Temples

Sep 21, 2023

Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

- 1 Corinthians 6:18-20

This passage isn’t always one you want to start your morning with.

It can feel convicting, harsh, and maybe even taboo. Talking about sex in church… who does that?!

And yet, sex is a gift from God, and sexual wholeness is what He desires for all of us. Too often, the focus, when it comes to sexual wholeness, is telling people “no.” Working with students, I think this is often my fear. That they would just hear conversations about wholeness, purity, and the Word of God as what NOT to do. When instead, God’s Word is really the perfect design for how to live a full life. God gives us so many beautiful blessings. A life seeking after Him is actually a life of “yesses!” not just “nos.” Because, when we say yes to the right things, we actually experience more fulfillment than we ever could seeking after the “nos” that often seem so alluring.

God didn’t design us a certain way just to be cruel or forbid us from the greatest temptations. Instead, He designed our bodies and world so we could live a life of reality instead of a life of illusion. The world tempts us with fake fulfillment, but God wants us to experience real wholeness.

Paul’s words in 1 Corinthians 6 challenge our modern-day understanding of sex. Our culture, in the name of “sex positivity” repeatedly tries to minimize the incredible value of sex and sexuality. But Paul reminds us: Our bodies are literally homes for the Holy Spirit. That means what we do to it, what we ingest mentally and emotionally, and how we sin against it, matters.

Your body is meant for more than the world’s cheap versions of meaning. Your body is meant to house the Spirit of God.

That means God is inviting us to a more meaningful perspective in regards to our bodies in every area of life. In regard to sex, beauty, food, emotional health – you name it. If our bodies are temples for God, it’s time to stop going to quick fixes.

We could settle for the illusion of happiness. We could pretend like we find real satisfaction through fast food, reckless spending, constant screen time, and sexual immorality. Or we could follow God’s design and find real health, joy, satisfaction, self control, peace, and fulfillment.

This walk with Jesus isn’t a constant string of “nos.” Instead, it’s a Savior pointing you to the right “yesses” so you can experience real joy in this life and the next.