6: 9-20 / I Corinthians: The Church, Then and Now / Session 10
In this passage, Paul warns the Corinthians against several heinous sins. He lists 10, of which 4 are sins of immorality. The end of the unrighteous is emphatically declared, and repeated: they “shall not inherit the kingdom of God”. Paul gives several reasons for his position against sexual sins, the clincher is verses 19 and 20: “know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.” KJV
V 9-11 Sin and Redemption
All unrighteousness is sin; and all sin not repented of, shuts one out of the kingdom of heaven.
Sin against Commandment I:idolatry
Sin against Commandment VII: adultery, fornication, effeminacy, sodomy
Sin against Commandment VIII:theft, extortion
Sin against Commandment IX: reviling
Sin against Commandment X: coveting, drunkenness
These examples were representative of the wickedness that the Corinthian believers had been delivered from when they were saved: washed, sanctified, justified in the name of Jesus and by the Holy Ghost.
V 12-20 Immorality: Sexual Sin
Definition: physical intimacy outside of the lawful marriage of one man and one woman, including all other sexual expressions.
Paul’s arguments against immorality:
1)V 13: the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, an instrument for the service and honour of God
2)V 14: the honour intended to be put on our bodies, the resurrection to a glorious body, like Christ’s
3)V 15: the honour already put on our bodies, members of the body of Christ in the earth
4)V 18: a sin against our own bodies, defiles and degrades the body in a unique way
5)V 19: our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost, God’s expression in the world in this dispensation
6)V 20: our obligation to glorify God both with our body and spirit, which are His, we belong to Him, we are not our own, we have been bought with the price of the blood of Jesus
What did Jesus teach about Immorality?
In Mark 7: 20 - 23 Jesus names adultery, fornication, and lasciviousness as defilements that make a person unfit for God’s kingdom.
In Matthew 5: 27 – 28, Jesus declared that the sin of adultery occurs in the heart. It isn’t necessary to commit the act to be guilty of the sin.
Jesus always calls us to a higher standard, He came to fulfill the Law of Moses. The Holy Ghost will empower us to live to the highest standards of holiness.
Some Wise Sayings About Immorality
The essence of all immorality and sin
is making ourselves the center around which we subordinate all interest.
Cecil J. Sharpe
The so-called new morality is too often the old immorality condoned.
Lord Shawcross
The essence of immorality is the tendency to make an exception of myself.
Jane Addams
Freedom's enemies are waste, lethargy, indifference, immorality,
and the insidious attitude of something for nothing.
William Arthur Ward
Discussion Group: Referring to I Corinthians6: 9-20,answer questions 1 to 3.
1Define these words: (v9-12)
1a unrighteous
1b fornication
1c idolatry
1d adultery
1e effeminate
1f abusers of themselves with mankind
1g theft
1h covet
1i drunkard
1j revile
1k extortion
1l washed
1m sanctified
1n justified
1o lawful
1p expedient
2a What does it mean to be one in body with a prostitute? (v16)
2b What does it mean to be one in spirit with Christ? (v17)
2c Is it possible to be one with both?
2d Why, or why not?
3 What reasons does Paul give for not having sex outside marriage?
(v12a)
(v12b)
(v13-17)
(v18)
(v19-20)
Take Home: Personal Reflection and Application
4a CompareI Corinthians 3:16 with 6:19.
4bHow should each of these verses affect your conduct?
5a Write down a pleasure you are fond of:
5b Evaluate it according to the tests in 6:12-13 and 6:19-20.
Is it beneficial?
Is it threatening to control you?
Does it glorify God, who has bought you at a price and made your body His temple?
Take Home: Personal Preparation for Next Class: Marriage Issues
Read I Corinthians 7: 1-40, and answer question6.
6 What considerations would help a couple decide whether to marry, to wait, or to not marry?