One of the topics that the Church today often harps on is "sexual sin." To some, it appears sometimes as if they just pulled this topic out of mid-air to ruin the fun of teenagers and single people. But today's passage explains why sexual sin is such a big deal...and we don't mean just "intercourse".
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.
Oh my! Does that not sound like our culture? People are constantly claiming "their rights" and especially when it comes to things they want to do that "won't hurt other people" like drinking, sex, or anything else that doesn't involve the physical harm of another. But surely we know that these things do hurt those around us -- if just not physically sometimes. So here Paul quotes the saying, which was apparently popular in his day too, that people are claiming their rights. But he reminds us that sure we can make our own choices, but just because something is technically legal doesn't mean that it's spiritually appropriate. If I went around doing whatever I thought I could get by with, I'd be a slave to my whims. And then I sure would be mastered by something...myself! We are all mastered by something, because as Bob Dylan wrote, we're all "gonna serve somebody." He is absolutely right. So, yes, we have the right to do what we want, but I want to make choices that are beneficial for the spiritual growth of myself and those around me.
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.
A saying that may ring a bell in our day would be "Eat to live or live to eat." But the people Paul is talking to say that it doesn't matter anyway because God is going to give us a new body, so I can do whatever I want with this one...indulge in food, drink and sex, for instance. Well, these bodies may be temporary, but Paul says that's no excuse to mistreat them. God honored us by giving us this body, a body that is meant for Him since it is His dwelling place (the Holy Spirit lives in you, remember?). Our bodies are His home, so let's be sure we are taking good care of the one He gave us.
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!
We are made in the image of God and were created with the same dignity. If we wouldn't take Jesus' body and have Him sleep with a prostitute or with whatever women He wants. In fact, the thought of that is so disturbing to me. But yet, why don't we feel the same way about our own bodies sometimes? We are a new and holy creation once Jesus lives in us. It does take some self-control and restraint -- I'm not saying it always easy -- but it is my desire to honor God with my body and it can be done.
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.
There's more to sex than mere skin on skin. Sex is as much spiritual mystery as physical fact. As written in Scripture, "The two become one." Since we want to become spiritually one with the Christ, we must not pursue the kind of sex that avoids commitment and intimacy, leaving us more lonely than ever—the kind of sex that can never "become one." This is why God says to give yourself to only your spouse. He is not saying "don't" for the sake of being a kill joy. He is saying to us, "Don't hurt yourself," because he knows the impact that HE created sex to have on us. And outside of the context for which it was created, marriage, it can have some really destructive consequences to us emotionally, physically, and spiritually.
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.
I like how The Message summarizes this: "There is a sense in which sexual sins are different from all others. In sexual sin we violate the sacredness of our own bodies, these bodies that were made for God-given and God-modeled love, for "becoming one" with another. Or didn't you realize that your body is a sacred place, the place of the Holy Spirit? Don't you see that you can't live however you please, squandering what God paid such a high price for? The physical part of you is not some piece of property belonging to the spiritual part of you. God owns the whole works. So let people see God in and through your body."
I sure hope that you come away with a better understanding of why sex is a big deal. There are plenty of other topics in the Bible that area big deal, too, but we just happen to be at this one today. It seems to me that the Christians are getting swept away by the culture in this area. I read an article last month that said that 80% of self-proclaimed followers of Christ between the ages of 18-29 have had sex before marriage, and 42% of those unmarried people are currently having sex! So much for True Love Waits, huh? I think we have forgotten the goodness in God's plan for His creation of sex...and it is meant to be AWESOME!
Don't feel shunned today, my friends, but take The Word you've read today and decide to change your focus from "how far can I go" to "how can I honor God with my body and my purity?"
To read more from the above mentioned article, go here: http://www.relevantmagazine.com/life/relationship/features/28337-the-secret-sexual-revolution
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