As we continue our study of Practical Guidelines For Righteousness In The Assembly Of God, The Church, we notice the predominant sins found within. They are the very sins the body of Christ vowed to abstain from. (1 Cor. 5:1; 1 Cor. 6:9-10) Yet, they are the very sins committed by worldly persons; of which those in Corinth had committed in their past.
Each and every man has sinned. Romans 3:23. This is why every man needs forgiveness. All the sins listed in 1 Cor. 6:9-10 are the ones which will not be found with God in Heaven. Therefore, all men must come to the cross of Jesus begging forgiveness, complying with his design for forgiveness–repentance, confession of sins, and baptism for the removal of those sins.
Notice, those in the assembly at Corinth had done this. 1 Cor. 6:11. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, … Those in the assembly at Corinth had been washed–baptized–and their commitment unto Jesus, God, and the Holy Spirit had been made. They vowed to live righteously.
We also notice they were now sanctified–set apart–unto God for the work of the Kingdom of Heaven on Earth. 1 Cor. 6:11. …but ye are sanctified, … Their sins had been forgiven and they now were set to work in the Kingdom, being cleansed and made worthy of the task of teaching others about their potential salvation and forgiveness from their past sins.
And, God has now justified them–accepted them into the Kingdom. 1 Cor. 6:11. …but ye are justified … This justification is by God to judge, to declare, to pronounce as righteous and therefore acceptable unto Him. With all of the members of the assembly at Corinth who had been washed–baptized–God declared them righteous. This was accomplished …in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God. 1 Cor. 6:11.
The contract had been made and signed between each believer and God. They were to not sin those listed sins again–or attempt not to do those sins again. But the world had not been totally removed from their hearts. Because of the worldliness still in them, being ignorant of all the righteousness of God, divisions and sinfulness still reigned within their bodies and infected the assemblies. This was why Apostle Paul wrote unto Corinth these practical guidelines for their learning.
Fornication was a huge problem among worldly persons. In the assembly of Corinth, this sinfulness still existed among young believers. (Young in Faith) Why and how was this sinfulness to be curtailed?
First, the believer must recognize they are committed unto God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. 1 Cor. 6:15. 15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid. Being a baptized believer, you have committed yourself to Jesus as his bride. When God joins two people, one male and one female, He looks upon them as one being. A baptized believer has spiritually married themselves unto Jesus. To fornicate with any other–still following after the world and Satan’s deception, is to fornicate with sin. Having not put away from your body all the ungodly sins God dislikes is to not be committed unto God and Jesus to keep the Spiritual marriage bed undefiled. One who does not put away these sins from themselves commits Spiritual fornication. Likewise, any physical fornication with another human being is also the defiling of the body against God and Jesus.
Notice: 1 Cor 6:16. 16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. This worldly example signifies the Spiritual similarity to the Spirit marriage one makes with Jesus at baptism. The two individuals have been joined together into one being; both physically in earthly human marriage and in a Heavenly marriage. Corinth’s baptized believers have been joined together with Christ and are not to cause a separation. 1 Cor. 6:17. 17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. To be joined in one Spirit is in like manner the physical marriage bed being undefiled by joining with an harlot. The married couple are joined together not to be separated by defiling the marriage bed physically.
So, what is the believer to do with their physical body? 1 Cor. 6:18-20. 18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. 19 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? 20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
If a believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is the Spirit of God, and is joined as one unto Jesus, the son of God, God has placed a mark upon that union to signify they are together and one, belonging to Him. Fornication is not to be a sin causing separation from Jesus, God and the Holy Spirit. Therefore, such a physical sin will cause the Holy Spirit to leave the believer’s body for God cannot dwell with sin.
How can one not be found guilty of bringing sin into the body to separate it from God? 1 Cor. 7:2. …to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband. Now the one body–the two who became one, both physically and Spiritually with Jesus, can live righteously before God and his fellow man. The problem of fornication with the body solves the sinfulness before God.
Marriage between two persons, one male and one female, is lawful and acceptable here on earth. The sexual behavior between a husband and his wife will stop the sin of fornication as long as they keep it between themselves alone.
As we continue to study these guidelines Apostle Paul taught Corinth, we can learn the proper way to not allow fornication to become sin in our lives. We will also see God’s guidelines for a Spiritual life as a married couple whether both parties are believers or only one is. We must be patient with non-believers and new converts to lovingly teach them the truth about God’s design of marriage.
For our physical children, it's our obligation as righteous parents to properly teach them that marriage is a vow with the spouse and with God. It is not something to take lightly and to be easily dissolved as the world tells them it can. This might be the main cause of believers' families falling away from God. Let us take it more seriously.
Now let us look to an extensive study about physical marriage in Chapter 7. NEXT WEEK.
