1 Corinthians 6:12-20
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. 13 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. 14 And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.
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! 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.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
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. 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? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
We are called to do the works prepared for us (Ephesians 2:10) which are not just specific purposes to each individual called in Christ, but also the general things that apply to all believers in our sanctification that aligns us with the image of Christ (2 Corinthians 3:18) in our ongoing sanctification. These works prepared for us are those which are not only lawful according to scripture but ones done in self-control and for the glory of God. If something is acceptable to do but done in an unacceptable manner then it may start to control us and lead to sin. The example of food is given as a picture of putting only what is healthy into our bodies and not for our indulgence leading to other consequences much like sexual immorality does to our bodies and souls. Sexual morality is that which is done between a man and wife wed together and not with any else just as eating all food we see and do not need, including what is not ours, can do to us as we live for our unrestrained desires (1 John 2:15-16). We should control our desires and use of these bodies according to His word and do God’s will (1 John 2:17) instead. These temples of our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:19) are designed for worship of God in holiness and not for our unlawful passing pleasures (Hebrews 11:25) of sin. This is why the parallel of the temple is fitting as we consider the gross immorality and idolatry of Israel in the physical temple which included prostitution in pagan worship where holiness to the Lord was to be found. Our bodies are the new temples where God resides as the Holy Spirit in us and we dare not desecrate these bodies therefore with sexual sins instead of holy sexual relations with our spouse and no other. We worship one God in this temple and our marriages are a representation and expression of that relationship with God in these bodies. How then can we expect to desecrate these bodies, these temples which the Holy God inhabits, and not suffer the due consequences? We are one flesh (Genesis 2:24) with the spouse we are joined to in the covenant of marriage and we are made one with the Lord Jesus Christ in our spirits. If we are committed to one then we are committed to the other. The call then to we weak and fallen humans is to run as fast as we can from situations that tempt us to sexual immorality as Joseph gave us the example in Genesis 39:11-12 with the temptress who was his master’s wife that tried to compromise his faith through his body and the desire for pleasure. Such sins tarnish the walls of our souls in these temples as no other sin does in such a manner. These temple bodies then are to be maintained in holiness where the Holy Spirit lives and where we worship our Lord as those bought at the price of His Son who never sinned to earn our salvation as a spotless sacrifice. Due to all these truths we are called to “glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Flee sin. Worship God in holiness of body and soul.
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