The Truth comes to Corinth

Paul says “Our Bodies belong to the Lord Jesus Christ” Part 2

1 Corinthians 6:15-17 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. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit. KJV

Paul summarizes all he has said to these Corinthian believers and to us by asking a question in the tone or manner that the reader should know the answer to the question but likewise it is worded by the Apostle Paul as if the reader is ignorant even of the question and its answer. Paul asks, “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?” (1 Corinthians 6:15). The English word member Paul uses is translated by the Greek word melos which means a limb or part of the body, i.e. an arm or leg or finger or hand etc. of the human body. Paul uses this comparison of our very own human bodies knowing that each one of us can easily understand this because we operate our physical body parts multiple times every single day while we are alive. Paul knows that no one (not even the unregenerate sinner) whose operating from a functional, rational, and stable mind willfully takes one of their body parts and puts them over an open flame or fire to burn it because that would be harmful not only to that one “limb” but to the person’s entire physical body. Therefore, Paul in asking this question wants to arouse these Corinthian believers and us into a heighten state of conscience awareness of the injury or damage each of them and us would do to our Lord Jesus’ Own Body. It would be as if the Apostle Peter (who walked with and lived with our Lord Jesus in the flesh for 3 ½ years) would have deliberately taken a club and broken one of our Lord’s Physical Arms. That sounds like a ridiculous analogy and in many ways it is, but it is exactly what the Corinthian believers did when they were practicing sexual immorality and so do we do the same when we commit such sin with our physical bodies.

Christ Jesus our Lord in the Person of the Holy Spirit has come to live in the body of every true regenerated born again believer, as He said it in this manner to the early disciples, “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you” (John 14:16-18). Let us not just quickly read over or gloss over the vital, critical, and phenomenal things our Lord Jesus said in these three verses of Scripture, our Lord Jesus said of He and the Holy Spirit, “He may be with you forever”, “He will be in you” and “I will come to you” and forever means exactly what we think it means always, constantly, perpetually, and everlastingly. These words from the lips of our Lord Jesus Christ testify to us that there is no way possible for someone to “come to Him” and continue in their lifestyle of willful, willing, and wanton sin because the Spirit of God dwells in the true believer and He is Holy and hates sin, as the Prophet Habakkuk said in this manner, “Your eyes are too pure to approve evil, And You cannot look on wickedness with favor” (Habakkuk 1:13).

Paul again uses one of his favorite quotes to answer his own question to the Corinthian believers and to us of whether they or we should unite ourselves in sexual intercourse with a prostitute and his answer is “God Forbid” or “May it never be” or “Certainly Not” or in today’s way of saying it “Not a chance.” Paul declares that we are not to be joined to a harlot or prostitute but instead always be joined to the Lord Jesus Christ. The English phrase Paul used in referring to being joined to a prostitute or to our Lord Jesus is “he which is joined” or “he that is joined” and it is translated by the Greek word kollao which means to glue, to glue together, cement, fasten together, to join or fasten firmly together, cleave to or keep company with. Paul declares that we can cleave to or we can keep company with prostitutes or with our Lord Jesus Christ and the one brings forth death as so stated by the Apostle James with these words, “But each one is tempted when he is carried away and enticed by his own lust. Then when lust has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and when sin is accomplished, it brings forth death” (James 1:14-15).

However, the company of our Lord Jesus Christ brings only that which is good, righteous, and holy as proclaimed by the Apostle Paul with these words, “Therefore be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love, just as Christ also loved you and gave Himself up for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God as a fragrant aroma” (Ephesians 5:1-2) and as Paul also declared in this manner to brother Titus, “For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds” (Titus 2:11-14) and lastly as our own Lord Jesus said it in this manner, “For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they themselves also may be sanctified in truth. I do not ask on behalf of these alone, but for those also who believe in Me through their word; that they may all be one; even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me. The glory which You have given Me I have given to them, that they may be one, just as We are one; I in them and You in Me, that they may be perfected in unity, so that the world may know that You sent Me, and loved them, even as You have loved Me” (John 17:19-23).

“It is not enough to watch against temptation; we should be so filled with the Spirit of the risen Savior that the desires of the flesh shall have no fascination. The power that raised the body of Jesus from the grave is surely strong enough to raise our bodies from the bondage of corruption and to translate them to the resurrection plane. Let us keep joined to the Lord by one Spirit, that He may pour His own living energy into our nature. When He redeemed us, He undertook to save us wholly and entirely-spirit, soul, and body, 1 Thessalonians 5:23. Hand the keeping of your body over to Him. Consider that it is the forecourt of a temple, in the inner shrine of which the Holy Spirit lives; and as of old the glory of the Lord filled the whole structure, so trust the Spirit of Holiness to make and keep you whole.” F. B. Meyer

“Every time any born again believer engages in any sexual act outside of the marriage bed which is undefiled (Hebrews 13:4), it is the same as our Lord Jesus Christ being engaged in that very same sexual act, for as He said, ‘He will not only be with us but in us’ Selah or think about that.” Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

If you do not know the Lord Jesus Christ and His amazing healing power, pray this from your heart to the Lord Jesus Christ (you speaking directly to Him), Dear Lord Jesus, I confess to You that I am a sinner and I need Your forgiveness. I believe You shed Your Blood and died for my sins. I believe that You rose from the dead proving that You alone are God. I repent of my sins. I want to turn from my sins. I ask You Dear Lord Jesus to come into my heart and take control of my life. I want You to be my Lord, Savior, and my God. Amen...


Sincerely in Christ,


Clifford D. Tate, Sr.

Author of “Silent Assassins of the Soul - Are you Broken by Pornography and Masturbation? You can be Restored by the Lord Jesus Christ and brought into Deliverance, Freedom, and Victory! A Guide for Men and Women in the Enemy’s Crosshairs” e-book available now @ Amazon Kindle, @ Apple I Bookstore for IPod, Barnes and Noble for Nook, Reader Store for Sony Reade, Kobo, Copia, Gardners, Baker and Taylor, and eBookPie…