1 Corinthians 6:12-20
“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.” vss. 19-20
The Corinthians were permissive folks and had pretty much lowered the bar for personal behavior in their congregation. They’d taken to heart Paul’s words about grace and had concluded that all things were lawful for them, including consorting with prostitutes. When Paul gets wind of their careless practices he offers guidance in no uncertain terms, saying, “Yes, all things are lawful…but that doesn’t mean you should do them!” His words are helpful to us as we pick our way through the muddled morality of contemporary culture. It’s true that we can do whatever we please, but there are also core values that every follower of Jesus will uphold…and one of them has to do with the way we use our bodies, which Paul describes as temples of the Holy Spirit. As far as sexuality is concerned, we are not called to be ascetics or deny that we have desires…but we are to use the gift of sex in a way that brings glory to God and enhances our close relationships. And the same thing is true of other appetites common to us all. We often overindulge in a myriad of ways, and we’re expert at finding new ways to abuse our bodies. Aristotle prescribed a “golden mean” for living, making choices that avoid the extremes, and Paul likely would not disagree!
Thought for the Day: What would Paul say about pornography?
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