Glorifying God in our Bodies

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 - Riley Boggs

The fight against sexual immorality is very real today, and the fact that I even call it a fight is met with a strange gaze from most of the world. It seems like the line continues to get pushed back, further and further. And unfortunately, we often find ourselves also pushing back the line as to what is and isn’t acceptable. Why not listen to that song, read that book, or watch that movie? I mean it’s not that big of a deal, right? No one can deny that we live in an incredibly sexually perverse society. The pornography industry, and yes, it is an industry, is a 100-billion-dollar industry. We all know of far too many broken marriages because of unfaithfulness. The pressure for young couples to compromise on abstinence before married is overwhelming. It is everywhere.

And so the question arises. What am I to do? How can we as followers of Christ fight the good fight? How can we be and do all that God has called us to, and flee from all that He has warned us against? The answers to the questions fill the pages of Scripture. Many Godly men and women have spilled a lot of ink on how we are to do this. This morning, specifically, we have the privilege of looking at a text that answers a part of this question. The question of how we are to glorify God with our bodies. 

You’ll remember that Paul is working through different issues that he has been made aware of that are taking place in the Corinthian Church. A few Sundays ago we looked at how Paul told the church to remove the man who was having an incestuous relationship with his mother-in-law. Then 2 weeks ago we looked at how Paul urged the church to work through issues within the church itself rather than resorting to suing one another. And at the end of that section Paul said, “And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” In this, he is setting the stage for the next issue, the one we are looking at this morning.  He says, you were washed, sanctified, and justified in Christ, making you different than you once were. Making you new in Christ, no longer a slave to sin, but to Christ. 

With that in mind, Paul brings up the next problem. The problem we have here is that there are men in the church who are visiting prostitutes. And if this was not already bad enough, they think they have reason to. One reason that we will see surface as a theme in this text is that apparently these men had come to the conclusion that since their bodies are temporary, they can do whatever they would like with them, with no consequences. Their bodies aren’t eternal, so visiting a prostitute, which to them only deals with the body, is perfectly fine. As we work through this text, we’ll see Paul bring to light the absurdity of that line of thinking. 

But first, briefly, I want us to look at what Paul quotes these men as saying. He starts off in verse 12 by quoting one of their reasons, and then really dives in. So let’s look at this first quotes. In verse 12 we see him quote them as saying, “All things are lawful for me”. In other words, they are saying that their freedom in Christ grants them the ability to go visit prostitutes. They know they have grace and forgiveness and have been freed from the law, and so they take this to mean we get to live how we want to live, no worries. Paul responds to this distortion by saying 2 different things. He says, “but not all things are helpful”, and “but I will not be dominated by anything”. What he is saying that freedom in Christ does not grant us the ability to do that which is sin, unhelpful, or might dominate us. Another way of thinking of it is this. There are certainly freedoms we have attained in Christ, such as no more dietary restrictions and many others. However, this freedom does not extend where it ought not extend. Just because we are free to do something, doesn’t mean we should if it is unhelpful or might end of controlling us. And the freedom is Christ certainly does not free us to sin.

The second excuse that Paul quotes here is in verse 13, which gives us our first point…  

1.) Our bodies are meant to bring glory to God, both now and forever.

In verse 13 He quotes them as saying, “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food.” In other words, it’s natural and to be expected. Just as one gets hungry and eats, so a man has desires and goes to visit a prostitute. It’s no big deal. Paul responds to this and says, “and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”

This is the truth he is putting forth here; that all of us, including our bodies, are meant to bring glory to God. God created you and gave you your body so that you might use it to bring Him glory and honor. These men have it all wrong. They have created a separation between their soul and their body that does not exist. They think what they do with their soul matters, but what they do with their body is inconsequential. And so, when the body wants something, you simply give it what it wants. But this is all wrong, what we do with our bodies matters. Our bodies are not some indispensable thing that we can do whatever with.

This is why Paul responds to this claim by reminding the Corinthians what the body is meant for. It was not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord. Then he continues on and takes the argument further. In verse 14 he says, “And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.” The truth he is speaking of here is paramount for us to understand. 

I was reading what one of my previous pastors, Lee, said concerning this passage and he mentioned something that is very helpful in understanding this. There is this misconception, one that believed for the majority of my life, once we die our soul floats up to heaven and we sort of just drift around for an eternity, being with Jesus. And to be honest, as a kid and even as I got older, this idea of eternity didn’t sound like one I was excited about. I wasn’t sure I wanted to float around and sing with Jesus forever. But see, this was a misconception. The Bible doesn’t talk about the eternal state of believers in this way. The Bible speaks of both the heaven and the new earth. These are not the same place, though we often speak of them like they are. 

This is what I mean. Right now, when someone who is in Christ dies, their soul goes to be with the Lord in heaven. They do exist without a body, and they do dwell with God, and it is more glorious than our minds can rightly comprehend. However, this is not the final place. One day, when Christ returns again for the final time, all those in Christ who are in heaven will be reunited with their bodies. But their body won’t be the exact same, for it will be made perfect. It will be a resurrected and glorified body, like the body that Christ Himself had after His resurrection. It is in this body that we will dwell for all eternity, not floating in a void, but on a new earth. The earth itself will be made right, it will be new and no longer bear the marks of sin. And this, will be more glorious than any other state.

In Philippians 3:20-21 this reality is described like this, “20 But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, 21 who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.” We await our Savior’s return, where our lowly bodies will be transformed into a glorious body.

This is what Paul is getting at. Our bodies are meant to bring glory to God, not only now, but forever. Our bodies matter and what we do with our bodies matter. This truth ought to shape what we do and how we view our bodies. We don’t intentionally harm or neglect them, and we don’t use them for sinful purposes. We use take care of them, use them for their proper end, which is to bring glory to God. And as we age and the effects of sin set in, they reveal their temporality. They aren’t meant to last forever in this way. But, that does not mean they aren’t eternal, for they will be made new and one day we will live in them forever. With no more aches, pains, disease, sickness, or pride.

Paul lays this before the Corinthians and pleads with the men to see the errors of their ways. Their view of their body is all wrong and is resulting in them sinning greatly. The must change their view and remember that our bodies are meant to bring glory to God, both now and forever. Next, Paul says that…

2.) Sexual immorality has no place in our union with Christ

In verse 15 Paul says, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” and then down in verse 17 he says, “he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.” When someone repents of their sin and places their faith in Christ, they are joined to the one who has saved them. To be a follower of Christ is to be united with Him. We are a member of Christ, we are a part of His body. We are joined with Him, both our souls and bodies. All of us has been joined, been united, with Christ.

With this in mind, Paul begins to reveal to the Corinthians the issue with visiting prostitutes. Look at the second half of verse 15 to verse 16. He says, “Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” What Paul is doing here is putting the truth of our union with Christ up next to these sinful acts and saying, do you not see the problem? 

The problem is that one cannot simply go visit a prostitute and leave the same. That isn’t how it works. Sexual intimacy was designed for s specific purpose and to be engaged in in a specific way. Paul tells us directly what that purpose and way is in verse 16. He quotes Genesis 2:24 saying, “The two will become one flesh”. This is referring to the first man, Adam, and the first woman, Eve, becoming one flesh. God made woman from the man and the created a way for them to become united in a particular way. And this is the design for sexual intimacy, that a man and woman would be married and be joined together in one flesh. It is a special, an intimate, and a great thing. The results are a special intimate relationship between husband and wife, and of course, the blessing of children.

Anything outside of this context is sexual immorality, but the effects of this act do no change. That is what Paul is getting at here. When these men go and visit prostitutes, they are joining themselves to them. It is not just a physical act; it is more than that. They are uniting themselves with these women in a way that God never intended. And as someone who follows Christ, who has been united with Christ, there is no place for a sinful union.

This is why Paul says, in verse 18, “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” In other words, there is a sense in which sexual sin affects us in a much more profound way. It creates wrong union and joins us with other in ways that we should never be. We should be united with Christ and with our spouse, only. Any other union or joining is sin, and the affects can be staggering. It is a sin against our very own body.

These men in this church missed this entirely it seems. If they have truly been united with Christ, then they must see that there is no place for another sinful union. In joining themselves with others, it begs the question, have you been joined with Christ? If the answer is yes, then do you see how this has no place?

At the end I am going to spend a minute making more specific application for us, but I do want to say something while we are here. Don’t ever think that sexual sin won’t have an effect on you, it will. The gift of sexual intimacy is a great thing, and the effects of sexual immorality can be severe. Don’t approach sexual sin in a careless way. Okay, lastly Paul makes the point that…

3.) We belong to Christ and live for Him, not ourselves

Look at verses 19-20 with me. Paul says, “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” What a beautiful 2 verses. For those in Christ, we are a temple of the Holy Spirit. God dwells within is, literally, not figuratively. And we were bought. We were as Paul says in Colossians 1:13, “delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son.” We were bought, with the greatest price of all. The death of the Jesus Christ, the Son of God, slain for us. 

Consider all of this. Think of how God has chosen you to save. Chosen to redeem you, who hated Him, by the crushing of His own Son. And why? So that you might be forgiven and redeemed. Not only that, but He has chosen to dwell within you. God dwells within you to aid you and help you overcome the world. And with all of this in mind, don’t you see that we belong to God? We are not our own. We were bought with a price, for a reason. And that reason is to glorify Him in all things. We no longer live for ourselves, but for Him. We live to serve Him, not ourselves. And so, we flee from sexual immorality which stands directly opposed to living for God.

There is a beautiful song by Skye Peterson called “I Am Not My Own”. In that song she sings, “My body is a temple of the living God, I'll worship in this house that His blood has bought, As I bear His image, oh, may I not profane, The holiness I hold in this earthly frame. I am not my own and now my heart is free, O Maker, come and make what You will of me, There is nothing broken that You cannot repair, So Lord, I leave my life in Your loving care.”

Brothers and sisters, we do not belong to ourselves anymore. We have been bought. We are loved, known, and blessed. And so we glorify God, in the bodies we have been given, by not living to serve all our wants and desires. But instead, we live to serve God. To glorify Him through our obedience, our repentance, our faith, and our love for Him and His people. The Corinthians missed this. They did not understand who they belonged to, and so they served who they thought they did belong to, which was themselves.

 In closing, I want to speak directly to us this morning. I want to us to apply this text to our lives. Consider this a call to fight by fleeing. Fight by fleeing from sexual immorality. Here is what this text is putting before us…

We have been called, saved, to be different. We are not to look or act like the world any longer. The world has a cheap view of sex. A thing to be exchanged by whoever and that’s all. But they know, and we certainly know, that’s just not the truth. It is so much more than that, and it is a great blessing when in it’s right place, the one that God intended between a husband and wife.

And so church, flee from sexual immorality. Flee from it. Don’t push back the line, hold it. When people mock or question you for being too careful with what you watch or too modest or too whatever, don’t give in. Keep fighting it, it is worth it. Miss out on the conversation about that movie or TV show because you know what is it, and be glad that you don’t know what they are talking about. When someone says you are intolerant, not loving, or close-minded for what you believe, take it in stride. Keep fighting, it is worth it.

For those of you here who are single, remain pure. Don’t look to your peers for where to draw the line. Draw it where God would have you draw it. Don’t give in to the pressure from someone or from others. You will never, never, regret obedience now. But you will regret disobedience. Don’t give in, it will be worth it.

For those of us who are married, remain faithful. Don’t entertain the thought, cast your mind on things above. Don’t ask “what if”, look at what God has given you. Don’t think, “well this doesn’t count”. Set yourself up for success, not failure. Flee from it all. Cling to your spouse, love them. God has given you a great gift, don’t spoil it over selfishness and lack of self-control. Stay loyal and love the one whom God has given you.

There are thousand other applications I want to make here considering the world we live in, but you all know what God has called to you. He has called you to a fight against sin, a fleeing from sexual immorality, a glorifying God with our bodies.

But, let’s be very honest here. There are some who have failed in these areas. To that person, I want you to hear the words of Jesus. This text was read for our middle Scripture reading this morning and I hoped that it might come to mind throughout the sermon. I want to read it for us once more. 

“Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. 2 Early in the morning he came again to the temple. All the people came to him, and he sat down and taught them. 3 The scribes and the Pharisees brought a woman who had been caught in adultery, and placing her in the midst 4 they said to him, “Teacher, this woman has been caught in the act of adultery. 5 Now in the Law, Moses commanded us to stone such women. So what do you say?” 6 This they said to test him, that they might have some charge to bring against him. Jesus bent down and wrote with his finger on the ground. 7 And as they continued to ask him, he stood up and said to them, “Let him who is without sin among you be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 And once more he bent down and wrote on the ground. 9 But when they heard it, they went away one by one, beginning with the older ones, and Jesus was left alone with the woman standing before him. 10 Jesus stood up and said to her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 She said, “No one, Lord.” And Jesus said, “Neither do I condemn you; go, and from now on sin no more.”

Brother or sister, if you have sinned, run to Christ for forgiveness. He will forgive you; He will not condemn you. And from this forgiveness and restoration, go and sin no more. Fight harder than before, you know it will be worth it. And to all of us in this room, let us fight hard against sin now, for we shall rest for all eternity.