Deny My Flesh to be One with The Holy Spirit
Scripture Passage: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (NASB)
12 All things are lawful for me, but not all things are profitable. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 Food is for the stomach and the stomach is for food, but God will do away with both of them. Yet the body is not for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. 14 Now God has not only raised the Lord, but will also raise us up through His power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take away the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? May it never be! 16 Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “The two shall become one flesh.” 17 But the one who joins himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. 18 Flee immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.
SUMMARY
In this passage, Paul expounds on the truth that each redeemed life of a believer belongs to Christ, and should be offered wholly to glorify God. He reminds the Christians in Corinth that our body should not be given over to satisfy the sensual cravings, but to be set apart as a temple of the Holy Spirit. It seems like Paul is confronting the Corinthians of the dangerous practice of mixing their pagan customs and justifying promiscuity, which was polluting the early church. He urges the church of Corinth to flee immorality and keep their body holy according to the God-centered view.
MEDITATION & REFLECTION
Paul sheds the light on this amazing truth that through the sanctifying work of Christ, a person’s life can be filled with God’s presence. This was such a radical idea not only to the Jews who viewed gentiles as objects of God’s wrath, but probably also to the secular Corinthians who were deeply rooted in humanistic culture of their days. Being a Christian means to have a totally new identity, shifting from the “me-centered” life to the “God-centered” life. As believers, we should no longer be driven by our bodily desires, but live a life led by the Spirit of God in which Christ is the Lord.
After thousands of years later, despite great advanced technology and cultural development, people in our modern world are still caught in the very similar struggle of idolatry as the Corinthians were entangled in.
As I reflect on this, I wonder what Apostle Paul would say to our churches in America if he wrote a letter to us. I guess a bigger question is, what would Jesus say to me? Am I living a life that’s Christ centered, or “ME-centered” or centered on something else other than God? What drives me? Am I driven by just simple cravings, trying to fill my days with temporary pleasures of this world, or even keep myself entertained or distracted in the midst of the ongoing Pandemic?
I wish I can say I’m not like the Corinthians, that I committed and sold out for Jesus, but I often find myself struggling with my fear, ways of the flesh, and the cares of this world. I’m easily swayed and pulled back into the pattern of this world. Deep in my heart, I yearn to cry out my confession of faith, “Jesus, you are my Lord. No one else, nothing else can satisfy me, but you Lord. Be my Master, my King and rule over my heart as Prince of peace” I know it’s the Spirit of God living in me that beckons me and urges me to keep fighting the good fight. I must believe that Christ who lives in me is greater than the struggle that I’m facing, and powerful enough to overcome the battle that rages on within and outside me.
APPLICATION
I know that I can’t fight this battle by myself- it’s only possible through the empowering of the Holy Spirit. Just as the Word says that “our struggle is not against flesh and blood”, I need to depend on God’s mercy that’s found in the power of the cross and not on my own merit.
My soul seems heavy and weary from all the pressures of this world, including the failing health of my family members, unending issues at work and financial obstacles ahead of me. I want to get up early in the morning to spend time with God at the beginning of the day to silence my heart and hear God’s voice. I pray that my heart won’t be mastered by anything else but the true Master of the universe, the Lord Jesus Christ.
PRAYER
“The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid… The Lord is with me and he is my helper… The LORD is my strength and my defense.” (Psalm 118:6, 7, 14) Thank you God for who YOU are- You are strong and mighty! You are always there to come to my defense. I thank you that when I’m weak, you remain strong. Thank you Father for loving me, and being committed to me even at times I fail you and I’m ashamed of myself. Create in me a pure heart and a right spirit within me. Forgive my sinful ways, and soften my hardened heart. Pour out your Spirit and fill me up deep within. May my cup overflow with your living water. Cause me to hunger and thirst for you. Help me not to run after the temporary pleasures of this world. Draw me near to yourself so that I can see your face. Let me live a life worthy of the cross, and of the calling I’ve received from you. In your precious Son, Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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