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 1 Corinthians 6 - Freedom in Christ

We have freedom when we trust and obey Christ.  The Bible tells us that we can honestly walk in freedom if we have devoted ourselves to God’s commandments (Psalm 119:45).  It is good for us to ponder the direction of our lives.  Every day is a day of decisions and actions.  Is today a day to turn and follow God?  We hear throughout Scripture to take care to trust only in God for a person with divided loyalties is unstable in everything (James 1:8).  Let us be a stable and steadfast people.

Trust God.  He will come through for you.  His promises are sound and trustworthy.  His timing is not ours, but He is perfect - as is His timing (Psalm 119:126).

We say we believe the Bible, but we do not follow the Bible’s standard of conduct for believers in Jesus Christ.

We do not remove the wicked and evil people from the church as Paul says we must.

Then in this chapter, we see what we know oh so well.  We see yet again how worldly we are.  We trust the secular courts more than believers and fool ourselves by thinking we can get away with doing wrong.  Paul says this to shame the Corinthians - he could say the same thing to the modern church (6:5).  The mindset of the Christian is that we should be prepared to accept injustice, and leave it at that.  By failing to do so we show that we don't really trust God - we don't trust His justice.

Doing wrong is obvious.  Yet Paul sees the need to call it out in the last chapter and again here:

    • Having divided loyalty
    • Indulging in sexual sin (Paul says here that no other sin affects the body as this one does)
    • Worshiping idols
    • Committing adultery
    • Practicing prostitution
    • Practicing homosexuality
    • Stealing
    • Loving money (sound familiar, church?)
    • Drunkenness
    • Abusive behavior
    • Cheating people

        Not everything is good for us.  We love to deceive ourselves by telling ourselves what makes us feel like crap is somehow related to our happiness.  What fools we’ve been.  If we do these things we will not enter the Kindom of Heaven (1 Corinthians 6:10).

        Lord, you make us holy when we call on your name; your Spirit makes us holy.  We mourn for the sin and greed and pride and abuse in the Church.  It makes us sick to see it.

        Thank you, Lord Jesus, for your Way.  Your good, pleasing, and perfect way.  You care about everything for us including our minds and bodies.  Our minds and bodies are connected to Christ.  Thank you, Lord Jesus, that your people are connected to the Spirit of Christ.  We have unity in You.  

        God bought us at a high price.  We must act like it.  We must act like valued parts of the Body of Christ.  May we do so in sincerity and truth today.  Amen.


Victory Memorial at Yorktown, Virginia.


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