Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 6:19 –

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?”

Is there room for me in God’s kingdom? One might wonder after reading this chapter: Paul could be both strict in his expectations and severe in his judgment. [DD] He could also be plain-spoken and abrupt, showing little patience with church members who did not live up to his expectations.

Paul, however, was also a child of his times, as are we. Some things that bothered Paul may not disturb us, while other practices Paul accepted strike us as horrifying. It’s helpful to keep this in mind as we consider Paul’s letter to the troubled church in Corinth. [DD]

Fire one (vv. 1-8)

Paul had a long history with the church, one that included both personal visits and correspondence. The letter of 1 Corinthians was probably written from Ephesus, where he had settled for a while during his second missionary journey. While there, Paul had visitors from “Chloe’s people,” who reported on a serious division in the church. He also received a letter from the church requesting advice, and apparently wrote what we now call 1 Corinthians to address the concerns that had been raised. [DD]

Paul began the letter with an appeal to unity based on the centrality of Christ and the gospel of the cross (chapters 1-2) before addressing issues arising from immaturity, factionalism, and arrogance within the church (chapters 3-4). In chapter 5 he tackled sexual immorality in the church, focusing on the case of a man reported to be sleeping with “his father’s wife” – perhaps a situation in which a widowed father had married a younger woman and then died, after which his son took up with his step-mother.

That led Paul to a broader insistence that persons who were “sexually immoral or greedy, or is an idolater, reviler, drunkard or robber” should be put out of the church (5:11-13).

Similar concerns arise in chapter 6, in which Paul expressed dismay that some members of the church had filed suit against each other in civil court. Keeping in mind that Christians at the time were a small and probably persecuted minority, Paul believed believers should settle matters between themselves rather than exposing themselves to embarrassment “before the unrighteous” (v. 1).

Citing a belief that Christians would participate in the final judgment, Paul argued that if “the saints will judge the world” in the hereafter, they should be competent to judge trivial cases in the present (vv. 2-3). [DD]

Using rhetorical questions in an intentional effort to incite shame, Paul asked “Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to decide between one believer and another?” (v. 5) The thought of church members taking one another to court before pagan authorities was abhorrent to Paul, as it would besmirch the Christian witness.

In fact, Paul said, the very existence of lawsuits between believers was a sign of defeat. It would be better to suffer loss in silence than to charge one another in civil courts, Paul said – and what was worse – believers were defrauding other believers (vv. 7-8). One can almost see the fiery apostle shaking his head in unbelief that fellow church members would cheat each other, and then fight it out in the public square.

Paul did not cite Jesus, but Matthew’s gospel holds that Jesus also encouraged believers to work things out among themselves (Matt. 18:15-17).

Fire two (vv. 9-11)

The apostle’s growing ire led him to launch into a catalogue of perceived “wrongdoers” who, he said, would not inherit the kingdom of God (v. 9a). His list includes several categories previously mentioned in 5:11-13 (idolaters, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers, and robbers), while expanding the list of sexually immoral persons to include “fornicators … adulterers, male prostitutes, sodomites” (vv. 9b-10, NRSV).

Several of these terms are difficult to translate. The NRSV’s rendering “male prostitutes, sodomites” is translated “men who have sex with men” by NIV11. However understood, the terms apparently refer to male homosexual practices, which Paul condemned.

Should modern readers automatically endorse Paul’s views on this? On the one hand, we note that in Paul’s day the notion of genetically influenced same-sex gender identity could not have been conceived, and the concept of committed relationships between same-sex partners was not on the table. Homosexual activity was practiced, but often between wealthy adults who abused boys, and through males who sold their services to other males. In that sense, Paul’s main exposure to homosexuality was in situations of molestation or a misuse of power, rather than a caring relationship between equals.

We might also consider behaviors that were not on Paul’s list – such as slave-holding and human trafficking. The buying and selling of slaves was commonly practiced in the first century, and Paul not only accepted the practice, but instructed slaves to obey their masters (Eph. 6:5, Col. 3:22). Today we consider such practices as abhorrent – only the lowest of the low would dare think they could own and trade in human beings as if they were mere property.

Whether Paul would have felt differently about slavery or same sex relationships if he had lived in our day is an open question, but the juxtaposition is a reminder that context is important: what is considered acceptable behavior is often a social construct, and Paul was writing within a very different cultural setting.

The heart of Paul’s message is that believers should take the lead in practicing relationships that are mutually beneficial and not abusive towards others. His heated sermon is a reminder that believers who have been “washed … sanctified … justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God” (v. 11) are called to leave selfish and harmful behaviors behind and adopt a new and loving lifestyle.

Fire three (vv. 12-20)

It appears that some believers in Corinth had adopted a dualistic libertinism that separated the spirit from the body, holding that Christ had set their spirits free, and it didn’t matter what they did with the body.

Paul appears to have confronted these ideas in the form of a dialogue in which he states a position taken by the Corinthians, then refutes it. This is not at all evident in the familiar KJV, but modern translations such as NRSV, NIV11, NET, and HCSB put certain statements in quotes to indicate that Paul was citing their views.

We can’t be certain that this was intended, because Paul did not say “you say … but I say,” and the Greek text does not use quotation marks. Still, this appears to be the best way of understanding Paul’s method.

Some Corinthians apparently held that “All things are lawful for me.” Paul did not deny the statement outright, and may have used it himself in specific contexts such as a debate about whether Christians were compelled to follow the dietary restrictions of Judaism.

Thought it might be true in some cases to say “All things are lawful for me,” Paul insisted “but not all things are beneficial,” noting that some things have the power to dominate one’s life (v. 12). Making money, eating sweets, drinking wine, and taking naps may all be lawful, but letting any of those dominate our life can cause serious physical and relational problems.

“Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food,” some might have said, but Paul reminded them that neither was permanent (v. 13a). Paul then made an interesting shift from eating to sex: “The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body” (v. 13b). Notice the parallel construction: instead of “food for the stomach and the stomach for food,” the more important concept is “the body for the Lord and the Lord for the body.” [DD]

Though the body is destined for death and disintegration, Paul reminded them, “God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power” (v. 14). We can’t pretend that what we do with our body doesn’t matter. There is more to sex than a physical act, and those who think that casual sex has no spiritual consequences are mistaken (vv. 15-18). [DD]

When believers invite Christ to take over their lives, there is a sense in which their bodies take on a sacred dimension: “… do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?” (v. 19).

We no longer belong to ourselves, Paul said. “For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body” (v. 20).

When we consider what behaviors are appropriate, perhaps the most important question is not what is wrong with something, but what is right with it. Will it add something positive to my life and to others, or is there potential for harm? Will it draw me closer to God, or lead me away?

What we do or don’t do with our bodies – how well we care for them, as well as how we use them – can bring glory or shame to the God we serve, to Christ who indwells us through the Spirit.

When we’re considering any action that could be questionable, that’s an appropriate thing to keep I mind.