Devotional 1 Corinthians 6: Reconciliation and the Sanctity of the Body Reflection on 1 Corinthians 6: why to resolve disputes between believers without courts and the danger of sexual immorality in the temple of the Spirit. Topics: Devotional, New Testament.

Devotional 1 Corinthians 6: Reconciliation and the Sanctity of the Body

Today’s devotional is found in the book of 1 Corinthians, chapter 6, and this was what happened.

Synopsis: In this chapter, Paul warns, in his letter addressed to the church in Corinth, against taking lawsuits between believers before unbelievers, and about the dangers of sexual immorality.

Observations

These were my observations.

1. We must not take our lawsuits between believers before unbelievers. This is an observation that does not make much sense without spiritual maturity and wisdom in the Scriptures. For it is based on the premise (i.e., belief) that God is behind all creation, we sinned and condemned all creatures to death, and He sent Jesus Christ to save all those who accept Him as Lord and Savior (Colossians 1:16, Genesis 3:14–19, and John 3:16). Without these premises, it is not possible to understand this observation. That is why Paul explains to the Corinthians, in previous chapters, that worldly wisdom and Christian knowledge are foolishness to each other (1 Corinthians 1:18). However, after realizing this, we also notice that resolving lawsuits among ourselves is simply a band-aid. For the true cure (i.e., what is right) is to have no lawsuits among Christians at all. For as Christians we are followers of Jesus Christ, and Jesus told us that we should not hold lawsuits against our brothers and sisters and that we should seek to reconcile with them before it turns into a court case (Matthew 5:25–26). That is why Paul rebukes the Christians in Corinth for reaching the point of having lawsuits with their brothers and taking them before unbelievers. Because this is shameful among Christians and goes entirely against what Jesus taught (1 Corinthians 6:1–6). Therefore, we must always seek reconciliation with our brothers and resolve issues before taking them to court. For when we take them to court, we subject ourselves to human laws. And certainly, true justice will not be served, and we will still have to suffer the consequences to the letter.
2. The dangers of sexual immorality. This is a topic that has always been very relevant and continues to be so in our days. Ever since sin entered the world, our flesh has become increasingly weak (Matthew 26:41). That is why today (after many generations of sinners), we need the help of God’s Spirit even more to stop satisfying the desires of the flesh (Galatians 5:16–17). Without the Holy Spirit, it is impossible to control the desires of the flesh. And we must control the desires of the flesh if we want to draw closer to God and be reconciled with Him. Furthermore, we must pay attention to the fact that our bodies constitute the Body of Christ and serve as temples for the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19–20). Because when we practice sexual immorality (e.g., fornication, etc.), we are damaging the members of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit. This is very serious and the consequences are internal rather than external. As a rule, the effects of sins tend to be felt outside our bodies, but sexual immorality does the opposite—the consequences are more devastating within our bodies (1 Corinthians 6:18). For whoever practices sexual immorality sins against their own body (i.e., against the member of Jesus’ body and profanes the temple of the Holy Spirit). Furthermore, we also know that when one unites with someone (i.e., has sexual relations with someone), they become one flesh. Therefore, we must not practice sexual immorality, because our bodies were made for the Lord (1 Corinthians 6:13, 19–20). Therefore, we must flee from sexual immorality just as Paul told the Corinthians.