Key Verse: 6:20
“for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
In today’s passage, the Apostle Paul teaches us about the importance of glorifying God in our bodies. A body is one thing that everyone has in common. We can use it to either honor God in the world or to dishonor God in the world. Because of our sins, we want to use our bodies for our own purposes rather than for God’s. But Jesus bought us at the high price of his own blood on the cross. Christians are in the process of sanctification in which we still struggle with sin, but are also free to grow in the image of Christ and the fruits of the Holy Spirit. First, Paul points out that we should grieve over sin in the church. Secondly, Paul emphasizes the importance of forgiveness in order to reveal Christ. Thirdly, Paul explains the basis for why we need to glorify God in our bodies. May God give us understanding through his word in today’s passage.
First, because we were bought at a price, we grieve over sin in the church (5:1-13)
Let’s read chapter 5 verses 1-2, “1It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that is not tolerated even among pagans, for a man has his father’s wife. 2And you are arrogant! Ought you not rather to mourn? Let him who has done this be removed from among you.” The Apostle Paul spent a long time ministering to the church in Corinth, and he knew the believers there well. Some of the Corinthians sent Paul a letter asking for help with many practical problems in their church community. One problem was sexual immorality, and another was lawsuits among believers. The Greek word for ‘sexual immorality’ refers to any kind of sexual relationship outside of marriage. In the Ten Commandments, God forbids adultery, and he more specifically forbids the sin of incest in Lev.18:8 and Dt.22:30. Paul said that this kind of sin is so obvious that even the pagans do not tolerate it. Yet it was happening in the church at Corinth. But despite how shocking this sin was, Paul was more upset that the Corinthian Christians approved of this behavior. Maybe it was because this man had contributed much money or time to the church that the community was afraid to address his sin problem. Or maybe the Corinthian Christians thought that tolerance was the way to show love to the brother who was living in a sinful lifestyle. However, Paul said that they were arrogant. They were laughing when they should be mourning.
The real cause for discipline is not how bad someone’s sin is, but that they are unrepentant, meaning that in their pride they refuse to change their wrong attitude and behavior. Jesus established the pattern for addressing sin in Matthew 18:15-17. He said, 15 "If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault, between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. 16But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses. 17If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector.” Notice that Jesus is slow to take severe measures. The purpose of discipline is to restore the sinner, as well as to protect the church community. Also, Paul says that confronting sin in the church should be done with an attitude of grief, never with an attitude of self-righteousness. In his Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said that lust is as bad as adultery and hatred is as bad as murder. So if everyone with sinful habits was kicked out, there would be no one left in the church. The worst sin is unrepentant pride. Martin Luther said that all of life is repentance. It has also been said that the church is a hospital for people who know they are sick. The Bible tells us that God disciplines those he loves. Any parent can understand that. The Holy Spirit constantly works to convict us of sin. Everyone who calls themselves a Christian is subject to correction, even the pastor. In the extreme case of this passage, Paul’s statement to hand the sinful man over to Satan means that being cut off from Christ and the Church will hopefully prompt the sinner to repent like the prodigal son when he found himself in the pig-pen and yearned to return to his father’s house of love and blessing.
Let’s read chapter 5 verses 6-7”6 Your boasting is not good. Do you not know that a little leaven leavens the whole lump? 7Cleanse out the old leaven that you may be a new lump, as you really are unleavened. For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” In this verse, Paul compares sin to yeast which spreads through all the dough. A modern illustration for sin could be cancer which spreads throughout the body until it is destroyed. The Bible repeatedly tells us never to underestimate the corruption of our sinful nature. When the flagrant sin of one person in the Christian community is tolerated, soon it becomes the norm and the entire church is destroyed.
How can we escape the spreading epidemic of sin in the church? Verse 7b says, “For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed.” The gospel of Christ is the solution for stopping the spread of sin. Jesus died on the cross to pay the death penalty for our sins, and he rose again so that we could receive the gift of eternal life. Jesus’ power over sin and death can resolve any kind of sin problem in the church, whether public or private. Let’s read chapter 5 verses 12-13. “12For what have I to do with judging outsiders? Is it not those inside the church whom you are to judge? 13God judges those outside. "Purge the evil person from among you." We tend to tolerate the sin of our friends, while judging those perceived to be terrible pagans out in the world. However, God wants us to do exactly the opposite. In this verse, “to judge” does not mean to condemn, but to discipline. 2 Corinthians chapter 1 seems to indicate that this sinful man repented, and Paul urged the church to welcome him back wholeheartedly. Let us share Paul’s grief and concern when sin disrupts the Christian community and pray for the best resolution.
Second, because we were bought at a price, we forgive others (6:1-11)
Let’s read chapter 6 verses 6-8,”6but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers? 7To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 8But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers!” Another problem that the Corinthian church had was law suits. Roman tradition was known for its complex legal system. The Corinthians were quick to take their Christian brothers and sisters to the secular courts. It is interesting that they did not care if others were hurt, but if they were hurt they took action. They may have been like modern Americans who love to watch “Judge Judy” and “People’s Court” on TV. They were quick to stand up for their rights, but they did not care what slander it brought to God and to their church community. Paul said that even if the Corinthians won their case, they were already completely defeated. They were like a basketball player making a winning basket for the opposing team. Jesus said that loving one another is what reveals God to the world. Jesus said that one who is forgiven much will love much. When we offended God with our sins, Jesus sacrificed himself on the cross and took the punishment we deserved. When we receive Jesus’ forgiveness, we can forgive others. Before suing our Christian brothers or sisters, we should try to resolve matters within the church community.
Let’s read chapter 6 verses 9-11,”9Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, 10nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. 11And such were some of you. 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.” Because of our sins, none of us would enter the kingdom of God. But Jesus forgave our sins and justified us so that our guilt is taken away. More than this, God sanctifies those who believe so that we grow in the character of Jesus and the fruit of the Holy Spirit. The sins listed in verses 9-11 are those that recur and degenerate in a constant sinful lifestyle. They are characterized by no humility, no repentance, and no transformation. Persistence in wickedness would be an indication that their faith is false and that they have no place in the kingdom of God. But Paul was convinced that the Corinthian Christians had truly met Christ and that they and had been changed from their former sinful lifestyles. After meeting Christ, we still sin, but the Christian life is ultimately a life of transformation. Christians are in the process of sanctification in which we still struggle with sin, but are also free to grow in the image of Christ and the fruits of the Holy Spirit.
Third, because we were bought at a price, we glorify God in our bodies (6:12-20)
Let’s read chapter 6 verses 18-20, “18Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19Or 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, 20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” The Corinthians had many slogans to excuse their sexual immorality. One was “all things are lawful for me”. This was a misunderstanding of Christian freedom. Paul replied that not all things are helpful. Paul said in Galatians 5 that we should not use our freedom to sin. Rather, we are free not to sin. Another Corinthian slogan was “Food is meant for the stomach, and the stomach for food.” They ignored the spiritual dimension of life. To this Paul replied, “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.” Paul gave three reasons why we should worship God in the way that we use our bodies. First, God will raise us up by his power. Our bodies are not thrown away when we die. God will resurrect them. The way we use them has eternal consequences. Second, our bodies are members of Christ. We are his hands to serve the needy. We are his feet to carry the gospel throughout the world. Whatever we do, we act as an extension of Christ. Third, our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We are like treasure chests for the treasure of God himself. The ultimate reason why we should glorify God with our bodies according to chapter 6 verses 19-20, “…You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God with your body.” The fact that we are not our own is a difficult concept for modern Americans. If we go all the way back to Genesis, we learn that God created us for his glory. But through sin, we put ourselves under Satan’s authority and moved out of God’s kingdom into Satan’s kingdom. The life of sin is characterized by meaninglessness, broken relationships, anxiety and pain. Jesus paid the highest price to rescue us, which was that he gave up his life and shed his blood on the cross, so that we could live a restored life of love, joy, and peace. This is God’s greatest expression of love for us.
Through today’s passage, we learn that God created our bodies for his glory. Though we sinned and broke our relationship with God, Jesus paid the highest price of his own blood in order to redeem us. Our bodies will be resurrected by God’s power. Our bodies are united with Christ and represent him in the world. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. We have the most intimate relationship with God, so we should use our bodies for his glory. When we do so, we can experience his love, joy, and peace. Sometimes sin disrupts the Christian church to such a degree that we need to mourn and confront one another about it. On the other hand, God’s grace in our lives prevents us from condemning each other and suing each other in court. Our lives are testimonies to God’s love in a broken world. May God help us to live for his glory.
