1 Corinthians 6:9-20 (NASB)
Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals,
nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor those habitually drunk, nor verbal abusers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
All things are permitted for me, but not all things are of benefit. All things are permitted for me, but I will not be mastered by anything.
Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food; however, God will do away with both of them. But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body.
Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power.
Do you not know that your bodies are parts of Christ? Shall I then take away the parts of Christ and make them parts of a prostitute? Far from it!
Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.”
But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin that a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
“Christ Owns Us”
Paul’s words here remind the Corinthian believers—and us—that Christian freedom is never permission for sin. The heart of this passage is the divine transaction of redemption. Christ purchased us with His blood. We are His.
Because Christ owns us, we are called to honor Him with our whole selves—body, mind, and spirit.
1. Christ Purchased Us (v. 20)
“For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”
- a. The price was His blood
“…knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold… but with precious blood, as of a lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ.” (1 Peter 1:18-19)
- b. Ownership has changed
“You are not your own.” (v. 19)
- c. Redemption transforms purpose
“Glorify God in your body.” (v. 20)
2. Christ Sanctifies Our Identity (v. 11)
“Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified…”
- a. Past sin doesn’t define us
“Such were some of you…”
- b. New status through Christ
“Washed… sanctified… justified…”
- c. Spirit-empowered holiness
“…in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.”
3. Christ Joins Himself to Us (v. 17)
“But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him.”
- a. Intimate union with Christ
“One spirit with Him.”
- b. Our bodies matter to Jesus
“The body is… for the Lord.” (v. 13)
- c. Eternal perspective on the body
“God… will also raise us up.” (v. 14)
4. Christ Commands Us to Flee Sin (v. 18)
“Flee sexual immorality.”
- a. Sin has a bodily cost
“The sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”
- b. Sin defiles God’s temple
“Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit.” (v. 19)
- c. Obedience is a response to grace
“Do you not know…?” (Repeated rhetorical urgency in vv. 15, 16, 19)
5. Christ Dwells in Us (v. 19)
“Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God…”
- a. Indwelling presence of God
“…whom you have from God.”
- b. Divine ownership means sacred purpose
“Temple of the Holy Spirit.”
- c. The Spirit empowers obedience
“Walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.” (Galatians 5:16)
How Then Shall We Live?
- We live in holiness because we belong to Christ.
- We honor our bodies as sacred spaces of God’s presence.
- We reject cultural messages that normalize immorality.
- We celebrate freedom—not to sin, but to glorify God.
- We remember our value is sealed by Christ’s blood.
“You Are Not Your Own”
The Lord paid for me.
The price was His life.
I do not own my way.
He owns every part.
He leads my heart.
Sin no longer holds me.
The shame is gone.
His hand is firm.
His voice is clear.
I now belong.
My body is His temple.
The Spirit lives in me.
The world cannot stay.
Its lies fall empty.
His truth stands firm.
I run from the dark.
I walk to the light.
His life is mine.
His cross defines me.
His love shapes all.
I give Him my days.
I give Him my pain.
I live by His grace.
I serve in His name.
I glorify Him with joy.