AM July 25th 1 Cor 6

July 25^th            Our bodies dedicated to Christ

12: All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13: Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. 14: And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. 15: Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16: What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. 17: But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. 18: Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that commiteth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20: For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

Paul develops his theme of practical holiness. He says everything that is lawful for me is allowed but not everything is spiritually beneficial. Although everything is allowed there are many things that lead me into addiction. Its one thing to eat to live, but quite another to live to eat, – to be obsessed with food. Those who become addicted to things, God will destroy both them and their addiction. Our bodies are not given us to burn in the lust of fornication. They are given to us so that we might be dedicated to the Lord. And God who raised up his Son will raise us up to live holy lives for him. Don’t you realise that even your body is a member of Christ? Will you take something that is joined to Christ and join it to a prostitute? God forbid. Don’t you realise that when to have sexual relations with a prostitute you become one in flesh. But he that is united with the Lord is one in spirit. So flee fornication. All other sins are committed outside the body but fornication is a sin against ones own body. Don’t you realise that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you. And you have received the Holy Spirit from God. You do not belong to yourself. You have been purchased with a price therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, both of which belong to God. This masterly explanation of the truth of Christian holiness is the foundation of holiness in the Christian life.