Your Body is the Lord's

1 Cor 6:12-20
I love the story of Samuel and how he heard God’s voice. Of course the story of Samuel begins before he was even in his mother’s womb. It begins with the cry of a woman who wanted a child and God heard her. That reminds us of the Scripture from Psalm 139 verses 13-14 For it was you who formed my inward parts; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.
At least the Psalmist knew it. I am not sure that most of the world knows this, because if we knew the truth of this Psalm we would understand the sanctity of human life. We would understand the God-givenness of our lives and we would not take them for granted, not treat them as means to an end. We would recognize the beauty and wonder of every life that God has made and know that it was created for God’s glory, not someone’s pleasure.
Our understanding of this shows up in many different ethical issues, from abortion, to euthanasia, to stem-cell research, to sexual ethics. No I know that a lot of people think that I should never mention a word like that, but the Bible discusses sexual ethics for a reason, so that Christians can know that God is concerned about it. I know that in many churches such a discussion is taboo, however, I believe it may be partly for this reason that kids and young adults have a difficult time with churches. We aren’t dealing with the issues they are dealing with. So they go outside the church to find information and guidance. Our silence doesn’t convey anything except, that we have nothing to say about the issue. The truth of the matter is we have a lot to say about the issue, and it is stuff that kids aren’t hearing in their schools. It’s stuff that they are not seeing on TV and in the movies. We have a belief and a teaching about sexuality that they will not get anywhere else, and so often they don’t get it here either.
Now I know I am not speaking to a youth group this morning so I will not spell out the sexual ethic that the Bible teaches but I do want to touch on part of the reason for this sexual ethic. Because as Christians, our Bodies are the Lord’s. This is the reason this is so important, and even though you are not all teenagers or twenty-somethings, your body is still the Lord’s in everything you do. Paul thought this was something worth discussing, so let’s look at what he had to say in 1 Cor 6:12-20.

"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything.
So often the excuse that is given for unethical behavior is “it’s not illegal.” Even though often times it is! However, the larger point that Paul is making is that regardless of the legality of something we should be concerned with its benefits. Is it a good thing to do. Of course the question isn’t does it feel good, but is it something that will benefit my life and the lives of everyone else involved. Are there any negative repercussions. This was a serious issue with Paul as it did not only involve repercussions on oneself, but how it would affect others that witnessed, or heard about it. “How would this affect my witness?” was probably one of Paul’s concerns.
But he goes on to not only discuss whether or not it would be beneficial, but to declare that he would not let anything dominate him. For so often we let our passions dominate us. We let them have control. But as Christians we are to give control up only to God, the Holy Spirit, we may let Him dominate us because that would be beneficial! Amen!
Paul continues
"Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food," and God will destroy both one and the other. One commentary remarks that this was a common argument by analogy that body was made for sex, therefore, to not have sex was to deny the body of what it was made for. And those who offered this argument where not usually those who restricted their sexual activity to the marriage bed, but would often employ prostitutes and engage in other fornication. That is why Paul answers with,
The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

[14] And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
This verse almost seems out of place, but he is making the point that our bodies aer not simply vehicles we are traveling in that will go to the junk yard when we are done. Our bodies are distinctly ours and are created by and for God. He will raise up these bodies in the resurrection. Paul tells us later that God will improve upon them a little, but it is clear from Jesus’ resurrection, that the body we have now will be a form of the body we have then. So let us not make light or disrespect our bodies, but treat them Holy. He goes into more detail as he continues,

[15] Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!
This might be a good time to tell you that prostitution was legal in the Roman Empire. Some would have thought this an okay thing to do, because as Paul open up the argument, “it is lawful.” Yet Paul reminds them that we are the body of Christ. Not only are our bodies valuable because they were created for God’s glory, but as Christians we represent Christ. Your body is the Lord’s. It is a blasphemous thing to think of joining Christ with a prostitute, yet that is what a Christian with a prostitute is! Paul explains it,[16] Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, "The two shall be one flesh."

Paul is of course quoting from Genesis 2, which we usually read at marriages. But as Paul reads the text it should become clear that sex is reserved for marriage for every action of sex is the joining of two into one. There is no room for casual sex. There is no room for sleeping around. Sex is defined as the two becoming one, which is reserved for the covenant of marriage. Sex is a very special gift reserved for that marriage. That’s why we light a unity candle, to show the two becoming one, not just bodily, but in everything. Just as we are united with the Lord in our baptism, so we have become one spirit with him as Paul says.
[17] But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

Listen, this is what the Bible has to say regarding sexual ethics-
[18] Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself.
Sexual sins are not the same as other sins and this is why. For sexual sin is a misuse of the body, or a sin against your own God-given, made to glorify Him, body. And he explains why.

[19] 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?
So often the answer to this question is “no.” Apparently we don’t know. Our actions seem to say we don’t realize or don’t know what this means, but rejoice to know that you have the Holy Spirit within you. Rejoice to know that you are not your own. Rejoice to know that God is concerned for your body. He is so concerned that he sent his son to pay for you as Paul says,
[20] For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.

Your Body is the Lord’s. We were bought with the blood of Jesus, worth more than anyone could ever pay. With such a high price, we out to glorify God with our body, and our whole lives.
So often we are tempted to use this Scripture in ways it wasn’t intended, ways that I do not think would be bad. For we often draw the analogy further and say that since our body if the temple of the Holy Spirit we should defile it with alcohol, which is something that often dominates people, and I believe that is a correct statement. I believe we can also say we should not defile our temples with tobacco. Of course the list of defilements could go on, with drugs, with medications, with food, with piercings, or any of a number of things and there is probably validity to all of those. Yet the point Paul is making is of a sexual nature, and so I make the same point. Recognize that your body is the Lord’s and do not mistreat your body for some fleeting pleasure.
As we started with Samuel and Psalm, so let us finish knowing that God has created you, and your body, with a purpose. So glorify him with it.