First Corinthians 6:9-11 is a warning against two wrongs mentioned earlier in the chapter and chapter 5. Chapter 5 contains Paul’s astonishment that the Corinthian brethren would tolerate, and even be “puffed up” because someone was living with his father’s wife. In 6:1-8 he condemns them for the sin of taking each other to law and placing the decisions of issues among brethren in the hands of non-Christians.
Notice the warning given to these brethren: “Or know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with men, nor thieves, nor covetousness, nor drunkards nor revilers nor extortioners shall inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10). This list of ten sins falls roughly into two groups. The first are the carnal desires of the body; i.e. “fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, effeminate, abusers of themselves with men” — all are the lusts of the flesh. The second group, “nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners,” embrace the lust of the eye and the pride of life. Then the apostle adds, “But ye were washed, but ye were sanctified, but ye were justified in the name of Lord Jesus Christ” (v. 11). Unfortunately, for some of them, their sins had not remained in the past.
First Corinthians 6:12-13 reads “All things are lawful for me; but not all things are expedient. All things are lawful for me; but I will not be brought under the power of any. Meats for the belly and the belly for meats; but God shall bring to naught both it and them. But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.” The expression, “all things are lawful for me” has the appearance of being either a response the Corinthians made to tolerating fornication among themselves, or else an argument Paul anticipated they might make. Clearly, “All things are not lawful.” No one would understand Paul to be saying it was lawful to kill, steal, and lie. Paul was expressing the truth that some things are neither right nor wrong. But in some circumstances, they would not be expedient, and possibly would be sinful. In chapter 8 the apostle deals with such a circumstance. He discussed meats offered in sacrifice to idols. Could a Christian buy and eat meat in a marketplace that had first been a sacrifice? Paul indicated that it would be right because an idol is nothing. But to do such is not necessary. Furthermore, in the case of former idolaters, it could be wrong because they felt that they were still worshipping an idol with the sacrificed meat. What should the one who knew an idol was nothing do (the “strong” brother)? If the strong brother had been invited to a feast in which such meats were served, he could eat. But if there were weak brethren present who could be influenced by his example to violate their conscience by eating (and therefore stumbling and sinning), the strong brother should abstain from the sacrificed meat. It was neither “right” nor “wrong” in and of itself to eat that meat. You see, “All things were lawful.” But if a weak brother was led to sin by the example of a strong brother, it was “not expedient” — it was wrong.
The second argument is similar to the first: “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall bring to nought both it and them” (1 Corinthians 6:18). This argument says that the body was made to engage in sex; therefore, it is not wrong to engage in it. Fornication is fine because God is going to destroy both belly and body. Paul showed the folly of that reasoning: the body is not for fornication. God planned that each man should have his wife, and each woman her own husband. Outside of the lawful relationship of marriage, sexual activity is sinful. Furthermore, the assumption that the body will be ultimately destroyed is false. God raised up His Son, and He will raise us up. The body is for the Lord.
Paul then wrote: “Or know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God? And ye are not your own; for ye were bought with a price: glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Because our body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, we must never forget that if we use it sinfully, we will be lost. The unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God.
Jim McDonald