Sermons

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A Tale of Two Cities
July 1, 2001
Series on I Corinthians
Pastor Dan Baumgartner

We continue today with our study of Paul’s first letter to the young church at Corinth. Today is the end of the section where Paul responds to some disturbing reports that he has received about things going on in the Corinthian church. The first lines of this passage include some quotes which we think came directly from the people of Corinth, which Paul responds to. I invite you to read with me…

I Corinthians 6:12-20

In 1562, two scholars were given a task by Frederick the Elector, ruler of part of Germany. The task was to write a Christian catechism, a series of questions and answers helpful for teaching the faith. The result was called the Heidelberg Catechism, which eventually found its way into our Presbyterian Book of Confessions. In the very first question of the Catechism, it asks, “What is your only comfort, in life and in death?” Answer: "That I belong -- body and soul, in life and in death -- not to myself but to my faithful savior, Jesus Christ.”

This issue of whether we belong to God, or to ourselves, is at the heart of what the Apostle Paul talks about in the second half of I Corinthians 6.

As we have looked together at this book of I Corinthians, I have been struck more and more by the similarity between two cities: Corinth, Greece, in the year 54 AD, and Seattle, WA, USA, in the year 2001 AD. In Corinth, one of the strongest values of the society was that of individual autonomy. Independence and self-control. Respect was given to those people who could master different areas of life.

A second and related value of the society concerned the human body. The dominant philosophies of the day held that the body was purely a temporal, temporary thing, soon to be discarded, and outlived by the soul into eternity. And because of this, the body really didn’t matter, and the things the body was involved in really didn’t matter. A person was free to do with their body whatever they wanted…because it was theirs to control, and because it didn’t have lasting significance.

Now, in Seattle in 2001 AD, autonomy is also an extremely high value. Self-control, independence, individuality are exalted to levels rarely seen throughout history.

Seattle differs from Corinth, however, in a major way. Instead of devaluing the body, the body is highly valued…because for many people, it is all they have. The uncertainty of life after death drives many to focus entirely on matters of the physical realm. But the conclusion drawn in both cities is the same: In Seattle, because we are independent beings, and we may only have one shot…we must be free to do whatever we want. You only go around once. Whatever you choose to do in and to your own body…is your own business.

Now, the Apostle Paul…Paul has a radically different approach. First of all, the independence of the individual is nowhere near as important…as DEpendence…dependence on God. And the body matters a great deal. That body, YOUR body will one day be resurrected, and though the form may differ radically, and though there be great mystery about it (more in Chapter 15), Paul’s insistence on the body’s ongoing involvement is very strong. “God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power,” he says in verse14. His conclusion is also radically different from that of the two cities. We are actually NOT free to do what we want…because contrary to Corinthian culture, or Seattle’s…Christian people do not belong to themselves…they belong to God.

And to illustrate this fact, that Christians do not belong solely to themselves…Paul chooses what by now should be a familiar subject to us. You guessed it: Sex! The word which Paul uses throughout this passage is “Pornea.” It’s the word we get “pornography” from. It is often translated “fornication,” and it has to do with sexual immorality…the practice of inappropriate sexual relations. Sometimes it has to do specifically with prostitution, but other times it has to do just with inappropriate sexual behavior.

Why does Paul insist on going back to “sex” as his example? Some would have you believe that Paul was a sexually repressed victim of his own denial of normal physical urges. That is a pretty shallow analysis. Corinth was a city in which sex was rampant. Fertility goddesses and temple prostitutes were very commonplace. It was absolutely socially acceptable for a man to have multiple sexual partners besides his wife. Sexual contact in Corinth quite literally knew no bounds. And Paul’s word here is that sexual immorality is NOT okay.

Now, it’s interesting to me that in our day, much of the behavior that is fairly acceptable in our culture is exactly what Paul would term “pornea.” Sexual immorality. Like what?

Like premarital sex. Like sex outside of marriage. Like pornography. Like prostitution. Those are unhealthy things. But Paul doesn’t only mention what is unhealthy…he also talks about what is healthy. In a healthy relationship, Paul says there is a mystery in sexual intimacy. It is an intimacy that only has a rightful place in marriage…and he hearkens all the way back to Genesis 2, the first marriage, Adam and Eve, where it says, “Therefore a man leaves his father and his mother and clings to his wife, and they become one flesh.” It is the same passage that Jesus quotes in answering a question (Matthew and Mark) concerning marriage and divorce. “They are no longer two, but one flesh,” Jesus said. “Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” In the same way, Paul says, anyone united to the Lord (spiritually) becomes one spirit with him.” It is unthinkable that one would take the body, which belongs to Christ, and wed, join it to sexual immorality. The key is what Paul says in verse 19… “do you not know…that you are not your own?”

In 1934, as Adolph Hitler was rising to power in Germany, he was able to convince most of the German Christian church that there was no conflict between Christianity and the ideals of National Socialism…Nazi-ism. Some of the church, which came to be called The Confessing Church, resisted the church’s captivity to the government and met to write a declaration which also was included in our Presbyterian Book of Confessions. Article II of the Barmen Declaration says, “As Jesus Christ is God’s assurance of the forgiveness of all our sins, so in the same way and with this same seriousness is He also God’s mighty claim upon our whole life.” God’s mighty claim upon our whole life. God has claimed you, body, mind, spirit. You are not your own.

To those outside the church, this may sound very strange. Everything around us says, “You are absolutely your own, master of your destiny, maker of your own free choices.” But to those inside the church, “You are not your own” means that you live by a radically different claim. And it moves beyond just sexuality. I think “you are not your own” speaks to how we abuse our bodies with overindulgence in food and drink. “You are not your own” speaks to how we don’t take care of ourselves in many ways, and the lack of care for the environment. It also needs to inform how we think about other issues. Take a tough issue like abortion. We hear a lot about the “right to life,” or “right to choose.” But the entire issue will need to be seen in light of this: “You are not your own. You belong to God.”

But Paul’s specific issue here is sexual behavior, so that’s what we’ll talk about today.

Sexual immorality includes sex outside of marriage. We have a young congregation here, there are lots of weddings that take place, and we do a lot of premarital counseling. When I talk to Christian couples, one of our first topics is their physical relationship. I ask them to covenant to NOT have sexual contact until they are married. If they have been, I ask them to refrain. If they live together, ideally one would move out.

Now, despite what my kids tell me, I’m not so old…that I think that these are easy things to decide or do! But Christian people are to operate in a different framework than what is easiest, what is funnest, what is most economical. We belong to God, and not to one another sexually…until marriage. When people are married, Paul will say in the next chapter, a husband will give his wife authority over his body, and the wife will do likewise. At that point, there are TWO claims upon the body which take precedence over your own, God’s and your spouse’s. But until that time…you belong to God. So…single men, your girlfriend’s body or your fiancee’s is not your own, it belongs to God. And single women, your body and your boyfriend’s do not belong to you…they belong to God.

Now, understand that Paul is talking to the church! Sexual contact between “consenting adults” in a society which values only “you belong to yourself” may make perfect sense. But in the community of faith which affirms “we belong to God,” it makes no sense at all. It is not a biblical concept.

Another use of this word “pornea” is prostitution. Sexual contact that turns the incredible mystery of sexual intimacy into a business transaction. You’ve heard it described before: “It’s just a physical urge being met, it doesn’t mean anything.” Actually, Paul says, it means a lot. It means joining together that which God has pronounced holy and sacred with something that is so different…with that which is immoral, and causing the two to become one. “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never!,” Paul says. This is Paul’s most emphatic expression…he uses it all the time, in Galatians and other places when he is very serious: “By no means! Absolutely not!”

“Pornography” is the other word that actually comes from “pornea.” It is also a form of sexual immorality. Today, this is mostly a male issue. And it is an increasingly devastating issue in the lives of men, and their marriages and families. I have seen it ruin lives, firsthand. It’s estimated that the pornography industry in the United States (movies, internet, peep shows, magazines) is worth nearly 14 BILLION dollars each year. This number has exploded from the 60,000! pornographic web sites that allow a different form of sexual contact to take place in a much more secret environment. The statistics estimate that 1/3 of the males in our country struggle with the draw towards pornography. My experience is that 2/3 is probably a much closer estimate.

I have gotten into arguments with Christian friends whose thoughts in other areas I respect a great deal about the appropriateness of this being a reasonable “outlet for normal urges.” In my opinion, it is no different than other forms of inappropriate sexual behavior. It ties a person to images and thoughts of other people, whose bodies do not belong to them, it links us to the mystery of intimacy in a way that only says “we belong to ourselves and our desires.” But we don’t. We belong to God. Now, you may say this isn’t an issue for you. But it is an issue that does NOT affect just the people involved, it touches the whole community…and I believe we will increasingly be called to help each other, and encourage one another in this area.

Now, if we just dropped this right here, we might feel like Paul has just done so much idealistic and negative finger wagging… “Don’t do this stuff.” But fortunately, we are left with a number of practical thoughts as well. The first thing that Paul says is extremely practical. It’s one word. In this version of the Bible it says “SHUN fornication,” but a better translation is actually…FLEE! Flee sexual immorality!

There is a great picture in the Old Testament story of Joseph. You’ll remember that Joseph ended up in Egypt, and was well on his way towards building his career, running the entire household of a wealthy man named Potiphar. Potiphar’s wife tried, day after day, to entice Joseph into a sexual relationship, and each time Joseph sidestepped the proposition. Finally, when the two were alone in the house, the woman grabbed ahold of his outer robe and demanded him…and we are given this great picture: “But he left his garment in her hand, and FLED and ran outside.” Flee! RUN AWAY! Don’t get yourself into the situation of temptation, and if you do…RUN AWAY! Run to a friend, run to an accountability group, run to a treatment program, run to God…but FLEE temptation and sexual immorality.

Then, Paul says in verse 19, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the holy spirit within you?” Your body is a temple of God. It doesn’t say, “You WILL BE” a temple if you take care of your body, or “You WILL BE after you get your act together…” it says YOU ARE. Inside of your body, the spirit of the living God dwells. And you need to take care of that temple. When I read this, I couldn’t help but think of the three times Anne was pregnant with our children. Anne (and I) become extremely aware that in pregnancy you have to think about someone besides yourself. The medical profession affirms that it becomes increasingly important that a woman eat well, exercise well, not consume alcohol…because quite literally, her body is not her own…it belongs also to her baby. It houses new life. Your body…is a house, a temple for the Holy Spirit.

Another thing that Paul would have us remember is that God has a very unique claim on our whole being, body included. He did not just create us, wind up the clock and let it go. No, his strongest claim comes in verse 20: “You were bought with a price.” A severe, steep, terrible, wonderful price…the price of God coming to earth in Jesus Christ, living, ministering and dying…for a purpose. For YOU.

I don’t know about your neighborhood, but there were yard sales all over Queen Anne yesterday. Every once in a while, you’d see a tag that said “Sold!” on it. Someone had paid for the item, and was coming back to pick it up; it was reserved for them. You have a tag that says “Property of the Lord Jesus Christ.” When you come into relationship with God, things are different. Your body belongs to Christ. YOU belong to Christ.

Finally, Paul says, “Therefore, glorify God in your body.” The way that you treat yourself, the way you conduct your relationships, the way you pursue intimacy…Glorify God. In your dating relationship, give glory to God. In your engagement, give glory to God. In your singleness, give glory to God. In your marriage…in your body, which does not belong to you…and in others’ bodies which also do not belong to you…by your behavior, give glory to God.” The way that we behave in the sexual realm…will tell more to other people…will model more for our children…will encourage the rest of the Christian community…than most all of the other things that we do.

One other thing I want to point out: It’s interesting that, at least in this passage, Paul spends no time talking about penalties, punishments, consequences or condemnation. He merely says “don’t do it.” He starts this whole section (from verse 12) with a quote, probably from the Corinthians themselves, reveling in their freedom in Christ: “All things are lawful for me…” and ends it by reminding them that in their freedom, they have chosen to give themselves to Christ… “You are not your own…for you were bought with a price.”

In 1982, our denomination, the Presbyterian Church USA was formed by the joining together of the Northern and Southern Presbyterian churches which had split at the time of the Civil War. In ’82 when they reunited, the need was felt to once again confess the faith of the church, and a confession called the Brief Statement of Faith was written and adopted. Here is how it begins: “In life and in death we belong to God.” It’s the same thing affirmed by the confessions in 1582 and in 1934. We belong to God. It is a truth that applies in Corinth, and in Seattle. We belong to God, mind, spirit…and body. Amen.