The Kingdom & The Temple: Are They Yours? I CORINTHIANS 6:9-20

Setting of Paul’s Letter To The Corinthians, The Kingdom & The Temple  Corinth was part of the Greco-Roman empire  Rome had conquered Greece, but there were similar idols, thought processes, and behavior  Corinth had become wealthy because of the “shortcut” for shipping  Corinthians considered themselves intellectuals, but were known more for their sexual behavior  Paul’s letter was to those to those now believers

What Is The Kingdom of God?  The spiritual sphere of salvation where God rules over all who belong to Him by faith. By grace are you saved through faith, not by works (Eph. 2:8,9)  It includes those transferred from the power of darkness to the Kingdom of the son of His love Col.1:13; from the dominion of Satan to God (Acts 26:18);  All true believers who are born again are in that Kingdom now (Jn.3:7,16); Those who hear & believe, have eternal life & pass out of death to life Jn.5:24  There is also a future physical aspect when Jesus will rule over the whole world

Those who do not inherit The Kingdom of God: The Unrighteous  1) The unrighteous (as a pattern of life); all have sinned and come short of the grace of God (Romans 3:23); But can be redeemed by the precious blood of Christ (I {Peter 1:19); For the wages of sin is death but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Rom.6:23); But as many as received Him to them He gave the right to become the children of God, to those who believe in His name (Jn.1:12)

Also Not Inheriting The Kingdom; Do not be deceived; neither, nor:  2) Fornicators  3) idolaters  4) adulterers  5) effeminate (receptive homosexuals)  6) Homosexuals (sodomites)  7) thieves  8) covetous

Also Not Inheriting The Kingdom of God, neither, nor, (Continued)  9) drunkards  10) revilers (abusive, contemptuous, language)  11) swindlers  Corinth was a place characterized by all kinds of sins, especially of a sexual nature, including incest, pederasty (pedophilia), and homosexuality. “Korinthiazomai”, to act Corinthian, was equated with practicing fornication. 14 of the first 15 Roman emperors practiced homosexuality

v.11: Such were some of you, but you were:  1) washed: (hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed (Hebrews: 10;22 ;)  2) sanctified: Set apart, freed from sin and enslaved to God; sanctified in Christ Jesus (I Cor.1:2)  3) justified, in The Name of The Lord Jesus Christ and in Spirit of our Lord. Therefore being justified by faith we have peace with God through our LJC (Rom.5:1)  These 11 categories of sins were in the past for these Corinthians. It is possible to change by the power of God! (A side slip trespass may occur Gal.6:1)

Judging Others: Addendum  Presented in part on 8/23/15, not part of the original slides  I Cor. 5:1-13: Immoral persons, within the church are to be judged, even excommunicated, when not repenting and changing behavior.  However, immoral persons, in the world, outside of the church, are not to be judged by us. God will judge them

All Things Are Lawful, but Not All Things Are Helpful: Do not be under the power of even some lawful things Foods for the stomach and the stomach for food: don’t live to eat, but we do need to eat to maintain life. Just because we do need some food does not mean that we must have an inappropriate sexual appetite The body is not for sexual immorality, but to be under the control of The Lord. God who raised up Jesus will raise us up. Our bodies are members of Christ. Don’t be joined to a harlot but be joined to Christ as one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality, it is a sin against your own body

Your Body Is The Temple of The Holy Spirit, Who Is In You: 19,20  A believer’s body is a special temple of the Holy Spirit living within us, given to us by God  You are not your own; You were bought with a heavy price, with the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ.  We are to glorify God in our body and our spirit  The OT temple was to be clean, beautiful, free of idolatry, where sacrifices were made for the sins of the people; but the temple itself was not to be worshipped

The Temple of The Holy Spirit, Continued  Manasseh, the “worst” king, who did much evil, desecrated The Temple with filth and idolatry (II Kings 21:2-17). Josiah, a Godly king, tried to restore and cleanse The Temple (II Kings23:4-7, II Chron. 4:3-13)  Similarly, our temples should be spiritually clean, without sinful thoughts and practices (harmful, books, pictures, movies, and pornography). God’s Word, prayer, and meditation as a part of our daily lives would be helpful

Responsible, Godly, Care of Our Bodily Temples  We are given one body here on earth, shouldn’t we give it appropriate care, avoiding abuse?  It’s Biblical to avoid excess alcohol (or none at all for some), and also to avoid deleterious drugs and habituating substances. “I will not be brought under the power of any” (I Cor.6:12).  Example of cigarette smoking; This may result in the 4 major causes of death and disability (heart disease, cancer, lung disease, and stroke )

Our Bodies, The Temple of The Holy Spirit: Appropriate Care  Maintaining good health practices with appropriate diet, avoiding obesity, and engaging in regular exercise may all be helpful  OT temples & modern churches, when damaged, were often repaired. By medicine or surgery our wounded or dysfunctional bodies may be repaired. Luke 5:31 “It is not those who are well who need a physician, but those who are sick”. Also consider Prayer! James 5:13-20

Summary: Questions, Conclusions  Am I Part of God’s Kingdom?  Have I Been Delivered From The Power of Darkness and Conveyed To The Kingdom of The Son of His Love?  Have I Been Delivered From Unrighteous Living?  Am I Aware of My Body Being The Temple of The Holy Spirit?  Am I Taking Godly Care of My Body?