1 Corinthians 6:16-20
- Elevated Discourse
- May 13
- 3 min read

Scripture: 1 Cor. 6:16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is written, “The two will become one flesh.”
1 Cor. 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
1 Cor. 6:18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
1 Cor. 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit with you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,
1 Cor. 6:20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
Teaching: Paul gives an important teaching in these verses, that Christianity is not just spiritual but physical, as well. As covered in previous verses, the Greek mindset was that the spiritual was more important and what the body needed, one should give it, almost like keeping the gas tank filled and oil changed in a car. Otherwise, the body was not of importance. However, Paul shatters this kind of thinking here.
First, he reminds the Corinthians that it is God’s Word that when two join together in sexual relations, they become “one flesh.” This is foundational to biblical marriage in God’s design, but the one flesh concept is not only in marriage, but also when one engages in relations with a prostitute (or extramarital relations). A one flesh relationship is not dependent upon marriage but of the sexual act itself. Paul will expand on these points later in the letter on the topic of marriage. But he uses this as a picture of how believers in Christ are made one with the Lord by the Holy Spirit living inside them.
Secondly, Paul calls the Corinthians to flee from sexual immorality, drawing a distinction between it and other forms of sinful behavior. Paul delineates sexual immorality as a unique sin against one’s own body. It is a sin that cannot be so easily repented of by moderation or abstinence, because one has already become one flesh with another. It takes a special kind of toll on us spiritually, as it changes our relationship with others in a different way than other kinds of sin.
Finally, Paul reminds the Corinthians that their body is literally the dwelling place, the temple, of the Holy Spirit. Thus, what our body does, the Holy Spirit comes along with it. We may tune out the Holy Spirit’s counsel at times, but He does not leave us or forsake us. This is a comforting truth most of the time, but in this example, it should be sobering. Because the Lord has bought us with a price (his death on the cross), and has given us His Spirit to live in us, we have a responsibility to uphold to His glory.
Takeaway: Contrary to what the secular world claims today, what we do with our bodies matters. God gave us each life and body and rebirth in the Spirit, but it is still His plan that we glorify Him and live for Him in this life and in this body until He comes again and we receive the new, unperishable body (see 1 Corinthians 15). It is tempting to either disregard our body or overly indulge our bodies in this life. We see both extremes – those living as if what they do with their body sexually or perhaps chemically, pharmaceutically, or surgically view their body as either unimportant or simply a means to an end. On the other end, we see others living as though their life purpose is to revel in every fleshly pleasure possible. Neither of these approaches is biblical because neither seeks to glorify the Lord, but rather indulge self. That is the key phrase in this passage, “for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” What we do with our bodies matters because by God’s grace He has given us the opportunity to live for Him and, one day, with Him. Let this kind of thinking be a guide when it comes to how you behave in this life.
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