1 Corinthians 6:12-14 (NKJV)
“I Belong to God”
March 26, 2023
In this first letter to the Corinthians, Paul was writing to immature believers and he asks the question: “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God?” Paul was simply declaring that before we were saved, we were lost and separated from God. The reason for our lost condition is that we were "unrighteous." The result of our lost condition is that we were not an heir of "the kingdom of God." We were cut off from God in this life and the life to come. He goes on to say, “Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor homosexuals, nor sodomites, nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.” Notice the repeated use of the word “but” in verse 11. It made no difference what the Corinthians had been before they came to know Jesus, BUT NOW all that mattered was what they had become because of His saving grace.
There are three things every believer should recognize is a result of salvation. You are Washed, You are Sanctified and You are Justified! (How were you are Washed?) Revelation 1:5 To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father, to Him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. There is no sin that has left a stain so deep that the blood of Jesus can’t clean! (How were you are Sanctified?) John 17:19 And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Sanctification is the act of being set apart by the truth of God from the world. SANCTIFICATION is a process that begins here on earth and is finished there in glory. (How were you are Justified?) Whereas SANCTIFICATION is a process that begins here and is finished there, JUSTIFICATION is the result of a declaration that was made then concerning now! For God has chosen us in Him before the foundations of the world! God declared us RIGHTEOUS because our debt had been settled at the cross of Christ. Romans 5:1 Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: With this context, Paul lays out several important principles for the church. This letter teaches us that as we grow in Christ, we need to be liberated from the legalism of rules and learn to apply Godly principles every day, that we might know how to live, without God treating us like infants. The ability to make decisions wisely is a mark of maturity! These aren’t rules, these are principles we’d do well to use.
I. v.12a THE PRINCIPLE OF EXPEDIENCY “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient:” This is a compound principle. There are 2 questions raised here that can help you decide whether something is right or wrong. Is it Lawful? Is there any word from God concerning the matter? When God speaks on an issue, it is settled - 2 Timothy 3:16! (There are some very clear Biblical absolutes – God sent His Son in the likeness of man, in the form of a baby, to virgin called Mary, to born in Bethlehem, to be raised in Nazareth, to be rejected by His own, to die on Calvary’s Cross, to be buried in a borrowed tomb and to be raised again on the third day, to save us from our sin and prepare us for glory). Is It Expedient? Is it Wise? Is it Helpful? Every decision or activity either moves us toward or away from Jesus Christ! Ask yourself, “Does this thing bring me closer to Jesus?” If it doesn’t, then it is wrong! Proverbs 3:6 “In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.” I can do what I want and it will not make me unsaved! But if it doesn’t bring me closer to Jesus, it is wrong!
II. v.12b THE PRINCIPLE OF ENSLAVEMENT “But I will not be brought under the power of any.” To be “brought under power” means to be enslaved! We were all slaves at one time, according to Romans 6 we were slaves to sin, but we have been delivered by the Lord Jesus, Ephesians 2:5(by grace you have been saved) and according to Romans 6:14, “sin no longer has dominion over us!” Now, anything outside Jesus that controls my life is a sin! The lost man thinks he is in control, but he isn’t! He is free to choose his actions, but not the consequences of those actions, he is a slave to the will of the devil! We need to search our lives and be sure that no habit, attitude, activity, pursuit has us enslaved. The Hebrew writer said, “let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us.” We need to look to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith!
III. v.13 THE PRINCIPLE OF EXAMPLE “Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods” Corinth, was a pagan society. Many who lived there practiced idol worship. They would sacrifice a sheep or a goat to their god and then they would sell the meat to the butcher at the meat market. He, in turn, would make the meat available to the public at a discount price. It was perfectly good meat and the price was right, so some Christians would by this meat and eat it. Other Christians, however, felt that God’s people shouldn’t eat this meat because it had been offered to devils. These opposing camps began to argue bitterly about this issue, and Paul, through the inspiration of the Lord, gave them this Principle of Example. Paul did not give them a rule, but rather, he gave them a principle. He said that meat would not make you better neither would it make you worse, BUT don’t do anything that would make you a stumbling block to another believer. The question is not, “Will it hurt me?” The question is, “Could it hurt my brother?” Each side thought they were right, but Paul reminds them that brotherly love must be the main objective - 8:1 “Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.” We possess great liberty in the Lord and could lawfully do many things, but we must always be mindful of others. We must never do anything that will cause another brother to stumble - Matthew 18:6 Jesus says, “Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him if a stone were hung around his neck, and he were drowned in the sea.” (Alcohol & Cannabis for example!) Paul says even your body does not belong to you for you carnal pleasures; your body belongs to the Lord! Verse 20 tells us that, “You were bought with a price!” The Principle of the Example is that we belong to God! Everything we do in life will either honor or dishonor God! When we hold the mantra, “I Belong to God!” Every conversation, habit, relationship, business deal, vacation, book read, film watched, song streamed, is an example of our relationship with God.
Lastly, Paul says that the same God who raised up Jesus Christ “will also raise us up by His power.” Jesus knows about being an example! In John 6:32 Jesus said to the crowd who argued that Moses feed them in the wilderness, "Most assuredly, I say to you, Moses did not give you the bread from heaven, but My Father gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is He who comes down from heaven and gives life to the world." Then Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes in Me shall never thirst... this is the will of Him who sent Me, that everyone who sees the Son and believes in Him may have everlasting life; and I will raise him up at the last day." We can boldly say that “I belong to God” because only He has the power to raise us up!
