SERMON: “Overcoming Sexual Immorality” (1 Cor. 6:12–20)
“Overcoming
Sexual Immorality”
(1 Cor. 6:12–20)
Series: “1 Cor: Holiness from Messes” #21 Text: 1
Corinthians 6:12–20
By: Shaun Marksbury Date: March 8, 2026
Venue: Living Water Baptist Church Occasion: AM Service
Introduction
Today, it seems like topics which were at least taboo in the
past are now widely accepted by culture.
A wife in a TV show told her husband that she wished he wouldn’t watch certain
inappropriate content on his computer, and chuckling a bit, he replied, “Well,
you knew I was a red-blooded male when you married me!” She rolled her eyes as though he was just
talking about being a football fan, and the scene was clearly meant to be comedic.
There are plenty of people teaching that the worst thing a
person could do is suppress desire. This
kind of thinking has been a staple of the sexual revolution, and it’s continued
on in various forms today. It even becomes
wrapped up in identity, where people want to be identified with certain labels. There’s a sense in which we believe we’re
little more than animals, hardwired for certain activity and can’t help it.
What is the body for? That’s the question Paul forces us to answer
in this text. Remember that the
Corinthian church was a mess, and some of its members had adopted a completely
libertine attitude toward sin. It seems
that some were even sleeping with prostitutes[1] and
then hiding behind Christian liberty, quoting slogans that seemed to justify
their behavior.[2]
They treated the body like a disposable
tool for pleasure, as if what they did with it didn’t matter.
Yet Paul will not let them off the hook. He takes what they’re saying and then
dismantles their logic. As he does that,
he’s preparing us for later discussions in the letter — sex and marriage in
chapter 7, food and idols in chapter 8, Christian liberty in chapters 8–10, and
even the resurrection in chapter 15.[3] But, right now, he is tackling willful,
ongoing sexual sin. This isn’t a
condemnation of sexual intercourse in the context of marriage, but it is a
condemnation of that which God forbids.
We can overcome sexual immorality, and that’s the good news
of the text. We simply need to change
our thinking. So, we’ll consider this
truth today in three stages. First, we overcome
by understanding our proper liberty (vv. 12–13). Second, we overcome by understanding our
union with Christ (vv. 14–17). Third, we
overcome by understanding our commands (vv. 18–20). Let’s consider this together.
First, Overcome by Understanding Our Proper Liberty (vv. 12–13)
All things are
lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not
be mastered by anything. Food is for the
stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for sexual immorality, but
for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.
Now, some of your translations in these two verses will have
some extra quotation marks. That’s
because it appears that Paul is quoting these slogans that the Corinthians have
been using repeatedly to excuse their behavior.[4] Of course, this is immature to use these
slogans to excuse sinful behavior.[5]
The first of those is, “All things are lawful for me.” Now, before we misunderstand what Paul is
doing here, it’s worth noting that Paul doesn’t immediately say, “No, that’s
wrong.” He doesn’t say all things are
not lawful. He just simply adjusts their
thinking about their liberty. You see,
he may have been the one who originally taught them what became this slogan,
because he says clearly in other places that we are free from the restrictions
of the ceremonial law. He says we have
freedom in Christ in what we eat and what we do.
There are many things in the Torah that we don’t apply to
our Christian lives today because of this principle. Perhaps you will enjoy a ham sandwich or a BLT
after the service. You may be presently wearing
polyester. You may be doing some other
things that the Scripture would have forbade from Old Testament Israel. So, why are you engaged in it? You may have understood that we’re not under
the law anymore; we’re instead in the age of grace, grafted into the New Covenant.
Paul, in responding to their sin, doesn’t say, “Well, I made
a mistake, guys. Maybe we shouldn’t have
so much liberty in Christ.” Rather, he
quotes them, but then just adjusts the thinking. here because the Corinthians had twisted this
expression into an excuse for immorality. They were using it as a license to
sin.
But, here’s the problem: Christian freedom though is never
absolute. We understand that there are
certain limitations that God still places on believers. There are still certain moral principles from
the Old Testament (and the New Testament). They form a boundary that tell us, “This far,
and no further.” So, Paul immediately
qualifies this question of liberty in two ways. [6]
First, he says that “not all things are profitable.” It’s unfortunate that we as believers only
ever seem to ask whether God allows something — a better question is, “Does
this build me up in Christ and in serving others?” In chapter 10, in fact, he will say the same
thing: “All things are lawful, but not all things build up.” He says that love
builds up (8:1), not selfish activities. Therefore, anything tearing down others or hinders
my own growth in holiness is not profitable.
Second, Paul also says, “I will not be mastered by
anything.” The concept here is being
brought under the power or control of something. Anything can enslave us if we let it, even
good things. So, it shouldn’t be a
surprise that sexual sin can trap us, especially since it reaches so deep into
our affections and our bodies. A good
example might be alcohol; Scripture gives liberty on that subject, but some of
you have had some real fights with drunkenness. So, you might say, “It is lawful for me to
drink, but I know me, so I choose not to do so.
I know that if I begin, I will become mastered by it.” Don’t just ask what’s is or isn’t lawful, ask
what’s profitable and whether you are becoming “dominated” (ESV) by it.
Of course, the overarching example that Paul is giving in
this section is sexual immorality, which can also be something that masters us. Think about it in your life. We have the freedom to do certain things that
Scripture doesn’t necessarily forbid, like using smartphones, tablets, computers,
etc. Yet, as we’re searching the world
wide web, we can come across some dark places. Paul is saying, “Yes, I am free — but I refuse
to become a slave again,” and we must similarly refuse to let it become a
recurring habit that saps our joy, robs our usefulness, and invites the Lord’s
discipline.[7]
Now, the Corinthians would have a counterpoint to this which
Paul anticipates. In v. 13, he writes, “Food
is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both
of them.” It may seem like a strange change
of subject. Yet, this is probably
another Corinthian slogan, and it’s euphemistic — it’s not about food, but it
is about feeding desire.[8]
In essence, some of the Corinthians were
saying sexual intercourse is like eating, because it satisfies an appetite just
like food does. The body’s for satisfaction.[9]
Of course, Paul agrees that food and stomach are temporary,
but he draws an interesting distinction between the stomach and the whole body.[10]
The word “body” here seems to mean more
than the physical frame. Paul seems to
use it as speaking of the whole person.
In other words, he’s not accepting the Grecian materialistic view of the
body,[11]
instead saying that it includes the immaterial.
Just because you might be more than your body, that doesn’t mean you are
apart from your body. Your head may
include a brain which is separable from your mind, but your mind is designed to
operate in tandem with the fleshly organ. Your body is a part of you and who you are. Therefore, that which is done in the body is
done in the eternal soul.
That’s why he says that the body is not for sexual
immorality. This is porneia, the same
term he’s been using in these chapters. That
word covers every form of sexual sin outside God’s design — premarital sex,
adultery, pornography, same-sex activity, and prostitution. Paul has already listed such sins in verse 9
as disqualifying for the kingdom if one does not repent. Thankfully,
by God’s grace (v. 11), this can be indicative of our past lives — by God’s
power, cleansing, sanctification, and justification, we can be different.
So, Paul says that the body is for the Lord, and the Lord is
for the body. The body matters because
it is built for the Lord, to serve God. And
(wonderfully), the Lord is for the body — He cares about it, redeems it, and
will one day raise it. Whatever
disability or illness we have, if the Lord doesn’t heal it now, He will heal it
in the resurrection. Indeed, He created
us with the ability to enjoy our spouses in marital union,[12] so
He is simply calling us to what is best.
So, they had twisted Paul’s teaching on grace. They gave themselves a license for the flesh.
As such, Paul gives us a helpful shift
in thinking to battle temptation: I have liberty, but not for everything. My body is not my playground; it is the
Lord’s property. When temptation
whispers to you, “You’re allowed to do this because it’s just physical,” answer
with, “No!” Recognize that your body
belongs to the One who died for you and is coming back for you. Consider your body as part of the redemption
that Christ is writing and working out in your life.
That perspective changes everything, and it prepares us for
the next point:
Second, Overcome by Understanding Our Union with Christ (vv. 14–17)
Now God has not
only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members
of Christ? Shall I then take away the
members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! Or do you not know that the one who joins
himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.”
But the one who joins himself to the
Lord is one spirit with Him.
Our union with Christ is one of the most fascinating and
life-altering truths of Scripture.
Consider how Paul links our bodies directly to Christ’s resurrection. He says we're united not just in spirit or in
soul, but also in body. God raised
Jesus, and we read that He will raise us by that same power, giving us full
assurance of our salvation in Christ.
This is no minor theological point, either. Many Greeks despised the body and denied
bodily resurrection, thinking that the body is the problem to our spiritual
enlightenment. Some Corinthians had
absorbed that unbiblical thinking from their culture and concluded their
temporary bodies didn’t matter. Paul
says the opposite, though, teaching that the body is eternal rather than disposable.
Therefore, what we do with our bodies matters
eternally, and we shouldn’t misuse them for sin.[13]
This is only part of our union, though, as this truth has
present implications. In v. 15, Paul
writes, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” Paul uses this rhetorical question several
times in the letter to remind them of truths they should already understand. He says that their bodies — plural — are
members of Christ, meaning limbs or parts. Maybe you’ve heard songs about us being Christ’s
hands and feet, and there is a sense of that here. We already know that the church as a whole is
Christ’s body, but here, we see that every believer is a living part of it.
That doesn’t just have implications for how we serve one
another, but also with how we sin. Paul
concludes this verse with, “Shall I then take away the members of Christ and
make them members of a prostitute? May it never be!” He uses strong language (“Shall I then take
away), picturing a believer ripping a limb off Christ’s body and attaching it
to sin,[14]
akin in some bizarre way to Frankenstein’s monster.
So, Paul’s response is visceral — “May it never be!” Some of translations say, “God forbid,” though
that’s less literal a translation.[15] This is the strongest way he can deny this in
Greek, and this should be the same response that we all have to sin and
temptation.
Now, the Corinthians may not have understood this, and maybe,
you’re still struggling a bit with it.
So, Paul gives them another rhetorical question in v. 16: “Or do you not
know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, ‘The two shall become one flesh.’
” He’s quoting Genesis 2:24 here, the
foundational verse on marriage. This
means that fornication engages in an act reserved for marriage.
Now, we have to consider that. Sexual union is a physical act that symbolizes
two people coming together, creates a one-flesh bond. I don’t need to get graphic, for you can understand
what the picture is. The one flesh bond symbolizes
the spiritual reality of marriage, a powerful metaphor. Moreover, every relationship involving
intercourse creates this profound bond where the two become one body.
When there is no commitment of marriage, such as in the
cases of fornication and prostitution, that bond is repeatedly broken. These are acts of marital union without marriage
to one another. And these acts are detrimental
in ways that we refuse to admit to ourselves, for it harms both parties in psychological
and even spiritual ways. It scars psyches,
and there are ways in which people never fully recover from the emotional
issues that arise from illicit sexual encounters.
Over time, this can also lead to physical trauma. A person ages more rapidly and may even develop
sexually-transmitted diseases. Certain “communities”
have lower life expectancies for a reason as people live unrepentantly in
rebellion to God, whether in homosexual or heterosexual unions. Rather than sealing the covenant of marriage,
something sacred is cheapened. And a
Christian doing this involves Christ and, by extension, the whole body of
Christ.[16]
That’s hard to consider. And the more we think about it, the heavier it
gets. This is probably why we don’t let
our minds dwell on this and why we just tell ourselves little lies. We try not to consider this reality.
Now, Paul isn’t saying this just to shame them. In fact, he reminds them of the good news in
v. 17, saying, “But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with
Him.” The believer’s union with Christ
is true, intimate, and permanent, overcoming guilt and sin. Jesus prayed for this in John 17:21–23, that
we would be one as He and the Father are one. The answer to that prayer comes through the
Holy Spirit, by Whom we are joined to the Lord so deeply that we share His
life. Physical unions outside of
marriage is incompatible with spiritual union with Christ. You really must remember this before
you fall into sin, but it is also important to remember after you fall, too;
there is forgiveness for those who repent and rest in Christ’s union instead.
Beloved, we must understand our new identity in Christ. We are members of Christ, joined to Him,
indwelt by His Spirit, and headed for the resurrection. When temptation comes, remember whose body you
are carrying. We are not our own to do
as we please, and that brings us to the final point.
Third, Overcome by Understanding Our Commands (vv. 18–20)
Flee sexual
immorality. Every other sin that a man
commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral man sins against his own
body. Or do you not know that your body
is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and
that you are not your own? For you were
bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
Now, there are two commands, bookending this part of the
section. We’ll start with the first
command, which is an urgent and active command.
It’s telling us to run away from sin, to flee. As one wizened wizard might have said here, “Fly,
you fools!”
Note, he doesn’t say “resist” or “manage” it; there are many
who have fallen because they bought the lie that they were different and could
withstand temptation. Don’t buy into
that lie. Instead, Paul tells us to run
like Joseph ran from Potiphar’s wife (Gen. 39:12).[17]
We are to put distance between ourselves and the temptation. This is where we apply the words of Christ
and metaphorically pluck out our eyes and chop off our hands; if we find ourselves
tempted by material online or through various apps, we need to remove such
temptations far from us. I remember
hearing a story about a man who was tempted to go into a nightclub every time he
drove by it; his pastor helped him figure out a different drive to work. Do what is necessary — delete the apps, install
accountability software, and purchase a “dumb” phone. Get rid of anything that feeds the fire, for it
is a fire that burns if you hold it too close to your chest.
The second half of the verse is debated. This tricky portion of text has the word “other”
added by translations to help smooth out the text. Yet, the NET doesn’t, adding instead
quotation marks here. Paul may be
quoting yet another Corinthian slogan — “Every sin is outside the body” — and
then refuting it in the latter part of the verse.[18]
We need to see that sexual sin is uniquely destructive to
the body.[19]
We’ve already talked a bit about this,
but we haven’t considered the fact that it rewires the brain. I remember a professor describing it like a
record — the brain has grooves which neural impulses follow, like a path from a
moment of temptation to a moment of gratification. The brain begins to carve out new pathways as
you engage in certain kinds of sin and reward yourself with it. You might not even realize the rewiring is happening,
but one day, you realize that, instead of people, you only sexual objects. Christians may feel a moment of conviction
over the fact that, instead of thinking about the things of God, only porn is on
the mind. This is the result of slowly
training and rewiring your brain.
No other sin so intimately corrupts the very temple God has
given us (cf. v. 19). It is against the
body in a way gluttony or drunkenness is not.
That’s because the appetite comes from within and seeks gratification
through the body itself. [20] It’s uniquely destructive.
And he wants us to understand that we can think differently
about this, even if you’re someone who’s been involved with this for years. You can put it away. It’s not something that has to continue to
define you, for people have experienced victory over this sin.
Part of it is knowing that we are the sanctuary of God. It’s a lot more difficult to involve yourself
with sin if you are very aware that God is with you in that very moment. Don’t try to push God away in your mind. Recognize that you are the temple of the Holy
Spirit so you’re less desirous of sinful desire. God is right there, and you won’t want to
defile the holy of holies, the “inner part of the temple.”[21]
So, Paul says that we need to live differently. He says in v. 20 that we were bought with a
price, with the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:18–19; Acts 20:28). This is language that comes straight out of
the slave market. You can imagine a
slave on the auction block while various men come who are going mistreat him. But, then Christ comes and refuses to leave us
for another master.[22] He buys us, delivering us from sin and from
Satan.
Now there’s some good news!
Still, there are also some implications with that. We need to live differently, for we are not
our own. We must instead begin to
glorify God with our bodies. That is our
supreme purpose (1 Cor. 10:31)[23]
as we present our bodies as a living and holy sacrifices (Rom. 12:1).
Let your sexuality, your appetites, your choices all
declare, “Jesus is Lord here.” In
Christ, you no longer have to present the members of your body as instruments
of unrighteousness, but as instruments of righteousness. We can be different.
Conclusion
Your body is not simply a container for pleasure. It is a member of Christ, a sanctuary of the
Holy Spirit, a slave purchased by blood, and He will resurrect it. As such, sexual immorality isn’t a minor
misstep; it assaults who you are in Christ. The good news is that the same grace that
bought you can also free you.
If you have fallen into this sin, run to the cross. There is forgiveness for this, and the blood
that purchased you can cleanse you. Confess
your sin and repent.
Repenting means fleeing the darkness to walk in the light. So, get help if you need it. If you are struggling, you can come talk to
one of us. We want everyone to be able
to glorify God in your body — starting today!
[1] J. I. Packer, Wayne
Grudem, and Ajith Fernando, Eds., ESV
Global Study Bible, (Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 2012), 1612.
[2] F. Alan Tomlinson, CSB Study Bible: Notes, 2017, 1820.
[3] David K. Lowery, The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An
Exposition of the Scriptures, 1985, 2, 516.
[4] Packer, et. al.
[5] John D. Barry,
Douglas Mangum, Derek R. Brown, Michael S. Heiser, Miles Custis, Elliot
Ritzema, Matthew M. Whitehead, Michael R. Grigoni, and David Bomar, Faithlife Study Bible, (Bellingham, WA:
Lexham Press, 2012, 2016), 1 Co 6:12.
[6] Lowery, 516.
[7] John MacArthur Jr.,
Ed., The MacArthur Study Bible,
electronic ed., (Nashville, TN: Word Pub., 1997), 1737.
[8] Barry, et. al., 1 Co
6:13.
[9] Lowery.
[10] Ibid.
[11] “Many Greeks rejected
the idea of a bodily resurrection because they believed that death separated
the body and spirit permanently (see Acts 17:32).” Barry, et. al.
[12] John F. MacArthur
Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New
Testament Commentary, (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 147.
[13] Barry, et. al., 1 Co
6:14.
[14] MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible.
[15]Robertson, A.T.: Word
Pictures in the New Testament. Oak Harbor : Logos Research Systems, 1997,
S. 1 Co 6:15
[16] Barry, et. al., 1 Co
6:15.
[17] David Prior, The Message of 1 Corinthians: Life in the
Local Church, The Bible Speaks Today, (Leicester, England; Downers Grove,
IL: InterVarsity Press, 1985), 104.
[18] A strong ten-point
argument for this view is in Andrew David Naselli, Romans–Galatians, 2020, X, 271–272.
[19] MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible.
[20] MacArthur, 1 Corinthians, 151.
[21] Legacy Standard Bible, (Three Sixteen Publishing, 2022).
[22] Barry, et. al., 1 Co
6:20.
[23] MacArthur, The MacArthur Study Bible.