DIATRIBE OF LOVE

A diatribe is a forceful argument against something or someone...

This morning I want us to look at a diatribe that Paul brought to the church at Corinth.

Let me start out...

There is a familiar phrase in America that says,

“Just because you can, doesn’t mean you should!”

It is really a principle that is taken from the Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian Church.

It is a very important truth not the way our world tends to use it - which is often in taking advantage of someone...

But in protecting a WALK with JESUS!

Solomon gave us this wisdom...

Proverbs 16:25 NLT

25 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

Proverbs 14:12 NLT

12 There is a path before each person that seems right, but it ends in death.

Proverbs 12:15 NLT

15 Fools think their own way is right, but the wise listen to others.

In other words - it might seem ok, but it could get you into a lot of trouble.

I have watched so many Christians try to justify and abuse the grace of Jesus, they have found LIBERTY from old legalistic teachings in the church that were more based in Old Testament than in New Testament....

Only to find out that there were reasons behind the “household rules” as one of my professors called it...

A household rule is something we teach to avoid, that over time became a legalistic requirement and expectation of all who attended our churches....

It used to apply to only wearing skirts, not going to movies, abstaining from alcohol, not gambling, not going to dances, etc.

I am not saying to bring back the rules --- but I am sharing what Paul spoke to the Corinthians about...

Why? The church is weak and in bondage… we are not living victoriously in Christ...

1 Corinthians 6:12–20 NLT

12 You say, “I am allowed to do anything”—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,” I must not become a slave to anything. 13 You say, “Food was made for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” (This is true, though someday God will do away with both of them.) But you can’t say that our bodies were made for sexual immorality. They were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies. 14 And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead. 15 Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” 17 But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. 18 Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 19 Don’t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, 20 for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.

This is a diatribe - or an argumentative teaching that Paul vehemently comes after the Corinthians with — for all their spirituality and gifts of the Spirit in operation, they lacked love, and they lacked moral disciplines which tells me you can have a spiritually exciting church with an immoral base!

Paul did not want them to stay there!

His opening statement is a statement that had become a theme or motto and common expression amongst them

“All things are lawful for me!”

Paul was basically fit to be tied!

He was seeing a great abuse of God’s grace in their acceptance of doing whatever they wanted - but his greater concern was the depth of bondage and destruction that was hanging over this church… this diatribe was a warning!!!

A warning because he LOVED THEM and cared about their choices!

1. LAWFUL

There are two veins of lawful we need to look at today...

The first and common interpretation to this passage is to look at the Jewish law, that we as Christians know as the Old Testament - and all of its laws and rules...

Now we know Christ had to come because it was impossible for man to follow all of those rules, especially when our hearts had not been redeemed or regenerated by the Spirit of God through the blood of Jesus.

Even the early church had to have a Council to discuss what the expectation of GENTILE believers would be - that they could not expect them to follow Jewish customs, holidays, rituals, circumcision, etc.

Through the years even in many Protestant faiths there has been an emphasis on the rules that we should adhere to and abide by often leaving people to follow the rules, rather than be forgiven and transformed by the grace of God.

There are those that try to live like Messianic Jews - Christians who practice the Old Testament - and this was never Jesus intent...

The law pointed to our shortcomings, and yes we could rise above the sin but only through His power...

HE SET US FREE from the law even referring to it as death.... but it does not mean that the principles of the OT law were not valid, just that our human nature would not succeed in our own strength...

But we don’t have to do it in our own strength - we have JESUS, the HOLY SPIRIT’s power to help us OVERCOME!

Well, the Corinthians took the freedom from Judaism and the law seriously...

But that was not the only law that we can view as being lawful...

Greek Law and Even Roman LAW permitted and even endorsed sinful behavior!

That is right...

It was a gluttonous society that reveled in the luxuries and wealth and pleasures that wealth afforded to indulge the senses and pleasure....

ONe of those in particular was sexual immorality..

I am talking SEX OUTSIDE OF MARRIAGE —

For Greeks it was not as much falling in love with another person and committing adultery as we know it… a love affair, a trist… That was still highly frowned on

But PROSTITUTION or the use of prostitutes was encouraged - of course this mostly applied to men -

It was a way to work out sexual desire with according to them cheating on your spouse by affairs of the heart and emotions..

So much, that philosophers of the day took to public displays of self relation to prove you could feed your sexual appetite without harming your marriage...

Pretty gross in reality ---

But hey --- LOOK AROUND

In our postmodern - non Christian, society we see the same behavior.

Apps to commit affairs, pornography addictions and practices, improper use of materials on your phone of TV, one night stands...

We have also gained the thought that sex before marriage is ok....

But actually here we need to realize that Biblically fornication - or sex outside of marriage - is sinning against future marital spouses!

OUCH!!! Look at the church today - are we any different than the sexual practices of our world around us...

Adultery and fornication used to be punishable in our society, grounds for divorce, etc...

NOW IT IS ALL PERMISSIBLE - LAWFUL just like it was in Corinth — even encouraged.

PAUL SAYS - UM - NO!

It may be lawful - but it is not PROFITABLE or BENEFICIAL

2. SLAVERY

He assumes an opponent in argument to which he replies - you say you can do anything, but we must not become a slave to anything...

SLAVE --- Does our society today - at least in America really understand slavery.

We read about it, fight about it, talk about recompence for it, but it is not practiced in our society - except in the trafficking industry which is increasing to problematic rates — and trafficking is for sexual pleasure...

There is nothing new under the sun Ecclesiastes tells us...

What Paul is saying here is that just because we think something is permissible

Either by freedom through Christ from the law or because our societal law says its ok — IT IS NOT OK OF IT CAUSES US TO SIN, BE LED INTO SIN OR BECOME ENSLAVED TO SIN!!!!

Then Paul jumps into discussion about our appetites...

Food for the belly (internal organs) and the belly for food...

Greek society said if you hunger it or thirst for it or feel the urge for it -fulfill that desire

It is not different from our society — if it doesn’t hurt anyone else - go for it!

It does hurt someone - US!

IT DOES NOT BENEFIT US but leads us down roads to bondage.

A church father - St John Chrysostom said that the luxurious living and indulgences break down the barriers to letting sinful things in...

In other words, it is the little foxes that spoil the vines - thank you Solomon...

Song of Solomon 2:15 NLT

15 Catch all the foxes, those little foxes, before they ruin the vineyard of love, for the grapevines are blossoming!

THe reason why so many “household rules” you to get set up in the church was to keep boundaries from things that could lead us into sin....

No one ever thinks that one drink will make them an alcoholic, or one hit of coke will make them an addict, playing the games at the casino will make them a gambling addict, or one engagement with pornography will bring them into bondage...

Paul talks bout the belly and appetites ---

He is not talking about a big holiday meal or celebration...

He is talking about excess...

When excess steps in --- but are we able to discern what is excess and what isnt...

He says excess in what may be permissible leads to partaking of what is not which creates spiritual slavery

SOME FREEDOM LEADS TO BONDAGE

Paull was greatly concerned because the body of Christ was falling into bondage -

They were even tolerating incest in their own church...

3. Body

A few times this year we have already dsicussed how important our WHOLE PERSON is to the Lord — including our bodies.

Unlike other religions, Jesus was resurrected so one day we too would be resurrected and fully restored body, soul, and spirit

The Greeks did not care much about the body thinking at death its purpose was fully done ---

But the Lord has given these bodies are greater purpose not just in the resurrection, but in this life...

Paul calls out that these bodies are the TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT — God has chosen to dwell in these bodies with the HOlySpirit.

We also - make up the body of Christ which we discussed last week -

Ephesians 2:19–22 NLT

19 So now you Gentiles are no longer strangers and foreigners. You are citizens along with all of God’s holy people. You are members of God’s family. 20 Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. 21 We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. 22 Through him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by his Spirit.

We - the church - make HIS BODY, again, a habitation for HIS SPIRIT

So, when we relate this to sexual immorality - he asks the question -

to join yourself to another outside marriage (especially to a prostitute) you are bringing sin and filth and sinning against your body which is joined spiritually with the Lord...

Then he chastises them and says

YOU WERE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE...

Now realize, a temple prostitute could pay the price to the temple for their freedom and with it they were then bound to the god whose temple they represented

This was a dualistic statement Paul was making....

tWe should only be slaves to Christ and not slaves to the sin of this world

We are paid for by Jesus blood so our spirit, soul and body can be redeemed.

CONCLUSION

So, let’s wrap this up...

Paul rants into a diatribe because he LOVES these people and cares about the spiritual bondage they are putting themselves into

He points out to them that what they may believe to be lawful, even if it is by Jewish law, or by Greek law --- could be leading them down pathways to bondage and not pathways to victory.

The indulgences of this life and excess, and living to satisfy the desires of the flesh open the way to bondage.

I am not saying all things are “sin” and neither was Paul, but the warning is to not let freedoms to do whatever we want become the chains that enslave us!

These bodies of ours are the temple - the dwelling place of Jesus...

Let’s not chase His presence away and invite sin in where HE BELONGS!