Day 46: 1st Corinthians 5-7. Corinth is sort of like a soap opera
Or at least, that's what it seems like, reading Paul's next three chapters. They've been staying up late in Corinth, and engaging in some actions that some people won't do. And even if they aren't all behaving immorally, they are not calling into account one of their own who is (ahem) sleeping with his father's wife, for example.
The Corinthians brag that they are free -- they are free, right? That means that they cane do whatever they want, right? Paul is all for freedom, but thinks that the Corinthians might have misunderstood him. He thinks that they have become arrogant; they have let some success in spiritual matters go to their heads, and it has affected their vision with regard to their behavior toward one another as well.
(This reminds me a little of the arrogance of the Enron executives right before its fall. They were so drunk with their financial success that they lost their moral compass.)
The Corinthians are wayward not only in sexual maters, but also in matters of how they treat one another. They accuse each other and bring lawsuits against each other. They are contentious. They treat each other (and themselves) with disrespect.
Yes, you're free, Paul tells them, but free for what? That's the question.
In Corinthians, Paul's ethics are defined by this axiom, "Don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in yo? Don't you know that you have the Holy Spirit from God, and you don't belong to yourselves?"
Honor your body. Respect you body as given by God and a dwelling for the Holy Spirit. And respect and honor your neighbor's body too.
As it turns out in chapter 7, this has implications for marriage too. Paul's advice regarding marriage, though, might seem confusing in some parts. Don't get married, he says, unless you are having a hard time controlling yourselves, in which case, get married. If you are widowed, stay single. If you are already married, don't get a divorce. Single is best, except if being single is too hard for you. If you are single, you can be single-mindedly devoted to the Lord (theoretically). But possibly you might find yourself tempted to sin if you are single. In that case, get married. But, marriage is hard. I want to warn you about that (vs. 28). I have not ever heard this verse quoted in a wedding sermon. (Another note: Paul uncharacteristically calls much of this chapter his opinion. Perhaps he would be shocked to find out that it got into the Bible.)
What Paul is struggling with here is what is the best way to honor the body: yours, and your neighbors. It's about sinning or not sinning, it's about sexual temptation, but at the heart the question is what kind of life in the body best honors God? It is a good question, but what Paul is discovering is that the answer might not be exactly the same for everyone. The general rule is the same, though: Honor your body. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
It is still a good guide.
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