Down to Earth But Heavenly Minded

What does 1st Corinthians Chapter 6 mean?

The church in Corinth suffered from serious issues, which Paul set out to address in his letter. Earlier chapters dealt with problems such as divisive factions or tolerance for extreme sin. He confronts two additional issues in 1 Corinthians chapter 6.

First, it seems at least one pair of the Corinthian Christians were involved in a lawsuit against each other over a minor dispute. Paul is outraged by this. His main objection is that two brothers in Christ would choose to willingly submit to the judgment of a secular government court. Paul describes the judges involved as unrighteous and with no standing in the church (1 Corinthians 6:1–2).

Paul is not saying Christians should never be under the authority of secular government, nor ever appear in court. He teaches clearly in Romans that Christians must submit to government authorities. These exist, in part, to punish those who commit crimes—their purpose is to counteract human sin. Nor is Paul indicating that heinous crimes, gross violations, or other terrible acts ought not to be taken to government authorities. On the contrary, prosecuting heinous sins like violence, molestation, or abuse are precisely the reason God-ordained government exists.

Instead, Paul specifically condemns these Corinthians for voluntarily going to court over a minor issue. For something “trivial,” the church should be fully capable of judging and resolving a dispute between brothers in Christ. After all, Paul says, those in Christ will one day judge the world and angels. Instead of going to court before unbelievers, it would be less of a defeat to just live with being wronged or defrauded. It is shameful to see brothers or sisters in Christ cheating one another (1 Corinthians 6:3–8).

Paul reminds the Corinthians they are not like those outside of the church. The wicked or unrighteous will not inherit God’s kingdom. They will not share in God’s glory forever. The unrighteous are labeled by their sinful activities: sexual immorality, idol worship, adultery, practicing homosexuality, stealing, greed, regular drunkenness, and spewing angry insults (1 Corinthians 6:9–10).

Some of the Corinthians in the church carried these labels at one time, but then they came to faith in Christ and a transformation took place. Any and all sins are forgiven for those who trust in the Savior. This is what has happened for the believers in Corinth: the label was removed because it was not who they were any more. They were washed, sanctified, and justified. Clearly, some of those sinful activities continued to be an issue in the church, but they now carried the identity of Christ and shared a destiny with Him. Paul is urging them to live up to that new identity and not down to the standards of their culture (1 Corinthians 9:11).

Next, Paul corrects some wrong thinking among the Corinthian Christians about participating in sexual immorality.

Sexual activity of all kinds was common in the Greek and Roman culture of Corinth. It’s not surprising to think that even believers in Jesus had a difficult time seeing sexual immorality as a serious issue. Arguments in favor of unregulated sex outside of marriage seem to have included three wrongheaded ideas. First, that nothing is sinful for Christians because we are not under the law. Second, that sexual desire is just like any other human appetite, and the most natural thing to do when we are hungry is to eat. Third, since the spirit lives forever, what we do with our mortal bodies doesn’t really matter.

Paul confronts each argument. First, the standard for believers should not be whether something is “unlawful,” in the sense of being overtly condemned, but whether it is “helpful” and whether it destroys our self-control. Second, sex is far more than just another appetite or bodily function. Those who have sex, even with a prostitute, become “one body” with their partner both physically and spiritually. God designed sex to work exactly that way within marriage. Third, what a Christian does with his or her body matters because we will be resurrected from the dead just as Jesus was. More than that, our bodies belong to God and are meant for Jesus just as He is meant for us. To join our bodies in sex with, say, a prostitute, is to join Jesus with that prostitute (1 Corinthians 6:12–19).

Instead of practicing sexual immorality, Christians must run from it and run towards opportunities to glorify God with their bodies (1 Corinthians 6:20).

Chapter Context
Paul confronts two major issues happening in the church at Corinth. First, he is outraged that one of them has brought a lawsuit against a brother in Christ over a minor dispute. It is absurd to think that Christians—those who will judge the world and angels—cannot even judge a small matter between themselves. Second, Paul warns his readers to run from sexual immorality. Sex creates a powerful bond intended only for marriage. Since our bodies belong to and are part of Christ, we have no right to bring Him into a one-body union with someone to whom we’re not married.

Verse by Verse

Verse 1. When one of you has a grievance against another, does he dare go to law before the unrighteous instead of the saints?

Paul launches into a new example of the pride and arrogance of the Christians in the church at Corinth. Apparently, at least one of them had sued another member of the church in a secular, civil court over some disagreement. Paul is outraged over this.

Participating in competitive lawsuits was a common and frequent practice in that era. It was not always a fair one. The wealthy or well-connected in the community had an advantage over others. Bribery of judges and jurors was common. In almost all cases, the two parties would attack each other’s character as well as arguing for the rightness of their position. Inevitably, those suing and being sued would become social enemies.

The following verses show that Paul considers it a tragedy that fellow believers in Christ would put themselves in such a position. It’s shameful for brothers and sisters in Christ to appeal to unrighteous, non-believing judges instead of fellow born-again Christians.

Paul’s use of the term “unrighteous” here has two implications. Primarily, he means these secular authorities are not Christians and have not been made righteous by the blood of Christ. In many cases, these Roman judges were also corrupt, and part of the rampant unfairness associated with civil courts of the day. Paul, himself, had been dragged, literally, before a court in Corinth by the Jewish religious leaders (Acts 18:12–17). That turned out better for him than most of his appearances before Roman judges did.

Paul is not teaching that a Christian should never submit to the authority of a human court. He teaches the opposite of that in Romans 13:1. Christians live under the laws of the land. These verses are about a civil lawsuit, not a criminal case. Nor does he mean Christians can never, under any circumstances, go to court against a person claiming to be a believer—his remark about “trivial cases” in the next verse implies that some issues might need the involvement of a court. For example, if a church member or official is involved in abuse or criminal activity, those actions are absolutely not “protected” by this admonition.

Context Summary
First Corinthians 6:1–11 details Paul’s objections to Christians taking another to secular court over a minor issue. Believers will one day judge the world and angels. They should be able to judge small disputes amongst themselves. It would be better for a believer to be defrauded than to ask unbelievers to settle an argument between brothers in Christ. After all, unbelievers will not inherit God’s kingdom. They are known by all the sins they do. Christians, though, have been cleansed from those sins and are now known only as belonging to Christ. This passage includes a passionate, powerful reminder that no person’s sins are beyond Christ’s power to forgive.

Verse 2. Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases?

Paul has raised another issue that demonstrates how—and perhaps why—the Corinthian church is divided into factions (1 Corinthians 1:11–12). Paul is concerned over members taking one another to secular court over a minor dispute. In fact, Paul is outraged by this. The secular Roman courts of that era grossly tipped in favor of the rich and powerful. Proceedings relied heavily on bitter attacks on the personal character of both parties to try to win a favorable verdict.

Paul now asks the first of several “do you not know” questions found in this chapter. Perhaps he has previously taught the believers in Corinth that the saints will, at the end times, serve as judges of those who are in the world. Paul does not stop to explain this powerful idea, and the Bible doesn’t provide much detail about how those who are in Christ on this side of eternity will judge those who are not. In Revelation 2:25–26, Christ is quoted as saying that those who conquer and keep His word to the end will be given a share of His authority over the nations and rule over them.

Whatever that will look like, Paul’s point here is that the Corinthian Christians are living as if this was not their destiny. They are acting as if they are incompetent to judge the smallest issue! If they understood that in Christ they would be the ultimate judges of the world, would they be taking each other to court to be judged by the world (1 Corinthians 2:14–15)?

Paul asks if it is an issue of competence or ability. If Christ will give to them such grand authority over others in eternity, shouldn’t they be able right now to demonstrate the ability to serve as judges of “trivial” issues between themselves? This phrasing leaves open the possibility that Paul is not condemning court involvement in major problems, which might require the involvement of government.

As he does throughout this letter, Paul will urge these Christians to stop living as if they are merely citizens of their culture and to live up to who they are in Christ right now and who they will be in Christ forever.

Verse 3. Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!

In the previous verse, Paul mentioned a startling idea. Apparently, this is one he had previously taught to the Corinthians. In the end times, the saints—meaning all who are saved, those in Christ—will judge the world—meaning those who are not saved, not in Christ. Now he adds to that an even more startling fact: We Christians will also judge angels.

The Bible is not entirely clear about what form this judgment by the saints over the world and the angels will take. This does not likely mean deciding the ultimate fate of these beings (Matthew 25:41). More likely, is it about taking positions of authority over them (Revelation 2:25–26). Are the angels Paul mentions here fallen angels, demons, who will face Christ’s judgment in the end (2 Peter 2:4; Jude 1:6) or the un-fallen angels who still serve God?

Whatever the case, those who are in Christ will share His authority and participate in His judgment somehow. That is our destiny. The details of that role are beside the point Paul makes here: if this is their ultimate future, shouldn’t the Corinthians be able to settle minor disputes among themselves in the present? Why ask divisive, unfair secular courts to judge believers, when believers will one day judge the world and angels (1 Corinthians 2:14–15)?

Paul will continue to urge the Corinthians to live up to who they are in Christ instead of living down to the standards of their pagan culture.

Verse 4. So if you have such cases, why do you lay them before those who have no standing in the church?

Paul is addressing a group of Christians: the church in Corinth. He has identified a root problem for them, born out of their wealth and self-reliance. They are proud and arrogant. That has led them to become divided into factions and to ignore serious sin among them (1 Corinthians 1:11–12; 5:1–2).

Now Paul is addressing another result of their selfishness: in at least one case, a member of the congregation has taken another to a secular Roman court over a minor dispute. Paul has made clear that believers ought to be capable of settling such disputes within the church. There is no legitimate reason for brothers and sisters in Christ to submit minor issues to the judgment of unspiritual people (1 Corinthians 2:14–15). Instead of taking trivial matters to those who are not in Christ, such disputes ought to be settled “in-house” among fellow Christians. Paul will write in the following verse that the Corinthians should be ashamed of making this mistake.

Does this mean no Christian should ever sue another, for any reason? Some Bible teachers have reached this conclusion. Most, however, take Paul’s reference to “trivial cases” (1 Corinthians 6:2) to imply that secular courts ought only be used as a last resort. In extreme cases, or where one party or the other is living in open rebellion against Christ, involvement of government and secular court might be justified.

Whatever the issue was in this civil case in Corinth, Paul insists that both parties and the rest of the church should have been able to resolve it together instead of taking it outside the church to pagan, un-spiritual Roman judges.

Verse 5. I say this to your shame. Can it be that there is no one among you wise enough to settle a dispute between the brothers,

Paul is outraged that the church in Corinth has allowed minor disputes between members to be taken before a secular, un-spiritual Roman court (1 Corinthians 2:14–15). He is very clear: the Corinthians should be ashamed about this. The following verses will indicate that going to an outside court is already a spiritual defeat.

The question asked here is pointed, and cutting: is there nobody in the church wise enough to settle a “trivial” dispute between brothers (1 Corinthians 6:2)? It’s not that fellow believers can never be in conflict. We are human and limited, so we will disagree from time to time. Paul’s expectation for those in Christ is to resolve those conflicts as people who are in Christ. Others within the church ought to help them do that.

Proper resolution of minor disputes requires two things, however, that the Corinthians had not been practicing. It requires humility on the part of those involved in the conflict. They must be willing to voluntarily submit to a decision made by others in the church. It also requires a willingness of fellow believers to take responsibility by helping resolve conflicts, and holding each other to the standards of Christ.

Paul may have been referring to a very specific case here. Or, this might have been a pattern for the church in Corinth. Either way, he made clear his concern is over a minor dispute between Christians (1 Corinthians 6:2). This teaching does not imply that Christians should never submit to the authority of secular governments or laws. Scripture teaches the opposite of that in Romans 13:1. Christians live under the law of the land.

In addition, most interpreters do not read this passage to imply that Christians should never sue each other for any reason. This is especially true in serious, non-“trivial” cases, where one is living in open rebellion to Christ or the issue at hand is catastrophic.

The point, in brief, is that those in Christ should take mutual responsibility for settling conflict. We ought to demonstrate the humility needed to settle civil—not criminal—disputes between one another, rather than submitting to the judgment of those who are in no place to make such decisions (1 Corinthians 2:14–15).

Verse 6. but brother goes to law against brother, and that before unbelievers?

Starting in verse 5, Paul seems bewildered that the problem at hand is even happening. He is dismayed that brothers in Christ would choose to take a minor dispute before a secular court, rather than be judged among those who are in Christ (1 Corinthians 2:14–15; 6:1–4).

He doesn’t say it outright, but perhaps Paul is also concerned for what such lawsuits will do to Christ’s reputation in the culture (1 Peter 2:12). What message does it send to unbelievers, when Christ appears to have made little impact on those who follow Him? How degrading is it to the Holy Spirit to suggest that born-again believers can’t resolve a minor dispute among themselves? What kind of ammunition does this give to those who are opposed to the gospel of Jesus to slander the church?

Instead of focusing on that angle, Paul seems most concerned with the hard and indifferent hearts of the Christians in Corinth. By taking each other to court over a trivial matter, they fail to treat each other as brothers and sisters in Christ. In this and other ways, the Corinthians live as those belonging to their culture, more than those who belong to Christ.

The teaching here is not that Christians should not submit to the authority of a secular court. Romans 13:1 teaches believers to submit to the authority of human governments. Also, the concerning event here is not a criminal case or an instance of some gross misconduct. Earlier verses characterized what Paul criticizes as “trivial cases.” In civil and minor disagreements, it’s shameful for Christians to voluntarily be judged by unbelievers over a minor dispute. Rather, such matters should always be mutually resolved within the church.

Verse 7. To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded?

Paul has been clear that Christians must not take each other to secular court over minor disputes. His concern is not over blatant criminal actions or gross felonies (1 Corinthians 6:1–2). Rather, his concern is that believers not subject themselves to the judgments of unspiritual people (1 Corinthians 2:14–15), when believers are destined to judge even the angels (1 Corinthians 6:3)! He is also, likely, concerned over the damage such petty lawsuits can do to the name of Christ (1 Peter 2:12). Unless the concern is overtly criminal or heinous (Romans 13:1), believers should not involve secular judgment.

That leads to an important question: what if the issues fits the “trivial” description, but the other party is not willing to come to a reasonable agreement with the help of wise people in the church? Paul gives a simple answer: lose.

The reason for this relates to what Paul has already said about dragging fellow Christians into a secular court. For believers who are supposed to be indwelt by the Holy Spirit, the very act of doing battle in a secular court over a minor dispute is already a defeat. Whomever “wins,” both lose in any way which really matters. Worse, the reputation of the church and of Christ Himself will be damaged in the surrounding community. Even worse, both parties will have demonstrated how little value they place on Christ’s commands to love and serve one another.

So, Paul writes, why not lose one battle instead of both? Why not willingly suffer whatever injustice is at hand? Why not be cheated for the cause of Christ (2 Corinthians 12:10) instead of squabbling to get what is rightfully coming to you? This would be a far better outcome for everyone involved, including the “loser.”

Paul’s teaching here is hard to take. It grinds against our sense of fairness and justice. All the same, it is a direct application of the teaching and example of Christ. He scandalized those following Him by telling them not to retaliate when they were wronged, and to love their enemies (Matthew 5:38–48), then He did exactly that at the crucifixion.

It’s not unreasonable to expect better treatment from fellow believers than from our spiritual “enemies.” Yet, it is essential that we love each other and trust God to provide justice for us. That is far more valuable and beneficial than going to battle before secular judges to try to get it for ourselves.

We should keep in mind that Paul is writing about a presumably minor dispute, such as a civil case (1 Corinthians 6:2). He’s not prohibiting the involvement of government or courts in cases of gross violation, wrongdoing, or crime. Scripture clearly teaches Christians to submit to human authorities (Romans 13:1). We are neither permitted nor allowed to hide sinful criminal activity from the secular world.

Verse 8. But you yourselves wrong and defraud — even your own brothers!

Paul has been painfully clear about the balance between “winning” and “doing the right thing.” It is far better to lose—to suffer wrong, to be cheated by a brother in Christ—than to take that brother to a secular court over a minor dispute. To engage in such a lawsuit means abdicating judgment to those who don’t understand spiritual things (1 Corinthians 2:14–15). Christians involved in civil lawsuits against each other have already lost before the case is even heard. The fact that neither of them followed Jesus’ example of humility and self-sacrifice and suffering for the sake of their brother or sister in Christ is the real defeat.

It’s even worse than that, though. It’s not just that one or the other was willing to suffer loss in this minor dispute for the greater good of Christ, the church, and the other person. The truth is that one of them was willing to do wrong to and cheat their brother in Christ in the first place.

It’s important to remember Paul is describing a civil issue, not a criminal case. He referred to inappropriate disputes as “trivial cases” (1 Corinthians 6:2). This passage does not teach Christians to reject legitimate use of secular courts. Paul believed the opposite was true (Romans 13:1). Christians guilty of harming each other in violation of criminal law are accountable to secular judgment. So are those who commit serious violations or acts of malice. That was not the issue here, in the situations Paul describes.

In many ways, the Christians in Corinth were living like pagans and not as Christians. The standards of Greek and Roman culture in Corinth allowed for cheating others in business, if you could get away with it. It meant dragging them to civil court and employing personal attacks and unfair influence if you didn’t get away with it. This was especially true if you were wealthy and powerful and your opponent was not.

Paul expresses his deep frustration that the Christians in Corinth were not living out the truth of the gospel of Jesus that they had sincerely believed.

Verse 9. Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality,

Between here and verse 11, Paul makes it clear that how one lives reflects their relationship with Christ. At the same time, the gospel offers forgiveness and salvation to absolutely anyone willing to come to God in faith. Paul also makes a reference to sexual sins which modern interpreters sometimes attempt to ignore.

The idea of inheriting the kingdom of God or inheriting eternal life came out of the Jewish culture of the day. Jesus talked about it quite a bit (Luke 10:25; 18:18). The inheritance of a kingdom is not earned; it is passed on to the children of the king. Those who inherit God’s kingdom are also receiving eternal life with Him in His glory forever.

Paul asks another “do you not know” question to remind the Corinthian Christians. This one reminds them of one group who will not inherit God’s kingdom: the unrighteous—or the wicked, the wrongdoers. In Romans, Paul’s clear teaching of the gospel is this: Only those who come to God through faith in Jesus are declared by God to be righteous (Romans 3:21–26). Only they will inherit God’s kingdom.

Paul provides examples of those who are unrighteous, identifying them by the sins they embrace. Most of these practices would have been common in the Greek and Roman culture of the day. They include sexual immorality, meaning every kind of sex outside of heterosexual marriage, idol worship, adultery, meaning sex with another’s spouse, and homosexual acts.

The words translated as “practice homosexuality” in the ESV include two Greek words: malakoi and arsenokoitai. Respectively, these indicate the passive and active participants in same-sex sexual behaviors. Translations such as the KJV, NASB, and NLT translate these as entirely separate expressions of sexual sin. Some recent re-interpretations claim these words refer only to homosexual prostitution or homosexual sex with children. Such a claim does not fit with consistent translation practices, the context of this passage, the universal interpretation of the passage for thousands of years, or with Paul’s other teaching on the subject, such as Romans 1:26–27. In short, this is one of the New Testament’s clear indications that homosexual actions—not temptations themselves, but behaviors—are deeply and unmistakably sinful. Embracing such behavior shows a deep rejection of God, just as much as would idolatry or cheating in business.

Paul will expand this list of Christ-denying actions in the following verse.

In verse 11, however, Paul will explain that those identifying labels are removed when a person comes to faith in Christ and is declared righteous by God. A person forgiven in Christ defines those sins as “past tense.” They do not define who they are, or will be. Paul has made it clear that his target audience are born-again believers (1 Corinthians 1:2, 9). Some of them used to be known by these labels because of their sin. But that is not who they are any longer. Now, they are in Christ. As such, they must stop participating in any of these sins.

Verse 10. nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.

Paul continues to list examples of sins common in that era, which should be absent from the lives of those who are born-again believers. More specifically, Paul is describing people by labeling them with the sins they commonly practice. The prior verse included sexual sins such as adultery and homosexuality, and idolatry.

The list also includes thieves, greedy people, those who are regularly drunk, those who revile or insult others, and swindlers or con artists. It should be noted that Paul does not rank these sins. Living as a greedy person or a drunkard is given equal weight as practicing homosexuality or worshiping idols. All were common lifestyles in Paul’s day, and his point is that none should be common among Christians in the church.

Paul repeats his declaration from the last verse: Those who carry the identity of practicing these specific sins will not inherit God’s kingdom. That point is not that those are unforgivable sins—on the contrary, the very next verse will point out that many in the Corinthian church had been freed from those behaviors. Rather, such actions are deeply, fundamentally opposed to the nature of God. Those who persist in them, or embrace them, show they are not submissive to the will of God. That’s the sign of an unbeliever.

So, who will inherit God’s kingdom? Only God’s children. Who are God’s children? Only those who have come to God through faith in Christ, declared righteous by His grace despite their sinful practices (John 1:12; Romans 3:21–26).

The Bible makes clear, in the following verse, these labels—homosexual, drunkard, thief, adulterer, idolater, swindler— are removed from those who trust in Christ. Being born again means receiving a new identity (John 3:3). As believers, we are no longer “identified” as corrupt people defined by those crimes. Because of that, Paul urges the Corinthians to stop practicing any of these sins.

Verse 11. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

Paul has listed multiple examples of sinful lifestyles, insisting that nobody identified by them will inherit God’s kingdom. That list included the sexually immoral, idol worshipers, adulterers, those who practice homosexuality, thieves, the greedy, drunkards, revilers (angry insulters), and swindlers who cheat people out of money. The point is not that such things are unforgivable, as this very verse disproves. Rather, those who embrace such acts demonstrate a deep rejection of God and His will. Those who persist in such sins are proving they want nothing to do with God.

Now Paul says something convicting to the believers at Corinth: some of you were “those” people. You did those things. Because of that, you did not deserve to inherit God’s kingdom and share in His glory forever. You deserved to be separated from God. In truth, this could be said of every person who has ever lived. Our specific sinful actions may not be the same, but our sin caused every one of us to fall short of God’s glory (Romans 3:23). We were dead in our sin and, by nature, were objects of God’s eternal wrath (Ephesians 2:3).

Paul immediately shifts to encouragement and love, however. For the believers at Corinth, as for all Christians, something dramatic changed when we came to God through faith in Christ. He declared us righteous and welcomed us into His family as His children. He made us heirs to His glory (Romans 3:21–26).

Sinful practices define the life and nature of the non-believer, but that is not who the born again Christian (John 3:3) is any longer. First, we were washed. In a letter to Titus, Paul called this the “washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit” (Titus 3:5). We are no longer stained by those sins; they are gone.

Second, we were sanctified, set apart from the rest of sinful humanity for God’s purposes, as God’s people. Paul began this letter by describing the Christians in Corinth in this way (1 Corinthians 1:2).

Finally, we were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. That’s more than a declaration of “not guilty.” It’s an identity swap. Instead of, “unrighteous because you are a thief,” we became “righteous because you are in Christ Jesus.”

Any and all of those heinous sins can be forgiven. In verses 9 and 10, Paul made no effort to rank them or declare those who practice them beyond the reach of the gospel. We’re not forced to try to stop sinning in order to become like Christ. Believers have been declared by God that we are in Christ—it is time to stop sinning and start living as He did.

Verse 12. “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.

Christian teaching about God’s grace can create uncertainty for believers about what is or is not acceptable behavior. On the one hand, Scripture is emphatic that those who are in Christ are not subject to the law of Moses. Christians are free to eat old-covenant-restricted animals, for instance, and not to participate in all the special holidays required for religious Jews. More than that, as Paul has written in the previous verse, those in Christ have already been washed of their sins, sanctified in Christ, and declared justified by God. That transaction is complete. We are saved.

Why not continue to do whatever we want, then? Why not participate in what we used to call sexual immorality? Why not do whatever comes naturally, whatever our bodies desire? That’s the question Paul seems to be answering in this and the following verses. In doing so, he also sheds light on the problem of using trite clichés, which don’t come from the Bible.

Quotation marks and other punctuation were not used in ancient writing. However, the phrase Paul uses here appears to be a slogan or common expression. Perhaps it was even being used by the believers in Corinth: “All things are lawful for me.” It is true that nothing—including sin—can ever separate a forgiven Christian from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:38–39). However, it’s possible the Corinthians were practicing sin and using this idea to justify their actions.

Paul writes that this is a wrongheaded standard for believers. Christian liberty is not an open excuse for any behavior or attitude. Whether participating in something will “send me to hell” is not a sufficient question for the born-again believer. Instead, we must ask, “Will this help me and other people?” “Will this activity master me, cause me to lose control of myself?”

Paul is urging the Corinthians to live up to who they are now in Christ. He is encouraging them—and by extension, all Christians—to make this the standard for their choices. This contrasts with “living down” to the standards of what is acceptable in a sin-drenched culture.

Context Summary
First Corinthians 6:12–20 describes Paul’s objections to those in the Corinthian church who had a casual attitude about sexual immorality. Beyond formal, literal laws, Paul insists the standard for Christian behavior must be whether a practice is helpful or enslaving. Sex is more than a mere bodily function; God designed it to unite two people into one body in marriage. That union with another person drags Christ, to whom we are also united, into the union with us. Our bodies will be resurrected and are meant even now to bring glory to God.

Verse 13. “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” — and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.

As he did in the previous verse, Paul seems to be quoting from a popular slogan of the day. This is a common problem, even in the modern church, where clichés and sayings worm their way into Christian thinking. Harmless though they may seem, expressions like “live and let live,” or “God helps those who help themselves” are not found in Scripture. They can lead people in very unspiritual directions, in fact. Perhaps the slogans Paul refers to here are ones certain believers in the Corinthian church were using to justify participating in sexual immorality.

After all, such a person might argue, how is an appetite for sex any different than an appetite for food? Stomachs are for feeding, right? Shouldn’t we treat sexual desire the same way and seek to be satisfied, just as we eat when we’re hungry? Paul rejects this comparison. Once more, he calls the Christians in Corinth to live up to who they are in Christ instead of lowering themselves to a mere collection of appetites that must be fed.

First, what is the future reality for stomachs and food? They are temporary. God will “destroy” both. By this phrase, Paul seems to mean that we will all die physically and stop eating food. Feeding our stomachs is not the ultimate purpose of who we are. We do not “live to eat.”

Second, Paul elevates the importance of the bodies we live in. The body is much more than just the stomach, and it is much more than just our sexual organs. The bodies of those who are in Christ serve a larger purpose, which is why they are not meant for sexual immorality.

This verse ends with a startling idea: a believer’s body is meant for the Lord. Even more amazing, the Lord is meant for a believer’s body. It is the place where He is with us. What we do with our bodies here and now matters far more than we may consider.

Verse 14. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.

Paul is commanding, persuading, and urging the Christians at the church in Corinth not to participate in sexual immorality of any kind. Some apparently believed that it did not matter what a Christian did with his or her body, in a warped approach to the idea of grace. In combatting this, Paul has refuted what appear to be clichés of that culture, such as “all things are lawful for me,” and “food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” (1 Corinthians 6:12–13).

Misuse of grace, as in those examples, is rejected completely. Paul insisted in the previous verse that the body of a believer exists for a high purpose. It is meant for the Lord, and the Lord is meant for our bodies. That’s why these bodies are not meant for sexual immorality.

It’s true, Paul writes, that these bodies will die on this side of eternity. It’s also true, that they will be resurrected, just as Jesus’ body was resurrected after He died. In other words, death is not the end of even our physical bodies. They will be raised, as Jesus’ body was, transformed into an eternal version of ourselves unburdened by sin and free forever from the threat of decay or death.

Why, Paul will argue, would we ever want to use these bodies for sexual immorality if that is their destiny in Christ?

Verse 15. 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 prostitute? Never!

It is difficult to overstate how normalized sexual immorality was in the Greek and Roman culture of Paul’s day. We know from historical records that adultery, homosexual sex, pedophilia, and prostitution were as normal in everyday life as the worship of false gods. In fact, idolatry and sexuality often came together. Those loyal to one god or another would often worship by visiting that god’s temple prostitutes.

It’s not surprising, then, that those who came to Christ in such a culture would find it difficult to break away from a lifestyle of sexual immorality. Apparently, some believers held to the idea that sexual appetites were no different than hunger for food (1 Corinthians 6:13). In a warped approach to grace and forgiveness, they assumed that since their physical bodies will die, it does not matter what we do with them on this side of eternity.

Paul has firmly rejected both of those false ideas. First, he has declared that our bodies serve a purpose. Death will not, in fact, even be the end of them. As Christ was, our bodies will be resurrected and transformed. They will go on.

In fact, Paul insists, these bodies are meant, right now, for the Lord. And the Lord is meant for our bodies. Paul makes that connection even stronger in this verse: The Christian’s body is a member of Christ. Put another way, our physical body is part of Christ’s eternal, spiritual body in some mysterious way. Our bodies are each, somehow, an appendage, an organ, a meaningful part of Him.

Now Paul asks a question meant to shock his readers: Should we take these bodies, members of Christ, and make them also members of a prostitute? His obvious answer is quick and emphatic: never!

He explains this more fully in the following verses.

Verse 16. Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.”

Paul is confronting the Christians in Corinth about the issue of sexual immorality. Some, apparently, had the idea that since sex is just a normal human appetite, like hunger for food, one ought to satisfy it as they see fit. Also, they argued, the body will eventually die and decay, so it doesn’t really matter what we do with it. In this way, they reflect the pagan culture around them, which embraced such attitudes (1 Corinthians 6:12–13) and was drenched in both sexuality and idolatry.

Paul has rejected both ideas by elevating the purpose and power of both our bodies and of sex. A Christian’s body will be resurrected, as Christ’s was, and so it will not end at death. More than that, though, our bodies right now are, mysteriously, members of Christ. They are part of Him and part of His purpose for us.

Paul has also rejected the false idea that “sex is just sex,” like any other appetite. In fact, he now declares that even sex with a prostitute, a momentary transaction, causes a person to become “one body” with her. He quotes from Genesis 2:24, which reveals God’s design for both sex and marriage, a man and woman becoming united, physically and spiritually, as “one flesh” or one body.

Putting this and the previous verse together, Paul’s point is that a Christian’s body, as a member of—or “joined to”—Christ, should never at the same time become a member, one body, with a prostitute. This would apply to all forms of sexual immorality.

Verse 17. But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.

Paul is building the case for why it is so important for Christians to “flee from sexual immorality,” as he will say in the following verse (1 Corinthians 6:18). He has shown that our bodies are more than just animal carcasses that will die and decay. Our bodies will be resurrected, as Jesus’ body was. More, our bodies right now are members of Christ. They are set apart for Him and for His purposes.

This passage has also shown that sex is more than just another mundane human appetite to be satisfied. Sex joins two people together as one, physically and spiritually, which is exactly what God intended for marriage. To have sex with a prostitute, then, Paul has written, is to join Christ with a prostitute, in a sense.

Now Paul adds that Christians, those joined to the Lord, are spiritually united to Him. More specifically, we are one spirit with Him. Paul’s point is that what happens to Christ’s spirit affects our own. Perhaps surprisingly, what happens in our spirit affects His. That idea suddenly makes the stakes much higher for what we do with our bodies and spirits, including sexual immorality.

Verse 18. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.

In the Greco-Roman, idol-worshiping culture of Paul’s day, sex of all kinds had been normalized for nearly everyone. That included prostitution, adultery, pedophilia, homosexuality, and so forth. Growing up in this environment, it’s not surprising to think some of the Christians in Corinth had trouble seeing sex outside of marriage as a big deal. Paul has spent this chapter showing why avoiding sexual immorality is so essential for believers.

Now he gives them a strategy for dealing with it: run. He tells them to flee from sexual immorality. Run away like you are escaping from something that might harm you, because it will. Even if the culture despises you for it, it’s better to escape from sexual sin than to be conquered by it (Genesis 39:7–12).

Paul shows that sexual immorality is different from other kinds of sin because it’s a form of self-harm. We might commit other sins with our bodies, but sexual immorality unites us sinfully with another person. This happens on a deeply physical and spiritual level. We will experience the natural consequences of that sin at that deep level, as well.

It’s important to note that Paul did not write that sexual immorality is the worst of all sins, as we sometimes conclude. Instead, he is combatting the casual attitude toward sexual sin carried by some Christians in hyper-sexualized cultures. In addition to hurting others, sexual immorality contributes to our own deep pain. It’s no more or less a sin than any other, but human cultures tend to treat it more casually than other errors.

Verse 19. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

Paul is confronting the Christians at the church in Corinth about sexual immorality. Apparently, some argued that since our bodies will die and decay, it doesn’t really matter what we do with them. It’s only the spirit in us that matters, they might say. Likewise, they might argue that they were free to pursue whatever sexual expression they liked (1 Corinthians 6:12–13). Paul has rejected these false teachings.

The idea that our bodies don’t matter is ultimately false. A Christian’s body is where the Holy Spirit lives. In a sense, Paul elevates our bodies to the level of being temples, holy places, that house the Spirit of God. God gives His Spirit to every person who trusts in Christ for salvation (Ephesians 1:13–14). Mysteriously, we carry His Spirit in our bodies.

With that in mind, Paul now adds, they are not really our bodies, after all. He will write in the following verse that God purchased us. He paid for our redemption from sin with the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1:7). Christ bought our way out of the curse of living under the law of Moses by becoming a curse Himself (Galatians 3:13).

In that sense, we came to belong to God when we came to Him by faith in Jesus. That’s why our bodies are not our own to do with as we please.

Verse 20. for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Paul now concludes his teaching on why it matters that Christians run away from sexual immorality. His final point, begun in the previous verse, is that Christian people do not belong to themselves. We have been purchased by God. We are free in the sense that we have been freed from the law of sin and death (Galatians 3:13), but we are not free in the sense that we are now self-owned and self-determined (1 Corinthians 6:12–13).

If we are truly in Christ, we are truly not our own. Our lives, including our bodies, belong to God. This gives Him the ultimate authority to tell us what to do and what not to do with our bodies.

It’s important to notice something about this last argument against sexual immorality. It applies only to believers. Only those in Christ have been redeemed by His blood and brought from darkness to light (1 Corinthians 1:12–13). These words are not for those who remain in darkness. Paul is not commanding those outside the church, unbelievers, to live according to God’s standards for sexual morality (1 Corinthians 5:12). Their sin is still sin, but one cannot expect them to recognize it as such (1 Corinthians 2:14).

Rather, it is those who belong to God—and not to themselves—who are commanded to glorify God with their bodies. In fact, only those in Christ have an opportunity to use their bodies to bring glory to God. In fact, that is now the purpose our bodies are designed to serve. Selfishly participating in sexual sin keeps us Christians from fulfilling our purpose.

End of Chapter 6.

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