“Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?” (1 Corinthians 6:15 NIV84)

In this part of his letter, Paul was telling the Corinthian Christians to be on their guard when it comes to sexual sins because their bodies are not their own. Paul was telling them that they are united with Jesus Christ by faith. They are now part of Jesus’ body. They (we) are spiritually united to Christ Himself through our faith in Him. Boy, if this doesn’t fly in the face of modern thinking that my body is my own and I have the right to do with it anything I want. This is just not the case! We have been born again by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are new creatures in Christ who live out our lives as part of the body of Christ. We are intimately connected to Jesus and His kingdom. Paul was reminding us all that we are not autonomous creatures, even as Christians, but we are joined with Christ.

Christianity isn’t just a body of knowledge assented to by the brain. It is a committed relationship with Jesus Christ. Just as we have intimate committed relationships with family members and friends, we are likewise connected to Jesus. Our minds and our hearts have as their life source Jesus Christ. Jesus Himself said: “I am the Vine and you are the branches. If a man remains in Me and I in him, he will bear much fruit. But apart from Me you can do nothing” (John 15:5). Every day, every moment of our lives, we take Jesus with us. We are never alone. We don’t just take propositional truths about Jesus, but we take Jesus Himself. In all that you do and say today, may you do it knowing that Jesus is with you because you are a member of His body.

Peace!

Pastor Tom