Divine Ownership

Divine Ownership

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

(Focus = verses 19-20)

The Corinthian church was much like the church in America today. They lived in a culture that was hedonistic, seeking to gratify their physical appetites for pleasure. The city was consumed and obsessed with sensuality and promiscuity. Over time, little by little, the Corinthian church became infected by this culture. They heard from those outside the church that it was normal to have pre-marital and extra-marital sex. They were told that they were old-fashioned, adhering to the standards of purity and sobriety. They were told that there was a dichotomy or division between their souls and their bodies. The church acquiesced to the culture. They reasoned that God had saved their souls but that their body was different. They began to develop the mindset that said, "What I do with my body has no impact on my spiritual walk." They began to live like the world. Someone has said that we find ourselves living in a "Corinthianized Culture" in America, a culture in which morality has been discarded and replaced with an open-minded, politically correct, anything goes attitude. To those living in Corinth and to those of us living in America’s post-Christian society, Paul refutes this lie, that in our Christian liberty we can do what we want, by drawing our attention to the truth that those who have been given new life in Christ have a Divine Owner.

I. You have a Divine Owner – You Belong to God

A. 1 Corinthians 6:19 “...do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?”

B. You are not your own - "Not" is a Greek particle (ouk) signifying absolute negation. One can properly translate this as "You are absolutely not your own" (no exceptions to this statement for believers).

C. The reason you are not your own is that you were bought at a price.

D. 1 Corinthians 6:20a “For you were bought at a price...”

E. Prior to becoming a true child of God by grace through faith, th Bible tells us that we were in bondage to sin

F. The idea of redemption, in Paul's day, conveyed two related, but distinct meanings:

1. The payment of a ransom price to set one free (e.g. a slave or a prisoner of war)

2. The payment of a price by which one purchased a slave from (out of) the slave market so that the one purchased was now the property (possession) of the purchaser.

G. First, as sinners we are set free or liberated from (spiritual) bondage or slavery.

H. John 8:24 “Jesus answered them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, whoever commits sin is a slave of sin.”

I. The price that was paid to redeem us, set us free from the wrath and penalty of sin and reconcile us back to God was the cost of "Blood" which was shed by God's own Son, Jesus Christ at Calvary while we were yet sinners who were separated from God because of our sins.

J. Hebrews 9:12-14 “Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us.”

K. 1 Peter 1:18-19 “knowing that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, from your aimless conduct received by tradition from your fathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot.”

L. Second, as sinners purchased out of the slave market by Christ, we are now His possession.

M. Titus 2:14 “(Christ)...gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.”

N. 1 Peter 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light”

O. Jesus went to Calvary and paid the price for our sins. When we came to Christ by faith in His shed blood, we entered into a covenantal relationship with God. This covenant is both eternal and indissoluble to which we are held accountable. God has promised to love us, keep us, provide for us and conform to the likeness of Christ, and provide us with an eternal home. Our promise was and is to turn from sin and follow Him totally.

P. In truth, when we came to Jesus for salvation, He gave His all for us and we gave up all claims to our body and what we desire to do with it. We do not belong to ourselves, we belong to the Lord!