1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Are we actually any different? That’s a question that must be asked when it comes to the church versus the culture. I grew up in a Christian home…barely. My dad and mom gave their lives to Jesus right before they were married. So, I have lived in the “heart” of Christianity. Unfortunately, I have watched students in my Christian school, kids in my youth group, adults in my church, etc. exhibit the same immoral tendencies of teens, kids, and adults who don’t “know” Jesus. Sometimes you couldn’t even tell that they were Christians at all.
When Paul was speaking to the church at Corinth, he was attempting to correct their brutal misconceptions of Christian behavior. Some were acting as if their new freedom by saving faith in Christ allowed them to live “any way they wanted.” Others were “pushing the boundaries” of holiness in that there was nothing forbidding them from living the way they were living…at least in their own words. There was actually a popular philosophy back then called Gnosticism that taught that the soul and spirit were important, but the body was not. Hence, the kind of sinful sexual behavior that many of them chose.
It is easy to excuse our behavior isn’t it? We compare ourselves to others, or we act as if it’s not “hurting anyone,” or we simply ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In the Corinthian culture, prostitution was used as a form of religion and worship to pagan gods. Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that when they engaged in sexual immorality (sex outside of marriage) they were dishonoring their bodies which belonged to God. You see that was the point. What they did with their bodies mattered. Under the New Covenant, God dwells inside of us, no longer in a Temple or Tabernacle made with man’s hands. As those buildings were once sacred, we are now sacred. We are now holy. We are to be “set apart from sin unto God.” Are you treating your body as God’s vessel for his honor and glory?
What Paul really wanted the Corinthians to understand is that they belong to God. They were purchased with his blood at The Cross. Just like the Corinthians, you belong to God if you know him as Savior! You. Are. Not. Your. Own. Let those words sink in for a minute. You’ve heard the phrase: “you can’t have your cake and eat it too!” In other words, you either belong to God, or you don’t. You either have his salvation, or you don’t. You either have his joy and purpose, or you don’t. Also, you either are honoring him with your words, attitudes, and ACTIONS, or you’re not. When I think back to my adolescence, I can think of so many people who I knew that claimed Jesus as their Savior yet clearly didn’t honor Jesus as their Lord! They lived how they wanted to, often in selfish sexual immorality.
Can you imagine if I gave myself over to prostitutes? What would that say about my marriage? In all honesty, it would say that my marriage is not all that important to me. So, my question is: how important is Jesus to you? Maybe it’s time to evaluate your thoughts and actions? There is NO SCENARIO where lustful thoughts, “sex outside of marriage,” adultery, pornography, or anything else in between is acceptable for a Christian! Here are a few helpful thoughts: pay attention to who you are “hanging out with,” what you are watching on TV, the clothes that you are wearing, and the music that you are listening to - are they leading you TOWARD or AWAY FROM God’s purity?
When Paul was speaking to the church at Corinth, he was attempting to correct their brutal misconceptions of Christian behavior. Some were acting as if their new freedom by saving faith in Christ allowed them to live “any way they wanted.” Others were “pushing the boundaries” of holiness in that there was nothing forbidding them from living the way they were living…at least in their own words. There was actually a popular philosophy back then called Gnosticism that taught that the soul and spirit were important, but the body was not. Hence, the kind of sinful sexual behavior that many of them chose.
It is easy to excuse our behavior isn’t it? We compare ourselves to others, or we act as if it’s not “hurting anyone,” or we simply ignore the conviction of the Holy Spirit. In the Corinthian culture, prostitution was used as a form of religion and worship to pagan gods. Paul wanted the Corinthians to know that when they engaged in sexual immorality (sex outside of marriage) they were dishonoring their bodies which belonged to God. You see that was the point. What they did with their bodies mattered. Under the New Covenant, God dwells inside of us, no longer in a Temple or Tabernacle made with man’s hands. As those buildings were once sacred, we are now sacred. We are now holy. We are to be “set apart from sin unto God.” Are you treating your body as God’s vessel for his honor and glory?
What Paul really wanted the Corinthians to understand is that they belong to God. They were purchased with his blood at The Cross. Just like the Corinthians, you belong to God if you know him as Savior! You. Are. Not. Your. Own. Let those words sink in for a minute. You’ve heard the phrase: “you can’t have your cake and eat it too!” In other words, you either belong to God, or you don’t. You either have his salvation, or you don’t. You either have his joy and purpose, or you don’t. Also, you either are honoring him with your words, attitudes, and ACTIONS, or you’re not. When I think back to my adolescence, I can think of so many people who I knew that claimed Jesus as their Savior yet clearly didn’t honor Jesus as their Lord! They lived how they wanted to, often in selfish sexual immorality.
Can you imagine if I gave myself over to prostitutes? What would that say about my marriage? In all honesty, it would say that my marriage is not all that important to me. So, my question is: how important is Jesus to you? Maybe it’s time to evaluate your thoughts and actions? There is NO SCENARIO where lustful thoughts, “sex outside of marriage,” adultery, pornography, or anything else in between is acceptable for a Christian! Here are a few helpful thoughts: pay attention to who you are “hanging out with,” what you are watching on TV, the clothes that you are wearing, and the music that you are listening to - are they leading you TOWARD or AWAY FROM God’s purity?
Posted in Devotional