Useful Bible Studies > 1 Corinthians Commentary > chapter 6
It is clear to everyone why God considers certain actions to be wrong. We all know the trouble that lies can cause. We know the pain that cruelty can cause.
It may seem harder to say why certain sex acts are wrong. If two adults agree to do something, perhaps nobody will suffer from that act. But God’s law may still declare it to be wrong.
People claim the right to do whatever they wish to their own bodies. They say, ‘I am free to do whatever I want’ (6:12). Or, ‘I am only trying to satisfy my own desires’ (6:13).
The Bible insists that people do not have these rights. They owe everything - even their own bodies - to God, who made them. So, they are responsible to him (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14).
It is especially serious when Christians do these things. When they became Christians, they invited God into their lives. He accepted, so now he lives in them by his Spirit. Their bodies are the house of God, in other words, the temple where the Holy Spirit is present. It is terrible to carry out an unholy and wicked act against God’s house. But Christians are doing that if they carry out wrong sex acts. So of course, they should ask God to forgive them (1 John 1:9). They need his help so that they can stop completely that wrong behaviour.
When God saved them, he paid a price. That price was the death of Christ. So now they are not their own. In other words, they do not belong to themselves. They belong to God. He has placed his Spirit inside them, as evidence that he owns their lives. So now they are God’s people. And their bodies are his temple - the house of God.
Next part: Is it good to marry? (1 Corinthians 7:1-2)
Please use the links at the top of the page to find our other articles in this series. You can download all our articles if you go to the download page for our free 450 page course book.
© 2014, Keith Simons.