” ‘Food for the stomach and the stomach for food’—but God will destroy them both. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” (1 Corinthians 6:13)
Sex is just an appetite. When you’re hungry, you eat. Sex should be the same. When you feel like it, you should do it. It’s just a physical thing. It’s just bodies and nature. Why make a fuss? Why does it have to be a big emotional, spiritual deal?
That’s the case some of the people in Corinth were making, especially those new to Christianity who wanted to keep having sex with prostitutes like everyone else did. And it’s still a popular argument among those looking for ways to justify sex outside of a committed marriage relationship. Paul told his Christian readers, “No, you’re missing the point.”
He’s about to make the case that believers have been changed. Christians belong to Christ, now, and not just in a spiritual sense. God has a plan and a purpose even for our physical selves, for our bodies. And that plan doesn’t include “sexual immorality.” It matters what we do with our bodies because we belong to God and we are not the same people we once were.
Think: Do you tend to think of your body as disposable or eternal? Do you think of yourself as having a responsibility for your body for God’s sake? Do you think of your body as being “meant for the Lord”? Why or why not?
Pray: Ask God to help you not to misuse your body for sexual immorality. Thank him that your body is “meant for the Lord.”
Do: Notice this week if you hear anyone making a claim of ownership for his or her own body