Thursday 8 August, 2013

12 Some of you say, “Everything is permitted for me.” But not everything is good for me. Again some of you say, “Everything is permitted for me.” But I will not be controlled by anything. 13 Some of you say, “Food is for the stomach. And the stomach is for food.” But God will destroy both of them. The body is not meant for sexual sins. The body is meant for the Lord. And the Lord is meant for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead. He will also raise us up. 15 Don’t you know that your bodies belong to the body of Christ? Should I take what belongs to Christ and join it to a prostitute? Never! 16 Don’t you know that when you join yourself to a prostitute, you become one with her in body? Scripture says, “The two will become one.” (Genesis 2:24) 17 But anyone who is joined to the Lord becomes one with him in spirit. 18 Keep far away from sexual sins. All the other sins a person commits are outside his body. But sexual sins are sins against one’s own body. 19 Don’t you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is in you. You have received him from God. You do not belong to yourselves. 20 Christ has paid the price for you. So use your bodies in a way that honors God.

This passage tells us that as Christians our bodies are not our own.  Our bodies carry the Holy Spirit and belong to God.  It also explains why sexual immorality is wrong ie. it’s is the joining and becoming part of someone else. It’s not just a physical experience, something far deeper is happening in the spiritual realm.  As we are already part of the body of Christ we need to honour God with our bodies and not do anything to dilute or fracture this relationship.

The world pretty much lives by the notion if it feels good and (if you’re lucky) it’s not hurting anyone else then go for it – this pretty much applies to sexuality too.  Yet God knows this behaviour hurts us and it hurts Him.  The Bible is pretty clear, “Run from sexual sin.”  “Run” it’s a doing word or a verb. Single, married, young or old you have to act and remove yourself from the situation quickly. It doesn’t say don’t look or don’t touch, don’t ignore it and hope the temptation will pass – just get out of there!  Run – present tense!

Dear God, please help me to honour you with my body. Give me the strength and conviction needed to refrain from sexual sin. Help me to obey your word in this area. Amen.

Written by Ainslie Woods