BODY MATTERS
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Opening Prayer
As I read your Word today, Lord God, help me to sense your presence, to hear your voice, and respond in any way to which you call me.
Read 1 CORINTHIANS 6:12–20
For additional translations of the passage, use this link to Bible Gateway.
Sexual Immorality
12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”[a] 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.[b]
18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Footnotes
- 1 Corinthians 6:16 Gen. 2:24
- 1 Corinthians 6:17 Or in the Spirit
New International Version (NIV)Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Reflect
Read Psalm 139:13–18. Do you consider your body fearfully and wonderfully made? Do you thank God for your mind as well as for your body?Paul now challenges the Corinthians’ teaching. He quotes two of their slogans, which asserted complete spiritual freedom (v. 12) and that the body has no lasting spiritual significance because it’s going to be destroyed (v. 13).
Paul emphasizes his opposition by repeating ‘Do you not know?’ a further three times (vv. 15, 16, 19). He stresses that the resurrection of Jesus is bodily and that, therefore, ours will be too (v 14). That means it simply cannot be the case that what we do with our bodies doesn’t matter to the Lord (vv. 19, 13). Yes, we’re free in Christ, but don’t, Paul insists, draw the wrong conclusion: freedom isn’t license to do as we please (see Galatians 5:13). We can damage ourselves and find ourselves trapped anew (v. 12).
That’s why avoiding the sexual immorality around them matters. The Corinthians are united to Christ in their bodies, which are temples of the Holy Spirit (v. 19). If they sleep with a prostitute, they form a one-flesh relationship with that person. They’re invited to imagine uniting Christ to that prostitute. That cannot be (‘Never!’, v. 15). That’s why they must flee from sexual immorality (v. 18). They’re sinning against the place where they will experience Christ’s final victory. Given the costliness of that victory (v. 20), they must honor God with their bodies.
Apply
Read John 8:10, 11. This is an area where we easily feel guilt, yet Jesus offers both forgiveness and a challenge. Which is most relevant for you?
Closing prayer
Forgive me, Jesus, when I don’t honor those things you consider important, whether they be in my heart, my mind, or with my body. Help me to bring you glory in all that I am and do.
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