1 Corinthians Chapter 6
Lawsuits and Loose Living
A. Instruction Regarding Lawsuits Among Christians
1. (1 Corinthians 6:1) Paul denounces their recourse to the pagan law courts in disputes among Christians.
“Dare any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unrighteous, and not before the saints?”
Paul begins this section with language of shock and rebuke. The phrase “Dare any of you” is strong wording, revealing his deep dismay and righteous indignation. The very idea that Christians, who are indwelt by the Spirit of God, would take their disputes to secular courts rather than resolve them within the body of Christ was unthinkable to Paul. His tone communicates that such behavior was an outright contradiction to the gospel they claimed to believe.
The phrase “having a matter against another” indicates that one believer believed himself to have been wronged by another and, instead of handling the matter biblically, sought judgment in the civil courts. The local courts were a common part of Greek culture, and lawsuits were almost a form of public entertainment. Cases were often heard in the open, at the “bema seat” of the magistrate, located in the center of the marketplace. Because of this, any Christian who pursued legal action against another believer exposed the entire matter publicly, bringing shame and reproach upon the name of Christ and the witness of the church.
Paul identifies these civil judges as “the unrighteous.” The term literally means “unjust,” but in this context it carries a religious meaning, not merely a moral one. It does not imply that every Corinthian judge was corrupt or incompetent, but rather that they were outside the covenant of God and therefore not justified in His sight. Paul is essentially asking: Why would you entrust the matters of God’s people to those who do not know God, are not saved, and cannot discern truth from a biblical perspective? The implication is clear: the church, indwelt by the Spirit of God and governed by the Word of God, is infinitely more qualified to judge disputes between believers than the unsaved world.
This rebuke strikes at a deeper issue than legal disputes. It reveals how deeply the Corinthian church had allowed the culture of their city to influence them. Corinth was notorious for its moral corruption, its competitive spirit, and its obsession with reputation and public image. By resorting to secular courts, the believers demonstrated that they had adopted the world’s methods of handling conflict, rather than living out the distinct calling of the body of Christ.
Furthermore, Paul’s outrage reflects the principle that the church is called to live separately from the world’s systems when it comes to matters of morality and judgment. As later verses will show, believers will one day judge both the world and angels (1 Corinthians 6:2-3). If such a glorious future awaits the saints, then surely they are competent to settle disputes among themselves without dragging one another before unbelievers.
B. Why Christians Are Fully Capable of Judging Their Own Matters (1 Corinthians 6:2–6)
“Do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world will be judged by you, are you unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Do you not know that we shall judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? If then you have judgments concerning things pertaining to this life, do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge? I say this to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man among you, not even one, who will be able to judge between his brethren? But brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!”
Paul now gives a powerful theological foundation for why Christians must never bring their disputes before unbelievers. He begins with a series of rhetorical questions: “Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?” The future destiny of believers is one of rulership and authority with Christ. When He returns, the saints will reign with Him (Revelation 20:4), sharing in His authority over the nations. If Christians are destined to judge the world alongside their Savior, then surely they are competent to judge even the smallest matters among themselves in the present.
Even more striking is Paul’s next statement: “Do you not know that we shall judge angels?” This is one of the most astonishing revelations in the New Testament. Paul does not mean that believers will sit in judgment over faithful angels, as if we could condemn or reward them. Rather, this refers to the fallen angels, those who rebelled with Satan. Believers will share in Christ’s victory over these spiritual powers and, in some way, participate in their final judgment. This remarkable destiny highlights the exalted position that God has prepared for His redeemed people. It also sheds light on Satan’s hatred of mankind. The devil, who once held the highest angelic position, could not bear the thought of serving beings made from dust, nor could he accept that redeemed humanity would one day be raised above the angels to judge him and his followers. His rebellion was fueled by pride, and his ongoing mission is to keep as many human souls as possible from ever reaching the place where they will sit in judgment over him.
Paul then draws the obvious conclusion: “How much more, things that pertain to this life?” If Christians are appointed to so high a destiny, then how shameful it is that they cannot resolve their everyday disputes without appealing to unbelievers. The apostle exposes their inconsistency by asking: “Do you appoint those who are least esteemed by the church to judge?” The civil magistrates of Corinth, no matter their social standing, were outsiders to the faith, blind to the truth of God, and “least esteemed” from a spiritual perspective. To submit disputes between believers to their judgment was not only inappropriate, it was humiliating to the testimony of Christ.
Paul makes his rebuke plain: “I say this to your shame.” The Corinthians, who prided themselves on their supposed wisdom, were in reality acting like fools. If they were truly as wise as they claimed, surely there should have been at least one man in their midst capable of mediating disputes between brothers. Yet, as Paul laments, “brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers!” Not only were they sinning against one another, but they were also parading their conflicts before the watching world, undermining the credibility of the gospel.
It is important to note that Paul is not condemning all legal action in every context. In Acts 22:25 and Acts 25:10–11, Paul himself appealed to Roman law to protect his rights as a citizen. However, what he denounces here is believers taking other believers to court. Disputes within the family of God must be settled according to biblical principles, either through the church body or through wise Christian arbitration. To drag these matters before unbelievers is a disgrace to Christ’s name.
This passage also raises the practical question of whether Christians may pursue legal action against unbelievers. Paul does not directly address that scenario here. His focus is specifically on disputes within the church. Civil authorities, as he teaches in Romans 13:3–4, are established by God to maintain order and punish wrongdoing in criminal matters. Thus, while criminal law is rightly the jurisdiction of the state, civil disputes between believers are to be handled within the body of Christ. As one commentator rightly observed, “Those in a religious community who will not submit to a proper arbitration, made by persons among themselves, should be expelled from the Church of God.”
The larger principle is that Christians are called to live distinctly from the world, guided by the Spirit and governed by the Word. When believers take their grievances against one another into public courtrooms, they declare to the watching world that Christ is insufficient to resolve their conflicts. Such conduct betrays the very witness of the church and dishonors the Lord who has called us to peace, reconciliation, and love.
C. Paul Rebukes the Wronged Man: Why Not Accept the Wrong? (1 Corinthians 6:7)
“Now therefore, it is already an utter failure for you that you go to law against one another. Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?”
Paul now turns his focus to the one who had been wronged in the dispute. Even if the claim was legitimate, Paul declares that the very act of taking a brother to court was already a defeat. The phrase “it is already an utter failure for you” means that the Corinthian believer had lost before the trial even began, not in the legal sense, but in the spiritual sense. Regardless of the outcome in the courtroom, he had failed to honor Christ, failed to preserve the unity of the church, and failed to live out the gospel before the watching world.
The Corinthians, like many in our modern culture, were obsessed with asserting their “rights.” They viewed life through the lens of personal entitlement and public vindication. Paul exposes how contrary this mindset is to the gospel of Christ. Believers are not called to demand their rights at all costs, but to lay them down for the sake of God’s glory and the good of others. Just by taking a brother to court, they had already displayed a spiritual defeat, for they placed personal pride above the testimony of Christ.
Paul then issues a startling question: “Why do you not rather accept wrong? Why do you not rather let yourselves be cheated?” This is a radical call to self-denial, echoing the words of Christ in the Sermon on the Mount: “But I tell you not to resist an evil person. But whoever slaps you on your right cheek, turn the other to him also” (Matthew 5:39). To the natural man, this is foolishness. Yet, in the economy of God, it is far better to suffer personal loss than to damage the reputation of the gospel.
This does not mean that God ignores injustice or that wrongs will go unpunished. Paul is not advocating a blind tolerance of sin, but a willingness to endure personal offense rather than parade disputes before unbelievers. In this way, the believer demonstrates trust in God’s justice, as written in Romans 12:19: “Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, ‘Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,’ says the Lord.”
The wronged man was being asked to do something profoundly difficult: to surrender his legitimate claims for the higher cause of God’s kingdom. But Paul makes clear that no one who accepts wrong for the sake of Christ ever truly loses. What seems like a loss in this life is actually a gain in eternity. The believer who suffers unjustly and entrusts the matter to God receives His approval and eternal reward.
It is important to notice what Paul does not say. He does not advise ignoring sin altogether or allowing unchecked evil to flourish within the church. Ideally, the dispute should have been resolved through godly leadership and wise arbitration within the Christian community. But if that failed, Paul urged the wronged man to trust the matter to God rather than drag the conflict into the world’s courts. His command was not to sweep sin under the rug, but to endure personal injustice rather than dishonor Christ by publicizing Christian disputes before unbelievers.
This teaching stands as a direct challenge to the spirit of our age, where litigation is commonplace and people are quick to sue over the slightest grievance. Paul’s words remind us that the believer’s highest calling is not the defense of personal rights, but the display of Christ’s humility, forgiveness, and trust in God’s righteous judgment.
Lawsuits and Loose Living
D. Paul Rebukes the One Who Had Done Wrong: The Seriousness of Sin (1 Corinthians 6:8–11)
“No, you yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren! 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 homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
Paul does not only address the one who was wronged, he now directly rebukes the man who had done the wrong. He begins with a stinging accusation: “You yourselves do wrong and cheat, and you do these things to your brethren!” The fact that one believer would defraud another was shocking enough, but that it happened within the family of God made the offense even more grievous. Dishonesty and cheating have no place in the Christian life, and when practiced against fellow believers, they destroy trust, weaken fellowship, and bring reproach on the name of Christ. Many outsiders have rejected the church not because of the gospel itself, but because of hypocrisy and dishonesty within the community of believers.
Paul presses the matter further: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?” To cheat a brother is not a trivial matter; it aligns a person with those who are outside the kingdom. Paul warns the offender that his behavior places him in the same category as those whose lives are marked by habitual sin. This does not mean that Paul is categorically denying the man’s salvation, for he addresses him as a brother. But it does mean that a professing believer who continually cheats and defrauds others without repentance gives reason to question the reality of his faith. As James 2:17 says, “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
Paul then provides a sobering list of sins that characterize the unrighteous: fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, homosexuals, sodomites, thieves, covetous, drunkards, revilers, and extortioners. These are not occasional stumblings, but patterns of life that define the unrepentant. Those who persist in such lifestyles will not inherit the kingdom of God. The offender in Corinth needed to see that his sin of cheating a brother was not “less serious” than these others. All sin that dominates and characterizes a life is a mark of separation from God.
Paul specifically includes homosexuals and sodomites in his list, using two Greek terms: malakoi (“effeminate,” often referring to passive male prostitutes) and arsenokoitai (“sodomites,” a broader word for all homosexual practices). Some modern interpreters attempt to restrict these terms to exploitative relationships or prostitution, but the context allows no such limitation. Paul condemns all homosexual acts. The Corinthian culture, much like our own, openly celebrated such practices. Nero himself, emperor at the time Paul wrote, castrated a boy named Sporus, married him with a full ceremony, and treated him as a wife. Later, Nero played the opposite role and was himself declared another man’s “wife.” Homosexuality was not hidden but rampant. Yet Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declared it sin alongside idolatry, fornication, theft, drunkenness, and greed. Importantly, he does not single it out as worse than the others; all are equally damning when they characterize a life.
The apostle then shifts from rebuke to glorious hope: “And such were some of you.” This past-tense description is key. The Corinthian church had been filled with people from these very backgrounds, but the gospel had transformed them. Believers must never be proud or unloving toward those trapped in sin, for they themselves once stood in the same condition. The difference now is that they have been redeemed. Paul reminds them of the great work of God: “But you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God.”
You were washed: Through the blood of Christ, believers are cleansed from sin (Titus 3:5; Acts 22:16; Revelation 1:5). Their guilt has been removed, and their lives made new.
You were sanctified: Set apart from the world and unto God, believers are made holy through Christ’s sacrifice and the ongoing work of the Spirit (Hebrews 10:10; John 17:19).
You were justified: Declared righteous in God’s courtroom, not simply pardoned but counted as just before Him, through faith in Christ and His finished work (Romans 3:24, 28).
This threefold declaration summarizes the believer’s salvation: cleansed from sin, set apart for God, and declared righteous before Him. The power of the gospel is such that God takes those once dominated by sin and transforms them into trophies of His grace.
Finally, Paul anchors this work in the Triune God: it is in the name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God. Without attempting to construct a doctrinal statement, Paul naturally references the Father, Son, and Spirit working in harmony for the salvation of His people. This reminds the Corinthians, and us, that salvation is entirely the work of God from beginning to end.
Instruction Regarding Sexual Purity
A Principle for Sexual Purity Among Christians (1 Corinthians 6:12)
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.”
Paul begins this section with a principle that strikes at the heart of Christian liberty. Twice he repeats the phrase “All things are lawful for me.” This was likely a slogan he had previously taught, emphasizing freedom from the ceremonial laws of the Old Covenant and from the traditions of men. As he told the Colossians, “So let no one judge you in food or in drink, or regarding a festival or a new moon or sabbaths, which are a shadow of things to come, but the substance is of Christ” (Colossians 2:16–17). The believer in Christ is free from legalistic restrictions, but that freedom is never to be twisted into a license for sin.
The Corinthian church, immersed in a culture where sexual immorality was normalized and even celebrated, had taken Paul’s teaching on liberty and misapplied it to justify their indulgence. They reasoned that if they were free in Christ, then visiting prostitutes and participating in sexual practices common in Corinthian society was permissible. After all, prostitution was not only socially accepted but also religiously incorporated into pagan temple rituals. Yet Paul firmly corrects this distortion: Christian liberty is never a cloak for evil.
The apostle clarifies with two guiding principles. First, “All things are not helpful.” Even if something is technically permissible, it may not be beneficial. Christian conduct is not measured merely by what is allowed, but by what is edifying and conducive to holiness. Liberty must be guided by love, both for God and for others. As Paul later writes, “All things are lawful for me, but not all things edify. Let no one seek his own, but each one the other’s well-being” (1 Corinthians 10:23–24).
Second, Paul declares, “I will not be brought under the power of any.” True freedom in Christ is never bondage. When a believer allows sinful habits or fleshly appetites to control him, he is no longer exercising liberty but is enslaved. Paul uses the same word for “authority” in 1 Corinthians 7:4 when speaking of the mutual authority of husband and wife over each other’s bodies. Here, he insists that he will not surrender his body to the control of sinful passions or to the body of a prostitute. The irony is that those who claim to be “free” in their sin are in fact enslaved by it (John 8:34).
This principle exposes the danger of the Corinthian mindset, which is alive and well today: the idea that Christian liberty gives permission to indulge the flesh. But Paul insists that liberty is bounded by holiness. The believer must constantly ask, not “Is this allowed?” but rather “Is this beneficial? Does this glorify Christ? Does this enslave me?” A life dominated by sexual immorality or addiction to sinful pleasures is not a life of freedom, but one of spiritual bondage.
A Principle for Sexual Purity Among Christians: Appetites for Food and Sex Are Not the Same (1 Corinthians 6:13–14)
“Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.”
The Corinthian Christians had adopted a slogan: “Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods.” They were using this motto to justify giving their bodies whatever their appetites demanded. Their reasoning was simple: “My body craves food, so I eat. My body craves sex, so I hire a prostitute. What’s the difference?” In a city like Corinth, where temple prostitution and sexual indulgence were normalized, this philosophy fit neatly with the culture. But Paul sharply rejects this twisted logic.
Paul explains that while the body does indeed have appetites, not all appetites are the same. Food and sex are not morally equivalent. God designed the stomach and food for a temporary function in this life, and one day both will be destroyed, meaning that our dependence on food and hunger will end. But the human body itself has a higher purpose. He declares: “Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” The body is not a plaything for indulgence, nor a container for sinful lusts, but a temple designed for the glory of God.
Because of human lusts, it may seem as though our bodies were made for sexual immorality. Sinful culture reinforces this lie, portraying sexual indulgence as natural and harmless. But Scripture is clear: God did not create our bodies for fornication or prostitution. That corruption entered through Adam’s fall. When the body is used outside of God’s design for marriage, it suffers consequences—unplanned pregnancies, broken relationships, guilt, and sexually transmitted diseases are just some of the scars of misusing the body. These are not random accidents but the fruit of ignoring God’s design. The body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and in His wisdom, God has revealed that true purity preserves both body and soul.
Paul further grounds this principle in the resurrection: “And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.” Our bodies are not temporary shells to be discarded but are destined for resurrection. Just as God raised Jesus Christ from the dead in a glorified body, so He will raise our bodies by His power. This reality dignifies the human body, making it sacred. Therefore, what we do in and with our bodies now matters for eternity. The body is not morally neutral; it is the dwelling place of God’s Spirit, created for His glory and destined for resurrection.
This truth completely undermines the Corinthian misuse of slogans. Eating food satisfies a temporary appetite, but sexual immorality defiles the body that God Himself has redeemed and will one day glorify. The believer must therefore treat the body not as a tool for indulgence, but as a vessel belonging to the Lord.
Our Bodies Are Members of Christ and Must Not Be Joined to a Prostitute (1 Corinthians 6:15–17)
“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot? Certainly not! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For ‘the two,’ He says, ‘shall become one flesh.’ But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”
Paul drives his point home with another rhetorical question: “Do you not know?” This repeated phrase throughout the letter reveals how shockingly ignorant the Corinthians were about the seriousness of sexual sin. Many of them apparently believed that visiting prostitutes had no bearing on their relationship with Christ, as though their physical acts were somehow disconnected from their spiritual identity. Paul utterly rejects this false separation.
He reminds them: “Your bodies are members of Christ.” This is not mere metaphor, but a profound spiritual reality. When a person comes to Christ in faith, he is united to Him by the Holy Spirit. Every believer becomes a member of Christ’s body (1 Corinthians 12:27). Therefore, when one commits sexual immorality, he drags Christ’s holy body into union with sin. This is not only a personal failure, but a disgrace to the whole body of Christ, for the believer does not belong to himself but to his Lord.
Paul then quotes Genesis 2:24: “For the two shall become one flesh.” God designed sexual intimacy within marriage to be a covenantal union blessed by Him. In this act, husband and wife become “one flesh” in a sacred, God-ordained bond. But when sexual intimacy occurs outside of marriage, the same one-flesh reality still takes place, only now it is under God’s curse rather than His blessing. The act of joining with a prostitute is not neutral or casual—it is a spiritual and physical union that distorts God’s design.
This strikes at the heart of the Corinthian misconception of “casual sex.” Paul reveals that there is no such thing. Every sexual act unites two persons in a profound way, leaving a permanent impact. A man who seeks temporary pleasure may not intend to become one flesh with his partner, but in God’s design, that is exactly what happens. In the process, part of himself is given away, diminishing what he can later give to his spouse and, more importantly, to the Lord.
Paul makes the theological reality clear: “Since we belong to Jesus—body, soul, and spirit—we have no right to give any part of ourselves away to an unauthorized person.” To join one’s body to a prostitute is to place oneself under her unlawful dominion, instead of recognizing Christ as Lord. One commentator rightly observed that sex outside of marriage is like robbing a bank—you may take something, but it is not yours, and one day the crime will be judged. In contrast, sex within marriage is like depositing money in a bank—it is safe, secure, and brings dividends of intimacy, trust, and blessing.
Finally, Paul contrasts sexual immorality with the believer’s highest union: “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.” In Christ, the believer experiences true love, acceptance, and satisfaction. What many seek in lustful passion—belonging, intimacy, and fulfillment—is found far more completely in spiritual union with Christ. To trade this holy oneness for the cheap counterfeit of immorality is not only foolish but tragic.
A Command for Sexual Purity Among Christians: Flee Sexual Immorality (1 Corinthians 6:18)
“Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.”
Paul’s command is short, sharp, and urgent: “Flee sexual immorality.” He does not tell believers to reason with temptation or to see how close they can get without falling. Instead, the word flee implies immediate flight, like a soldier retreating from overwhelming danger. Many Christians stumble because they underestimate the power of lust or foolishly attempt to “test” themselves. Paul gives no room for compromise—the only safe response to sexual immorality is to run from it.
The example of Joseph provides a model for this command. When tempted by Potiphar’s wife, Joseph did not linger, argue, or test his resolve. Instead, he fled, even though it cost him his position, his reputation, and his freedom (Genesis 39:7–21). His actions illustrate the wisdom of Paul’s command: when confronted with sexual temptation, delay is deadly. As one commentator put it, “Some sins, or solicitations to sin, may be reasoned with; in the above cases, if you parley you are undone; reason not, but FLY!”
Paul is clear that he is not condemning sex itself. “Flee sexual immorality” does not mean “flee sex.” God created sex as a holy and precious gift, designed to bond husband and wife in the covenant of marriage. As Hebrews 13:4 declares, “Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” Within marriage, sexual intimacy is pure, good, and glorifying to God. But outside of marriage, sexual activity works against His design. It may bring excitement, but it cannot bring lasting enrichment or blessing.
The Greek word Paul uses, porneia, covers a wide range of sexual sins. It includes not only fornication and adultery but also any kind of sexual gratification outside of the marriage covenant. To flee sexual immorality, therefore, means avoiding far more than physical intercourse with someone other than one’s spouse. It includes avoiding sexual activity that falls short of intercourse, such as inappropriate touching, sexting, or pornography. In our day, this includes internet pornography, explicit movies, magazines, and even books that feed lustful imaginations. The believer must treat all such avenues of temptation as spiritually toxic and flee from them.
Paul adds a striking explanation: “Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.” This does not mean sexual sin is the worst of all sins, but that it has a unique effect. While other sins certainly defile and destroy, sexual sin strikes at the very core of one’s personhood, because it abuses the body, which is both the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and a member of Christ. Its effects are physical, emotional, moral, and spiritual. Unlike other sins, it unites the body—intended for Christ—with immorality, leaving lasting scars that affect both the individual and their future relationships.
This is why Paul’s command is not to argue or to resist slowly, but to flee without hesitation. The Christian’s body is not his own; it belongs to the Lord. To misuse it in sexual immorality is to sin not only against God and against others, but also against oneself.
A Principle and a Command for Sexual Purity: Glorify God in Your Body (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
Paul concludes his argument on sexual purity with one of the most profound truths in all of Scripture: the believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. A temple is a sacred place, set apart for God’s presence and worship. Just as the temple in Jerusalem was not to be defiled, so too the Christian’s body must be kept pure, because God Himself dwells there. To commit sexual immorality, therefore, is to desecrate God’s dwelling place.
Earlier, Paul had written in 1 Corinthians 3:16, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” In that passage, the “you” is plural, referring to the church collectively as God’s temple. Here, however, Paul applies the same truth to each individual believer: “your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you.” This is deeply personal. Every Christian carries the indwelling presence of God, and this reality must radically shape how we live in our bodies.
Paul continues: “And you are not your own. For you were bought at a price.” This truth demolishes the worldly idea of autonomy, that “my body belongs to me and I can do what I want with it.” For the Christian, the opposite is true. Our bodies do not belong to us; they belong to Christ, who purchased us with His own blood. As Peter writes, “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” (1 Peter 1:18–19). To treat our bodies as if they were our own possession is to deny the costly price of Calvary.
Paul’s principle applies most directly to sexual conduct, but it also extends to every area of life. Since our bodies belong to God, we have no right to abuse them, neglect them, or use them in ways that dishonor Him. They are not to be wasted in idleness or surrendered to sinful appetites, but to be employed in service to Christ. Charles Spurgeon vividly remarked, “Your body was a willing horse when it was in the service of the devil, let it not be a sluggish hack now that it draws the chariot of Christ.” If we once gave our strength, time, and energy to sin, how much more should we now devote them to righteousness.
This truth also demolishes any notion that the devil or demons can take possession of the believer’s body. Since the body is Christ’s purchased possession and the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, it is not “sublet” to evil spirits. Believers may be tempted and harassed, but they cannot be indwelt by demons. Christ is the rightful owner, and the Spirit secures His possession.
Finally, Paul concludes with the command: “Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Some of the earliest manuscripts end the sentence simply with “glorify God in your body,” and the phrase “and in your spirit” may have been a later addition by a scribe who felt uncomfortable with such a physical emphasis. Yet this makes Paul’s point all the more striking: God is not only concerned with the spiritual, but also with the physical. Harry Ironside captured the thought well: “Glorify God in your body and the spiritual side will take care of itself.”
The Christian life is not lived in some vague spiritual realm detached from the body. It is lived in real, physical bodies, and how we use them matters eternally. Since we belong to Christ—body, soul, and spirit—we must glorify Him in all things, especially in matters of sexual purity.
