1 Corinthians 6:9-20
There is no denying that a big part of our life in the body involves our sexuality. If we desire to honor the Lord as whole persons, we will have to navigate the good, the bad, and the confusing when it comes to sex. Whatever your reaction, we can all agree that it is powerful and everywhere in our culture. We also know there must be some ethics or boundaries around it. In this passage, the apostle Paul connects the Bible’s sexual ethic with its theology of embodiment. It is from this integrated, whole perspective that we can appreciate the Bible’s clear teaching: Sex is for the expression, enjoyment, and enactment of the whole-life union of one man and one woman in the covenant of marriage. Anything outside of this is what Paul calls “sexual immorality” (porneia), from which he warns us strongly to flee.
If you think this is challenging, you are in great company. Paul wrote this letter to new Gentile Christians struggling to accept a Christian sexual ethic. They faced many pressures you might recognize. The ancient city of Corinth was full of commerce, diversity, and sex. Its largest temple was dedicated to the Greek goddess of sexual love and desire, Aphrodite. Paul provided them with several lessons that apply to us today.
1. The Body is For the Lord
If you have been around young children for any length of time, then you are surely familiar with the expression, “That is not what that is for!” The same principle applies to our bodies. To understand the purpose of sex we need to understand what our bodies are for. God gave us bodies so we could relate to him and others in a way that reflects his self-giving covenant love. Bodies and sex are not for self-gratification but for self-giving. The Bible presents a two-fold purpose of sex: 1) uniting lives and 2) creating lives. The Bible teaches that we should not separate sex from this two-purpose or the proper context of this purpose (marriage). This is “what sex is for”.
2. The Lord is For the Body
God doesn’t say the body is for him without at the same time affirming that He is for the body. Some think that the Christian sexual ethic is anti-body, restrictive, or negative. Instead, we can say it is properly “sex-positive.” In fact, we could say God is the most sex-positive person in the universe. He created sex! But to be sex-positive doesn’t mean that anything goes. To be food-positive can’t mean it is good for us to eat whatever we want all the time. There are consequences for not eating what and how God designed. Though it is difficult to understand why God would give us bodily desires and boundaries, it is because He understands not only what is “permissible” for us but also “beneficial” for us (v.12). Indeed, no one is more for the body than God, who “raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power” (v. 14). God has joined himself to the body for eternity. This is how pro-body He is.
3. Your Body is Not Just a Body
One of the most important questions when it comes to sex in our culture (and the Corinthians) is whether a body is just a body. Paul’s main point in v. 15-17 is that our bodies cannot be separated from our whole being and personhood. The union described in verse 17 by the word “joined” like a strong glue. Not only are our bodies glued to our souls, but our whole person is glued to Christ. Sexual sin involves not just the body but the soul, and it harms not just the unity of our person but our union with Christ. What God has joined together - cannot be unglued. . Paul’s vision here was not to restrict or repress but to re-humanize sex - to prevent use from using others bodies or treating our own bodies as just bodies.
4. Your Body is Not Your Own
Perhaps most of us would say we are not at a place of sexual wholeness. We struggle to glorify God with our bodies and our sexuality. We should remember that Paul wrote this with that understanding in mind. He says to those struggling: your sexual past and your sexual present don’t define you. This is found in v. 11, “some of you were like this, but you were washed…” You are not dirty to him but washed. You are not cast out, you are set apart. You are not condemned but accepted in Christ.
The Bible tells us what we are looking for in sex is far more than bodily pleasure. We want to belong to someone, be accepted, delighted in, and connected to them as one. Whether we are married or not, sex cannot meet this deep need. It is only fully met in being joined to Jesus Christ. Verse 17 is the power to obey verse 18. The Gospel reminds us that our body and soul are so valuable and worth it to Jesus that He gave up His own. He gives us His body and asks for ours.
This was the price of our being washed, sanctified and justified. And who pays a great price for something that is not worth it to them? We - all of us - body and soul are worth the price that has been paid. So now we glorify the God who saves us with everything we are - body and soul.
DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
*NOTE- It may be most appropriate for mixed groups to split into separate discussion groups by gender to discuss these questions.
What about the sermon most impacted you or left you with questions?
What are some common slogans, perceptions, or values about the body and sex in our culture today? How have they influenced you, your family, or your respective communities?
What does it mean that the Lord is “for the body?” What does this say about the boundaries that God instituted for sex? What are some boundaries you wrestle with, or some that you have set for yourself to protect this part of your life?
How is sexual immorality harmful to the union between our body and soul? Our union with Christ? How does it cause us to dehumanize others or maximize self-gratification over self-giving?
Read verse 14 again. What can we learn from the reality that Jesus is fully whole and fully human but never had sex and never will? How does this help us accept the bible’s sexual boundaries as good? How does this help address the idea that sexual fulfillment is a human right?
Why is it so challenging to overcome sexual struggles that occurred in the past? What does this tell you about how to protect yourself and others in the present and for the future? What does this look like as you seek to protect those younger than you in your family and in our church?
How does the Gospel message provide freedom for anyone struggling with sexual sin(s)? How does our body-soul union with Christ fulfill a deeper need than sex can? How might this encourage you to be more open in your confession, pray for others, and invite them with you into renewed obedience and joy in Christ?
In our “Corinthian moment,” what are some ways that we can embrace the application to flee from sexual immorality, find safe places/people to discuss this with, or fill our lives with meaningful friendships? Which one has been the most difficult for you? What would this look like for you in a community of close men or women in our church community?