Freedom to Flee

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

¹² “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ¹³ “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. ¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶ Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 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. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Maybe I’ve avoided writing about 1 Corinthians for the last six years for a reason. Who wants to discuss sexual immorality and all of its trappings in vivid detail? Not me. In fact, I find it rather boring. But, here we are. It was clearly very important to discuss with the Corinthians Christians and is no less important for us today. You only need glance across the culture and you will find unending references to our sexuality and, as the saying goes, “sex sells.” We live in a time that is strikingly similar to that of ancient Corinth.

Paul’s response to the Corinthians’ sinful laxity falls into three parts: (1) In 6:12–14 he quotes the slogans they used to justify visiting prostitutes, and adds some correctives. He also tries to instill a proper respect for the body as belonging to the Lord. (2) In 6:15–17 he argues specifically against prostitution, showing the incompatibility of union with a prostitute and union with Christ. (3) Finally (6:18–20), in case they still haven’t been persuaded, he specifically forbids sexual immorality with a direct command.

Lockwood, G. J. ©2000. 1 Corinthians (p. 214). Saint Louis: CPH.

We have become a people who openly accept “alternate sexual lifestyles” with ease. But history teaches us that we are not unique in our easy acceptance of things God calls “detestable”. The fact that we are sexual beings has created irresponsible behavior since Adam and Eve. If there is something gross and disgusting to try sexually, we’ve done so.

But Paul suggests (any maybe that’s too soft of a word – perhaps commands would be more appropriate) a better way. He takes the liberty that has become ours through the death and resurrection of Jesus and shows us that our newfound freedom is not to sin, but instead is freedom to live by the power of the Spirit in accord with God’s Law. In the story of Joseph, we find a young man who knows how to flee from sexual temptation. He is propositioned by Potiphar’s wife. Keep in mind she was probably a beautiful woman who knew how to seduce a man. Joseph is a teenager – 17 or 18 at this point in the story – and we know how teenage boys feel about sex. This is the perfect set-up. But Joseph is unwilling to participate in this kind of sin.

Genesis 39:12

She [Potiphar’s wife] caught him by his garment, saying, “Lie with me.” But he left his garment in her hand and fled and got out of the house.

Here a teenage boy gives us the right answer when sexual temptations come our way – and they always will. He runs away. He doesn’t stay and try to talk her out of it. He doesn’t concede a few moments with her. He runs away. And while that running away caused him some time in prison (for she claimed he tried to rape her) he did so with a clear conscience and his mind set on the things of God. He may have been a slave to the Pharaoh, but he was not a slave to sin.

Romans 6:12-16

¹² Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, to make you obey its passions. ¹³ Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. ¹⁴ For sin will have no dominion over you, since you are not under law but under grace. ¹⁵ What then? Are we to sin because we are not under law but under grace? By no means! ¹⁶ Do you not know that if you present yourselves to anyone as obedient slaves, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin, which leads to death, or of obedience, which leads to righteousness?

As the Corinthians seemed to think that Jesus sacrifice gave them the freedom to commit any sin they wanted, they were in fact subjecting themselves as slaves to the very prostitutes they hooked-up with and Paul may be suggesting subtly that the Corinthians who go to prostitutes are in effect surrendering control over themselves to the prostitutes.

And why is this so important? Paul sheds some light on that as well and will pick up this same theme later in the letter. A major reason for ascribing such dignity to the body is God’s promise of the bodily resurrection. Casual sex’ is anything but casual. It is an act of sacrilege. Temples like our bodies are not meant for profanations like this. These bodies we are walking around in today will be the same bodies Jesus resurrects on The Last Day.

Lest we panic over our past sins, let me remind you again that ALL sin is forgiven in the blood of Jesus. Sexual sins are dire, and they have the power to ensnare us into long-term problems. But they are not unforgivable. But we all have the power to do as Joseph did and flee from these sins. And the place we will find ourselves as we flee is in freedom; freedom to love God and serve our neighbor.