The Body Was Not Made For Fornication

I Corinthians 6:13-14


Corinth, from the descriptions Paul gives, and those by historians and commentators, was very much like our modern world. Sex was apparently viewed as a neccessity, especially for guys. The temple of Aphrodite provided prostitutes for their worshippers, and even married women were expected to occasionally serve in that capacity as part of their worship of the Godess. Promiscuity was rampant, and marriage was considered somewhat foolish for young people. Divorce was commonplace and considered normal.

The Corinthian Christians had grown up with this same teaching about sexual behaviour and, like every other culture, had brought some of these traditional teachings with them into the church. As a result of their carnality, they had not matured properly to recognize that these teachings were contrary to what God wanted. They probably thought of them as only a minor problem, not to be taken too seriously. Their attitude was much like that of the pastor in Farmington, New Mexico, who said "You young ladies need to keep yourselves pure, but we can't really expect these old rough boys to."

Some groups insist that it is not right to change the culture of those we preach to. It is true that changing the culture is not the goal, but when a person becomes a Christian, he becomes a part of a different culture, a citizen of heaven. As such, some parts of his old culture are not acceptable, regardless what culture he is from. Unfortunately, many missionaries and teachers try to convert them to their own old culture, rather than to what God desires.

Paul does not attack their old culture, but focuses on what God has specified. It is very different from what they have accepted, and in many cases different from what many of us have been taught as well. He begins by contradicting a widely held opinion, common in our day.

"Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power." (I Corinthians 6:13-14)

Food (meats) is essential to the body. The digestive system is designed solely for the purpose of digesting food efficiently, extracting needed nutrients in useable form, and eliminating waste. Foods are designed to provide neccessary nutrients in a manner to be readily extracted and used. These nutrients vary with the type of animal eating them and the digestive system matches the food eaten. They are neccessary for survival, but both the body and the food are perishable, and will die and decay.

Sex, or fornication, on the other hand, is not essential for the survival of the individual, or for his physical health. Most are only capable of procreation at certain stages in their lives, under certain conditions. Theit lives continue whether those conditions are met or not. Humans are less bound by such constraints, and are much freer to choose whether to indulge in sexual activity or not. Sex is not a primary purpose of our body, not what it was made for.

Humans were made for God's pleasure according to Revelation 4:11. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." We were not designed to please ourselves, but God. As such, the greatest joy and pleasure will be found in fulfilling that purpose. Paul's teaching in the next verses and through chapter seven will explain how to please God in this area.

The results will be both temporal and eternal, producing immediate benefits, and eternal rewards. The body will be destroyed, but God will raise us up. As Hebrews 9:27 tells us, "And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment." For our own spiritual welfare, we need to learn and follow God's plan. As Jesus said in John 14:21, "He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me." He goes on to say that the person who does not keep his commands does not love him. His blessings, and his filling are for those that love and obey him. "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me." (John 14:23-24)