Bible Commentaries
1 Corinthians 6

Verse 1

1Co 6:1

1 Corinthians 6:1

Dare any of you,— [The word “dare” implies that the re­sort to civil courts to settle differences between Christians is wholly inconsistent with the will of Christ, and that even one case would be outrageous.]

having a matter against his neighbor, go to law before the unrighteous,—To neglect or reject the authority of God at one point prepares the way and leads to the setting aside his authority at all points. The Corinthians turned from adherence to the law of God, and became followers of men. They gave up the high regard for morality and palliated the grossest forms of licentiousness. They set aside the leaders of the con­gregation as the divinely appointed tribunal for deciding dif­ferences that might arise among them, and resorted to the tri­bunals of the heathen, or the government of the unbelievers; and Paul now comes to remonstrate with them for setting aside the divine authority.

and not before the saints?—It was anticipated that Chris­tians would have troubles or differences in their affairs, and Jesus gave (Matthew 18:15-20) rules by which to settle them. The judgment of the saints was obtained when the directions given were followed. Paul regarded it as a daring sin in Chris­tians to neglect the law of Christ and seek the tribunals of the State. This did not conflict with Paul’s own course of appeal­ing to Caesar’s court for protection, when the servants of Cae­sar were used to persecute him. He appealed to the protec­tion Caesar’s laws guaranteed when those were perverted and abused to punish him by the laws of Caesar. Caesar’s courts are recognized as the courts of unbelievers; the decisions of the church as courts of the believers. Since the days of the union of “Church and State,” and while believers participate in State affairs, this distinction is lost sight of, and the admonition is disregarded. The decisions of the church are brought into disrepute, because they are so often mere efforts at compro­mise instead of decisions of justice. Compromise of right, truth, and justice can never command the respect of God or man.

Verses 1-4

1Co 6:1-4

CHRISTIANS ARE JUDGES

1 Corinthians 6:1-4

1 Corinthians 6:1 Dare any of you, - Can any of you be so impudent as to flaunt the will of God and outrage the church in such a shocking and sinful manner. It was unthinkable to Paul that they should seek the right from wrong-doers, justice from the unjust, enforcement of morals from the immoral, the establishment of Christian principles from non-Christians, etc. having a matter -A matter of grievance or litigation, that is, a lawsuit. against another, Against his neighbor (ASV) or brother in Christ (v. 6). go to law Take his dispute or grievance to a heathen court. As members of the church, they did not judge (that is, administer punishment) those in the world (1 Corinthians 5:12-13). Why then should they permit the world (courts made up of unbelievers, v. 6) to judge matters pertaining to the church? There are, of course, matters which must be settled by the court (Acts 25:11; Acts 25:21), matters beyond the jurisdiction of the church; but there are also internal church matters (e.g., the fornicator [1 Corinthians 5:1] and the disposition made of him [1 Corinthians 5:11]) that should and must be settled by the church. The courts would have little or no understanding of such matters. I believe the latter is what Paul has in mind in this chapter. before the unjust, - Before the unrighteous (NASV) or unbelievers (v. 6). This does not mean that their judgment would be unjust (even though that was a possibility) but that the judges were not Christians. The unjust are set in contrast with the saints. and not before the saints? - Not before your own brothers, as Christ had instructed (Matthew 18:15-17). The point is, if they took their case to court the matter would be settled by unholy judges; if taken to the church, it would be settled by the saints (holy people). How could saints, who are to judge the world (v. 2) seek judgment from the world? One would have to be extremely reckless with the truth, insensible to righteousness, unconcerned about the reputation of the church, and in honor preferring self over that of a brother to trust his case to unchristian judges rather than to a loving and concerned congregation of God’s people.

1 Corinthians 6:2 Do ye not know--See note on 1 Corinthians 3:16. This expression is used five additional times in this chapter, vv, 3, 9, 15, 16, and 19, It may be used as a rebuke, thus implying that it would be shameful if they did not know, If this is the case, then it is conclusive that the Corinthians knew more about this subject than has been revealed to us, that the saints - Christians. I see no reason (except to help escape a difficulty) to limit the saints here to the apostles (v. 1), shall judge the world? Many interpretations have been given to this expression, but as far as I can determine, no specific explanation is recorded in the divine Scriptures of the time, place, or manner of this judgment. The following passages are often thought to relate to it in one way or another: Psalms 49:14; Daniel 7:22-27; Matthew 19:28; Matthew 20:23; Judges 1:6; Revelation 2:26; Revelation 3:21; Revelation 20:4; but I am unable to see that anyone of them, or all of them combined, adds much to our knowledge of the time, place, or manner. The subject may be rooted in the judging of the fornicator of 9-13, While they could not judge the world in the sense of administering discipline (1 Corinthians 5:12-13), as they were commanded to do in cases of wicked church they could, in another sense, judge the fact that sin would condemn the sinner to eternal destruction, The world was thus brought before them as a court and judged as under the guilt, power, and condemnation of sin by the gospel which the saints preached and obeyed, The very fact that they proclaimed the remedy for sin necessarily passed judgment upon all who rejected its offer of forgiveness by grace. Whether this is the judgment Paul had in mind or not, all may feel free to question, along with the other concepts that have been presented down through the ages, In the final analysis, since the Scriptures are all but silent on the time, place, and manner, we may have to satisfy ourselves with the fact the saints shall judge the world, either now or in the future, or both without being able to absolutely determine the details of when, where, and how. and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? - And if the world is judged by you, are you not competent to constitute the smallest law courts? (NASV), If you judge in the gravest matters pertaining to eternity (that all souls are lost who are not brought under the blood of Christ by obedience to the gospel), are you incapable of judging (that is, have a court in which to judge) in­ significant matters pertaining to this world? Whatever the judging of the saints may be, Paul’s point is that if they judge in weighty matters of eternal impor­ tance, it ought to be obvious that they could and should be both able and willing to sit in judgment in cases of a more trivial nature - matters infinitely less significant than those pertaining to the world, That is, if you judge in the higher court (involving both men and v. 4), are you not worthy to serve in the lower court (involving only differences among brethren)?

1 Corinthians 6:3 Know ye not --See note on v. 2. that we shall judge angels? Most likely refers to the wicked angels (2 Peter 2:4; Judges 1:6) and the fact that Christians consent to the justice of God’s judgment against them, This joining hands with God in judgment should prove to anyone going to law before unbelievers that a Christian tribunal (that is, a tribunal made up of Christians and judging in Christian would be far superior to any heathen court.how much more things that pertain to this life? - The smaller matters of 1 Corinthians 6:2 or things which confront them daily in their Christian life. The point is that if Christians judge the wicked (of both men and angels) in things pertaining to eternity, are they not capable of judging in matters of differences among themselves (that is, things pertaining to this life alone)? The contrast is between the higher judgment (which evidently they all admitted that they would enter into) and the lower judgments which they were not making when they went to law one with another.

1 Corinthians 6:4 If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, ­If then you have ordinary matters to be settled (Goodspeed). That if you have disputes among yourselves that pertain to your life in the church that need to be settled. set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. Why do you lay them before those who are least esteemed by the church? (RSV). This is unquestionably a difficult verse. Should it be understood as an imperative (as in the KJV)? If so, then they are commanded to appoint the least esteemed, that is, those who are of the least value or worth, to be their judges. If this be the case, Paul is saying that the least capable Christians are more wor­ thy to judge their matters than the most capable unbeliever. (And this would undoubtedly be true in things pertaining to the spiritual life.) However, it may be indicative and thus correctly rendered interrogatively (as in the RSV), in which case it means that the courts before which they were taking their disputes had no worth or esteem by the church. They were composed of the unrighteous (1 Corinthians 6:1) and unbelieving (1 Corinthians 6:6) and thus Christians could have no con­ fidence in their decisions. Or as Barnes states, "The heathen magistrates en­ vince such a character as not to be worthy of the confidence of the church in settling matters of controversy." It seems to me that the latter is more in harmony with the whole context for two weighty reasons: (1) Why would Paul command them to set as judges the least capable in the church? If this had been meant as a command, it seems certain that he would have charged them to let the wisest among them (1 Corinthians 6:5) be their judges. (2) This whole section is a rebuke to those who seek to settle their matters of dispute by taking them to a heathen court.

Verse 2

1Co 6:2

1 Corinthians 6:2

Or know ye not—[A form of expression often used by Paul when he wished to bring to mind important truth, which his readers knew, but disregarded. The knowledge of the great future which was in store for the children of God was the strongest argument against the humiliating degradation to which their appeal to the civil courts to settle their differ­ences had subjected them.]

that the saints—All Christians are called saints whether they live lives of consecration to God or not. They have separated themselves to the service of God and that sanctifies them.

shall judge the world?—What this verse and the next means is a matter of doubt. When, how, and where the saints are to judge the world and angels, is difficult to determine. Macknight holds that the saints are now judging the world through presenting the gospel to it, because by it the world is justified or condemned, as it receives or rejects its teachings. But the judgment here seems to be a deciding, according to that word, who is guilty and who is innocent. Matthew says: “And Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you, that ye who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matthew 19:28).

Another position occupied by many commentators is that the saints will be associated with Christ when they reign with him and when he judges the wicked. The doctrine, they claim, glimmered faintly to Daniel and came as a message of consolation and hope in the time of national suffering and shame, “and judgment was given to the saints of the Most High, and the time came that the saints possessed the king­dom.” (Daniel 7:18-22). Christ’s people will share his royalty (Romans 8:18; 2 Timothy 2:12); and therefore they will share the government (Matthew 19:28; Luke 22:30), which the Father has committed to the Son (John 5:22). In the great day the saints will intelligently and cordially approve and endorse the sentence pronounced by Christ on the millions on earth. Possibly this approval may be divinely appointed an essential condition, without which sentence would not be pronounced by man upon men, but by men themselves redeemed from their own sins, upon those who have chosen death rather than life. They further claim that it may be that final sentence cannot, according to the principles of the divine government of the universe, be pronounced upon the lost without the concurrence of the saved, that is, without a revelation of the sen­tence so clear as to secure the full approbation of the saved. If so, the concurrence of the saved is an essential element in the final judgment; and they may truly be said to judge both men and angels. That the sentence which the saints will pronounce is put into their lips by Christ does not make their part in the judgment any less real; for even the Son says, “I can of myself do nothing: as I hear, I judge.” (John 5:30). As summoned by Christ to sit with him, the saints will ap­prove and endorse the measures of reward to be given to themselves. To appeal to human courts of law was to appeal to men upon whom, as upon all men, they themselves, amid the splendor of the great assize, will pronounce an eternal sen­tence.

How and when the saints will judge the world seems diffi­cult to determine, but as a truth it is accepted, and the apostle argues that they are competent to judge the differences aris­ing among themselves.

and if the world is judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters?—[This appeal is quite intelligible. It may be asked: “What has all this to do with the matter in hand? The rule of the saints is not yet.” The answer is that this judgment of the world is no private privilege arbitrarily bestowed. The saints are to share our Lord’s activity, be­cause they share his mind (1 Corinthians 2:15-16), and this mind is in part already formed in them. Thus of necessity their disputes ought to be referred to them, rather than to courts, since they are competent to judge and adjust their differences.]

Verse 3

1Co 6:3

1 Corinthians 6:3

Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more, things that pertain to this life?—Some think “we” in this verse refers to the apostles, and not to the saints gener­ally; but the latter clause seems to show that it was written to vindicate the right of the saints to judge the temporal ques­tions that come up between Christians. If so, it must refer to them. Angels are generally understood to mean the fallen an­gels, demons, as the angels ministering for God hardly need to be judged. Some think the saints are to judge these by preaching the gospel, as the power of Christ through it “should spoil demons of their oracles and idols; should de­prive these of their seats and strip them of their domain.” The power of the demon is supposed to have been curtailed, and the demons ceased to dominate persons on earth. These views seem strained and farfetched, hence are unsatisfactory, yet I have nothing better to offer.

Verse 4

1Co 6:4

1 Corinthians 6:4

If then ye have to judge things pertaining to this life, do ye set them to judge who are of no account in the church?— The meaning of this verse has also been involved in doubt. Does it mean that the least experienced and efficient members of the church shall be set to judge these temporal affairs? This cannot be true as the following verse shows. Some think the question was asked to reproach them for setting heathen tribunals over them.

Verse 5

1Co 6:5

1 Corinthians 6:5

I say this to move you to shame.—He shames them for leaving the Christian tribunals and going before those notori­ous for their mercenary character as were the civil.

What, cannot there be found among you one wise man who shall be able to decide between his brethren,—By their course they said this, and it was a slander and a reproach in the church. They boasted of their knowledge and spiritual gifts and acted as if there was not a prudent and intelligent person among them competent to settle their differences.

Verses 5-8

1Co 6:5-8

THE SHAME OF GOING TO LAW

1 Corinthians 6:5-8

1 Corinthians 6:5 I speak to your shame. I say this to put you to shame (Moffett) or to make you ashamed (Beck). In 4:14 he was not writing to shame them; here he is. The very purpose of what he said was to bring them to realize the shame of Christians going to law with Christians before unchristian courts to settle Christian matters. Is it so, - Is it possible (NIV) or has it come to this (Wil­ liams). that there is not a wise man among you? - The question is de­ signed to elicit the response, "No, it is not so." There were admittedly among them men wise enough to administer proper decisions. (The fact that he raises the question implies that the wise and not the least worthy were to judge in mat­ ters of differences among them. This makes it all but certain that the exegesis given in v. 4 is the correct one.) no, not one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? - Again the question is designed to evoke the answer, "No. There are those among us wise enough to arbitrate and settle our differences." But if so, why then take your matters before unbelieving judges? Why seek settlement before those who had no standing in the church - that is, the heathen judges?

1 Corinthians 6:6 But brother goeth to law with brother, - But instead, one brother goes to law against another (NIV). Paul here reaches a climax, one that forms a severe rebuke. Instead of letting the wise and capable among them (v. 5) arbitrate their disputes, they were going to law one with another, which was bad enough, but what was worse, they were taking their causes before unbelievers to seek solutions to their controversies. In this they were utterly wrong (v. 7). and that before the unbelievers. Before the unjust (v. 1) or non-Christian. Unbelieving judges would have no understanding of the Chris­ tian system or the differences that would arise between brethren. Can anyone imagine a heathen judge in immoral Corinth rendering a Scriptural verdict as to what a congregation should do about a fornicator in its midst?

1 Corinthians 6:7 Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, - To say no more, it is a mark of moral failure among you (Williams). They were defeating themselves even before the verdict of the unbelieving court was rendered. By a failure to let the wise among them settle their differences and by entering a lawsuit against a brother they had fallen below the standard of Christian con­ duct and were thus defeating their purpose as Christians. Hence they were defeated by their defect because the thing they were doing was wrong. No one wins by giving his brother (or the church) a black eye. because ye go to law one with another. - That you have lawsuits with one another (NASV). They were in a lawsuit one with another rather than leaving vengeance to the Lord (Romans 12:19; Proverbs 20:22) and following the example of Christ (1 Peter 2:21-22). Why do ye not rather take wrong? Why not practice the prin­ ciple taught by Jesus (Matthew 5:38-41) and Paul (Romans 12:20) and be wronged rather than abandon it and do wrong? When brethren have lawsuits against each other both lose. Going to law one with another indicated a defect in character. why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded?­ Why don’t you rather let yourselves be robbed? (Beck) or cheated (KIV). One might win his case in a lawsuit but it would be at the expense of his Christian character. But one’s character is of far more value than the matter in dispute. Thus it is better to be wronged than to do wrong; better to be robbed than to be a robber; better to be mistreated than to mistreat; better to surrender in a disputed matter than to abandon Christ to settle it; better to maintain spirituali­ty than to gain materially; in short, better to be true to the faith than to win in a court of law.

1 Corinthians 6:8 Nay, ye do wrong, and defraud, But instead of that you inflict wrong and practice frauds (Moffett). This is a contrast of what they should have done with what they were doing. Rather than receive injury and suffer defrauding (v. 7), they were inflicting wrong and practicing robbery. and that your brethren. Their own Christian family. This does not imply that it would not be wrong to defraud non-Christians, but rather to show the depths of degradation reached in wronging another member of the body of Christ. It was a sin against a family member, against one to whom they should be attached by the tenderest ties of love (Romans 12:10; Hebrews 13:1). One of the shocking events of my life was to be called to witness in a court of law for a mother whose own daughter had brought suit against her in an effort to take every item of her household furnishings. I blush at the very thought of such depravity. To this day I am stunned beyond words that a daughter could stoop low enough to do such to her own aged mother. But would it be less stunning for a brother to take another brother before an unbelieving judge to settle brotherly matters? Of course there are civil matters which must be settled by civil courts. Paul is not concerned here with such matters but with disputes among brethren disputes which do not go beyond church or spiritual affairs.

Verse 6

1Co 6:6

1 Corinthians 6:6

but brother goeth to law with brother, and that before un­believers?—[This question was most humiliating. It is the climax. That there should be disputes about property is bad; that they should go to law is worse; that they should do this before unbelievers is extremely humiliating and sinful.] This is the sinful end they had reached.

Verse 7

1Co 6:7

1 Corinthians 6:7

Nay, already it is altogether a defect in you, that ye have lawsuits one with another.—He insisted that going to law was wholly wrong—a reproach and a shame to the church.

Why not rather take wrong? why not rather be defrauded?—A part of the religion of the church of Christ is to suffer and endure wrong for his sake. [The law of Christ contains princi­ples according to which all such may be set at rest. And the difference between the laws governing worldly courts of jus­tice and that of Christ is the difference of diametrical opposi­tion. Law says, “You shall have your rights”; the law of Christ says, “Defraud not your neighbor of his rights.” The law says, “You must not be wronged”; Christ says, “It is bet­ter to suffer wrong than to do wrong.”]

Verse 8

1Co 6:8

1 Corinthians 6:8

Nay, but ye yourselves do wrong, and defraud, and that your brethren.—Unless there were efforts to wrong and de­fraud one another there would be but slight cause for differ­ences among brethren. If each would look to his brother’s in­terest instead of his own, the occasions of difference would be greatly lessened. The same sin exists today for the same causes. Men are covetous and selfish. They are anxious for more than belongs to them. They look every man to his own things, not to the things of others. (Philippians 2:4). This leads them to differ and to appeal to the tribunals of Caesar in order to obtain them. Some think there is less wrong in going to law now than in the apostolic days, because the tribunals are somewhat more liable to do justice than then, and because Christians sometimes take part in political affairs. But the latter is only a step further in the wrong prohibited. If Chris­tians cannot appeal to the tribunals of the State to settle differ­ences that arise between them, much less can they manage, control, and participate in the operation of these tribunals.

Verse 9

1Co 6:9

1 Corinthians 6:9

Or know ye not—[Some of them acted as if the gospel gave license to live in sin, instead of being intended to deliver from its power. All such persons are warned of their fatal mis­take. He assures them that one who allows himself the indul­gence of any sin cannot be saved.]

that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? —Paul here, as did Jesus when he was appealed to to settle dif­ferences between two brothers (Luke 12:14), lays down prin­ciples that will remove the causes that produce the conten­tions about property. Those who act unrighteously in doing his brother wrong, or in going before the tribunals of unbe­lievers, cannot inherit the kingdom of God, that is, the heav­enly kingdom. It is the heritage of these who are faithful as the sons of God in the world.

Be not deceived:—[There was great danger of their being led to think lightly of sins which were daily committed by those amongst whom they were living, hence these words of warning] lest they should think one could inherit the kingdom while practicing the sins mentioned.

neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers.—Much of the idol worship consisted in most degrading forms of de­bauchery and licentiousness. These sins were encouraged both as acts of worship and by the examples of their idols. [No­tice how he distinguishes between fornication and adultery. Though both will exclude from the inheritance, the latter is in many respects the worst crime, because through it the family is broken up, and a third person is irretrievably injured.]

nor effeminate,—[This word occurs in Matthew 11:8; Luke 7:25, where it is applied to clothing, and rendered “soft rai­ment”—luxurious livers, who pamper their body. Applied to morals, it denotes those who give themselves up to a soft, and indolent way of living; who make self-indulgence the grand object of life. In the classics the word is applied to those who are given up to wantonness and sensual pleasures, or who are kept to be prostituted to others.]

nor abusers of themselves with men,—Those who lie with a male as with a female.

Verses 9-11

1Co 6:9-11

THE UNRIGHTEOUS CANNOT BE SAVED

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 Know ye not See note on v. 2. that the unrighteous--The wicked, unjust, wrongdoers. He had just concluded (v. 8) that they were committing wrong by having lawsuits against their brethren. And wrongdoers (the unrighteous), Christian or otherwise, cannot go to heaven. As Christians they were formerly among the unrighteous, who committed the sins named in these two but now they are washed, sanctified, and justified (v. 11). Their actions should therefore reflect their new status (2 Corinthians 5:17). shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Will never come into possession of the kingdom of God (NEB). The kingdom is composed of the righteous and righteousness is its fundamental characteristic (Romans 14:17), now and forever. Paul here obviously has in view the eternal state of the kingdom (1 Corinthians 15:50) or heaven itself. But since the church, the present state of the kingdom, is a spiritual kingdom and righteousness is its characteristic also, the wicked and worldly minded have no share in it here and now any more than then and there. Be not deceived: ­ Do not be fooled or misled, either by self, others, or the circumstances you find yourself in. Christians cannot sin with impunity - that is, without suffering the consequences and paying the penalty (Romans 6:23). God’s law demands a reaping of that which one sows (Galatians 6:7-8). neither fornicators, nor idolaters, - See notes on 1 Corinthians 5:10-11. nor adulterers, Adultery is a specific kind of immorality - a violation of marriage. Thus it is illicit sexual relations of one who is married with someone other than his lawful mate. This was considered serious enough under the law to carry the death penalty (Leviticus 20:10) and Jesus saw it as a violation of such magnitude that He made it the only Scriptural cause for divorce and remarriage under the Christian system (Matthew 19:9). Because we have let the moral laxity of society seep into our thinking, few, perhaps none, ever see the immoral nature of adultery as severe as the Bible presents it. nor effeminate, The word means soft to the touch (Luke 7:25; Matthew 11:8, the only other occurrences in the NT where it is translated soft). The context here seems to demand the meaning of one who has lost his distinction as a man, lives in ease and sensual luxury, or, more probably, who serves the role of a woman in sexual stimulation and activity. If so, it closely relates to the following: nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor homosexuals (NASV) or sodomites. Those who debase themselves with their own sex (1 Timothy 1:10; see also Romans 1:26-27), whether men or women. This is a despicable sin against nature (Romans 1:26) - a sin against God’s design of sex and marriage, the institution to which He limited sex. The woman was made for man (1 Corinthians 11:8-9; 1 Corinthians 11:11-12; Genesis 2:18) - made to fill his needs (1 Corinthians 7:2-5) and the man is made to fill the woman’s needs, that is, they complement each other. In the intimate relations between them (in marriage) God allows no substitutes. Homosexuality ignores and violates this sacred principle. In view of this fact, though modern society tolerates homosexuals, they are members of many churches, they fill some pulpits, and some churches are established especially for them, we must keep constantly before our minds Paul’s statement that such shall not inherit the kingdom of God. Homosexuality may be accepted by society as an acceptable life-style, and denominational churches may even approve it, but God has condemned it and His people can never accept or approve the practice. Nor thieves, - Who steal (Beck). God has always recognized the right of private ownership and He demands that everyone respect it (d. Genesis 3:19; Exodus 20:15; Ephesians 4:28), What one earns by the sweat of his brow, another has no right to take. Stealing is selfishness and a violation of the divine principle of one’s right to what he earns. A thief is thus one who takes for himself what belongs to another. nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, - See notes on 1 Corinthians 5:10-11. shall inherit the kingdom of God. See note on 1 Corinthians 6:9.

1 Corinthians 6:11 And such were some of you: - Before your conversion, some of you were guilty of committing these very sins (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). but - A contrast between then (before they became Christians) and now. Then some of them (not all) had lived in the sinful degradation described in vv. 9-10, but now, having been washed, sanctified, and justified by the gospel plan, they were different they were followers of Christ, and that makes all the difference in the world as to how they should live. They had changed and that change meant that they could no longer practice the evils of their former lives. ye are washed, ­ There can be no serious question but that this refers to their baptism into Christ (cf. Romans 6:3-4; Galatians 3:26-27; Acts 18:8), in which they had an active part, that is, they were voluntarily baptized. Lightfoot says, "A reference to baptism." MacKnight says, "And such persons were many of you formerly: But ye are washed-- with the water of baptism, in token of you having vowed to lead a new life." It is the same concept as born of water in John 3:5, the washing of regeneration of Titus 3:5, the washing of water by the word of Ephesians 5:26, and having our bodies washed in pure water of Hebrews 10:22. And in the final analysis, all of them are identical in meaning with Mark 16:16, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." but ye are sanctified, - You have been consecrated (Williams). That is, separated from the world and devoted to the service of God. This has no reference to a gradual process but a definite past act which occurred at the time of their washing. but ye are justified--You are now in right standing with God (Williams). When one is justified he is in right relationship with God by virtue of the fact that his sins have been forgiven, covered by the blood of the Lamb. Washed, sanctified, and justified all have reference to the time when they became Christians, when they submitted themselves in total obedience to the Lord by being baptized as He had commanded in the great commission (Matthew 28:18-20; Mark 16:15-16) and as practiced by the apostolic church (Acts 2:38; Acts 8:35-39; Acts 18:8; Acts 22:16). They were then set apart to His service and through the means of Christ’s death He forgave their that is, stood them in right relationship with Him. in the name of the Lord Jesus, - They were baptized, sanctified, and justified in His name (Matthew 28:19; Acts 2:38). While it is difficult to determine here whether Paul means in the name of Christ (that is, by His authority) or by the name of Christ (that is, Christ as the means by which it is accomplished), either fits harmoniously the context. But as indicated, I lean toward the former (thus accepting the KJV as correct: in the name of and by the Spirit 00. and by the Spirit of our God. - By the HS working through His divine message of truth, the gospel of Christ (Romans 1:16). There is no record of the Spirit working directly upon the heart of anyone to convert or sanctify him. There is therefore no such thing as a miraculous conversion known in the Bible - that is, God converting one without the con­ sent of his will. The Spirit has always worked through the instrumentality of truth to reach the mind and heart, even in the days when He was confirming His message by miracles. The function of the Spirit in God’s scheme is to reveal, confirm, and deliver the truth (this He has now done through the in­ spired word of God, recorded in the NT). It was the function of the apostles to faithfully proclaim the truth revealed and confirmed by the HS and to deliver it by His inspiration (this they did personally in apostolic time but now it is done through the gospel recorded). It is the function of all other preachers to preach the word (2 Timothy 4:2) delivered to them by the apostles (in the NT). When the word is preached, it is the function of the hearer (the sinner) to believe and obey. In this he is active, not passive. When the truth is believed and obeyed (by the penitent believer volunteering to be washed in baptism), it is then the Lord’s function to sanctify and justify. Thus the HS works on the heart of a sinner, not by a direct or miraculous operation, but through the message of truth.

Verse 10

1Co 6:10

1 Corinthians 6:10

nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. —Chris­tians should heed this warning and be sure that they are guilty of none of these crimes, “for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the sons of disobedience.” (Ephesians 5:6). It is difficult for people to realize to what extent these most degrading practices of licentiousness prevailed among the more enlightened classes of the heathens.

Verse 11

1Co 6:11

1 Corinthians 6:11

And such were some of you:—The Corinthians were noted for their indulgence in all these crimes. Their idols were of the licentious order, and Corinth was noted for its profligacy and crimes. Many of these Christians had been guilty of them before they obeyed the gospel. [The threefold “but” in the clause which follows emphasizes strongly the contrast between their present state and their past, and the consequent demand which their changed condition makes upon them.]

but ye were washed,—They had through faith in Jesus Christ died to sin, had been buried with him in baptism, wherein they were also raised with him to walk in newness of life. [They had washed away their sin exactly as Paul was commanded to do. (Acts 22:16). Their seeking baptism was their own act, and they entered the water as voluntary agents just as Paul did (cf. 2 Timothy 2:21), seeking the forgiveness promised in the gospel, fulfilling the divinely ordained condi­tion, and they actually received the remission of their sins (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:38).] but ye were sanctified,—They were set apart to a life of ho­liness. [The crisis, of which their baptism was the concrete embodiment, had marked their transition from the rule of self to the service of God.] but ye were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, —As servants of Jesus Christ they were justified [having passed from the condition of guilty sinners to that of par­doned children of God.]

and in the Spirit of our God.—They were led by the Spirit of God which they had received.

Verse 12

1Co 6:12

1 Corinthians 6:12

All things are lawful for me;—All things have a lawful use. [It is probable that Paul used these words of himself. Starting from the doctrine taught by Jesus Christ (John 8:32; John 8:36), and proclaimed by the mouth of the apostles (Acts 15:10; James 2:12; 1 Peter 2:16), he declared that the Christian was bound to a service of perfect freedom (Romans 8:2). But this principle needed very careful statement, if the Greeks were not to abuse it. No actions in themselves were unlawful pro­vided (1) that they were in accordance with God’s design in creation; (2) that they were calculated to promote the general welfare of all; and (3) that we were the masters of our own actions, not they of us.]

but not all things are expedient.—It is not always expedient to use them. [The word “expedient” signifies originally the condition of “one who has his feet free”; and hence that which frees from entanglements, helps on, and expedites. Its oppo­site, that which entangles, is similarly called an impediment. The sense, “serving to promote a desired end of interest, for the sake of personal advantage, as opposed to what is based on principle,” in the modern sense of the word. Hence the meaning here is profitable for others as well as for ourselves. The derivative of the word here used is translated “profit” in the following passages: 1 Corinthians 7:35; Hebrews 12:10; and “profit­able” in Matthew 5:29; Matthew 18:6; Acts 20:20.]

All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any.—There is a lawful use of all appe­tites, desires, and lusts; but none of them must obtain the mastery over us. All appetites, passions and lusts are for our good, if properly used and restrained. If they enslave us, they degrade and destroy us. An improper use or direction of the appetites and desires brings evil, not good. [If we sacrifice the power of choice which is implied in the thought of liberty, we cease to be free; we are brought under the power of that which should be in our power.]

Verses 12-14

1Co 6:12-14

ALL THINGS HAVE A PROPER USE

1 Corinthians 6:12-14

1 Corinthians 6:12 All things are lawful unto me, - Everything is permissible for me (NIV). When God had finished His creation, He viewed all that He had made and concluded that it was very good (Genesis 1:31). Thus everything God made is good (right, lawful) for the purpose for which He made it. Everything is therefore lawful when it is in its proper place and being used properly (Romans 14:14). Take sex, for example. It was made by God for a divine purpose. When it is used as God designed and ordained it (within the bond of marriage) few things in life are more beautiful, more satisfying, or more meaningful. In marriage it is pure and holy (Hebrews 13:4). But outside of marriage, it is immoral fornication. It is thus the improper use of sex, and not sex per se, which is sinful. And what is true of sex is true of all things. Everything is made for a proper use and is therefore lawful when used properly. All things are lawful when used for their divine purpose and in keeping with the will of God. But keep in mind the fact that all lawful things may be used unlawfully (e.g., fornication is an unlawful use of sex). This principle is broad enough to be applied to everything God made. but all things are not expedient: but not everything is beneficial (BV). No unlawful thing can be expedient, and it is not always advantageous or profitable to do lawful things. Because a thing is lawful (e.g., sex) does not mean that it is always and under all circumstances permitted. For ex­ ample, it is lawful to eat meat (v. 13; 1 Timothy 4:4-5) but it is not always expedient that is, there are times and circumstances in which the eating of meat may be inexpedient or wrong (1 Corinthians 8:8-13; Romans 14:15; Romans 14:20-21). It is lawful to marry, but marriage is not always expedient (1 Corinthians 7:7; 1 Corinthians 7:26-30). all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. - Everything is permissible for me, but I will not become a slave to anything (Williams). He would not be made a slave of lawful things. Appetite and desires are lawful, but Paul would not be so enslaved to them as to satisfy them unlawfully. Many a man becomes a slave to his freedom, but not Paul. He would not improperly use lawful things to satisfy his desires. Unlawful use of lawful things is the very nature of sin, and to be addicted to the unlawful use of a lawful thing (e.g., tobacco - I do not know the lawful use of tobacco but I am sure God did not design it for smoking) is abject slavery.

1 Corinthians 6:13 Meats for the belly, - Food is for the stomach (NASV). God designed food to appease the appetite. This was the purpose God had in view in creation - the lawful use of a created thing. and the belly for meats: - And the stomach is for food (NASV). God designed the appetite to desire food and the stomach to receive and digest it. Again, the design of creation is met. but God shall destroy both it and them. - Both stomach and meats serve only a temporary purpose and will eventually perish. This is in contrast with the body which will continue (v. 14). Now the body is not for fornication, The body is not in the same class with food and the stomach and all reason that combines diverse things into the same category is fallacious. God did not make the body for immorality as He had made food for the stomach and the stomach for food. While He designed the body with sexual needs, He limited its fulfillment to marriage. Fornication is therefore the unlawful use of a lawful thing. This makes it sinful (see. notes on v. 12). Paul’s aim here is to show that there is a vast difference in satisfying the appetite with food and the sex drive with fornication. To satisfy hunger with food is as God meant it to be, but to satisfy the sex drive. by fornication is a violation of the purpose of creation - that is, it is using a thing created by God for a purpose other than for that which He created it. but for the Lord; - The body was designed for service to the Lord, not for immoral purposes. To join the body to a harlot (commit fornication) is a misuse of the body (vv. 15-16) - a use contrary to the intentions of the Creator. and the Lord for the body. Created for Him, for His glory and service. This may have reference to the fact that Christ indwells Christians through His Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19; Ephesians 3:17; Ephesians 2:22). But regardless of this, God designed man to be a Christian, a follower of Christ, and any other use of the body (which here equates the whole being or personality) constitutes a misuse. Thus the fundamental reason why fornication is wicked and immoral is that it is an abuse of sexuality abused by removing it from its divine purpose and sphere.

1 Corinthians 6:14 And God hath both raised up the Lord, - God not only raised our Lord from the dead (NEB). That is, He raised up Christ and thereby broke the grip of death. The doctrine of the resurrection of Christ is fundamental to the gospel (15:1-4; Acts 2:29-32; 1 Peter 1:3). It proves His deity (Romans 1:4) and our own salvation and resurrection is predicated upon it (15:12-20). and will also raise up us by his own power. He will also raise us by His power (NEB). As He raised up Christ, He will also raise our bodies from the dead by His power (1 Corinthians 15:1-58; Romans 8:10-11; Romans 8:18-23), incorruptible and immortal (1 Corinthians 15:42-44). The body thus has a higher purpose than food and the stomach (1 Corinthians 6:13) - it will live on while they perish. They are thus in entirely different classes, made for different purposes, and have different destinies. And because of its purpose (the Creator’s design) it is sinful to prostitute the body, which is a part of God’s eternal plan and is therefore destined for glory, to fornication.

Verse 13

1Co 6:13

1 Corinthians 6:13

Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats:—Food is for the stomach. [Paul now proceeds to explicitly apply these principles to the matter in hand. The language indicates that some argued that if meats were morally indifferent, a man being morally neither the better nor the worse for eating the food which had been offered in an idol’s temple, so also a man was neither better nor worse for fornication. To expose the monstrous error of this reasoning, he draws a distinction be­tween the digestive, nutritive organs of the body and the body as a whole. The body is an essential part of human nature, and in the future the natural body will give place to the spiri­tual body. The spiritual body is connected with, and has its birthplace in, the natural body, so that the body that we now wear is to be represented by that finer and more spiritual or­ganism in which the righteous are hereafter to be clothed. (1 Corinthians 15:44). The connection of the future body with the physical world and its dependence on material things we do not under­stand; but in some way it is to carry on the identity of our present body, and thereby it reflects a sacredness and signifi­cance of this body. The body of the aged is very different from that of the newborn babe, but there is a continuity that links them together and gives them identity. So the future body may be very different from and yet the same as the pres­ent. At the same time, the organs which serve for the main­tenance of the natural body will be unnecessary and out of place in the future body, which is spiritual in its origin and in its maintenance. There is therefore a difference between the organs of nutrition and that body which is part of our perma­nent individuality, and which by the power of God is to be made into an everlasting body. The digestive organs have their use and their destiny, and the body as a whole has its use and destiny. The two differ from one another; and if we argue from one to the other we must keep in view this distinc­tion. By eating we are not perverting the digestive organs of the body to a use not intended for them; but we are putting them to the use God meant them to serve.]

but God shall bring to nought both it and them.—Both the food and the stomach—the appetite for food—are to perish. They end with our earthly being. [They serve a temporary purpose, like the house in which we live, or the clothes we wear.]

But the body is not for fornication,—This is not its lawful use. [There is a vital difference between the satisfaction of hunger and the gratification of the sexual appetite. The latter is only possible in the bonds of matrimony. Fornication is an abuse of the body, a defilement of Christ’s member, an insult to the Lord himself, whose property is not only taken by theft from him, but handed over to a harlot. This is very plain speaking on the part of the apostle. But it is just; and if it was necessary in those days, it is equally necessary now.]

but for the Lord;—[Here lies the true purpose of the body.] It is for the service of the Lord, who has an appropriate use and sphere for it. [It is destined to be the vehicle of spiritual faculties and the efficient agent of the Lord’s purposes. It was through the body of the Lord that the great facts of our redemption were accomplished. It was the instrument of the incarnation, and of the manifestation of God among men, of the death and resurrection by which we are saved. And as in his body Christ was incarnate among men, so now it is by means of the bodily existence and energies of his people on earth that he extends his kingdom among men.] And to this great end it should be used instead of abused, and destroyed by fornication.

and the Lord for the body:—[The Lord dwells in and acts and provides for the body. He thus sustains and keeps it from vanity and sin and corruption. It would be a wicked thing to tear away our body from that sacred connection and give it over to licentiousness.]

Verse 14

1Co 6:14

1 Corinthians 6:14

and God both raised the Lord, and will raise up us through his power.—The body, unlike the belly, has an eternity before it, and as evidence of this Paul says: “And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, he that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you.” (Romans 8:10-11). If the appetites, passions, and lusts are held in proper restraint and used as is good, then the Spirit of God will dwell in and be with us, and God, who raised Jesus, will by his Spirit raise us up to reign with him. [“Will raise up us” here stands in contrast with “shall bring to nought” in verse 13.]

Verse 15

1Co 6:15

1 Corinthians 6:15

Know ye not that your bodies are members of Christ?— Their bodies, with the Spirit of God dwelling in them, are the members of the body of Christ. (1 Corinthians 12:27). [This solemn truth, that there is a real community of spiritual life between Christ and the true believer, is employed here to remind them of the restrictions placed upon their liberty. The body of the Christian is Christ’s, nay in a sense, it is a part of himself (Ephesians 5:30), so that the same Spirit which possessed Christ is the same which possesses the Christian. It is in Christ that he seeks to live, and it is the consuming desire of his heart that Christ would use his body to the accomplishment of his pur­poses even as he used his own body while on earth.]

shall I then take away the members of Christ, and make them members of a harlot?—Sexual intercourse is the act that the Bible recognizes as making man and woman one. When a man who is a member of the body of Christ is guilty of for­nication he [forms this union in an unlawful way and] makes the member of Christ one with a harlot.

God forbid.—[If the Christian is as truly a member of Christ’s body as were the hands and feet and eyes he wore on earth, the mind shrinks, as from blasphemy, from the very thought of being joined to a harlot as is done by one guilty of fornication.]

Verses 15-18

1Co 6:15-18

THE BODY IS NOT FOR FORNICATION

1 Corinthians 6:15-18

1 Corinthians 6:15 Know ye not -See note on v. 2. that your bodies are the members of Christ? - You are in Christ (Galatians 3:26-27; 2 Corinthians 5:17) and Christ is in you (Colossians 1:27). He is the vine and you are the branches (John 15:5). Or to say the same thing another way, you are members of His body (1 Corinthians 12:12-27). This means that you are one with Him - one spirit (v. 17). In Christ the body (human personality or being) serves the fundamental purpose for which it was made (vv. 13-14). Thus a Christian cannot act apart from Christ - from his relationship with Christ. His actions involve Christ as well as his own creative purpose. shall I then take the members of Christ, Am I then to take away from Christ parts of His body (Goodspeed). That is, take away from Christ that which is His, the members of His body, and put them to an immoral use? and make them the members of an harlot? - And make them one with a harlot in immorality, thus making a member of Christ commit fornication. Such a connection between a member of Christ and a harlot is utterly unthinkable. The point here is that when a Christian commits fornication, he degrades Christ and abandons the purpose for which his body was made. God forbid. - Never! (NIV). A strong negative showing abhorrence at the very thought of such a thing.

1 Corinthians 6:16 What? - Or (ASV). know ye not See note on v. 2. that he which is joined - Attached, glued to, or stuck together, as by adhesive (d. the word cleave in Genesis 2:24; Matthew 19:5; Ephesians 5:31). to an harlot - Any partner in fornication. is one body? Makes his body one with hers? (Williams) or makes with her a physical union (Phillips). They are glued together and have become one in their immoral act. for - Introduces the reason why the forego­ ing is true. two, - A pair, a male and a female. saith he, Said God through Adam (Genesis 2:24). shall be one flesh. - United sexually. God had said in the beginning that a husband and wife would become one flesh (Genesis 2:24) and Paul understood this to mean sexual union. This intimate relationship made them one it glued them together. And if this means anything it means that mar­ riage is consummated in the sex act - that God by His approval joined them (and all others who marry) as one flesh at this point. Some have argued that if this is the case then the initial sex act would be sinful because the two would not yet be one. But not so. What God has approved or authorized (in making them one) cannot be wrong. Paul quotes this to prove that when two engage it’) illicit sex, they also become one flesh. This does not mean that they are joined in marriage (as is the case with a husband and wife) but that they are joined in bodies that is, a member of Christ has been taken away from Him (v. 15) and unlawfully joined to the body of a harlot - and that which should be one with Christ is now one with a harlot.

1 Corinthians 6:17 But he that is joined unto the Lord--But he who links himself with Christ (NEB). One who is glued or attached to Him, a member of Christ (1 Corinthians 6:15). Just as the joining of a male and female in sexual relations (either within marriage or an illicit union) is the most intimate relationship between two human beings, to be joined to Christ is the most intimate relationship between Him and His people (Ephesians 5:30). is one spirit. - Is one with Him in spirit (NIV). The contrast here is that those who are joined to a harlot become one body with her but those who are joined to Christ become one spirit with Him. The spirit of Christ (dispositional spirit, not the HS) (Philippians 2:5; John 17:21). This is simply to say that the union between Christ and Christians is spiritual. The Christian loses himself in Christ. In becoming a Christian he stepped out of himself and stepped into Christ (Galatians 2:20).

1 Corinthians 6:18 Flee fornication. Keep on running from sexual immoraiity (Williams), as did Joseph (Genesis 39:1-12). Constantly shun it as you would a contagious plague (1 Thessalonians 5:22). It has a strong appeal to one of the most powerful drives in the human body and great fascination to the sensual mind (Proverbs 5:3), but it ends in misery, death, and hell (Proverbs 5:4-13). Thus whenever and wherever it may appear, fly from it by putting it out of sight, mind, and intent. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; - Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body (NASV). Not without the participation of the body (for all sin has that), as one might conclude from the KJV, but outside (without a blending into) the body. Keep in mind that in this context (vv. 12-20) the body means the total being. And in fornication the total being, the personali­ ty, becomes one with a harlot. This intimacy, this blending together of per­ sonalities, this being glued to a harlot, does not characterize other sins. but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. But if he sins sexually, he sins against his own body (Beck). This puts sexual sins in a class by themselves, a distinction that is quite difficult for us to comprehend. I am far from satisfied with what I have to offer (and in this I am joined by most other commentators), but for what they are worth, here are my thoughts on the matter: Other sins are outside (not blended with the total being) the body while this one is inside (involving the whole being); other sins are committed by the body but this one is committed against (the purpose and design of) the body; other sins involve the participation of (some parts of) the body but this one involves the whole body by joining it to (becoming one with) a harlot; other sins are a violation of the law (1 John 3:4) but this sin, in addition to violating the law, violates the very essence and nature of the body. Or to say the same thing another way, fornication affects one within his own being as no other sin does it joins him body and soul to whoredom. Whether this is the precise distinction Paul had in view or not, we may never know, but we can be certain of one thing: fornication is a perilous and singular sin and Christians are commanded to constantly flee from it. And here would probably be as good a place as any to insert a summary of the seven components of Paul’s argument against it: (1) Fornication is a wrong use of the body (vv. 12-13); (2) the body has a higher purpose than fleshly gratification (v. 14), shown by the fact that it will be raised from the dead; (3) The body of a Christian is a member of Christ and must not be taken away from Him and joined to a harlot - that is, become a member of a harlot (v. 15); (4) in this context, it is the unlawful union of a Christian with a harlot (vv. 16-17); (5) it is a sin against one’s own body (v. 18); (6) the body is a temple of the HS (v. 19) and thus must not be joined to the sinful body of a harlot; (7) Because we have been bought with a price, we are to glorify God in our bodies (v. 20) and this cannot be done if the body is joined with a harlot in immorality.

Verse 16

1Co 6:16

1 Corinthians 6:16

Or know ye not that he that is joined to a harlot is one body?—When a man takes a woman unto himself they be­come one flesh.

for, The twain, saith he, shall become one flesh.—”Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24). [That these words refer originally to marriage does not lessen their appropriateness here. For they teach that the union of the sexes in the marriage relation was divinely ordained at the creation of the race, in order to unite husband and wife so closely that in them even personal distinction should in some respects cease. Intercourse with harlots desecrates this di­vine relation to a means of sin. Therefore in a Christian, it robs Christ of a member of his own body in order to place it in union with one utterly opposed to him, a union so close that they are one flesh.]

Verse 17

1Co 6:17

1 Corinthians 6:17

But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.— [To be united in one spirit to Christ and at the same time to be united to impurity is impossible.] To be one with Christ in spirit and at the same time in body with a harlot would make the Lord one with the harlot. This is the outrage of such a course of sin. A man marries a good woman; they are one flesh; he afterwards commits adultery and thus becomes one with a harlot; does not that make the wife one with the har­lot? Has a Christian woman the right to become one with a harlot by living with a husband that is guilty of adultery? Fornication or adultery justifies a husband or wife in putting away the guilty party. Does it not go further and demand it? Has a Christian husband or wife the right to live with one guilty of adultery?

Verse 18

1Co 6:18

1 Corinthians 6:18

Flee fornication.—In view of the great sin, flee from it, keep out of the way of temptation to commit it.

Every sin that a man doeth is without the body;—Other sins are without or apart from the body. [That is, all other sinful acts which affect the body approach it from without and affect particular members. They require some motive or weapon other than the body. The body is the subject.]

but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.—[Fornication takes the body as a whole and makes it the instrument of sin. It joins the body of sinful union to a body of death, so that it becomes one flesh with the con­demned harlot, thereby severing itself from the life in Christ, and thus it strikes directly at the body’s future state. When a man and woman are united in marriage according to God’s law, there is no such alienation from the Lord’s body, and consequently no sin. This view is confirmed by the fact that the word here translated “sinneth” means to “go astray,” to “miss the mark”; so the words “sinneth against his own body” imply the running counter to the object for which the body was created.] The oneness of the body of two persons that cohabit is more than a formal union. How much of the real nature and being of a man does a woman partake of in intercourse with him and especially in carrying children begotten by him in her womb with a circulation of blood through her whole body, and how much he is affected by her will likely never be definitely determined, yet there is more in becoming one than we usually think. So a man guilty of fornication sins against his own body.

Verse 19

1Co 6:19

1 Corinthians 6:19

Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God?—The body of a Christian is a temple or a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, it is therefore a terrible thing to make a temple of God one with a harlot. [What has before been asserted of the church as a whole (1 Corinthians 3:16) is now asserted of every member of it, and the Christian’s body is the most sacred thing on earth, and every dishonor to it is an insult to him who has chosen it for his dwelling place.] Three epochs are marked by the word temple. In the Old Testament it means the material temple, the sign of localized worship and a separate people (Exodus 20:24; Deuteronomy 12:5; Deuteronomy 12:11; Deuteronomy 12:13-14); in the Gospels Jesus uses it of his own body (John 2:19-21); here it is used of every baptized believer, sanctified by the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

and ye are not your own:—[Christians do not belong to themselves, even if they could commit fornication without personal contamination or self-violation. Christianity makes unchastity dishonor both sexes. There is no double standard of morality. The plea here is to Christians to be clean as members of Christ’s body.]

Verses 19-20

1Co 6:19-20

PROPER USE OF THE BODY

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

1 Corinthians 6:19 What? -Or (ASV). know ye not--See note on v. 2. that your body - Your total being, body, soul, and spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:23). is the temple of the Holy Ghost - The sanctuary (margin ASV) where the HS dwells. In 3:16-17 the church collectively is called the temple of God in which the Spirit dwells; here the body (being) of each member is the temple of the HS. The Spirit permeates (or indwells) the whole by permeating each part, andor vice versa. which is in you, - Who dwells in you. That the HS indwells Christians is an unquestionable fact, clearly stated here and in many other passages (e.g., Romans 8:9-11; Galatians 4:6-7; Acts 2:38; Acts 5:32). But the fact of indwelling does not reveal the method. The method may be either direct or indirect, immediate or mediate - that He may indwell either without means (this is called the personal or actual indwelling) or through means (this is called the indirect indwelling). I believe that both Scripture and experience teach us that He indwells through means, the inspired Spirit-filled word of God. If this is the case, then the truth is the instrument by which He indwells. We need to clearly distinguish between the fact and the method. They are two different things and should not be confused. The fact is, He is in us. The method which He indwells us (is in our bodies or total being) is the truth, the word of God. The fact does not reveal the method, nor does the method change the fact. which ye have of God, - Which you have as a gift of God (Acts 5:32). and ye are not your own? - Not your own master. Your body does not belong to you to use as the flesh may desire - it is not yours to join to a harlot. This is true for three fundamental reasons: (1) God made the body. It therefore belongs to Him by virtue of creation. (2) Christ purchased it with His blood (v. 20). It is thus His by right of redemption. He is its Master. (3) In becoming a Christian, the body was surrendered to Christ you voluntarily became His bondservant. It is His by surrender (Galatians 2:20; Matthew 16:24). Since the body belongs to the Lord, it can be used only for that which pleases Him. And that ultimately is the purpose for which the body was made.

1 Corinthians 6:20 For ye - Your total being (which in this section is called the body). are bought - Were bought (ASV). That is, they had been purchased or redeemed. All men had sinned (Genesis 3:1-7; Romans 3:9; Romans 3:23; Romans 5:12) and as a penalty, eternal death had passed upon them (Genesis 2:17; Romans 6:23). Man thus stood hopelessly doomed. But then Christ stepped in and died in man’s stead (2 Corinthians 5:13; 1 John 2:2) - He paid the penalty of death for man. By His substitutionary death He purchased man from death - that is, He paid the price of death for man’s sins. Thus when Christ bought us He redeemed us from eternal death. with a price: And at what a price! (Phillips). The price paid was the precious blood of God’s only Son (Matthew 20:28; Acts 20:28; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12-23; 1 Peter 1:18-19). This means that our bodies are the property of God, both by creation (vv. 12-13) and by redemption. He is our Owner and Master. This is why we are not our own (v. 19). therefore - So (RSV) or now. Glorify God in your body, You must honor God with your bodies (Williams). Glorify God by using the body properly, for the purpose for which it was created ... and do it with great urgency. God is glorified when man lives and serves his creative (and redemptive) purpose. That is to say that man glorifies God by being what he was made to be and by doing what he was made to do, both now and forever. Honoring God constitutes the proper (or lawful) use of the body; fornication constitutes its misuse - it defiles the body. and in your spirit, which are God’s. - Undoubtedly added by later hands and consequently not a part of the inspired text.

Verse 20

1Co 6:20

1 Corinthians 6:20

for ye were bought with a price:—Man had sinned and was under the sentence of death. Jesus interposed and gave his life to secure a respite from the sentence and to open the way by which he might return to the favor of God and enjoy eternal life. The only way man can come to appropriate the cleansing efficacy of the blood of the Son of God is to come by faith and take the laws given by Jesus Christ into the heart and let them control and govern his life. Those who accept this offer of mercy are bought, redeemed, purchased.

glorify God therefore in your body.—Inasmuch as they had been redeemed by Jesus Christ, he exhorts them that they should with their bodies glorify him. Live so as to honor him, and not through fornication defile the temple of God by making it one with a harlot. [We should so use the body as to please and do the service of God. To glorify God is to exalt and honor him as worthy of the highest praise and most faith­ful service. Our only and supreme desire should be to know the will of God that we may do it. For we show forth his praise by obedience to his law. “The heavens declare the glory of God” in obedience to the law of creation, and much more do men glorify him by willing obedience to “the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” This being so, what a pro­fanation it is when we take this body, which is built to be his temple, and put it to uses which it were blasphemous to asso­ciate with God! Let us rather find our joy in realizing the ideal set before us, in keeping ourselves pure as a temple of God and in glorifying him in our body.]