1 Corinthians 6:19-20
“What? Know ye not that
your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of
God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify
God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
INTRODUCTION
1. The name of a popular
book for women is "Our Bodies, Ourselves"...
a. Self-described as
"a book by and for women about health and
sexuality"
b. Which among other
things approves of abortion and lesbianism
-- The premise is that
women are free to do with their bodies as they
wish
2. The Bible contradicts
such a premise for both men and women in
Christ...
a. We do not have the
right to do whatever we desire with our bodies
b. We belong to God,
both body and spirit
-- We are not ourselves,
but God's!
I. OUR BODIES ARE THE
TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
A. IN WHICH THE SPIRIT
INDWELLS...
1. Written elsewhere of
the church in general –
“Know ye not that ye are
the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man
defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy,
which temple ye are.”
“In whom all the
building fitly framed together growth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom
ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.”
2. Applied in our text
to our bodies individually –
3. As motivation for
holy living, to flee sexual immorality - cf.
“Meats
for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them.
Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for
the body. 14And God
hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power. 15Know ye
not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members
of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. 16What?
know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith
he, shall be one flesh. 17But he
that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.18Flee
fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that
committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19What?
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?”
-- The fact of the
Spirit's indwelling should affect how we use
our bodies!
B. THE SPIRIT IS GIVEN
TO US FROM GOD...
1. Promised to those who
believe, repent and are baptized –
John 7:37-39
“In the last day, that
great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let
him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath
said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of
the Spirit, which they believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not
yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)”
“Then Peter said unto
them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for
the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the
promise is unto you, and to your children, and to all that are afar off, even
as many as the Lord our God shall call.”
2. Received by those who
obey God –
“And we are his
witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given
to them that obey him.”
“For ye are all the
children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ.”
“And because ye are
sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba,
Father.”
Ephesians 1:13-14
“In whom ye also trusted,
after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom
also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy spirit of promise,
Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased
possession, unto the praise of his glory.”
Ephesians 4:30
“And grieve not the Holy
Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”
“Who hath also sealed
us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts.”
-- The blessing of the
Spirit's indwelling should impact how we
use our bodies!
[To drive the point home
that we are not free to use our bodies however
we wish, our text also
says...]
II. OUR BODIES WERE
BOUGHT AT A PRICE
A. WE HAVE BEEN
BOUGHT...
1. By the blood of
Christ –
“Take heed therefore
unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made
you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own
blood.”
“Forasmuch as ye know
that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from
your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; But with the
precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:”
2. Both body and soul –
-- God purchased our
bodies for both now and the future!
B. WE ARE NOT OUR OWN...
1. As Paul clearly
states in our text –
2. As Paul stresses time
and again elsewhere –
“For none of us liveth
to himself, and no man dieth to himself. For whether we live, we live unto the
Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or
die, we are the Lord’s.”
“And that he died for
all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto
him which died for them and rose again.”
“Who gave himself for
us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a
peculiar people, zealous of good works.”
-- We were redeemed to
be the Lord's special people!
[Redeemed by the blood
of Christ, our bodies are not our own.
Indeed,
as our text reveals...]
III. OUR BODIES ARE TO
GLORIFY GOD
A. OUR BODIES...
1. Are now members of
Christ –
a. To be used for the
Lord, not immorality
b. Otherwise we make
members of Christ members of a harlot!
2. Are now to be
instruments of righteousness –
“Let not sin therefore
reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Neither
yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield
yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as
instruments of righteousness unto God.”
“I speak after the
manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded
your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now
yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness.”
a. No longer instruments
of unrighteousness to sin
b. No longer slaves of
uncleanness leading to lawlessness
-- Clearly they are not
to be used for sin or self!
B. TO GLORIFY GOD...
1. By how we live
–
“I beseech you
therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.
And be not comformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of
your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect
will of God.”
a. Living sacrificial,
holy lives, acceptable to God
b. Demonstrating that
God's will is good, acceptable, and
perfect
1 John 2:15-16
“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If
any man love the world, that love of the Father is not in him. For all that is
in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of
life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”
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