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Public-domain commentary
Matthew Henry
From his Commentary on the Whole Bible. Henry comments on passages, not single verses — this entry covers 1 Corinthians 6:12–20.
The twelfth verse and former part of the thirteenth seem to relate to that early dispute among Christians about the distinction of meats, and yet to be prefatory to the caution that follows against fornication. The connection seems plain enough if we attend to the famous determination of the apostles, Acts 15, where the prohibition of certain foods was joined with that of fornication. Now some among the Corinthians seem to have imagined that they were as much at liberty in the point of fornication as of meats, especially because it was not a sin condemned by the laws of their country. They were ready to say, even in the case of fornication, All things are lawful for me. This pernicious conceit Paul here sets himself to oppose: he tells them that many things lawful in themselves were not expedient at certain times, and under particular circumstances; and Christians should not barely consider what is in itself lawful to be done, but what is fit for them to do, considering their profession, character, relations, and hopes: they should be very careful that by carrying this maxim too far they be not brought into bondage, either to a crafty deceiver or a carnal inclination. All things are lawful for me, says he, but I will not be brought under the power of any, Co1 6:12. Even in lawful things, he would not be subject to the impositions of a usurped authority: so far was he from apprehending that in the things of God it was lawful for any power on earth to impose its own sentiments. Note, There is a liberty wherewith Christ has made us free, in which we must stand fast. But surely he would never carry this liberty so far as to put himself into the power of any bodily appetite. Though all meats were supposed lawful, he would not become a glutton nor a drunkard. And much less would he abuse the maxim of lawful liberty to countenance the sin of fornication, which, though it might be allowed by the Corinthian laws, was a trespass upon the law of nature, and utterly unbecoming a Christian. He would not abuse this maxim about eating and drinking to encourage any intemperance, nor indulge a carnal appetite: "Though meats are for the belly and the belly for meats (Co1 6:13), though the belly was made to receive food, and food was originally ordained to fill the belly, yet if it be not convenient for me, and much more if it be inconvenient, and likely to enslave me, if I am in danger of being subjected to my belly and appetite, I will abstain. But God shall destroy both it and them, at least as to their mutual relation. There is a time coming when the human body will need no further recruits of food." Some of the ancients suppose that this is to be understood of abolishing the belly as well as the food; and that though the same body will be raised at the great day, yet not with all the same members, some being utterly unnecessary in a future state, as the belly for instance, when the man is never to hunger, nor thirst, nor eat, nor drink more. But, whether this be true or no, there is a time coming when the need and use of food shall be abolished. Note, The expectation we have of being without bodily appetites in a future life is a very good argument against being under their power in the present life. This seems to me the sense of the apostle's argument; and that this passage is plainly to be connected with his caution against fornication, though some make it a part of the former argument against litigious law-suits, especially before heathen magistrates and the enemies of true religion. These suppose that the apostle argues that though it may be lawful to claim our rights yet it is not always expedient, and it is utterly unfit for Christians to put themselves into the power of infidel judges, lawyers, and solicitors, on these accounts. But this connection seems not so natural. The transition to his arguments against fornication, as I have laid it, seems very natural: But the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body, Co1 6:13. Meats and the belly are for one another; not so fornication and the body.
I.The body is not for fornication, but for the Lord.
This is the first argument he uses against this sin, for which the heathen inhabitants of Corinth were infamous, and the converts to Christianity retained too favourable an opinion of it. It is making things to cross their intention and use. The body is not for fornication; it was never formed for any such purpose, but for the Lord, for the service and honour of God. It is to be an instrument of righteousness to holiness (Rom 6:19), and therefore is never to be made an instrument of uncleanness. It is to be a member of Christ, and therefore must not be made the member of a harlot, Co1 6:15. And the Lord is for the body, that is, as some think, Christ is to be Lord of the body, to have property in it and dominion over it, having assumed a body and been made to partake of our nature, that he might be head of his church, and head over all things, Heb 2:5, Heb 2:18. Note, We must take care that we do not use what belongs to Christ as if it were our own, and much less to his dishonour.
II.Some understand this last passage, The Lord is for the body, thus:
He is for its resurrection and glorification, according to what follows, Co1 6:14, which is a second argument against this sin, the honour intended to be put on our bodies: God hath both raised up our Lord, and will raise us up by his power (Co1 6:14), by the power of him who shall change our vile body, and make it like to his glorious body by that power whereby he is able to subdue all things to himself, Phi 3:21. It is an honour done to the body that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead: and it will be an honour to our bodies that they will be raised. Let us not abuse those bodies by sin, and make them vile, which, if they be kept pure, shall, notwithstanding their present vileness, be made like to Christ's glorious body. Note, The hopes of a resurrection to glory should restrain Christians from dishonouring their bodies by fleshly lusts.
III.A third argument is the honour already put on them:
Know you not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Co1 6:15. If the soul be united to Christ by faith, the whole man is become a member of his mystical body. The body is in union with Christ as well as the soul. How honourable is this to the Christian! His very flesh is a part of the mystical body of Christ. Note, It is good to know in what honourable relations we stand, that we may endeavour to become them. But now, says the apostle, shall I take the members of Christ, and make them the members of a harlot? God forbid. Or, take away the members of Christ? Would not this be a gross abuse, and the most notorious injury? Would it not be dishonouring Christ, and dishonouring ourselves to the very last degree? What, make a Christ's members the members of a harlot, prostitute them to so vile a purpose! The thought is to be abhorred. God forbid. Know you not that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with hers? For two, says he, shall be one flesh. But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit, Co1 6:16, Co1 6:17. Nothing can stand in greater opposition to the honourable relations and alliances of a Christian man than this sin. He is joined to the Lord in union with Christ, and made partaker by faith of his Spirit. One spirit lives and breathes and moves in the head and members. Christ and his faithful disciples are one, Joh 17:21, Joh 17:22. But he that is joined to a harlot is one body, for two shall be one flesh, by carnal conjunction, which was ordained of God only to be in a married state. Now shall one in so close a union with Christ as to be one spirit with him yet be so united to a harlot as to become one flesh with her? Were not this a vile attempt to make a union between Christ and harlots? And can a greater indignity he offered to him or ourselves? Can any thing be more inconsistent with our profession or relation? Note, The sin of fornication is a great injury in a Christian to his head and lord, and a great reproach and blot on his profession. It is no wonder therefore that the apostle should say, "Flee fornication (Co1 6:18), avoid it, keep out of the reach of temptations to it, of provoking objects. Direct the eyes and mind to other things and thoughts." Alia vitia pugnando, sola libido fugiendo vincitur - Other vices may be conquered in fight, this only by flight; so speak many of the fathers.
IV.A fourth argument is that it is a sin against our own bodies.
Every sin that a man does is without the body; he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body (Co1 6:18); every sin, that is, every other sin, every external act of sin besides, is without the body. It is not so much an abuse of the body as of somewhat else, as of wine by the drunkard, food by the glutton, etc. Nor does it give the power of the body to another person. Nor does it so much tend to the reproach of the body and render it vile. This sin is in a peculiar manner styled uncleanness, pollution, because no sin has so much external turpitude in it, especially in a Christian. He sins against his own body; he defiles it, he degrades it, making it one with the body of that vile creature with whom he sins. He casts vile reproach on what he Redeemer has dignifies to the last degree by taking it into union with himself. Note, We should not make our present vile bodies more vile by sinning against them.
V.The fifth argument against this sin is that the bodies of Christians are the temples of the Holy Ghost which is in them, and which they have of God, Co1 6:19. He that is joined to Christ is one spirit. He is yielded up to him, is consecrated thereby, and set apart for his use, and is hereupon possessed, and occupied, and inhabited, by his Holy Spirit. This is the proper notion of a temple - a place where God dwells, and sacred to his use, by his own claim and his creature's surrender. Such temples real Christians are of the Holy Ghost. Must he not therefore be God? But the inference is plain that hence we are not our own. We are yielded up to God, and possessed by and for God; nay, and this is virtue of a purchase made of us: You are bought with a price. In short, our bodies were made for God, they were purchased for him. If we are Christians indeed they are yielded to him, and he inhabits and occupies them by his Spirit: so that our bodies are not our own, but his. And shall we desecrate his temple, defile it, prostitute it, and offer it up to the use and service of a harlot? Horrid sacrilege! This is robbing God in the worst sense. Note, The temple of the Holy Ghost must be kept holy. Our bodies must be kept as his whose they are, and fit for his use and residence.
VI.The apostle argues from the obligation we are under to glorify God both with our body and spirit, which are his, Co1 6:20.
He made both, he bought both, and therefore both belong to him and should be used and employed for him, and therefore should not be defiled, alienated from him, and prostituted by us. No, they must be kept as vessels fitted for our Master's use. We must look upon our whole selves as holy to the Lord, and must use our bodies as property which belongs to him and is sacred to his use and service. We are to honour him with our bodies and spirits, which are his; and therefore, surely, must abstain from fornication; and not only from the outward act, but from the adultery of the heart, as our Lord calls it, Mat 5:28. Body and spirit are to be kept clean, that God may be honoured by both. But God is dishonoured when either is defiled by so beastly a sin. Therefore flee fornication, nay, and every sin. Use your bodies for the glory and service of their Lord and Maker. Note, We are not proprietors of ourselves, nor have power over ourselves, and therefore should not use ourselves according to our own pleasure, but according to his will, and for his glory, whose we are, and whom we should serve, Act 27:23.
Historical interpretation
Three Centuries of Reception
12 surviving comments on this verse. Each one is dated, so this reads as a timeline rather than a list.
Select a marker to jump to its quote. Markers stagger vertically where authors wrote within a few decades of each other.
In order, therefore, that we may be perfected for this, aptly does he say to the Corinthians, "Glorify God in your body."
And suitably does he add the question: "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? " What has the heretic to say? That these members of Christ will not rise again, for they are no longer our own? "For," he says, "ye are bought with a price." A price! surely none at all was paid, since Christ was a phantom, nor had He any corporeal substance which He could pay for our bodies! But, in truth, Christ had wherewithal to redeem us; and since He has redeemed, at a great price, these bodies of ours, against which fornication must not be committed (because they are now members of Christ, and not our own), surely He will secure, on His own account, the safety of those whom He made His own at so much cost! Now, how shall we glorify, how shall we exalt, God in our body, which is doomed to perish? We must now encounter the subject of marriage, which Marcion, more continent than the apostle, prohibits.
A price! surely none at all was paid, since Christ was a phantom, nor had He any corporeal substance which He could pay for our bodies! But, in truth, Christ had wherewithal to redeem us; and since He has redeemed, at a great price, these bodies of ours, against which fornication must not be committed (because they are now members of Christ, and not our own), surely He will secure, on His own account, the safety of those whom He made His own at so much cost! Now, how shall we glorify, how shall we exalt, God in our body, which is doomed to perish? We must now encounter the subject of marriage, which Marcion, more continent than the apostle, prohibits.
And thus if, from the moment when it changed its condition, and "having been baptized into Christ put on Christ," and was "redeemed with a great price"-"the blood," to wit, "of the Lord and Lamb" -you take hold of any one precedent (be it precept, or law, or sentence,) of indulgence granted, or to be granted, to adultery and fornication,-you have likewise at our hands a definition of the time from which the age of the question dates.
So, again, when he is ascribing certain praiseworthy actions to the flesh, he says, "Therefore glorify and exalt God in your body," -being certain that such efforts are actuated by the soul; but still he ascribes them to the flesh, because it is to it that he also promises the recompense.
We ought then, beloved brethren, to remember and to know, that when we call God Father, we ought to act as God's children; so that in the measure in which we find pleasure in considering God as a Father, He might also be able to find pleasure in us. Let us converse as temples of God, that it may be plain that God dwells in us. Let not our doings be degenerate from the Spirit; so that we who have begun to be heavenly and spiritual, may consider and do nothing but spiritual and heavenly things; since the Lord God Himself has said, "Them that honour me I will honour; and he that despiseth me shall be despised." The blessed apostle also has laid down in his epistle: "Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear about God in your body."
That, being redeemed and quickened by the blood of Christ, we ought to prefer nothing to Christ. In the Gospel the Lord speaks, and says: "He that loveth father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me; and he that taketh not his cross and followeth me, is not worthy of me." So also it is written in Deuteronomy: "They who say to their father and their mother, I have not known thee, and have not acknowledged their own children, these have kept Thy precepts, and have observed Thy covenant." Moreover, the Apostle Paul says: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or hunger, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, Because for Thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we overcome on account of Him who hath loved us." And again: "Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a great price. Glorify and bear God in your body." And again: "Christ died for all, that both they which live may not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for them, and rose again."
But if in Holy Scripture discipline is frequently and everywhere prescribed, and the whole foundation of religion and of faith proceeds from obedience and fear; what is more fitting for us urgently to desire, what more to wish for and to hold fast, than to stand with roots strongly fixed, and with our houses based with solid mass upon the rock unshaken by the storms and whirlwinds of the world, so that we may come by the divine precepts to the rewards of God? considering as well as knowing that our members, when purged from all the filth of the old contagion by the sanctification of the layer of life, are God's temples, and must not be violated nor polluted, since he who does violence to them is himself injured. We are the worshippers and priests of those temples; let us obey Him whose we have already begun to be. Paul tells us in his epistles, in which he has formed us to a course of living by divine teaching, "Ye are not your own, for ye are bought with a great price; glorify and bear God in your body." Let us glorify and bear God in a pure and chaste body, and with a more complete obedience; and since we have been redeemed by the blood of Christ, let us obey and give furtherance to the empire of our Redeemer by all the obedience of service, that nothing impure or profane may be brought into the temple of God, lost He should be offended, and forsake the temple which He inhabits.
For you are translated from your former vain and tedious mode of life and have contemned the lifeless idols, and despised the demons, which are in darkness, and have run to the "true light," [John 1:9] and by it have "known the one and only true God and Father," [John 17:3] and so are owned to be heirs of His kingdom. For since you have "been baptized into the Lord's death," [Romans 6:3] and into His resurrection, as "new-born babes," [1 Peter 2:2] you ought to be wholly free from all sinful actions; "for you are not your own, but His that bought you" [1 Corinthians 6:19-20] with His own blood.
Someone who has been bought does not have the power to make decisions, but the person who bought him does. And because we were bought for a very high price, we ought to serve our master all the more, so that the offense from which he has bought our release may not turn us back over to death.
Mark, accordingly, how he secures his ground. For having said, "Ye are not your own," he adds not, "But are under compulsion;" but, "Ye were bought with a price." Why sayest thou this? Surely on another ground, one might say perhaps, you should have persuaded men, pointing out that we have a Master. But this is common to the Greeks also together with us: whereas the expression, "Ye were bought with a price," belongs to us peculiarly. For he reminds us of the greatness of the benefit and of the mode of our salvation, signifying that when we were alienated, we were "bought:" and not simply "bought," but, "with a price."
"Glorify then, take up and bear, God in your body, and in your spirit." Now these things he says, that we may not only flee fornication in the body, but also in the spirit of our mind abstain from every wicked thought, and from driving away grace.
"Which are God's." For as he had said "your," he added therefore, "which are God's:" continually reminding us that all things belong to the Lord, both body and soul and spirit: For some say, that the words "in the spirit" mean the gracious Gift; for if That be in us, God is glorified. And this will be, if we have a clean heart.
But He has spoken of these things as God's, not only because He brought them into being, but also because, when they were alienated, He won them again a second time, paying as the price, the blood of the Son. Mark how He brought the whole to completion in Christ, how He raised us up into heaven. "Ye are members of Christ," saith he, "ye are a temple of the Spirit." Become not then "members of a harlot:" for it is not your body which is insulted; since it is not your body at all, but Christ's. And these things he spake, both to make manifest His loving-kindness in that our body is His, and to withdraw us from all evil license. For if the body be another's, "you have no authority," says he, "to insult another's body; and especially when it is the Lord's; nor yet to pollute a temple of the Spirit." For if any one who invades a private house and makes his way revelling into it, must answer for it most severely; think what dreadful things he shall endure who makes a temple of the King a robber's lurking place.
Considering these things therefore, reverence thou Him that dwelleth within. For the Paraclete is He. Thrill before Him that is enfolded and cleaves unto thee; for Christ is He. Hast thou indeed made thyself members of Christ? Think thus, and continue chaste; whose members they were, and Whose they have become. Erewhile they were members of an harlot, and Christ hath made them members of His own Body. Thou hast therefore henceforth no authority over them. Serve Him that hath set thee free.
For supposing you had a daughter, and in extreme madness had let her out to a procurer for hire, and made her live a harlot's life, and then a king's son were to pass by, and free her from that slavery, and join her in marriage to himself; you could have no power thenceforth to bring her into the brothel. For you gave her up once for all, and sold her. Such as this is our case also. We let out our own flesh for hire unto the Devil, that grievous procurer: Christ saw and set it free, and withdrew it from that evil tyranny; it is not then ours any more but His who delivered it. If you be willing to use it as a King's bride, there is none to hinder; but if you bring it where it was before, you will suffer just what they ought who are guilty of such outrages. Wherefore you should rather adorn instead of disgracing it. For you have no authority over the flesh in the wicked lusts, but in those things alone which God may enjoin. Let the thought enter your mind at least from what great outrage God hath delivered it. For in truth never did any harlot expose herself so shamefully as our nature before this. For robberies, murders, and every wicked thought entered in and lay with the soul, and for a small and vulgar hire, the present pleasure. For the soul, being mixed up with all wicked devices and deeds, reaped this reward and no other.
Gregory said, ‘God asks three things of anyone who is baptized: to keep the true faith with all his soul and all his might; to control his tongue; to be chaste in his body.’
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Summary
First Corinthians 6:20 serves as a foundational theological statement, encapsulating the profound truth that believers are not their own, but have been purchased at an immense cost—the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This divine transaction establishes God's rightful ownership over every aspect of a Christian's being, encompassing both body and spirit. Consequently, the verse issues a powerful imperative: to dedicate one's entire self to glorifying God, living in a manner that reflects His holiness and the extraordinary value of their redemption.
Context
Literary Context
This verse concludes Paul's direct address concerning sexual immorality within the Corinthian church, specifically from 1 Corinthians 6:12. Prior to this, Paul confronts the Corinthians' casual attitude towards their bodies, which they viewed as distinct from their spiritual lives. He challenges their philosophical slogan, "All things are lawful for me," by asserting that not all things are beneficial (1 Corinthians 6:12). He then directly addresses prostitution, emphasizing the sacred union of believers with Christ and the desecration involved in joining oneself to a prostitute (1 Corinthians 6:15-17). The climax of his argument is the declaration that the body is a "temple of the Holy Spirit" and is not one's own, having been bought with a price (1 Corinthians 6:19). Thus, 1 Corinthians 6:20 provides the ultimate theological rationale for the call to sexual purity and holistic sanctification, grounding it in the reality of redemption.
Historical & Cultural Context
Corinth was a prominent Roman city, a bustling port known for its wealth, diverse population, and notorious immorality, particularly sexual licentiousness. The temple of Aphrodite, with its sacred prostitutes, was a prominent feature of the city's religious landscape. Greek philosophical thought, particularly Stoicism and Gnosticism (in nascent forms), often promoted a dualistic view, separating the spiritual from the physical. Many believed that what one did with the body had no bearing on the soul or spiritual standing. This cultural milieu directly influenced some Corinthian believers, leading to a permissive attitude towards sexual sin. Paul's exhortation directly confronts this pervasive cultural norm and philosophical error, asserting a distinctly Christian anthropology where the body is integral to one's identity and is destined for resurrection and glorification, not merely a disposable vessel.
Key Themes
1 Corinthians 6:20 contributes significantly to several overarching themes in the book of 1 Corinthians. Foremost is the theme of Christian Anthropology and the Body, emphasizing that the body is not inconsequential but is a vital part of the redeemed self, made for the Lord and destined for resurrection (1 Corinthians 6:13-14). This leads to the theme of Sanctification and Holiness, urging believers to live lives set apart for God, in contrast to the surrounding pagan culture. The verse also underscores Divine Ownership and Redemption, highlighting the immense cost of salvation and God's rightful claim over those He has purchased. Finally, it reinforces the theme of Glorifying God, calling believers to live in a way that brings honor and praise to their Creator and Redeemer, not just through spiritual acts but through every aspect of their being, including their physical actions, as seen in Paul's broader teaching on living for God's glory in 1 Corinthians 10:31.
Exposition and Analysis
Key Word Analysis
This particle introduces the reason or explanation for the preceding statement (in 1 Corinthians 6:19, that the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and not one's own). It signals that the following truth—"ye are bought with a price"—is the foundational premise for the command to glorify God. It's not merely an additional thought but the logical bedrock of Paul's argument for purity and divine ownership.
Derived from the word for "marketplace," this verb literally means "to buy in the marketplace" or "to purchase." In the ancient world, this term was commonly used for the purchase of slaves, implying a change of ownership from one master to another. When applied to believers, it signifies that they were once enslaved to sin and its dominion but have now been purchased out of that bondage, transferring their allegiance and ownership to God. This term carries a strong sense of definitive acquisition and possession.
This noun refers to a "value," "money paid," or "esteem." In this context, it emphasizes the immense cost involved in the transaction of redemption. It highlights that God's act of purchasing believers was not trivial or cheap but involved a sacrifice of immeasurable value. This "price" is universally understood in Christian theology to be the precious blood of Jesus Christ, His atoning death on the cross, which alone could secure humanity's freedom from sin and death.
Meaning "to render (or esteem) glorious," "to honor," "to praise," or "to magnify." This imperative calls believers to live in such a way that God's character, nature, and redemptive work are made manifest and honored through their lives. It's about reflecting God's glory, bringing Him renown, and demonstrating His worthiness through one's actions, attitudes, and entire being, both physically and spiritually.
Verse Breakdown
"For ye are bought with a price:"
This opening clause establishes the theological foundation for the entire verse and the preceding argument. It declares the reality of the believer's redemption, emphasizing that their freedom from sin and their new identity are not self-achieved but are the result of a divine transaction. The "price" refers to the supreme sacrifice of Jesus Christ, whose blood was shed to purchase humanity from the dominion of sin and death. This implies a transfer of ownership: believers no longer belong to themselves or to sin, but to God, who paid the ultimate cost for their salvation.
"therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit,"
This is the direct command, flowing logically from the preceding declaration of divine ownership. Because believers have been bought by God, their proper response is to glorify Him. The command is holistic, encompassing both the "body" (physical actions, sexual conduct, health, use of physical abilities) and the "spirit" (inner life, thoughts, desires, attitudes, spiritual worship). This rejects any dualistic notion that separates the physical from the spiritual, asserting that both are equally under God's claim and are to be used for His honor. It calls for a life of integrated worship, where every facet of one's being is dedicated to God's praise.
"which are God's."
This concluding phrase reinforces the basis for the command to glorify God. It explicitly states the reason for the holistic glorification: both the body and the spirit belong to God. This ownership is not merely a legalistic claim but a loving possession secured through redemption. It serves as a powerful reminder that every part of the believer's being is sacred, set apart, and ultimately belongs to the One who created and redeemed them, solidifying the imperative for holy living.
Literary Devices
The verse employs several significant literary devices. Metaphor is central, with the phrase "bought with a price" serving as a powerful metaphor for redemption. It likens salvation to a transaction in a marketplace, where individuals once enslaved (to sin) are purchased and set free, implying a change of ownership and allegiance. This metaphor underscores the immense cost and the reality of divine possession. The phrase "glorify God in your body, and in your spirit" utilizes synecdoche, where "body" and "spirit" represent the whole person, emphasizing a comprehensive, holistic dedication to God. It highlights that no part of a believer's being is exempt from the call to honor God. Furthermore, the verse functions as a deductive argument, moving from a theological premise ("ye are bought with a price") to a logical imperative ("therefore glorify God"), culminating in a reinforcing statement of ownership ("which are God's"). This logical flow strengthens the persuasive power of Paul's exhortation.
Theological and Thematic Connections
The profound truth that believers are "bought with a price" is a cornerstone of Christian theology, establishing the doctrine of redemption. This concept signifies a transfer of ownership from the dominion of sin and death to the loving sovereignty of God, secured through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. It underscores the immense value God placed upon humanity, willing to pay the ultimate price—His Son's life—to reclaim His creation. This divine purchase then necessitates a radical reorientation of life, where every aspect of one's being, both physical and spiritual, is consecrated to God's glory. It challenges the self-ownership prevalent in fallen humanity and calls for a life of grateful stewardship, recognizing that our bodies are not our own but are sacred vessels indwelt by the Holy Spirit, designed to honor the One who redeemed them.
Reflection and Application
First Corinthians 6:20 is a powerful call to radical discipleship, urging believers to live out the implications of their redemption in every facet of their existence. Understanding that we are "bought with a price" should profoundly shape our self-perception, our choices, and our priorities. It means recognizing that our bodies are not merely vehicles for personal pleasure or self-expression, but sacred temples of the Holy Spirit, purchased by Christ's precious blood. This truth compels us to steward our physical bodies with intentionality, making choices that honor God in our sexuality, our health, our habits, and our actions. Similarly, our spirits—our inner lives, thoughts, emotions, and desires—are also God's, demanding purity, integrity, and alignment with His will. Living out this verse means embracing a holistic approach to glorifying God, where our outward conduct and our inward disposition are both consecrated to Him, demonstrating the transforming power of His redemptive love to a watching world. It is a daily invitation to surrender, gratitude, and purposeful living, acknowledging His ultimate ownership and love.
Questions for Reflection
FAQ
What does it mean to be "bought with a price"?
To be "bought with a price" means that believers were once enslaved to sin and its consequences, but God, through Jesus Christ, paid a supreme cost to purchase their freedom and transfer them into His ownership. This "price" is the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ on the cross, specifically His precious blood, which alone could redeem humanity from the power of sin and death. It signifies a radical change of ownership and allegiance, from serving sin to belonging wholly to God, as highlighted in 1 Corinthians 7:23.
Why is it important to glorify God in both body and spirit?
It is crucial to glorify God in both body and spirit because Christian theology understands humanity as a holistic being, not merely a disembodied spirit. The Corinthian culture often separated the physical from the spiritual, leading to immorality. Paul counters this by asserting that God redeemed the whole person—body and spirit. Our bodies are not disposable or irrelevant; they are temples of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19) and are destined for resurrection. Therefore, our physical actions, choices, and even our sexuality must honor God, just as our inner thoughts, desires, and spiritual worship should. This holistic glorification reflects the comprehensive nature of God's redemptive work.
Christ-Centered Fulfillment
First Corinthians 6:20 finds its ultimate Christ-centered fulfillment in the person and work of Jesus Christ, who is Himself the "price" by which humanity is redeemed. His incarnation demonstrates the sacredness of the physical body, as God Himself took on human flesh (John 1:14). His sinless life provided the perfect example of a human existence fully glorifying God in both body and spirit, always doing the Father's will (John 8:29). Most profoundly, His sacrificial death on the cross, where His body was broken and His blood shed, constitutes the "price" that purchased believers from the dominion of sin and death (Ephesians 1:7). His resurrection further validates the importance of the body, foreshadowing the believer's own future resurrection and glorified body (Philippians 3:21). Therefore, when believers glorify God in their body and spirit, they are not only responding to His ownership but are actively participating in the ongoing outworking of Christ's redemptive work, reflecting His holiness and demonstrating the power of His finished work to a world still enslaved to sin. Our very lives become a living testament to the Lamb of God who was slain, and through whom we have been bought back for God (Revelation 5:9).