Sunday, January 24, 2010 pm
STUDIES IN 1 CORINTHIANS (21)
Who Are You Joined To?
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
Tonight we continue
our study of the 1 Corinthian letter.
It is a letter in which Paul addresses a number of problems the
church there faced. Tonight
we examine a possible struggle some were having with immoral behaviors
associated with idolatry – specifically fornication. The message for us
could apply to any moral dilemma we find ourselves wrapped up in.
a.
What does
Paul mean by lawful?
Obviously not anything, but he is
saying anything that IS within the scope of God’s law (i.e. authorized).
We know that what God commands we must obey – Matt. 7:21
Paul has reference here to liberties – things about which God is
indifferent (the same matters he addresses in Romans 14 – such as what
types of food we eat and days we observe to ourselves).
We will address this in more detail at a later time (1 Cor. 8 &
10).
b.
BUT even
though you have the RIGHT to do something, there ARE other
considerations.
i.
Lawful
but not helpful (expedient) –
the word means, “to bear or bring together” (Thayer) Vine’s describes
the word as “to be an advantage, profitable, expedient.”
In what we do we ought to ask if
something is really beneficial to us.
Will it make me a better person?
Will it further the cause of Christ?
Consider food as an example – food may be good, but it is NOT always
good for you. One commentator
said on this point in essence, “Appetite does not justify
gratification.”
ii.
ONE of the
things implied in this is how will my actions affect my brother and
neighbor? Consider the
problem Paul just addressed – taking a brother to civil court (cf. 1
Cor. 6:1-11). – While such could be the right of a Christian, it is
certainly NOT expedient in so many ways.
Also consider how in 1 Cor. 3:1-4 Paul spoke of their carnal attitudes.
Christians have to think about others – Phil. 2:3-4, Rom. 15:1-2, etc.
Romans 14:20 says, “Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food.
All things indeed are pure, but it is evil for the man who eats
with offense.”
iii.
Lawful
but not controlling – Paul
said he would not be brought under the power of anything.
The example he gives is foods for the belly.
We need food and perhaps we love certain foods.
But could we do without them?
If we discovered that something was bad for us would we give it
up?
The Christian life is one of self-control as we have noted on many
occasions. 1 Cor. 9:25-27.
Hebrews 12:16 speaks of profane Esau, who for a morsel of food sold his
birthright.
Let us not be brought under the power of anything in this life!
a.
The
purpose of the body – not for unrestrained gratification, but for the
Lord (13).
b.
The body
is NOT for sexual immorality (fornication).
Throughout this context, Paul addresses the subject of
fornication. Fornication is
defined as unlawful sexual relations in any form.
Like food, sexual gratification is NOT wrong when it is placed in its
proper context – the marriage bed (Heb.
13:4). But in any
other context, it is FORNICATION!
Let us notice what our text says about fornication.
i.
The
body is NOT for fornication –
realize that in Corinth, fornication was often part of their idolatrous
worship, especially in the temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love and
beauty which had 1000 female prostitutes. (Corinth, ISBE Revised
Edition).
ii.
Do not
be joined to a harlot (15-16)
(or with any immoral sexual act).
– such is taking a pure act and defiling it.
When Paul quotes Genesis 2:24, it is a passage about marriage.
While I do not believe Paul is saying that such an act of
fornication is marriage in God’s eyes, rather it demonstrates total
disregard and irreverence for God’s marriage law.
c.
Flee
sexual immorality (18) – run away from it.
Like Joseph did in Genesis 39:15.
A lesson to the young (and old alike) – do NOT put yourself in a
situation where you are tempted to commit any sin.
d.
Fornication is a sin against his own body
(18)
– a challenging statement as we know there is a sense in which man sins
are against one’s own body.
But when you consider the gravity of fornication and the dangers its
produces physically – it can generate diseases, unwanted pregnancy, lead
to murder (abortion), has destroyed families, societies (consider the
debased society of Corinth as an example), and even corporations
(how many scandals have damaged corporations because of
fornication?). It also ruins
the purity of the marriage night.
But the greatest sin in this is that you have taken the temple of God
and shared it with a harlot!
Think about the sin in that!
Consider how continually, God described Israel’s idolatry as
harlotry. In fact, He
commissioned the prophet Hosea to marry a harlot to demonstrate how
terribly they had treated God. It is in that sense that the sin of
fornication is against one’s own body.
e.
Our
society has greatly diminished the sin of fornication.
But
that does not change what God says about it.
This text, while actually dealing with a greater subject
(discussed next) drives home the sin of fornication and why it should be
avoided.
a.
Your
body is “for the Lord and the Lord for the body.”
(13)
Everything we do, we need to remember it for the Lord and His
glory. Paul said it
this way in
Romans 14:7-9, “For none
of us lives to himself, and no one dies to himself.
For if we live, we live to the Lord; and if we die, we die to the
Lord. Therefore, whether we
live or die, we are the Lord’s”
Therefore, DON’T ABUSE the body!
b.
God has
raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power
(14).
In this, we are reminded of WHY we are here.
It is not simply about this life (1
Cor. 15:50-56).
Consider also that if we are going to be raised in this body
somehow, should we not take care of ourselves? DON’T ABUSE the body!
c.
Your
bodies are members of Christ
(15) – A reminder of our
relationship! He is the head and we are the parts (cf.
1 Cor. 12:12-27). Put
this in the context with his warnings against joining oneself to a
harlot. I believe that what
Paul has specific reference to here was those who participated in the
ritual prostitution prevalent in the city.
Perhaps members were not actually guilty of this (I sure hope
so), but their conduct was as insulting to God because of their divided
loyalties. He reminds them
that they cannot join the Lord’s body with that of a harlot!
Again, DON’T ABUSE the body!
d.
He who
is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him
(17).
Recall how Jesus prayed for unity in
John 17:20-23.
Paul also addressed this further in
1 Corinthians 12:13 tells us, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body – whether Jews or
Greeks, whether slaves or free – and have all been made to drink into
one Spirit.” We have
been
united with Christ.
Certainly Christ would not act in some of the sinful things
addressed. And since we are
to imitate Christ, seeking to conform to his thoughts, words and actions
(1 Cor. 11:1, Romans 8:29 –“For
whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of
His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.”),
DON’T ABUSE the body!
e.
Your
body is the temple of the Holy Spirit
(19).
Recall how as Jesus was concluding His work and telling His
disciples that He would ascend to heaven, He was not going to leave us
alone. John 14:25-26, 16:5-15,
John 14:16-18, “I will not
leave you orphans; I will come to you.”
In ways we may not understand, it is true that today we are under the
influence of the Holy Spirit, primarily through His word.
But in more than one place we are told that He dwells in us when
we are doing that which is right (cf.
Romans 8:9-11, etc.).
Understand that the Holy Spirit is our last hope.
There will be none other!
Don’t insult Him (Heb. 10:29) or grieve Him
(Eph.
4:30).
So that He can dwell within us, DON’T ABUSE the body!
f.
You are
not your own (19).
Simply stated, you belong to Christ.
Paul in
Romans 6:18 speaks about
how we now are servants of God.
Therefore DON’T ABUSE the body!
g.
You
were bought at a price (20)
– consider how the cost for our salvation was NOT cheap!
Christ left heaven and came to this earth to suffer and die for
us (Rom.
5:6-9, Phil. 2:5-8).
We need to think about this cost before we start misbehaving and
rebelling against Him.
1 Peter 1:18-19 notes that with the precious blood of Christ we
have been redeemed (the price paid for our sins).
When something is of value, we treat it properly (i.e. 1 Pet.
3:7). Because of the price
paid, we are valuable. DON’T ABUSE the body!
h.
Therefore, glorify God in your body and spirit
– they belong to Him (20). You cannot
glorify God and subject yourself to sin at the same time.
DON’T ABUSE the body!