1st Corinthians - Sacred Sexuality

Not Your Own

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. 1 Corinthians 6:19

This section makes four powerful statements about our physical bodies. All four share a common concept summed up by the second statement, “You are not your own” As beings who innately struggle with pride, this is a tough pill to swallow, hard to even wrap our heads around. Even if we agree with it, we still always act like we are our own.

We are not our bodies, rather, we are souls inhabiting our bodies. As Christians, we have been bought, and paid with the lifeblood of Christ. The Lord bought us for a reason and for a purpose. That purpose isn’t to sit on a shelf collecting dust, nor is it to be another apostle Paul. We are to glorify God in the exact way he designed us to.

We all have unique circumstances in our lives, but we are all temples of the Holy Spirit. We get the privilege of serving him in ways no one will see … personal, private ways. Along with all the other less private ways we are able to. What a wonderful way to do life. It’s the highest calling anyone could have without the fear of being unable.

Jonathan Duncan

by Jonathan Duncan

The Myth of What We Feel

I just wrapped up teaching portions of Plato’s Gorgias to my students, and because of that, I kept thinking of a passage we discussed as I read over 1st Corinthians 6. In the Gorgias, Socrates (Plato’s spokesman in his written works) speaks of the destructive power of injustice (or as Christians would call it, sin) on the soul. He demonstrates that sin affects your soul in the same way that an illness or disease affects your body: it makes your soul “sick.” The effects of sin on your soul aren’t felt in the same way that a bodily illness is felt, though, because the soul is not physical like your body is. However, this doesn’t mean that you’re not being affected. It just means that you can’t “see” the damage being done to you, and this might mislead you into thinking that your sin isn’t hurting you.

I think Socrates’ analogy is powerful because at the very least it can help us realize that sin can hurt us and affect us without us realizing it. This is also a point Paul is trying to make in 1st Corinthians 6:18: “The sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” It’s the idea that the very essence of who we are (which can’t be separated from our bodies) is being affected by our sexual sin, even though it may not feel like we’re being affected.

Another problem with sexual sin is that God has declared our bodies precious and holy, because as Christians we have been mystically united with Christ, and have become Christ’s body on earth. Paul sandwiches verse 18 with these words in verse 17, “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” and with these words in verse 19, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” Paul seems to be illustrating that in a similar way to a married couple becoming “one flesh,” we have become “one flesh” with Christ. And doesn’t sexual immorality violate and defile the union with Christ as the sexual immorality of adultery, for instance, violates the union of marriage? And let’s ponder the implications of this for a moment: any kind of sexual act that violates our “marriage” with Christ is going to harm our relationship with him, too, just as powerfully as a spouse cheating on their husband or wife will harm their relationship. It’s just as real! Just as devastating.

Now, can we feel our relationship with God being harmed through sexual immorality though? Not necessarily. And that’s the problem; it’s so easy to rationalize sexual immorality because of how good it feels in the moment. So, though it’s important not to forget that we belong to Christ no matter what we do (let’s not lose sight of this essential reality!), what is Paul’s advice for how to deal with something that can harm our relationship with God so powerfully? RUN. Away, away, away.

Ashley Carr

by Ashley Carr

The Physical & the Spiritual

I still remember one of my first times teaching students about the nature of Jesus. I explained that he is one person with two natures, 100% human and 100% divine. A 7th-grade student was sitting in the front row and she immediately raised her hand and, without waiting to be called on, yelled out for the whole group to hear, “But wait, that's 200%!?” She was right to see a mystery there. God’s participation in and with humanity represents a host of mysteries, and one of those is the way that the spiritual and the physical collide.

This mystery happens in a similar manner in our bodies too. Paul asks in 1 Cor 6:15 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?” Our bodies may not feel very spiritual, but Paul emphasizes this point when he asks in verses 19-20, “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.”

The spiritual is a part of the physical. Some imagine that our souls are the only part that is united to Christ, but our bodies are united to Christ too. The way we treat our bodies reflects the honor we give to or withhold from God. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6, this is especially emphasized with regard to sexual behavior.

Only Jesus is 100% human and 100% divine, but believers participate simultaneously in the natural and in the spiritual in ways that are intertwined and interconnected. It is easy to feel autonomous, but a proper perspective is one that lives in order to honor God, honor the Spirit of God who lives in us and honors Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection on our behalf. Therefore, let's live so that our bodies (our lives) honor God!

John Riley
Jr. High Pastor

by John Riley

The Hands and Feet of Jesus

We’ve learned a lot of things these last few years as we’ve navigated this Covid situation.  One thing I think we all learned to appreciate in a very new and real way is the power of the human touch.  We all know it’s powerful but until you’ve gone without it, it might be something really hard to know deep down without experience. And when the world began to open back up the first thing many of us did was run to hug those we hadn’t been able to hug in a long time.

I love that God created us with bodies. I’m thankful that He walked this earth in human form. I’ve often wondered what it must have been like to be alive during bible times and actually be one of Jesus’s followers and be able to see Him, touch Him, and maybe even hug Him.  Fully God and yet walking like a man on earth.  It must have been amazing!

Psalm 139:14 says He fearfully and wonderfully made us. From each teeny tiny microcell to the structure of our bones, to the color of our hair and eyes. We were created with intention, not just spiritual intention and purpose, but also the physical details of us and how we function. Even our fingerprints make each one of us unique from one another. Not even identical twins have the same fingerprint.  Isn’t that amazing?  God created each of us on purpose and with intention and calls us by name.

In 1 Corinthians 6:14, it says our bodies will be resurrected with Jesus. I’m sure there is a ton of theology that goes with this verse, but for me, I read it and take it at face value. I don’t know all the specifics and hows, but I believe my body will rise when Jesus returns for His church.  And although my body will be riddled with all kinds of scars from this life on earth, I will get to one day stand in body form with Jesus and be able to touch Him and hug Him just like the disciples did so many years ago.

How does that impact you?  Does that impact you?  When I think about the details of how God uniquely created me I find I am more content with the body He gave me. Sure, there are things I struggle with, but God made me in His image and loves me for who He created me to be.  And at the end of the day isn’t it God’s love that we should be most comforted with?  The world tells us we need to be all sorts of things and fit certain molds to be loved.  But not God, He says I created you and love you and want to bring you to heaven with me one day.  Now that’s a truth and love I can cling to.

So what do we do in the meantime while we wait?  I think we have a mission to serve others.  That’s what God did when He was here on earth. He used his time to serve others. To love them, and to help change their hearts and lives.  He wasn’t a spirit here on earth.  He was a man and used His arms and legs to serve. And God has equipped us to do the same. We are the hands and feet of Jesus here on earth.

God says our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 6:19-20). God also says that we are a representation of Him.  We are of value to Him.  The WHO He created and the HOW He created us definitely matter. Do people see an example of Jesus when they see you or interact with you?

As you know, we just celebrated Easter and we know that Jesus was crucified and resurrected from the dead.  It wasn’t a spirit that came floating out, His body that came walking out.  If Jesus’ body was a big piece of the whole “resurrection story” then I have to believe that God recognizes our bodies as important too. I look forward to standing face to face one day in heaven with Him. How about you?

Bonnie Nichols
Women's Ministry Specialist

by Bonnie Nichols

Some Body

Fun fact, the idea for buffet-style eating began in France in the 17th century, of course, some might say it was developed earlier or in other regions. The reason I threw out this fact is that in my younger days (higher metabolism) my friends and I loved going to buffets. We specifically looked for all you -can- eat buffets and sometimes we were asked to leave. We would spend a couple of hours talking, laughing, and eating until the restaurant staff was not our biggest fans. We were young athletes so we could eat pretty much what we wanted without worrying about what it might do to us. Now, however, I get indigestion just thinking about that.

Here is the point: our physical state has an effect on our spiritual state. When we are hungry, tired, and stressed, it takes a toll on our bodies and it takes a toll on our souls. In 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, Paul is addressing how physical sins affect our bodies and the body of the church. The issue was believers living out the philosophy of, “I have the right to do anything…” When they acted this out, it quickly became a problem because it opened up individuals to sin and it ended up hurting everyone. We are made of spirit (or soul) and flesh, and we need to take care of both.  Paul reminds us that physical training has some value and he warns us to be careful because godliness or taking care of the soul is vital (1 Tim. 4:8).

Let’s be careful to make sure we take care of our souls and our bodies (no more all you can eat for me!), let’s strive to be ready for what God calls us to do. That will take discipline and it will take a desire for the things above more than the comfort for now. As we journey together, let’s encourage one another; take some time to reach out to someone who might need this reminder or if you need a little help, we are here and will do our best!

Pastor Jeremy Johnson
Family Pastor

by Jeremy Johnson