Glorify God with Your Body

1. Background and Setting

• Who: Apostle Paul writing to the Corinthian church.

• What: Addressing issues of sexual immorality and the sanctity of the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit.

• When: Around 55-57 AD during Paul’s third missionary journey.

• Where: Written from Ephesus or Macedonia to the church in Corinth.

• How: Providing theological guidance and practical advice amidst moral challenges.

2. Key Verses and Concepts

Verse 12: “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient.”

• Expedient: Not necessarily beneficial or profitable.

• Modern Interpretation: While permissible, not all actions build up spiritually.

• Scripture Reference:

• King James Version: “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” (1 Corinthians 6:12, KJV)

• New International Version: “I have the right to do anything, you say—but not everything is beneficial. I have the right to do anything—but I will not be mastered by anything.” (1 Corinthians 6:12, NIV)

Verse 13: “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them.”

• Context: Discussing the temporary nature of physical needs and the eternal significance of spiritual matters.

• Scripture Reference:

• King James Version: “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.” (1 Corinthians 6:13, KJV)

• New International Version: “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food—but God will destroy them both. The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” (1 Corinthians 6:13, NIV)

Verse 18: “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.”

• Fornication: Urges believers to actively avoid sexual immorality due to its unique spiritual implications.

• Scripture Reference:

• King James Version: “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18, KJV)

• New International Version: “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.” (1 Corinthians 6:18, NIV)

Verse 19-20: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

• Temple of the Holy Ghost: Emphasizes the sacredness of believers’ bodies as dwelling places for the Holy Spirit.

• Scripture Reference:

• King James Version: “What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, KJV)

• New International Version: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV)

3. Supporting Scriptures and References

• Genesis 2:18: God’s design for companionship and relationship between man and woman.

• Ecclesiastes 4:9-12: The value of companionship and mutual support.

• 1 Corinthians 3:16-17: Continuation of the theme of the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion

• Summary: Paul teaches the Corinthians about honoring God with their bodies, fleeing sexual immorality, and recognizing the sanctity of their physical and spiritual lives.

• Application: Believers today are called to uphold purity, avoid harmful behaviors, and glorify God with their entire being, acknowledging their bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit.