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!
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Maintaining a biblical view of sexuality is seen as old-fashioned and unloving. The Christian sexual ethic has fallen upon the progressive, liberal times of this world. Revisionist views seek to undo and redefine biblical ethics are having much success. Statistics point to the increasing prevalence of premarital cohabitation among professing Christians. Christians do not have absolute liberty in areas where God has clearly defined what is sexually immoral. In our verses today, Paul offers six reasons why Christians are forbidden to engage in immoral sexual activity.
1. Original design (v. 13). The stomach was created for food and food for the stomach; similarly, the body was created for sexual activity and sexual activity for the body. Correct? Paul says no. The body was never designed to engage in fornication or sexual immorality. Having a stomach indeed points to the need to consume food, but having a body does not point to the need for sexual gratification.
2. Bodily resurrection (v. 14). While the relationship between the stomach and food is temporary, the relationship between the resurrected Christ and the bodies of His people is eternal. When one is in the throes of sexual temptation, he/she must ponder the eternal destination of your body. If our bodies will be raised as Christ’s body was raised, ought we not to keep our bodies pure as Christ’s body is pure?
3. Union with Christ (vv. 15–17). The union we Christians have with Christ is a full union—one that includes, mysteriously, the physical body. It is totally inconceivable that he who is a member of Christ’s body would then take his body and join it with that of a person who is not his spouse.
4. Unique destructiveness (v. 18). Sexual sin is unique with regard to its consequences. Sexual sins are not easily wiped away from our memories; nor are they easily dealt with in subsequent relationships. They leave a deeper scar than other sins. How many families have been broken up as a result of sexual immorality?
5. Holy temples (v. 19). The most important element of old covenant temple worship was purity. The dwelling place of God cannot be corrupted with impurity. In the new covenant, each Christian is a residential abode of the Holy Spirit, rendering sexual immorality an abomination that further corrupts God’s temple.
6. Purchased property (v. 20). Christians have been bought with a price, the shed blood of our Savior Jesus Christ! Our redemption by Him constitutes us as property of the Redeemer. Since we belong to someone else, our bodies can’t be used in whatever way we want. The question to ask ourselves to determine our sexual conduct is not, How far is too far? but, To whom do I belong?
Source: S C Ball October 28, 2023
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