Paul continues to address issues of sin within the church, and particularly within the lives of individual Christians. Whereas the first part of chapter 6 addressed broad categories of sin, tonight is primarily focused on sexual immorality, an issue that our society, just like Corinthian society, trivializes, but which Paul teaches has a particularly corrosive effect on Christian life.

Following Christ in 21st Century Corinth – Week 8

presented 24 October 2018

1 Corinthians 6: 12-20

AUDIO

Lecture Handout

Handout Week 8

Lesson Notes

Secual Immorality and the Christian  (1 Corinthians 6: 12-20)

  • Verse 12 – We have tremendous freedom in Christ
    • Good news: any sin can be forgiven; the Jewish dietary and sacrificial laws don’t apply to Christians
    • But that doesn’t mean everything is good for growth in Christ-likeness
    • All things are lawful (proverbially, not literally), but Paul refuses to be dominated by anything
      • That would be a form of idolatry!
    • This verse is worth thinking about very carefully in our modern context
      • Our standard as Christians shouldn’t be “is it allwoed?”
      • It should be “does it glorify God and help me grow as a disciple of Christ?”
      • We should ask that of our binge-watching TV, movies, music, books, food, smoking, drinking, games,  hobbies, travels, etc.
      • Doesn’t mean we can’t do things that are simply for fun or relaxation, that’s definitely allowed, but are those things precluding our growth in Christ? Are they turning into an idol for us?
    • The joy of Christian faith isn’t that we’re suddenly free to sin, but that we’re suddenly free not to sin!
  • Verse 13 – Probably a Corinthian saying used to justify eating anything
    • Probably also being used more broadly to justify other activities involving the body, including a casual attitude toward sex, especially with prostitutes, which was very common in that culture
    • The dominant Greco-Roman viewpoint on the body was a dualism that said the material world, including our bodies, was corrupt and temporary, and thus, to some extent, irrelevant
    • Thus there was a very casual, “do what you need or want to do” attitude toward anything and everything p hysical
    • This body we have IS temporary – even though we will eventually have bodies in heaven, they will be somewhat different
      • But the body is still meant for something reater than the temporary pleasures of food or sex
      • God created our bodies, ensouled our bodies, and they are meant for Him – we’re to love God with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength – that’s body and soul!
      • That’s very different from the standard Greco-Roman view. Paul is trying to teach the Corinthian Christians that they need to leave behind their traditional cultural perspective and embrace what God has revealed
      • The teaching of Scripture is that God carefully forms our bodies and therefore they matter
      • We aren’t souls trapped in bodies, waiting to get free; we are souls in union with bodies
      • Reminds us of Psalm 139: 13-16
      • Our bodies need to be sanctified – set apart – for God; this has implications for sexuality, nutrition, fitness, medical care, etc.
        • We shouldn’t idolize our bodies, but we should steward them for reasons Paul explains later in chapter 6
  • Verse 14 – Raising almost certainly refers to physical resurrection because of the context
    • Jesus wasn’t a ghost or spirit, He was physically resurrected
    • We tool will experience bodily resurrection -> our souls will go to heaven immediately upon death, but at Christ’s return we will be reunited with our perfected bodies for all eternity
  • Verse 15 – As Christians, we’re part of the body of Christ
    • So be careful what we do with part of the body of Christ!
    • Prostitution was an ordinary part of everyday life in 1st century Greco-Roman culture, as I learned in Pompeii
    • Greco-Roman attitudes toward sex were similar to the evolving attitude today
    • Christianity calls us to a very different sexual ethic, because of our ongoing union with  Christ
  • Verse 16 – Sex is  not a casual physical act -> it’s a joining, however temporary, of two persons into one -> there is a deeper psychological, emotional, and spiritual significance to it than our culture cares to admit
    • This is why a culture of casual sex leaves such emotional destruction in its wake
    • The sexual union of a man and a woman in marriage is a gift from God intended to model the perfect union of Christ and the church
    • When we distort God’s gift of sexuality, we inevitably distort and disrupt our physical, emotional, and spiritual lives as well
  • Verse 17 – As Christians, we’re united in one Holy Spirit with  Christ
    • He is present for everything we do with our bodies
  • Verse 18 – Flee sexual immorality -> tremendously good advice!
    • The ability to stay in a tempting sexual situation and successfully resist it is very limited, because it’s such a powerful force
    • So flee, no matter how silly it looks or what the consequences may be -> Joseph in Genesis 39: 6-23
    • The corrosive effect of sexual immorality is because it’s so intimately connected with and working against our own body
  • Verses 19-20 – Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit
    • He lives within us form the moment we accept Christ
    • God’s presence is no longer centered on a building in a city, but within each person who accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior
    • The Old Testament taught us just how sacred the temple was, which is helpful for us to understand how to care for our own bodies as God’s modern day temple
    • We don’t own our bodies, Christ died for them
    • So we must glorify God with our bodies
      • With implications for literally every aspect of how we handle our bodies – sex, food, drink, drugs, tobacco, exercise, and use of time and energy

 

Discussion Questions

  1. The general perspective of American culture, and even many Christians today, is that a sexual ethic grounded in these principles is “antiquated”. How do we engage with that attitude when we encounter it inside the church and out?
  2. What is the most effective strategy for the church to impact our broader culture norms in favor of a biblical sexual ethic?
  3. What are some of the other, non-sexual, implications of our bodies serving as the temple of the Holy Spirit?

In 2 Weeks (no study on Oct. 31)

1 Corinthians 7: 1-16