Glorify God in Your Body

1 Corinthians 6:13-20 ESV

“The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, ‘The two will become one flesh.’ But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 

“Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”

So, what is sexual immorality? In the Greek the word is “porneia.” It is defined as “fornication, harlotry, and idolatry”. It means “a selling of (surrendering) of sexual purity; promiscuity of any kind (every type),” which includes marital unfaithfulness, i.e. adultery (see biblehub.com interlinear). 

And Jesus Christ defined adultery in this way:

“But I say to you that everyone who looks at a woman with lustful intent has already committed adultery with her in his heart” (Matthew 5:28).

So, sexual immorality does not require any physical contact with another human at all. It can be all in one’s mind and heart without it being acted out physically in any way at all. Nonetheless, there are physical ways in which it is being acted out which do not require any physical contact with another human, but with oneself, especially as a result of looking at another person with sexual lustful intent. And that is still part of sexual immorality and idolatry and adultery, especially if one is married and is choosing another avenue outside the marriage relationship to satisfy his sexual cravings.

So, please understand here that when the Scriptures talk about sexual immorality they are not just speaking of having physical sexual relations with someone to whom you are not married. For you can have sexual relations with others just in your mind and heart alone, and it is still adultery, and it is still sexual immorality, and it is still wrong, and it is still sinning against the Lord Jesus and against your spouse (if you are married). And that is so hurtful and degrading and disgusting and destructive, both to your relationship with God and to your spouse who you are to love.

And the modern “churches” of today, which are being market-driven, are not taking this seriously. And part of why that is the case is because they are trying to attract the people of the world to their gatherings, and so they are trying to be sensitive to the feelings of the ungodly, and so they don’t want to say anything to them that might offend them, for they want them to return to their gatherings. And that is why most of them are diluting and altering the message of the gospel to make it more attractive and appealing to the world and to make it non-offensive.

So, the modern diluted and altered gospel message is actually giving their adherents carte blanche to continue in deliberate and habitual sin while claiming Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord and heaven as their eternal destiny. But that is just wrong! And it is anti-biblical! And this is why the Scriptures keep warning us against these things, because they are wrong, and they are sinful, and if we make these sins our practice, we will not inherit eternal life with God regardless of what faith we professed with our lips.

1 Corinthians 6:9-10 ESV

“Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God.”

And this is not speaking of just those who never made a confession of faith in Jesus Christ. This is speaking of all people who live like this whether or not they have professed faith in Jesus Christ. For lip service only is not going to get us into heaven. We must now walk according to the Spirit and no longer according to the flesh, and we must walk in obedience to our Lord and not in sin, and we must live holy and godly lives and no longer live in sexual immorality and idolatry and adultery and the like. For Jesus died to set us free from addiction to sin so we would now serve him with our lives.

So, don’t get caught up in the lies which are telling you that once you have made a profession of faith in Jesus Christ that all your sins are forgiven (past, present, and future) and that heaven is guaranteed you when you die. And don’t insult the Spirit of Grace and the Lord Jesus Christ who gave his life up for us on that cross to free us from our lives of sin, which include such things as idolatry, adultery and sexual immorality, and the list goes on.

And please know, too, that repentance is not just having a change of mind about Jesus and thus you decide to “believe” in him. And it isn’t just verbalizing your sins, either. Repentance involves a change of heart and mind and turning away from a life of sin to now follow Jesus Christ in obedience to his commands, and in walks of holiness and godliness. It means we are turning from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God so that we can receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those sanctified by faith in Jesus Christ (see Acts 26:18).

Bible verses defining what it means to be saved from our sins:

[Matt 7:21-23; Matt 24:9-14; Lu 9:23-26; Rom 1:18-32; Rom 2:6-8; Rom 6:1-23; Rom 8:1-14,24; Rom 12:1-2; Rom 13:11; 1 Co 6:9-10,19-20; 2 Co 5:10,15,21; 1 Co 1:18; 1 Co 15:1-2; 2 Tim 1:8-9; Heb 9:28; 1 Pet 1:5; Gal 5:16-21; Gal 6:7-8; Eph 2:8-10; Eph 4:17-32; Eph 5:3-6; Col 1:21-23; Col 3:5-17; 1 Pet 2:24; Tit 2:11-14; 1 Jn 1:5-9; 1 Jn 2:3-6,24-25; 1 Jn 3:4-10; Heb 3:6,14-15; Heb 10:23-31; Heb 12:1-2; Rev 21:8,27; Rev 22:14-15] 

As the Deer 

By Martin J. Nystrom

Based off Psalm 42:1

As the deer panteth for the water

 So my soul longeth after You

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

You alone are my strength, my shield

 To You alone may my spirit yield

 You alone are my heart's desire

 And I long to worship You

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UZv3jzOTE70

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