1 CORINTHIANS CHAPTER 6:12-20:
“Glorify God In Your Body”
By
1.
INTRO:
1.1.
In our last study we looked at the first half of chapter 6 and Paul’s
dissertation about how that Christians were not to be suing each other (as was
the habit of the Corinthians). This
topic was a little parenthesis in the midst of his topic which began in chapter
5 concerning sexual immorality. Then,
in the latter part of our study we saw Paul get back onto this theme as he gave the Corinthians a list of
sins which, if habitually committed by people, will reveal that they are
disqualified for heaven
1.1.1. Sexual immorality (by
definition any sex that is outside of marriage) was just one in that list of
sins
1.1.2. We were reminded that those
of us who have come to Christ died to sin, and have been made new creatures,
and therefore it is inconsistent to think that we would go back and begin
living in sin
1.1.3. We saw how that it is not
the having committed these sins once or more, but rather the habitual
committing of these sins which would show that a person was disallowed from
entering heaven
1.1.3.1.A person who has truly been
born again and made a new creature by Christ could not go then and choose to
continually disobey God in blatant sin
1.1.4. We saw how that we who are
truly saved by Christ have been washed from all sin, forgiven, cleansed, and
even justified (made just as if we had never sinned)
1.2.
In our study today, Paul is going to continue his theme from the first
half of the chapter and talk about how that we as Christians are not under the
law and a huge list of do’s and don’ts, but rather being newly regenerated
creatures under the grace of God we are to seek to do those things in our lives
which will glorify God and enable us to be the best witnesses and examples we
can be as Christians
2.
VS 6:12 - “6:12
All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not
be mastered by anything.” - Paul tells the Corinthians that whereas all things are lawful for
a Christian, it is not profitable to do some things
2.1.
Many
people throughout the ages have taken various verses of scripture out of
context and built heretical teachings out of them. One of the huge benefits of studying verse by verse through the
scriptures as we do in the Calvary Chapels is that everything is studied in
it’s proper context. This is a huge
protection from doctrinal error for us.
This particular verse (which is also repeated by Paul in chapter 10) has
been taken out of context by people in order to create a doctrine that says
that it doesn’t matter what we do in our lives after we become Christians that
we will still go to heaven. These
people promote lawlessness and living lives that are dictated by the lusts of
our flesh. However, if we look at the
context of this verse we can see that it teaches any thing but this:
2.1.1. In the preceding two verses
Paul taught that those who habitually commit any from a huge list of sins shall
not inherit the kingdom of God: fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate,
homosexuals, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and swindlers.
2.1.2. In 1 Cor. 5:6 Paul taught
about how if we let any sin go unchecked in our lives that it will eventually
pollute us entirely, as he used the illustration of how a little leaven (yeast)
will leaven the whole lump of dough.
Paul taught from this that we must always in our own lives and in the
church be careful to judge ourselves and remove the leaven of sin when we have
it in our life or in our church.
2.1.3. In 1 Cor. 5:11, Paul told
the church not to even associate with any so-called brother who lived an unruly
life.
2.2.
Probably,
the Corinthians were doing the same things that the Romans were doing when Paul
tells the Romans in his letter to them, “God forbid”, that they should these
things. Namely, they were probably saying that since grace came to
them as a result of their sinning, they should sin the more, “that grace may
abound”.
2.2.1. Paul asks the Romans (Rom.
6:1) how it is that they who had died to sin could live any longer in sin? It is unconceivable that they should do
this. To be a Christian and to live in
sin is a contradiction involving what we are testifying has occurred in our
lives when Christ came into our hearts.
2.3.
Paul
tells the Corinthians that they are no longer under the law of Moses as
Christians. This truth then has many
consequences for us as Christians:
2.3.1. Though it is not God’s
intention for us to do such, there will be no condemnation to us if we should
happen to sin (singular), that is, as long as we don’t continue to remain in
that sin.
2.3.1.1.1 John 1:8-2:2 gives us instruction as to
what we need to do if we as Christians should sin (which from time to time we
will do), “8 If we say that we have no sin, we are deceiving ourselves,
and the truth is not in us.9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.10
If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in
us. 1 My little children, I am writing
these things to you that you may not sin. And if anyone sins, we have an
Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous;2 and He Himself is the propitiation
for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world.”
2.3.2. The Christian life is not
meant to be a bunch of do’s and don’ts, but rather a dynamic relationship with
God through the Holy Spirit in which He leads, guides, and works mightily in
our lives.
2.3.2.1.The Holy Spirit fills us and
gives us the “dunamis”, or power so that we can live a holy life.
2.3.3. Being no longer under the
Mosaic Law, we Christians are under a new Law or dynamic. In Romans 8:2, Paul calls this new
law ‘the Spirit of life in Jesus’ working within us, “2 For the law of the
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of
death.”
2.3.3.1.We are to led by the Holy
Spirit not by rules and laws, as is the case with those who are legalists.
2.3.4. Having been purchased by God
through the blood of Christ paid for us, our lives are not are own (see 1 Cor.
6:20). Therefore, in whatever we do as
Christians we are to be seeking God and His will for our lives.
2.3.5. We Christians need to be
very careful how we use the freedom that God has entrusted us with. God has given us freedom from the law of
Moses. We need to use even our freedom
to further God’s kingdom and bring Him glory.
Peter wrote in 1 Peter 2:16, “Live as free men, but do not use
your freedom as a cover-up for evil; live as servants of God”.
2.4.
Considering
our conduct as Christians, there are many choices that we have to make all
throughout our lives as Christians.
These decisions involving watching different movies, listening to
different music, who we should date or marry, should we drink or use drugs,
etc., etc. Concerning all of these
decisions which we must make, there are some questions we ought to ask
ourselves (and ask the Lord) before we decide to do them:
2.4.1. Will doing this bring glory
to God?
2.4.2. Will doing this be profitable
for His kingdom?
2.4.3. Can I be a good witness for
Christ and do this?
2.4.4. Does doing this thing build
me up spiritually, or does it tear me down?
2.4.5. Will doing this cause some
sin to potentially have mastery over me?
2.4.5.1.Paul tells the Corinthians
here sin should no longer have mastery over them, therefore they should not be
mastered by any thing in their life.
2.4.6. Do I have an uneasy
conscience if I do this thing?
2.4.6.1.Rom. 14:23 talks about how
we should not do anything for which our conscience bothers us.
2.4.7. Will doing this cause a
brother or sister in Christ to stumble in their walk?
2.4.7.1.Rom. 14:15 talks about how
we should not do anything that will cause a brother or a sister to stumble.
2.5.
Many
times I have heard people ask how many things they could do and still be a
Christian? This kind of thinking is so
self-centered and hedonistic, isn’t it?
Seeing as how we Christians owe such a huge debt to God for saving us
that no treasure on earth could purchase, don’t you think that the attitude
that we ought to have is instead how can I bring God the most glory in my life,
and be used by Him the most?
2.6.
Spurgeon once told the following story of a chief justice in England to
illustrate that we Christians ought to act in such a way as befits a Christian,
“Sir Edward Cole, Chief
Justice of England in the time of James I., was a man of noble spirit, and
often incurred the displeasure of the king by his patriotism. On one occasion,
when an unworthy attempt was made to influence his conduct, he replied, “When
the case happens, I shall do that which shall be fit for a judge to do.” Oh, that all Christians, in trying moments,
would act as shall be fit for followers of Christ to do!”
3.
VS 6:13 - “6:13
Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food; but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for
the Lord; and the Lord is for the body.” - Paul
tells the Corinthians that their bodies are for the Lord
3.1.
Paul
states something that is a bit obscure here in this verse, speaking of the
“stomach.” In this body, the appetite
and hunger of a person’s “stomach”, which in itself is a spiritually neutral
thing, is met and filled by food which is of a transitory nature. However, one day after our bodies are
resurrected and made into the image of Christ’s body, God will put an end to
our need for food. What is constant in
regard to our bodies then is the Lord, and thus our bodies should be for Him
and His glory.
3.1.1. God did not make our bodies
to be made full and satisfied by the committing of acts of immorality.
3.1.2. Rather, our bodies are to be
made full and satisfied by worshipping and serving God, both in this life and
in the next.
3.1.3. Perhaps it is the case that
the Corinthians were saying that just as it is natural for our bodies to be
hungry and crave food, it is only just as natural for our bodies to crave and
be satisfied by sex. Therefore, God
will not condemn us if we perform acts of illicit sex, since He created our
body with these desires.
3.1.3.1.This is faulty thinking
since all of the things of this life, including the lusts of our flesh, are
going to one day pass away. Then, at
that point we will live eternally either in heaven in a new and glorified body
with the Lord, or if we are not God’s people, in hell with the devil and his
angels.
3.2.
We
Christians often times do not realize or remember what it is that will give us
real satisfaction and fulfillment in our life.
The real needs of our heart are met only by living for Christ and
fulfilling His calling in our life.
3.2.1. This Thanksgiving week most
of us probably ate huge and delicious meals for Thanksgiving, and were
stuffed. However, I’ll bet that every
single one of us has eaten another meal since.
That’s because no matter how filling a meal may be you will still be
hungry again later and need to eat again.
In the same way, every other activity that we indulge in in this life
will only leave us empty after awhile.
3.2.1.1.Solomon realized this when
he wrote the book of Ecclessiastes. He
said that life was futile and that everything was vanity. He goes into a deep explanation of how he
came to those conclusions, mentioning all of the things that he could do in
life, yet the result of all was vanity.
3.2.1.2.However, living for Christ
is a wonderful and exciting life, and anything but boring. If we will live this life for the will of
God we will also reap eternal benefits.
At times it is a difficult life filled with many trials, toils and
snares, however true satisfaction is found in being a servant of the most high
God.
3.3.
In
essence, Paul tells the Corinthians here that the things of this life are only
transitory, and one day they are going to be burned up. Then, only the things that are eternal will
last. Therefore, all people who live
for their lusts of the flesh and the things of this life without regard to the
things that are eternal, are the greatest of fools. Those who are wise are those who will live for those things which
are eternal!
3.3.1. In many ways and places,
Jesus taught his disciples to live not for the things of this world, but for
the things that are eternal. For
instance, Jesus said in Mark 8:36, “36 For
what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own
soul?”.
3.3.2. Tragically, many a person
has sold their eternal soul for the lusts of the flesh and the things of this
world.
4.
VS 6:14 - “6:14
Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through
His power.” - Paul reminds the
Corinthians that God will one day raise our body up through His power
4.1.
Paul
reminds the Corinthians that God will resurrect Christians into a new glorified
body of the same kind as that of Christ’s resurrected body. In 1 Cor. 15 we will see that this new body
will be raised in holiness, power, and glory.
5.
VS 6:15 - “6:15
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ
and make them members of a harlot? May
it never be!” - Paul tells the
Corinthians that their bodies are members of Christ
5.1.
Paul
tells the Corinthians that every Christian’s body is actually a part or member
of Christ, since we are members of the body of Christ. Being a part of Christ and He being a part
of us, whatever sinful activity we commit, we defile Christ with.
5.1.1. Therefore if a Christian has
sex with a harlot, then he has associated and defiled Christ with that sinful
act.
5.1.2. How could we as Christians
ever be so callous as to join our Lord, who lives within us, to a
prostitute? Or for that matter, join
Him to anyone who is not our lawful spouse?
6.
VS 6:16 - “6:16
Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a harlot is one
body with her? For He says, ‘The two will become one
flesh’. But the one who joins himself
with the Lord is one spirit with Him.” - Paul
tells the Corinthians that if they join themselves to a harlot hey are one
body, or one flesh, with her
6.1.
The
sexual union in marriage provides the closest intimacy that any two people can
have. The union of marriage is designed
so that two people become “one”, and the sexual union of marriage facilitates
this. Therefore when a person has sex
with a harlot, he becomes ‘one body’ with the harlot.
6.2.
Likewise,
when a person becomes a Christian he enters into a relationship with the Lord
that is closest in nature to that which two people have in marriage. A Christian becomes ‘one spirit’ with Christ
in the intimacy of relationship, just a man a woman become ‘one flesh’ in
marriage.
6.3.
We
Christians ought to consider what a privilege it is to have such a relationship
with the Lord that we are “one” with Him, just as a husband and wife are “one
flesh” with each other.
6.3.1. We ought to explore our
relationship with Christ as we spend time in His word each day. He wants to have an ongoing intimate
personal relationship with each of us who are His children.
6.3.2. In fact, the Bible teaches
that we, “the church”, are the bride of Christ.
6.3.3. There is even going to be a
marriage feast of the Lamb when He returns for the church.
6.3.4. Further, the Bible teaches
that unfaithfulness to Christ is to commit “spiritual adultery”.
7.
VS 6:18 - “6:18
Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside
the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.” - Paul
tells the Corinthians to flee the sin of immorality for it is the only sin
which a person commits against his own body
7.1.
As
I have mentioned several times in our study, the word for ‘immorality’ here
again is also translated ‘fornication’, and it means any sexual relations
outside of marriage. The Greek word
used here for ‘immorality’ is ‘porneia’ from which we get our word
“pornography”.
7.2.
As
I have also mentioned previously, “immorality” is like no other sin, it is a
sin that is not external to one’s body, and a person who commits any act of
immorality sins against his own body.
Immorality causes a person to have deep conflicts within his or her
flesh nature and its appetites.
7.3.
The
way to avoid immorality is to avoid those situations where immorality is more
likely to occur. Paul tells the
Corinthians not to entertain or flirt in any way with immorality in any form,
but rather we are ‘flee’ immorality.
7.3.1. There is an old secular song
says, “Get on your bike Mike…Don’t look back Jack…You need a new plan
Stan.” I’ve always felt that this is
the way that we need to deal with temptation.
It must be fled from.
7.3.2. Every Christian must be
committed to fleeing every potential act of immorality in his/her life.
7.3.3. We Christians must never let
our guard down, and place ourselves in situations where we could be tempted to
commit immorality.
7.3.4. We must never be so foolish
as to think that we can get in a slugging match with the devil and temptation
and win when it comes to sin, especially sins of the flesh. We will lose this war if we fight it this
way. We must learn to flee it in order
to have victory over temptation.
7.3.5. We must never be so naive as
to think that if we place ourselves in tempting situations that we will have
the strength to resist the temptations we will face. We all have times when we are weak and susceptible to
temptations, even of a sexual nature.
7.3.6. We all have unique strengths
and weaknesses as well. Some people
will stumble more easily in certain areas than others. We must become aware of our own weaknesses
and guard ourselves appropriately.
7.3.7. When I was still single and
dating I learned that I should never go over to a girl’s house at night when
the two of us would be alone together.
Rather, to avoid immoral temptations I would take girls out to public
places where there were a lot of people around. In those situations I would not be tempted to the same degree.
7.4.
Every
act of immorality is very destructive to people as it causes a profoundly bad
influence in their life that will not go away for a long time.
7.4.1. Since immorality brings
people into such intimate union, people are certain to be degraded and deeply
wounded by any act of immorality. It
dehumanizes us!
7.4.2. There have been studies
performed which show a link between promiscuity and a higher incidence of both mental
illness as well as suicide.
7.4.3. Immorality will cause any
dating relationship to be severely damaged.
Both persons who commit immorality while in a dating relationship will
lose a great deal of respect for each other and themselves.
7.4.3.1.I remember reading of a
study performed several years ago that found that couples who lived together
before marriage had a much greater tendency to divorce after being
married. Yet, this is just the opposite
of what people say will happen. People
often think that if you first live together then you will know better whether
or not it would work out if you married the person.
7.5.
Likewise,
adultery will always bring a great degree of pain to the life of any people who
practice it.
8.
VS 6:19-20 - “6:19
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is
in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” - Paul
tells the Corinthians that since their body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, and
that God purchased them, they must glorify God in their bodies
8.1.
Each
Christian is a temple in which Christ and the Holy Spirit dwells. Paul tells the Corinthians that they do not
have control over their very lives.
They are not their own to do with their life as they wish, but rather
each Christian has been bought with a price, the precious blood of the eternal
Son of God. The precious sacrifice of
the Son of God upon the cross of Calvary is the price with which each person’s
salvation was obtained.
8.2.
Paul
tells the Corinthians that their life is not their own, but there has been a
price that has been paid upon each of their accounts, and thus they are debtors
and owe their very lives to Christ.
Therefore, they must glorify God with their bodies.
8.3.
We
Christians ought to think every now and then about what it cost the Father to
give His only-begotten Son in order that we might be saved! If we did, perhaps we would be more apt to
live our life more closely aligned with God’s design for our life.
8.4.
To
conclude let me tell you a hypothetical story.
Let’s imagine that you were terminally ill with a form of deadly
Leukemia. Your only hope for living was
if you were to receive a bone marrow transplant from a healthy person. However, the Leukemia is so severe that the
amount of bone marrow that would need to be removed from a donor would be so
great that it would place that person at great medical risk. Furthermore, you had a very unique bone
marrow and you had researched to find that there was only one person in the
entire world whose bone marrow would suffice to make you whole. Then, imagine that that person had been
contacted and then had even decided to risk his own life in order that you
might be made whole, and, he went through with the operation. The surgery was a success, and you were made
completely well never to suffer from this Leukemia again. However, the person who gave you his bone
marrow had suffered extensively as a result of the surgery, and had died of
complications from the surgery. Well,
for the rest of your life you would live knowing that you owed a great amount
of indebtedness to this man who was willing to sacrifice so greatly of himself
and take such a tremendous risk on your behalf.
8.4.1. In the same way as this
story illustrates, all of us who are Christians have an incalculable
indebtedness to our Lord who went to the cross and suffered a horrid death in
order that we might be forgiven of our sins and inherit eternal life. If we have any faith at all in His atonement
for us upon the cross, we must show our deepest gratitude by how we live our
life in this world. If we truly have
“saving faith” we will live our life for Him and seek to do His will in every
detail of our life. We will do this not
because we know that if we don’t do this that we will go to hell, but because
of our gratitude for what He first did for us upon the cross of Calvary.