The Body is the Lord's

​Sexual immorality was a pervasive issue in first century Corinth.  The number of prostitutes in the city and extremely loose morals in Corinthian culture were famous throughout the known world.  Corinth was known as the place to be to partake in debauchery and all types of sinful and selfish pleasure.  The mentality of the city was “I have rights and will use those rights to get what I want and nobody can tell me no.” 
 
In the midst of this, God started a church and called people out from the evil culture that surrounded them, setting them apart to be His representatives to a broken world.  But transformation doesn’t typically happen overnight.  It’s a process.  The Corinthians came out of the ungodly culture, but did not rid themselves of all the trappings of their former life.  They tried to blend their Christian life and values with those held by the godless culture around them.

One of these worldly values held by the citizens of Corinth was a loose and indulgent view on sexuality.  Corinth was a sexually driven city.  Much of its reputation and world renown came from its loose moral code and permissive perspective on illicit sexual relations.  Prostitution was very common place and actually a part of the religious worship at the local temple of Dianna in the heart of the city.  Therefore, you can imagine how rampant sexual immorality was!
 
So this was the culture the church of Corinth was surrounded by.  It was in many ways, what we’d call sin city.  However, the call and standards of Christian living and how we glorify God do not changed based the culture we’re surrounded by.  Therefore, God’s standard of purity and holiness in all things, including human sexual behavior, must be adhered to in order to live lives pleasing to God.
 
For this reason, Paul gives the Corinthians a very strong exhortation regarding sexual immorality and how it has no place in the life of a believer.  He leaves little room for argument and at the end of chapter six sums up the overarching motivation for why they should live a life of sexual purity. 

“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 prostitute? Never!  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.’  But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.  Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.  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.”
~1 Corinthians 6:15-20

​I believe this word is a timely exhortation for the church of America as well.  While Corinth was somewhat out there for its time in regards to low morals, the issues found in that city are all too prevalent and pervasive in our modern culture.  Just like first century Corinth, our culture is driven by and caters to human sexuality.  Therefore, tackling this root issue in culture with what God says about this topic is crucial to maintaining purity in a sexually driven world. 
 
Paul gives multiple reasons why Christians should abstain from sexual immorality, but ultimately it boils down to one overarching motivation:  we are not our own, but were bought by the precious blood of Christ.  Our bodies are not our own; they are a holy and consecrated temple of the Holy Spirit that dwells within us.  Therefore, why would we taint and soil that sacred space through sexual immorality?!
 
The world around us may engage in sexual immorality on an unprecedented level, but we have been called to a different standard and live for a different life purpose.  Therefore, let us remember whose we are and the simple yet profound truth that we have been chosen and redeemed to be God’s holy people; thus, our bodies are meant to be set apart as a holy and pure dwelling place for the greatest gift God could give—Himself.  So let us heed Paul’s exhortation to the Corinthians and purpose in our hearts and minds to always glorify God with our bodies and flee sexual immorality.  For the body is the Lord’s.

“So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.”
~2 Timothy 2:22