THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
Don't you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? Never! And don't you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, "The two are united into one." But the person who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him. Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. Don't you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:15-20 (NLT)
God gets to say what is out of bounds when it comes to sexual ethics.
We live in a time when that statement might seem controversial. Certainly, many today believe that what they do with their body is their choice. After all, no one is getting hurt, right? Wrong. When we walk outside the prescribed parameters of God in any area of our lives, we are certainly opening ourselves up to a whole world of hurt. But when it comes to sexual ethics, it's that much more serious; as Paul tells us above, no other sin so clearly affects the body.
If we claim to follow Christ, we don't belong to ourselves. God has purchased our freedom with the precious lifeblood of His one and only Son. This means we honor Him with our thoughts, words and actions in every facet of our lives. The Gospel is transformative for this life here and now—not just in the next life.
The shifting sands of cultural position are no excuse for those who are surrendered and submitted to the Lordship of Christ to take sinful liberties with their bodies. Sex is meant to be between one man and one woman in a lifelong covenant marriage. Anything outside of those boundaries is sinful. If you're married—remain faithful. If you're single—pursue purity. Either way—we're called to honor God with our bodies.
APPLICATION: Have you stopped to consider that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit? Thank God for this now! Ask Him to reveal to you anything that might be causing you to stumble into sexual sin. Commit to His way!
PRAYER: Father, You are sovereign. You made us, and You get to establish the boundaries of what is permitted and what is not. Help us to bring our lives more fully under Your Lordship day by day. In Jesus' name, amen.
“… Our Father in heaven…” Matthew 6:9b (NLT)
- What do You want to say to me today as my Father?
“… may Your name be kept holy.” Matthew 6:9c (NLT)
- What do You want to reveal to me about Your power today?
“May Your Kingdom come soon.” Matthew 6:10a (NLT)
- Help me make Your priorities my priorities today.
“Give us today the food we need,” Matthew 6:11 (NLT)
- Is there anything specific You want me to do with my time or the people I’m around today?
“and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us” Matthew 6:12 (NLT)
- Reveal to me anyone I need to forgive or ask for forgiveness.
“And don’t let us yield to temptation…” Matthew 6:13a (NLT)
- Is there anywhere I’m vulnerable to temptation?