we” in 1 Corinthians 6:3 refers specifically and exclusively to the church as distinct from saints, and that therefore the church judges angels while saints judge the world, rests on thin exegetical ice. It is attractive doctrinal symmetry, but I do not see sufficient textual support.

subsection*A More Modest Reading

Given the flow of the passage, I understand the text this way:

“The saints shall judge the world” refers to the broader body of kingdom saints, including believing Jews such as those in Corinth. “Ye” are those Corinthian believers, addressed directly as participants in that future role. “We shall judge angels” brings Paul alongside his readers as part of that same group—saints who will have some role in judgment, even over angels.

On this reading, both statements (“judge the world” and “judge angels”) apply to the same collective: Paul and the Corinthian saints. The passage does not cleanly divide judgment of the world and judgment of angels between two distinct groups (Israel vs. church). Instead, Paul uses these future realities to shame the Corinthians for failing to adjudicate trivial matters among themselves in the present.

subsection*Answer to the Question

Therefore, to your specific question:

I agree that “the saints” in this context are kingdom saints. I do not agree that the “we” of verse 3 refers to the church as a separate entity distinct from those saints. I take “we” to be Paul together with the Corinthian saints he is addressing.

The passage, in my view, is not a sound basis for constructing a scheme in which kingdom saints judge the world and the church judges angels as two categorically distinct jurisdictions.