1 CORINTHIANS 6
12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joinedto a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. – 1 Corinthians 6:12-20
1 CORINTHIANS 6 YOUR BODY ISN’T YOUR OWN
A poem by ILMA inspired by these verses
When you professed your faith in the Lord Jesus Christ
God’s Spirit lives inside you, your body is his temple now
It no longer is yours anymore but it belongs to your Maker
Honor your body because he now dwells in this temple
Do not engage in sexual immorality because it defiles God
Honor your body and keep it pure so you will give him laud.
In this letter, Paul emphasizes the importance of keeping the body pure and undefiled from sexual immorality. He reminds them of God’s purpose in creating humans. He made all humans patterned after his own image. He created us that way so we can be one with him. Because of Adam and Eve’s sin, that purpose was thwarted by the devil. Mankind wants to please the self instead of God. There is a tendency towards satisfying the cravings of the flesh for its own pleasures rather than pleasing God and giving him the glory. This inclination to give the flesh what it wants is what leads all humans to engage in sexual immorality. This is what makes us think that we own our bodies when we don’t.
REFLECTION
- What is the boundary that God sanctioned for indulging in sex?
