1 Corinthians 6:13: Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
Food for the stomach and the stomach for food was another slogan by which some Corinthians sought to justify their immorality. They reasoned that “food” was both pleasurable and necessary. When their stomachs signaled hunger, food was taken to satisfy them. So too, they argued, sex was pleasurable and necessary. When their bodies signaled sexual desire, they needed to be satisfied. But Paul drew a sharp line between the stomach and the body. The body in this context meant more than the physical frame; it referred to the whole person, composed of flesh (the material) and spirit (the immaterial). The “body,” therefore, was not perishable but eternal (1 Cor. 6:14), and it was not meant for sexual immorality (porneia) but for union with the Lord (vv. 15–17). The eternality of the body, the future destiny of the individual, was made certain by Christ’s resurrection. 1
Application
- Read Galatians 5:19. What sins of the body are mentioned?
- Now read Galatians 5:16. How can you avoid the sins of the flesh?
Thought to Share
The power that saved me is the power that is keeping me. – TWEET IT
Prayer
Lord, teach me to flee the places of sin, and to cling onto You alone.
1. Walvoord, John F., & Zuck, R. B., Dallas Theological Seminary. (1985). The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.
