1 Corinthians 6

1 Corinthians 6:9-10

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.

(a) Do you not know? See entry for 1 Cor. 3:16.

(b) The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom for the same reason caterpillars don’t fly: they cannot. But fornicators and swindlers who come to Jesus don’t remain fornicators and swindlers. They become new creatures, clothed with Christ and filled with his indwelling Spirit.

The good news is the happy announcement that God is in the business of turning old, damaged people into new, holy people. He turns slanderers and swindlers into saints and sons. For proof, tour the Bible’s Hall of Fame in Hebrews 11. Here you will find a list of men and women who were all commended for their faith. These figures of renown include Noah (a drunk), Abraham (slept with the maid), and Jacob (a swindler if ever there was one). There is also a murderer (Moses), a prostitute (Rahab), and a double-dealing king (David). All these people will inherit the kingdom of God because they put their faith in the One who makes all things new.

Further reading: “No liars in heaven”

1 Corinthians 6:11

Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.

(a) You were sanctified the moment you put your faith in Jesus (Acts 26:18).

To be sanctified is to be made holy or whole and in Christ you are completely complete (Col. 2:10). Jesus is the Holy One (Mark 8:38), and “if the root is holy, so are the branches” (Rom. 11:16). Christians are holy branches connected to the Holy Vine. See entry for Holiness.

(b) Justified. No one is justified or made right with God by doing good works or keeping the law (see entry for Rom. 3:20). Rather, our justification is paid for with the blood of Jesus (Rom. 5:9) and comes to us as a gift of grace (Rom. 3:24, Tit. 3:7) that is received by faith (Rom. 3:28, 5:1, Gal. 3:24). In Christ, you are as righteous as he is (2 Cor. 5:21). See entry for Justification.

1 Corinthians 6:15

Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!

(a) Do you not know? See entry for 1 Cor. 3:16.

(b) Members. Each Christian is a member or part of the body of Christ. See entry for 1 Cor. 12:27.

(c) The members of Christ. Here is one of the strongest affirmations of our union with the Lord. Paul is saying it is possible, though not advisable, to unite the members of Christ’s body with prostitutes. Do you see? Your union with Christ is unbreakable. Sin cannot break it. Addiction cannot break it. The stupidest decisions you might ever make cannot break it.

This should not be taken as a challenge to see what you can get away with but as a stunning declaration of Christ’s absolute commitment to stick with you no matter what.

Under the old covenant we were restrained from sin through mortal terror, but in the new we are restrained by love. This is what changes us—not the weak influence of the rule, but the relentless and determined passion of his love.

Further reading: “Your unbreakable union with Christ”

1 Corinthians 6:16

Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.”

(a) Do you not know? See entry for 1 Cor. 3:16.

(b) One flesh. One body. The joining together of a man and a woman into one body has both a physical aspect, as Paul alludes to here, and a spiritual aspect (see next verse).

(c) They are no longer two, but one. When a man and a woman come together in marriage, they create something new – a marital union (Gen. 2:24). This union symbolizes the unity the believers have with the Lord (see entry for Eph. 5:32).

1 Corinthians 6:17

But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.

Joins. The original word means to glue or cement together. You have been cemented to the Lord by the Holy Spirit and you are stuck with him for good. See entry for Union.

1 Corinthians 6:19

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?

(a) Do you not know? By now you should know. See entry for 1 Cor. 3:16.

(b) Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit. The believer’s body is the holy residence of the Holy Spirit.

Christian, you do not have a sin nature or a sin virus inside you. The only thing that dwells in you is the mighty Holy Spirit (Rom. 8:9, 11, 2 Tim. 1:14). Your body is his holy habitation (John 14:17, Rom. 12:1), and he will never leave you (John 14:16, Heb. 13:5).

(c) You are not your own. Formerly you were a slave to sin (Rom. 6:6, 17). Having been freed from sin, you have become a slave of righteousness (see entry for Rom. 6:18).

1 Corinthians 6:20

For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

(a) You have been bought with a price. You belong to Jesus Christ (Gal. 5:24, 1 Pet. 2:9). This means your welfare and your future are God’s concern. It is he who will sustain you and keep you to the end (1 Cor. 1:8-9).

(b) Glorify God in your body. You have been bought with a price and your body is now part of the body of Christ (1 Cor. 6:15, 7:23). Honor God with your body, not because you have to, but because it’s the smart thing to do. See entry for Rom. 6:13.

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