I. Their Wrong Attitudes About The Body V. 12
A. The Context Of The Conversation Vs. 1-11
1. In verses 1-11, Paul corrected their wrong attitudes about suing one another.
2. They had been taking the legal matters before unbelievers.
3. Paul reminded them that as Believers, they would judge the world and even angels.
4. He also said that settling issues should be done in the church, not before unbelievers.
5. He had previously taught them that they had the mind of Christ. (2:6-16)
6. Finally, he reminded them that unbelievers will not inherit the Kingdom of God, and he named a number of sins that mark
the lives of unbelievers. These sins were commonplace among the unbelievers. Sexual sins were predominant on that list.
7. Many of the sins that the Corinthian unbelievers practiced were sexual sins. The sexually permissive culture of Corinth affected the Corinthian Christians in a bad way.
8. In chapter 5-they boasted of a man who had sexual relations with his stepmother.
9. That line of thinking raised more objections from the Corinthians regarding sexuality.
10. NOTE- We need to remember that Paul wrote a letter to the Corinthians before 1 Corinthians, and then another letter before 2 Corinthians. There seems to have been an ongoing dialogue going between Paul and the church at Corinth.
11. Paul was not suddenly changing the subject but seems to be continuing to answer their wrong assumptions and carnal thinking.
B. How The Corinthians Justified Their Sexual Sins V. 12
1. Verse 12 is a difficult verse to explain as far as Paul’s perspective.
2. We must remember that we are reading only part of an ongoing communication between Paul and the Corinthians. We are entering into the middle of a conversation.
3. They may have been quoting Paul when he said, “All things are lawful for me”.
4. Paul may have said those words in another context, but now they are taking his words out of context and twisting them to give themselves permission to sin sexually.
5. Some people say: “If God created everything, then why shouldn’t I enjoy it?”
6. The thought could have been something like… “God has formed all things for our use, so what is the harm in using them however we choose”?
7. What do we know for sure? Not everything that we “may” do is helpful to our spiritual lives. Some things that we “may” do might result in us being dominated by those actions.
8. The context of the passage clearly focuses on sexual sin, and the use of the body.
9. The Corinthians seemed to have been misquoting Paul about “freedom in Christ” and using his words to justify sexual sin.
10. What is Paul concerned with? He is concerned that they will do things that are not good for them and that could bring them under the power or influence of sin.
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11. Notice that he doesn’t just tell them to “stop”, but he speaks to their minds so that their hearts will follow. He wants them to stop because they are convinced that they should.
C. Questions To Ask Ourselves
1. When we consider actions with our bodies, we must ask ourselves if they are helpful.
2. Do they draw us closer to Jesus, or put distance between Jesus and us?
3. The question isn’t: “Does it feel good?”, but rather, “Does it do me good, and does it glorify God?
II. Paul’s Reasonable Explanation To Them Vs. 13-20
A. Our Bodies Are To Be Used For God’s Glory Vs. 13, 14
1. Another argument- “If God made the body to desire sexual gratification, and created it with those capacities, then how could it ever be wrong to gratify those desires”?
2. V. 13-Food is made for the body, and the body for food.
a. Body appetites are not wrong, but the body and its appetites will come to an end.
b. The body was made to enjoy sexual pleasure; its primary purpose is to glorify God.
4. V. 14-The human body of Jesus came to and end, but he was raised with a glorified body.
a. Jesus probably enjoyed good meals, but he didn’t treat his body as something to serve.
b. Jesus didn’t treat his body in a selfish way but used it for the will of the Father.
c. Jesus gave up his earthly body but was raised with a heavenly body.
d. That same sequence will happen to us. Our bodies can enjoy things, but they are to be servants to God, and not masters
over us, or things to be indulged.
5. The unregenerate man focuses on fulfilling body needs, in every type of style and with all imagination. That becomes the pursuit of life: food, drink, sexual passion, all which never satisfies the soul, and which has no eternal merit.
6. Philippians 3:18,19 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame–who set their mind on earthly things.
B. Our Bodies Are Temples Of The Holy Spirit Vs. 15-20
1. V. 15-We are joined to Christ. How can we take Him into those situations?
a. Not only are our bodies made for the Lord, but we are joined to the Lord.
b. The Holy Spirit actually dwells within the Christian.
c. John 14:15-18 15 “If you love Me, keep My commandments.
16And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— 17
the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.
18 I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.
2. Vs. 16, 17-The physical, spiritual, emotional, union between husband and wife is illustrative of Christ and His church.
a. We would never actually think of forcing Jesus to use His body to commit sexual immorality. And yet, we are one with Him. When we commit sexual immorality, we take Jesus into that sin with us. 3
3. Vs. 18-20– We are to flee from sexual immorality.
4. Sexual sin is unique for the following reasons…
a. Other sins are outside of our body, they are done “by” our body.
b. Sexual sin is done “with” our body.
c. There are obviously physical, emotional, and psychological consequences to sexual sin
d. But we also sin against God who dwells within us.
e. We dishonor the glory of what God made our bodies to be.
Temples of the Holy Spirit.
5. V. 18- Paul does not say to fight against sexual immorality or resist it.
a. He says to run from it. Flee- run, move hastily.
6. Vs. 19, 20- We don’t belong to ourselves, we belong to Jesus who purchased us.
a. God paid the highest cost to make us his own.
b. We have a responsibility to use our bodies for God’s glory, not for our self-indulgence.