Wednesday · Jul 22
Jesus Makes Us Free From Sex Sins
Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8 . What do these verses say about the connection between our living a holy life and not doing sex sins?
In 1 Thessalonians 4:1–8 , Paul teaches us an important rule about how to live as Christians. So, why were the Christians in the church at Corinth not following it?
Some church members in Corinth believed that the Good News about Jesus made them free. So, now they could do anything they wanted. They said that just as the stomach was made for food, the body was made for sex ( 1 Corinthians 6:13 ). Paul says that Jesus doesn’t make us free to sin. He makes us free from sin. Sex sins should not be part of the Christian life ( Romans 8:2; Galatians 5:13; Romans 6:18, 22 ). Paul tells us, “Our bodies belong to the Lord. So you should not use your bodies to have sex in a wrong way” ( 1 Corinthians 6:13 , EASY). Who we are must control what we do. Both things are connected. In 1 Corinthians 6 , Paul shows us this important rule in three different ways.
First, Paul says God washed us from our sins. He made us clean and holy. Now God accepts us because of Jesus ( 1 Corinthians 6:11 ). The list of sins in 1 Corinthians 6:9, 10 and the sex sins in 1 Corinthians 6:12–20 cannot be part of the Christian’s life.
Second, we are part of the “body” of Jesus ( 1 Corinthians 6:15 ). The symbol of the body shows us that we must be united with the Lord ( 1 Corinthians 6:17 ). Sex sins break our relationship with God ( 1 Corinthians 6:13, 15 ). Whoever joins with a person in sex becomes one body with that person ( 1 Corinthians 6:16 ). So, Jesus must control our sex lives, with the help of the Holy Spirit.
Third, our bodies are the same as temples where the Holy Spirit lives ( 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20 ). If we want to live a holy life, we must have a close relationship with Jesus with the Spirit’s help. Then we won’t do sex sins. Paul tells us “to serve God with your whole life. Offer your bodies to him like [the same as] a sacrifice [offering] that continues to live” ( Romans 12:1 , EASY).
Think about all the suffering that sex sins cause the human family. What should this thought tell us about why Christians must not sin against their bodies?