1 Corinthians 6:12-20

… the Apostle Paul also relentlessly declares that no one can claim salvation and go on practicing sin like an unbeliever. If the outer life of a child of God is not made pure, it is evidence that the inward heart has never been renewed. The faith that does not produce holiness is not New Testament faith; it is not saving faith, for ‘without which [holiness] no man shall see the Lord’ (Heb. 12:14)  (Alan Redpath, p74 of The Royal Route to Heaven)

“The Church’s business is not to catch the spirit of the age, but to correct it” (G. Campbell Morgan, p90 of The Corinthian Letters of Paul).

We continue the theme of sin in the Body of Christ.  1 Cor. 5:9-11 states: the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God!  True repentant faith in Christ will bring about the changed life as had happened in Corinth.  We cannot settle with being a carnal Christian.  Failure to change is never normal for Christians!

In today’s passage Paul references Epicurean philosophy in saying, foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods (6:13).  This was the prevailing philosophy in Corinth.  We get hungry, so we eat.  We have sexual desires, so we have sex.  Truly in Corinthian philosophy, all things were lawful (cf. 6:12).  

But such was not the case with the One who created us in His image.  We must practice self-control, as Paul notes: I will not be brought under the power of any.  The Christian understands he was born a sinner; he cannot simply follow his urges.  This dishonors God, and it destroys the life of the one who lives that way.  The Bible’s perspective on the body is foreign to worldly philosophy (v13-14):

·        The body is temporary.

·        The body is for the Lord (to be used to serve, glorify Him).

·        The Lord is for the body (He created us in this way as part of His goodness).

·        And the body will be resurrected (showing how much God is for the body).

With this perspective about the body Paul encourages purity by three principles, introducing each one with the question, do you not know?

·        Our bodies are members of Christ (v15).  Our bodies carry our spirit which is in a relationship with Christ.  How we use our bodies reflects on Christ.

·        Our bodies are one with whomever we have a sexual relationship (v16-18).  The Bible never sees the sexual relationship standing on its own.  It is an expression of the oneness of marriage (Gen. 2:24).  To be joined to one with whom we do not have the covenant relationship of marriage (Prov. 2:17; Mal. 2:14) is to violate the essence of both sex and marriage.

·        Our bodies are not ours (v19-20).  This is the bottom line.  We are each the temple of God because His Spirit lives within us.  We have been purchased by Christ.  So again, sexual purity is essential to our testimony about Christ.

This is not just a reiteration of the seventh commandment (Thou shalt not commit adultery, Ex. 20:14). This issue is deeply connected to who we are in Christ.  We are not our own.  We are His!  Let us flee sexual immorality!