1 Corinthians 6:5

I say this to move you to shame. What, cannot there be found among you one wise man who shall be able to decide between his brethren?

To move you to shame ... The sharpness of Paul's biting sarcasm in the previous three verses was no doubt keenly felt in Corinth; and by this expression Paul means, "I meant for it to hurt." However unusual the explanation offered here with regard to those Corinthian saints "judging angels" may seem to Christians today, there was probably no one in Corinth who could have failed to know what Paul meant.

Wise man ... to decide ... In this clause, Paul dropped the sarcasm for a moment, asking, "Why don't you appoint one of the wiser members to settle such disputes?" Thus it appears that Paul could not have meant in 1 Corinthians 6:4 that church members who were of "no account" should be entrusted with such an assignment. The apostles themselves when appointing brethren for such a purpose demanded that the ones appointed should be men "full of the Spirit and wisdom" (Acts 6:3). Thus, here is another strong reason for accepting the thesis that Paul's words in 1 Corinthians 6:2-4 were spoken in irony.