1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Defiled by Sexual Promiscuity

Open your Bible to…

1Cor. 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

Pray

Intro

√ Growing up

You’ve heard some of the stories of my childhood and the crazy things that my brothers and I did!

Selling protein powder filled capsules as drugs

Extracting hydrogen by exothermic reaction

Exploding hydrogen balloons

The faked Martian invader

Yet, for all the foolishness and rebellion I never got into any really serious trouble.

That’s not because there weren’t a ton of opportunities to get into some really bad stuff.

Rather, I chose not to because I didn’t want to disappoint my mom.

Even in my corrupt little mind I knew she’d sacrificed a bunch to put a roof over our head and food on the table.

I knew without a doubt that she loved me and my brothers.

So, when making decisions about what I was going to get involved in I always stopped and thought…

“How would this make my mom feel if I got caught?”

If I thought that I would break my mom’s heart, or that she’d be disappointed in me then I just wouldn’t go there.

√ Defiled by sexual promiscuity

Well, that’s Paul’s tact here in the closing verses of chapter 6 as he turns his attention to the sexual promiscuity that was rampant in the church.

He calls them to stop and think about their behavior in view of God’s love and sacrifice for them.

Thus, the key verse in this section…

“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

Vs. 20

Paul’s exhortation then to his friends at Corinth and to you and I this morning is that in view of all that God has done for us we ought to daily present our lives to Him…

…instead of to the sins that our fleshly appetites long for.

Their Sin (vs. 12-13a)

1Cor. 6:12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

1Cor. 6:13a Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods…

√ Their sin

Our English translations don’t do a very good job of reflecting the flow of Paul’s arguments here, for example, when he writes…

“All things are lawful for me” ~ vs. 12

And…

“Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods”

Vs. 13

He’s not promoting these ideas, rather, he is simply quoting what the Corinthians were saying (and had probably written to him) as justification for their sinful lives!

That’s an important distinction because too many Christians throughout history have misread Paul’s statements here to be some kind of blanket endorsement for any behavior they might want to engage in.

Some have gone so far to say that once you are in Christ that you can do whatever you want and it isn’t sin because everything is lawful for us now!

That certainly wasn’t Paul’s intent as evidenced by his rebuke of their sin and the instruction he gives regarding how to avoid it!

√ Justifying sin

As we work through this section you’ll see that the sin that Paul is addressing, and which the Corinthians were trying to justify, was that of sexual promiscuity.

That is, many of the believers in the church were actively involved in indiscriminate casual sexual relationships with a multitude of partners.

That wasn’t unusual behavior for the unbeliever in Corinth because the city was home to the temple dedicated to the Greek goddess Aphrodite the goddess of love, beauty and sex.

You might not be familiar with Greek mythology but you have probably heard her name before as the word “Aphrodisiac” (sexual stimulant) is named for the festival held in Corinth in her honor.

The temple employed 1,000 prostitutes (male, female, and transgender) with whom people engaged in sex as means of “worshipping” the goddess!

The problem that Paul was addressing was that some of the believers had gone back to that lifestyle and justified their actions by saying…

“All things are lawful for me” ~ vs. 12

And…

“Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods”

Vs. 13

In 21^st Century English their logic ran something like this…

“Hey, when I get hungry I eat to satisfy my appetite. Well, when I get sexual urges I need to satisfy that appetite too…

…after all sexual desires are just a natural need of the human body like hunger .”

Sounds like what I’ve heard from many a young man or woman who has compromised their faith to justify their sin!

√ Their first error

The Corinthians sin was the result of their misinterpretation of God’s grace, which Paul had preached to them.

Just as we learned in our study of Galatians God’s grace is not a license to sin…

…it is the liberty to serve God without the need of the Law.

The Corinthians failed to make that distinction and figured that since they were no longer under the Law that they could do whatever they desired because it wasn’t sin…

…but that of course is a false view of Grace.

√ Their second error

Their other error was that they misunderstood the nature of their physical bodies.

They thought that just as hunger is a legitimate need that should be met…

…they then wrongly concluded that their sexual desire was also a legitimate appetite to be satisfied whenever and with whomever was available.

What they failed to understand was that their conclusions were wrong because it was based on bad theology!

The Bible tells us that while our soul and spirit have been redeemed by Christ our physical body is still under the power of sin and corruption and won’t be redeemed until Resurrection (1^st Resurrection/Rapture).

Therefore the desires of our natural body are still corrupted and at war with the Spirit within us.

Our obligation is not to satisfy the sinful desires of our flesh, rather, it is to surrender them to the Spirit.

For example…

Hunger as God designed it was the signal that our body needs fuel.

Hunger corrupted by sin leads us to believe that we have to gorge ourselves to be satisfied ~ that’s the sin of gluttony which leads to overeating and poor health.

Sex as God designed it is a gift to enrich a couple’s relationship by knitting not only their bodies together, but also their soul and spirit.

Sex corrupted by sin leads us to believe that satisfaction is found in unrestrained sexual conquests ~ that’s the sin of fornication which leads to broken hearts, shallow relationships, disease and even death.

So, Paul addresses their bad theology and the sin it led to by pointing them back to the truth and their obligation to God.

Ap. Doctrine is important

There’s a movement in the Church today that claims that doctrine isn’t important and that the teaching of doctrine leads to lifeless Christianity.

The problem is that without good doctrine we can’t discern right from wrong and like the Corinthians will follow the path of least resistance which will always lead to sin.

Good doctrine provides the solid foundation upon which we can build our lives.

Think about the Father (vs. 13b-14)

1Cor. 6:13a Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

1Cor. 6:14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.

√ Think about the Father

Paul now provides three thoughts for the Corinthians to consider as reasons for abstaining from sexual promiscuity, he says…

Think about the Father

Think about the Son

Think about the Holy Spirit

He begins by reminding the Corinthians that our bodies belong to the Father because He created them and one day He will resurrect them to glory! (p.s. we’ll spend a whole chapter on the Rapture and Resurrection when we get to chapter 15!)

So, in view of the fact our bodies have such a wonderful origin, and an even greater future…

…should we not consider the Father and the purpose for which He created us rather than using our bodies for sinful desires?

Paul’s point is that the Father designed our bodies and when we use them for something other than the Father’s purpose…

…we’re going to destroy them and reap a lifetime of heartache.

Ex. Robbing a bank

Sex outside of marriage may be exciting and fun in the short term but it is not enriching to the soul or the spirit.

It’s like robbing a bank, you may get away with some cash but the reality is that it’s not yours and one day you’ll have to pay for what you took.

On the other hand sex within marriage is like putting money in the bank. There’s security, safety and you will collect dividends over the course of your life.

Sex within marriage helps to build a relationship that brings joy both now and in the future…

…while sex outside of marriage destroys your present relationships and weakens future chances for good relationships.

Ap. Father knows best

God’s parameters for how we should and shouldn’t use our bodies aren’t there to keep us from having fun!

Rather, they are there to promote enjoyment of life and to protect us from the consequences of sin.

Remember, just because our body wants something doesn’t mean it’s good for us!

Ex. Kids choices for eating!

Keep that perspective in the forefront of your thinking so that when you’re tempted to sin that you think about the Father first because He really does know what’s best for you.

Think about the Son (vs. 15-18)

1Cor. 6:15 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 harlot? Certainly not!

1Cor. 6:16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”

1Cor. 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

1Cor. 6:18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.

√ Think about the Son

Paul’s second solution for avoiding sexual promiscuity is that the Corinthians ought to think about Jesus and the spiritual implications of their sin.

He reminds them that when the placed their trust in Jesus that they became one with Him spiritually as a member of His Body.

And, that when they have sex with a prostitute (or anyone other than their spouse) they are actually uniting the Body of Christ to sin!

That’s an incredible insight because the implication is that sex is more than just physical! Look again at verses 15 & 16…

“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 harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”’

That truth completely undermines the logic of the Corinthians and their modern counterparts who argue that sex is just a natural physical activity no different than swimming or playing volleyball.

They’re point is why make so much fuse about something that just provides physical enjoyment?

After all they claim sex is good for you so why does it matter who you enjoy it with?

But what they fail to recognize, though I suspect they know to be true, is that sex is not just physical.

There is without controversy a strong emotional component, why else would people of just about every culture protect monogamous relationships and punish those who violate them.

And why else would people experience jealousy when their partner “cheats” on them?

But Paul here introduces another truth about sex by telling us that there is a spiritual component to it that we should consider.

While the idea that sex has a spiritual implication may be new to you it’s a truth we find all through the Bible.

All through the Old Testament we find examples where the people of Israel got involved in the worship of false gods, which God called…

“Harlotry”

What’s interesting is that almost always the worship of those false gods involved sex…

…so their harlotry was physical but also spiritual!

Ex. The sin of Baal-Peor

Num. 25:1 Now Israel remained in Acacia Grove, and the people began to commit harlotry with the women of Moab.

Num. 25:2 They invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods, and the people ate and bowed down to their gods.

Num. 25:3 So Israel was joined (physically & spiritually) to Baal of Peor, and the anger of the LORD was aroused against Israel.

Back to Corinth we find that many of the Christians there were satisfying their lust with the Temple prostitutes…

…joining their physical bodies and their spiritual union with Jesus to a person who worshipped the false goddess Aphrodite!

It’s the same sin that the children of Israel in the incident at Baal-Peor and just as offensive to God.

So, Paul exhorts his wayward friends at Corinth to think about the seriousness of their sin as it was more than just physical…

…that it is also a spiritual union that grieves the heart of our Savior.

Ap. Sexual sin is serious

By and large the Church today has a very compromised view on sexual promiscuity believing that it’s too much to ask people to keep sex within the confines of marriage.

But, God, in the New Testament makes it clear that He takes sexual purity very seriously and even though we live under grace…

…that He will use harsh discipline when necessary to cure us of our sexual sin if we won’t repent!

Note…

1Th. 4:3 For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you should abstain from sexual immorality;

1Th. 4:4 that each of you should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor,

1Th. 4:5 not in passion of lust, like the Gentiles who do not know God;

1Th. 4:6 that no one should take advantage of and defraud his brother in this matter, because the Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also forewarned you and testified.

And…

Rev. 2:20 Nevertheless I have a few things against you, because you allow that woman Jezebel, who calls herself a prophetess, to teach and seduce My servants to commit sexual immorality and eat things sacrificed to idols.

Rev. 2:21 And I gave her time to repent of her sexual immorality, and she did not repent.

Rev. 2:22 Indeed I will cast her into a sickbed, and those who commit adultery with her into great tribulation, unless they repent of their deeds.

Rev. 2:23 I will kill her children with death, and all the churches shall know that I am He who searches the minds and hearts. And I will give to each one of you according to your works.

So, Paul exhorts Christians to think about Jesus and our relationship with Him before mindlessly getting involved in sex with someone other than your spouse.

Think about the Spirit (vs. 19-20)

1Cor. 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

1Cor. 6:20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

√ Think about the Spirit

So, God the…

Father created our bodies so we should use them to bring Him glory.

Son redeemed them and made them a part of His body so we shouldn’t use them in any way that would dishonor our Savior.

And now Paul reminds the believers at Corinth that God the Holy Spirit indwells our bodies so how could they even consider defiling the Temple of God by their sinful activity?

Rather, as he writes in vs. 20 we have a duty to use our bodies to bring Him glory.

That is, in view of the great price that He paid to save us from our sins, and the great gift He has given us in the Person of the Holy Spirit…

…should we not then present our bodies to Him and for His glory?

Paul’s admonition in Romans 12:1 echoes his sentiments here in Corinthians…

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.”

That is, each morning we are to present our bodies to Him for whatever service He has planned for us.

When we do that we find it’s a lot easier to steer clear of sin because we’re thinking about Jesus and our promise to use our bodies for His glory…

…not sin.

Close

√ Defiled by sexual immorality

If you are presently involved in sexual sin, or standing at the abyss and thinking about jumping into sin may I encourage you to follow Paul’s advise in vs. 18…

“Flee sexual immorality!”

Run, don’t walk away from the situation.

If you’ve sinned in the past and have asked God’s forgiveness then know that He’s washed you and made you new just as if you’d never sinned!