July 04, 2023 | Be On Mission
The Danger of Sexual Immorality
Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6(NIV)
1 If any of you has a dispute with another, do you dare to take it before the ungodly for judgment instead of before the Lord’s people? 2 Or do you not know that the Lord’s people will judge the world? And if you are to judge the world, are you not competent to judge trivial cases? 3 Do you not know that we will judge angels? How much more the things of this life! 4 Therefore, if you have disputes about such matters, do you ask for a ruling from those whose way of life is scorned in the church? 5 I say this to shame you. Is it possible that there is nobody among you wise enough to judge a dispute between believers? 6 But instead, one brother takes another to court—and this in front of unbelievers!
7 The very fact that you have lawsuits among you means you have been completely defeated already. Why not rather be wronged? Why not rather be cheated? 8 Instead, you yourselves cheat and do wrong, and you do this to your brothers and sisters. 9 Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men 10 nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11 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.
12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.
18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
Devotional
One might ask why Paul spent so much time on the topic of sexual immorality. Yes, Corinth was a corrupt, sex-saturated culture. True, the city had the Temple to Aphrodite (goddess of sexuality), that employed up to 1000 prostitutes. Agreed, the people of Corinth were claiming things that were immoral to be moral. But every society has its blind spots.
The problem is that the Corinthian Christians still lived in Corinthian culture. Rather than them influencing the culture’s values, the opposite was true. Christians were sleeping with people they weren’t married to. Believers were engaging in homosexual practices. Followers of Jesus were following their passions to the pagan temple prostitutes. And the church was turning a blind eye toward all of it.
Paul simply says, “Flee from sexual immorality” (v. 18). That’s pretty solid advice. Previously we learned that sexual immorality is mentioned thirty-five times in the New Testament alone. This was a major problem in many parts of the world in that day. Same for ours. Paul’s admonition is clear: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (v. 19-20).
What is the application for where you live today? How do you see sexual immorality on full display? How can you safeguard yourself from sensual temptations? How can you flee from sexual immorality?
Poem
The Greatest Exchange
You take something sacred
Ordained by God “good”
You abuse it and squander
Drag it though nasty mud
Then expect God to bless it?
This will not be arranged!
You take something sacred
Then commit great exchange
The holy for wanton
The pure for the dirt
The blessing for curses
The healing for hurt
Adult’ry and porn
Birth a broken lifestyle
The beautiful temple
By lust’s sin is defiled
