August 24, 2008
I Corinthians 6:13
Exordium: Is it not amazing how the Holy Spirit uses specific situations in the history of His Church to teach some of the grandest themes in our faith?
In fact, the doctrines of the Church are almost never presented in a vacuum or in abstract passages. They are usually applied to particular events in the life of the early Church in which God wants us to discover some wonderful truths of His.
Explication: Take the matter of the human body. The Bible does not tell us directly that the Christian faith is the only world religion that takes the body as seriously as it does or the religion that gives to our bodies the greatest degree of dignity and honor. It doesn’t tell us that the stoic Greeks thought of the body as a prison house or a tomb, or how Epictetus said that he felt “like a poor soul, shackled to a corpse.”
Instead the Bible takes us back to a problem in the Church at Corinth. Corinth was a very wicked city, probably more evil than any city on the face of the earth today. The sins of the flesh and the mind abounded. The people who believed the message about Christ that Paul preached had themselves been caught up in those wicked ways- and some of them continued in them even after their baptism.
So Paul writes to them to show them that they were using their bodies in ways that did not honor the Lord. He is teaching them that their bodies were holy, and were to be used in holy ways.
He might have come out hard against them and said “no”, to this or that, or applied God’s commandments rigorously and perhaps harshly to their conduct, but he did not. He took a wiser approach. He puts himself in their place, and tries to understand how they are thinking and trying to justify their conduct. So he states their excuse for the wrong uses of their bodies as they would say it, “All things are lawful for me.”
There is truth in that statement. In Christ, we are free from the rigors of the Mosaic Law. The commandments of God will always be with us, but the additions to the law which the Jewish leaders had developed are not binding upon us as believers in the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ. He has set us free from those.
I. HOWEVER, THERE IS A FAILURE HERE IN THEIR UNDERSTANDING OF CHRISTIAN FREEDOM
Christian freedom means that the believer is not bound by the rules of men, but always by the rule of God in the Bible and by the Holy Spirit. The Christian is not bound by another’s conscience. God alone is Lord of the “conscience”.
But there are limitations to Christian freedom, which means that I may not do whatever I may see others doing, and may want to do myself. What are those limitations?
In this passage in I Corinthians two are cited.
1. While all things are possible and may even be lawful for me to do, not all things are expedient, (for the children that means, fit, proper, good, and helpful and lead to a good end or result) for myself and others.
The things they were doing did not help themselves or others.
2. I must not be brought under the control of anything other than the will and word of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whatever I do must be in accord with His teachings and lead to Christ-like living.
I must remain in control so that I can follow my Lord with no distractions. If any practice or substance or person gains control of me, that is an infringement of my Christian freedom. Christian freedom means freedom from domination by anything that would take the place of Christ in my life.
The truth of Christian liberty, like all Christian truth, is open to misunderstanding and must be carefully guarded in its purity. Here are some safeguards:
1. To possess the right to do all things is not the same as doing all things.
2. We have the freedom not to be free, but instead to limit our freedom in accordance with the principles of Scripture.
3. Whoever is trying to prove his freedom by indulging in harmful things is not free. He is bound by his own desire to prove his freedom.
4. If there is anything I can’t give up, my freedom is being infringed by that thing.
II. PAUL REPLACES THIER FAULTY UNDERSTANDING OF CHRISTIAN FREEDOM WITH THE TRUTH ABOUT THE CHRISTIAN VIEW OF THE BODY
He says that their bodies are “for the Lord”, i.e. that they are designed by Him and belong to Him-“for we are His workmanship.” His title here, “Lord” implies His dominion and demands our obedience and adoration.
These bodies function best when we see our souls as stewards of our bodies-a sacred trust, to care for and beautify them for His glory. The dignity of our bodies is great, they are not destined to perish but to come to glory.
Our bodies are the means by which we represent God in the world. We are His ambassadors to reflect His image and His character and love to others.
These bodies are also the means by which we serve Him. We are to do His work in the world, and with our bodies we feed the hungry, heal the sick, bless the lonely, and clothe the poor. We take dominion over the world and bring it into its full potential with our creativity and with our labor.
The body is for the Lord-it is not for our gratification or pleasure in any ultimate sense though God enjoys our pleasure. The body is mot satisfied and fulfilled when it is engaged in doing the will of God-the things that honor Him.
And the “Lord is for the body”. He cares about our bodies as integral to our personalities. They are not a prison house to be sloughed off, but a part of who we are. We are body and soul, and cherishing the body as He does, He protects the bodies of His people.
He has a plan for our bodies. Since he Himself was raised up by the Father, He will raise us up at the last day-and, reunited with our souls, we shall be whole again, body and soul and with Him forever.
Meanwhile He is joined to our bodies. Our physical limbs are “glued together” to Christ. We are one with Him in a way that is even deeper than husband and wife are joined together.
He has chosen to inhabit our bodies, to live within them in His spirit, so that our bodies become His dwelling place in the world. Imagine having Christ as a guest in your home, how you would cleanse it of anything that would offend Him? So Christ lives within your body. We are temples of the Holy Spirit. The Lord is for the body! What does this all mean?
III. GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY
Since He has purchased your body and soul with His blood and you are owned by Him, determine to glorify Him with your physical frame.
How?
1. Present your body a living sacrifice. That is, in a definite act-lay your body on His altar and say to Him “My body is yours forever. O, Lord do with it what you will.” The Bible calls this an act of Christian worship. (Romans 12:1-2)
2. Make the care and attention of your body your way of Christian living. Take first class care of your body, for His sake. Don’t worship the body but serve Him with all your consecrated powers.
3. Remember that God’s reputation is at stake in your appearance.
4. Receive the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ into your mortal bodies as the food of eternal life. He said, “This is my body.” My body belongs to you; take it, and your body belongs to Me. Give it to Him each time you receive the Lord’s Supper.
Conclusion: Your body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for your body, therefore glorify God in your mortal body from this day forward.
