You were bought with a price. Therefore honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:20
Venus was a popular deity in Corinth. Her temple was filled with Public Prostitutes, who were kept and made easily accessible with public funds! The Corinthian people were used to promiscuity and the early Corinthian church was struggling with this casual attitude toward sexual immorality. Adapting to new moral standards was difficult. Paul used a phrase, “All things are lawful” to express that faith brought about salvation, not acts. These converts threw this back at him out of context and so you find his clarification in verses 12-20. In Christ we have great freedom, but a tremendous responsibility partners with the license we are given.
Defiling our bodies compromises our relationships. The ancient Greeks believed that bodies were not important. The mind is of great value, our body is just its vessel. The two are separate. This is a fictitious thought! Our physical being cannot be separated from our spiritual person. We are one body and soul and furthermore, we are a part of the Body of Christ. What we do with our bodies directly reflects the One who bought our eternal salvation with His own blood.
We are to be tolerant of sinners who know no better, but the highest moral standard should exist among those who know that Christ paid the ultimate price for their eternal life! When we accept Jesus as our Savior and the Holy Spirit comes to live within us, our body becomes His dwelling and an earthly testament of His presence and power. Protect it, keep it clutter free and defend its purity because you are the church.
Love,
Gretchen