1 Corinthians 6:12-20

                                                             1 Corinthians 6:12-20

“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. “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.And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 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!Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 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, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

 

Our bodies are important to God.  We tend to look at our bodies from the perspective of two different extremes.  Some people put a great emphasis on the spiritual aspect of our lives to the point of ignoring the body as completely unimportant or even evil.  Other people go to the other extreme of treating the body as something to worship in and of itself.  Neither of these perspectives is biblical or pleasing to God.  They can both lead to a variety of sinful actions and attitudes.  Our bodies were designed by God.  We should be vigilant about making sure that our bodies are healthy and pure.  However, we must also use our bodies as instruments of worship, but they must never become objects of worship.

 

BE CAREFUL WITH WHAT WE PUT INTO OUR BODIES: We were created to be dependent.  Our dependence should be fully on God.  When we refuse to depend on him, we will begin to be dependent on other people or other things.  These are idols like wealth, comfort, food, drinks, drugs, or any other number of substances to which we can easily become dependent or addicted.  It may be lawful for us to eat certain foods or drink certain beverages, but it may not be wise for us to do so.  If we choose to eat or drink these things, we must make sure that we do not become dependent upon them.  Our dependence must always only be on the Lord.  He is our way to relax, destress, or feel complete.

 

BE FAITHFUL WITH WHAT WE DO WITH OUR BODIES: God has created us as sexual beings for the purpose of procreation and pleasure.  When enjoyed in the context of marriage it is honoring and glorifying to God.  Unfortunately, due to the fall and our sinful hearts that which God created for His glory has been perverted into an idol that is considered to determine our very identity.  Our identity should come from our being created in the image of God.  We are not free to determine our own identity based on our lusts, desires, or sexual preferences.  All we do with our bodies should be in accordance with the Word and will of God.   

 

BE MINDFUL ABOUT WHO LIVES WITHIN OUR BODIES: As believers, we were not only created by God and for His glory, but we are also inhabited by the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit of God lives within us and we are His temple.  We must keep this in mind with everything we do with our bodies and whatever we put into our bodies.  All we do with our bodies should take into consideration that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  A temple is to be used to promote worship and that should be our main concern with all we do with our bodies.  Our bodies were created for His glory and to worship Him.  All our activities, the things we eat or drink, what we see and hear should all be directed by this truth.

 

APPLICATION: Don’t worship our bodies but use our bodies as instruments of worship to honor and glorify God.  Be careful with what we eat and drink to make sure that it is healthy as well as something that does not take control of our bodies or make us dependent.  Enjoy sexual intimacy only within the context of marriage as a gift from God and for His glory.  Always be mindful of and submissive to the presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives.

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