Bought at a Price

"Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies."  (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NIV)

When you accept Jesus into your heart and into your life, you are not your own.  You were bought at a price.  It wasn't just any price.  It was a high price---the price of Jesus' life.   (1 John 3:16)

Any believer who considers or calls themselves a Christian which means 'Little Christ' does not have the right or option to choose to dishonor Jesus Christ in any way with their body---God's temple.  That particularly means being sexually intimate and active with anyone other than the person God has chosen for you and also within a marital union which comes from the Lord.  [*Note:  More on this particular topic in a future blog posting...]

"The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body."  (1 Corinthians 6:13, NIV) 

One way to prevent the temptation of sexual immorality is to first guard your eyes and then your heart.  (Proverbs 4:23)  Solomon, a very wise man, spoke on this subject.  "Do not lust in your heart after her beauty or let her captivate you with her eyes." (Proverbs 6:25, NIV)

The Apostle Paul warns the church at Corinth, "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ Himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”  But whoever is united with the Lord is one with Him in spirit."  (1 Corinthians 6:15-17, NIV)

This biblical truth still applies today to the church as a whole.  This message is for the entire body of Jesus Christ.

Some people within the body of Christ may think and/or say that they have the right to do anything they want to do with their bodies.  However, if they have really made Jesus Christ the Lord of their lives, then that way of thinking is far from the truth. 

Paul talks about it in his letter to the church at Corinth.  “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything.   (1 Corinthians 6:12, NIV)

In other words, you cannot give even a small portion of yourselves over to that way of thinking.  You cannot give in even a little to temptation from the devil.  If you do, then you give the devil a foothold into you and into your life.  (Ephesians 4:27) 

John tells us where all of temptations come from too.  "For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world."  (1 John 2:16, NIV)

The Apostle Paul instructs believers to, "Flee from sexual immorality..."  (1 Corinthians 6:18a, NIV)  Leave that person.  Remove yourself from that situation.  Whatever you need to do in order to obey God, do it.

He goes on to say, "...All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body."  (1 Corinthians 6:18b, NIV)  That is not completely true though.  If you have accepted Jesus into your heart and into your life, you are also sinning against Him. 

"...But whoever is united with the Lord is one with Him in spirit."  (1 Corinthians 6:17, NIV)  Therefore, choose to obey and honor God with your body---His temple.  You were bought at a price---a very high price.

(*Additional Scripture References:  Proverbs 6:26-29, 32-33; Proverbs 7:25-27)

Copyright 2014 by Dawn Freeman. All rights reserved.