| nugget of wisdom for today |
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The scripture focus of my online study for today, and what my Nelson Study Bible says about these verses.
6:12 "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. 6:13 "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food" --and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 6:14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.
6:12 All things are lawful for me was a slogan the Corinthians has coined to justify their immoral behavior. Paul Reminded the Corinthians that freedom from the ceremonial laws of Moses did not give them license to sin or indulge in their own selfishness. This would only enslave them in the sin from which Jesus had freed them. Enslaved by anything: The only power that should control us is the Holy Spirit. Sin should never dominate our lives because the Spirit empowers us to fight temptation.
6:13,14 Food for the stomach and the stomach for foods was another phrase the Corinthians used to justify their sinful lifestyles. Food was gratifying and essential for life. When the Corinthians became hungry, they ate. Following the same logic, whenever the Corinthians craved sex, they indulged themselves. In their opinion any physical activity should not affect one's spiritual life, just as digesting food did not affect one's spirituality. The Corinthians' reasoning had two faults: (1) The stomach and the digestive process are in a sense no more than earthly and without function in eternity. But the body, through the resurrection power of Christ, is eternal. It has been sanctified by God to bring Him glory. (2) While the stomach's purpose is to digest food, it is not the purpose of the body to commit immorality. Furthermore, by design God put restrictions on both eating and sexual activity. Eating to the point of gluttony and having wanton sex outside of marriage violate God's intent and are therefore sinful. |
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