Monday Oct. 7, 1 Cor. 6:12-20
Because they were no longer bound by the constraints of the law, the members of the Corinthian church mistakenly believed that grace gave them a free pass to do whatever they liked with their bodies; a freedom to eat and drink what they wished, and to have sexual relations with whomever they wanted. But Paul tells them to hold up. Time for some self discipline here. Just because they could do it doesn’t mean they should do it. And being under grace isn’t a license to sin. (Rom. 6:15) Those bodies of theirs needed to be treated right. Why? Because our bodies are not our own. They belong to God. And as His stewards there are some things to need to consider.
“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.” (vs. 12) Paul isn’t telling us to practice self discipline because he’s a party pooper, rather he understands the destruction that comes from being slaves to the desires of the flesh. Whether it be gluttony, alcoholism, or sexual addiction, these sins put us right back into the bondage that Jesus died to free us from.
“Flee immorality. Every other sin a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body.” (vs. 18) Sexual immorality not only effects the body physically, but also morally and spiritually. It open us up to disease, hurts others, destroys families, and separates us from God. Sexual immorality damages our character and our testimonies. It pollutes the gift given by God to be enjoyed in marriage between husband and wife.
“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?” (vs. 19) The Jewish temple where the Spirit of God dwelled on earth was a holy, sacred place. And the moment we receive Jesus as our Savior, that same Spirit comes to dwell within us. The Levitical priests practiced great self discipline when it came to obeying the rules of God pertaining to serving in His temple. Shouldn’t we do the same knowing we have the Lord living inside of us?
“For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” (vs. 20) “No one owns his or her body. It either belongs to God or is enslaved to sin. (Rom. 6:6,16-19). If you are a believer, Jesus redeemed you through His death on the Cross. He wants to free you from the sins that entangle you and prevent you from being all that He has created you to be.”...Dr. Charles Stanley
When I think of the price Jesus paid for me, how can I do anything less than use my body to glorify Him!
Your body was a willing horse when it was in the service of the devil, let it not be a sluggish hack now that it draws the chariot of Christ." (Spurgeon) Each one of us is born with a sin nature that would rather practice self indulgence than self discipline. And when the flesh wants something, the hardest word to hear is “no”. But as followers of Christ, Paul reminds us that, “God did not give us a Spirit of timidity, but a Spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline” (2 Tim. 1:7) If we truly love Jesus, we should strive to honor Him in all things; including being good caretakers of our bodies. For they are given to us by God to whom they belong. And God promises that one day those very same bodies will be resurrected and forever glorified!
