Sexual Immorality in 1 Corinthians 6

[Bootstrap]

This is a Bible study thread, open to people who believe in simple obedience to Scripture. I would like to request that people in this thread follow these rules:

1. We will focus on this passage. We will use other threads for other passages.
2. We will start by asking and answering simple answers about what the passage says - objective things that we expect we can probably agree on.
3. We will talk about the text, not about other people.
4. We will focus on how we apply the text ourselves, not on how other people should. But we will start by understanding what the text meant when Paul wrote it before we go on to application.

This particular thread was inspired by this question:

But this situation in chapter 5 was said to be something that even pagans viewed as wrong. This was a sinful situation that gave Christ following a bad name. This church didn't seem to care of what sinners outside the church thought was sin and it seems they were even arrogant about how they could openly sin and feel free to do so.

Is this then a possibility that sinning in a local church that even outsiders (pagans) deem as wrong is to be given different treatment than dealing with other types of sinning or beliefs within a local fellowship ?

[Bootstrap]

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul speaks to a kind of sexual immorality that would have been common in Corinth at the time.

Here's what he says:

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 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.

What do you see in this passage? Can we start with simple observation - what are the main things this text is saying? What is Paul addressing, and how does he address it?

Later, we will compare this to 1 Corinthians 5, then think about how to apply it in our churches and in our lives.

[Sudsy]

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul speaks to a kind of sexual immorality that would have been common in Corinth at the time.

Here's what he says:

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 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.

What do you see in this passage? Can we start with simple observation - what are the main things this text is saying? What is Paul addressing, and how does he address it?

Later, we will compare this to 1 Corinthians 5, then think about how to apply it in our churches and in our lives.

The initial statement in this text seems to me to continue to address the big issue with the Corinthian believers that Christ paying for their sins resulted in them having a freedom to live as they wish. They appear to be what is often referred to in this forum as 'liberal' or 'worldly minded' Christians. Actually Paul just previously referred to them as immature, baby Christians.

They seemed to think this freedom even allowed them to have sex with harlots if their body wanted it. They had been washed, sanctified and justified by what Jesus did, so why any restraints to not give their body to it's desires.

My initial observation then is that sanctification has an on-going side to it where a new believer (baby Christian) may act much like the world but should be developing in true holiness as the Holy Spirit is allowed to guide their lives. If there is no spiritual growth then a professing believer may have just did 'the repeat after me sinners prayer' and had not really received Jesus as Lord and Saviour in their heart. Their flesh was still their Lord.

[Bootstrap]

They seemed to think this freedom even allowed them to have sex with harlots if their body wanted it. They had been washed, sanctified and justified by what Jesus did, so why any restraints to not give their body to it's desires.

So how exactly does Paul address this with them? To me, that's really interesting.

First, he quotes three things that some Corinthians were presumably saying, and then responds:

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other.

Then he does the typical Paul thing, he asks who we are in Christ and what that means for how we behave:

The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 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!

Not just how we behave, though, it's deeper than that. We are members of Christ. And that includes our physical bodies. And you can't give your physical body to a temple prostitute and to Jesus at the same time.

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.

Do we want to be joined to the Lord or to a prostitute? That's the choice we have here...

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.

This is the context in which Paul says "your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you". There's a clear connection between what we do with our bodies and our communion with the Holy Spirit.

Jesus paid the ultimate sacrifice for us - we are dearly bought. So let us glorify God in our body.

[Sudsy]

And if we do sin, even by sexual immorality, sin has it's consequences but God is faithful to forgive us of all sin and give us restored fellowship just as if we never sinned. Right ?

[Bootstrap]

And if we do sin, even by sexual immorality, sin has it's consequences but God is faithful to forgive us of all sin and give us restored fellowship just as if we never sinned. Right ?

I think we'd have to go to a different passage - or set of passages - to answer that. Or do you see an answer in this passage that I overlooked?

[Soloist]

And if we do sin, even by sexual immorality, sin has it's consequences but God is faithful to forgive us of all sin and give us restored fellowship just as if we never sinned. Right ?

If we repent and stop doing it. God will forgive us. God does not forgive unrepentant sin.

[Sudsy]

And if we do sin, even by sexual immorality, sin has it's consequences but God is faithful to forgive us of all sin and give us restored fellowship just as if we never sinned. Right ?

I think we'd have to go to a different passage - or set of passages - to answer that. Or do you see an answer in this passage that I overlooked?

Agree, my bad.

[Bootstrap]

And if we do sin, even by sexual immorality, sin has it's consequences but God is faithful to forgive us of all sin and give us restored fellowship just as if we never sinned. Right ?

I think we'd have to go to a different passage - or set of passages - to answer that. Or do you see an answer in this passage that I overlooked?

Agree, my bad.

Thanks - I appreciate it. I really do feel that focused attention together on one passage or at most a few tends to really improve my understanding of what the text says and how best to apply it.

Maybe we can pursue this other topic here?

http://forum.mennonet.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=5277

[Josh]

This is a great thread and covers a passage I’ve never fully understood. I’m enjoying the focus on the specific passage.

What exactly is meant by “all things are lawful, but not all things are helpful?” Is the “all things are lawful” a saying or proverb?