1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (NRSV)
Read 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 on biblegateway.com
Verse 12"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are beneficial. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything. Verse 13"Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food," and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. Verse 14And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power. Verse 15Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Verse 16Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, "The two shall be one flesh." Verse 17But anyone united to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Verse 18Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself. Verse 19Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? Verse 20For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.
Devotion
In Christ we have been freed from the power and consequences of sin. When Christ lays his hand on us, choosing us to participate in his work – or, in the terms of this passage, when he has bought us – we are permanently united with him. This means Christ is a party to everything we do. Would we want him to participate in all our actions?
God’s intention in choosing us is that we shall be a temple of the Holy Spirit. A temple is a place where God is worshipped. Can we use the gifts and freedom God gives us to worship? This doesn’t only mean involvement in the activity of the church. Rather, our whole life is to glorify God. Whatever we do, we are to follow the example of Jesus, serving God’s people in the world, as he did.
Prayer
Lord, we are amazed but grateful that you considered us worth buying. Give us the wisdom and skill to use the abilities you have given us in ways that will glorify you.