We Belong To Christ

I Corinthians 6:9-20

Our New Testament reading from this past Sunday’s Lectionary in the Book of Common Prayer is a rather hard-hitting message from the Apostle Paul. Sometimes God’s Word to us is comforting and makes us feel good.  At other times it calls out sin and conviction, and this passage is certainly that.

Paul starts out our passage by listing some rather grievous sins, and then, as if making a pointing sweep of his hand, says to his audience, “Such were some of you!” (vs. 9-11).   Notice, though, Paul uses the word were, past tense, not present tense.  Paul is speaking to believers, who have given their lives to the Lord.   Salvation results in new behavior.  Sin’s total domination is broken, replaced by obedience and holiness.  Believers do commit sin, but this is not their lifestyle.  Their life should not be an unbroken pattern of sin.  A true believer will be grieved when they fall into sin, and they seek to gain victory over it.  People who are characterized by these sins are probably not saved. Something is wrong if someone claims to be saved, but continues in the same sin pattern as before, making no attempt to live for Jesus, showing no repentance.  Christians should not be selective about what we condemn or excuse.  We are to have high standards.

Some people in Paul’s day, and also often today, responded by saying that they had freedom in Christ to do whatever they wished.  The price of abusing the freedom we have in Christ is very high (vs. 12). Christ has taken away our sin, but that does not give us an excuse to continue willingly sinning.  Sin produces loss.  Sin is enslaving.  It controls, and Paul says we need to master it with the Lord’s strength.

The Apostle Paul goes on to tell us that when we are saved our bodies become the temple of the Holy Spirit (vs. 15, 19).  When we accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit, God, comes and dwells in our body.  We are now His temple, and He lives in each believer.  When a believer commits a sin, that involves Jesus Christ (vs. 15).  When someone partakes of a sexual act with another person (whether within a marriage or not) they become “one flesh” with that person (vs. 16).  God instituted this in Genesis 2:24.  The sexual act is not just random activity in God’s sight.  The two become one in every way.  If you are a believer, Christ is spiritually joined as well. Any illicit sexual relationship by a believer is sin, because it profanes Jesus Christ since our body is His Temple.  Sexual sins also damage one’s character and one’s witness with the world (vs. 18).

I have known of some who express a belief in Christ who say that since Christ has paid for their sins, they can do whatever they want, their life and body are their own.  If one is truly a believer, having accepted Jesus as their Savior, then that is not the case.   Our bodies are not our own.  They either belong to God or are enslaved by sin. Christians have been bought with a price.  They have been redeemed by Jesus, paid for by His Blood and death on the cross (vs. 20).  Thus we need to allow Him to reign in our life, not being controlled and enslaved by our sins.  Our bodies are not ours.  Jesus bought us.  If we want to live for God, as He would want, all sexual desires must be disciplined and controlled by Him.

No matter what we’ve done in the past, Jesus can, and will, forgive it if we repent and ask Him to.  Jesus immersed Himself into the filth of this world, remaining unstained by it Himself, in order to save us. Sin can be a strong lure, but be willing to stand alone if you know that what you’re pressured to do is wrong.  When things get rough, remember, Jesus paid a tremendous price to purchase us.  Salvation is free for us, but it was very costly for Jesus!