Together in Christ: 'Not Everything Is Good for You' — 1 Corinthians 6:12-14

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

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. 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. And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.
— 1 Corinthians 6:12-14 NLT

Key Thought

One of the most significant and essential doctrines of our Christian faith is the resurrection of our bodies. [1] We will not be disembodied spirits in the resurrection that occurs when Jesus returns. [2] We will have immortal bodies that are connected to the kind of resurrected body that Jesus had. [3]

This understanding of our bodies and their importance to God is tied to two important truths:

  • Offering our current physical bodies to honor God as a living sacrifice [4] so it becomes a holy place, a temple where God dwells through the Holy Spirit. [5]
  • Refusing to allow our bodies to be enslaved by anything that leads us away from the righteous character, gracious compassion, and the faithful love-based justice of God.

We reject every temptation to pollute our bodies with any immorality. Our bodies are made to honor the Lord and not to be defiled and enslaved by our appetites. [6] Paul spelled out what this kind of immorality is when he talked about the previous lives of the Corinthian believers. Their lives were full of sin as they openly tried to satisfy the appetites of their flesh before they came to Jesus:

Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral [7] nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. [8]

Jesus' followers have always been people who once lived in all kinds of sin. As they have come to Christ, they have sought to live in holy ways, honoring loving God with all their heart (emotions), soul (their life force), mind (intellect), and strength (physical bodies). [9] The Holy Spirit empowered them — and empowers us today — to overcome these sins and put them in our past while transforming us to become more and more like Christ. [10] As we are transformed, we await the return of Christ and the redemption of our body [11] — the time when we are given our new, immortal bodies we will have with Jesus, and those who belong to Him, forever. [11]

We are to flee immorality and encourage each other to walk the way of God. In addition, we don't want to lead another follower of Jesus into sin that dishonors God and pollutes us. Encouragement toward holiness and accountability to spiritual friends and prayers for each other can help us live together as God's holy temple. Let's help each other honor God with our bodies. [12]

[1] See both of our set of related readings — 1 Corinthians 15 and 1 Thessalonians 4.
[2] 1 Corinthians 15:42-54.
[3] Philippians 3:20-21; 1 John 3:1-3.
[4] Romans 12:1-2.
[5] 1 Corinthians 6:18-20.
[6] 1 Corinthians 6:20; Romans 12:1.
[7] This is a word used for all sexual immorality and those having sexual relationships before marriage. We should base our definitions of sin, especially sexual sin, on God's identity revealed in the Torah. Out of God's identity, He commands His people not to be like others around them but to honor Him and avoid all forms of sexual immorality as defined by Leviticus 18:1-30.
[8] 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.
[9] Mark 12:29-30.
[10] 2 Corinthians 3:17-18.
[11] 1 Thessalonians 4:18.
[12] 1 Corinthians 3:16-19; Ephesians 2:19-20; 1 Petr 2:4-5.

Today's Prayer

O, God, please forgive us for allowing our appetites and the world around us to define normal and acceptable behavior for us as Your people. Cleanse us, O, Holy Spirit, so that we can be a holy place for You to dwell, and our bodies can be used to glorify and honor the Father. We long to honor you and not be conformed to the world but to be transformed to become more and more like Jesus. We pray this in His name and to honor His gift of salvation. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • 1 Thessalonians 4:1-18
  • Romans 8:14-39; 1 Corinthians 15:33-58

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Illustration

Illustration of 1 Corinthians 6:12-14 NLT — 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. 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. And God will raise us from the dead by his power, just as he raised our Lord from the dead.

About This Devotional

Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.

'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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