1 Corinthians 6

1 Corinthians 6:1-8

In this chapter the apostle, 1. Reproves them for going to love with one another about shall matters, and bringing the single before heathen judges, ver. 1—8. 2. He takes unison hence to warn them against many griefs; so to which they had been formerly addicted, ver. 9—12. 3. And having cautioned them against the abode of their liberty, he vehemently admits them from fornication by various arguments, ver. 12. ad finem.

1. DARE any of you, having a matter against another, go to law before the unjust, and not before the faints? 2. Do ye not know that the faints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? 3. Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life? 4. If then ye have judgments of things pertaining to this life, set them to judge who are least esteemed in the church. 5. I speak to your shame. Is it so, that there is not a wise man strongly you? no one that shall be able to judge between his brethren? 6. But brother goeth to law with brother, and that before the unbelievers. 7. Now therefore there is utterly a fault among you, because ye go to law with one another: why do ye not rather take wrong? why do ye not rather suffer yourselves to be defrauded? 8. Nay, you do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren.

The apostle proceeds to censure another grievous abode among them. A litigious spirit prevailed, and, to the shame of their holy profession, brother went to law against brother, and that before the unbelievers, the heathen magistrates.

Vol. II.

1. He rebukes them for thus going to law among themselves, and that too, as appears, v. 2, 7. on matters of small importance, which, without great detriment to themselves or families, they might have quietly passed by, and born the loss rather than seek a religious redress: and, worth of all, they chose rather to carry their causes before the heathen tribunals, than refer them to the decision of their own members, the saints of God; faithfully exposing themselves thereby to the partiality which might be expected from unjust judges, and giving the enemy occasion to triumph in their quarrels.

2. He suggests, as an aggravation of their fault, the honour and dignity to which the feints of God must shortly be exalted as assessors with the eternal Judge on his throne, whilst fallen angels and a guilty world stand at his bar, and receive from his lips their eternal deuen. And if so, how strange must it be that they should not now be able to judge of the smallest matters, and determine concerning the trivial affairs of this life, which even those who are least esteemed in the church would be much fitter to decide than the heathen magistrates before whom they carried their disputes.

3. With a warm expudiation on their folly and perverseness, he points out to them a remedy for the evil. I speak to your shame. In what an unbecoming and unchristian manner do you act. Is it so, that there is not a single man among you? to see you that shall be able to judge between his brethren? Where they boasted of such high attainments in wisdom, it would be very strange if they could not find a better umpire of their disputes among the whole body of their church, than to have recourse to Gentile tribunals. There was therefore, no doubt, a fault on this matter; and far better was it for them to suffer some wrong and loss, than to seek redress in such a way. But, instead of this meekness, patience, and forgiveness, you do wrong and defraud, and that your brethren, to the great dishonour of your Christian profession. Note, All differences among Christians should be amicably determined by their brethren: at least, in letter matters, it were better to quit our right than have recourse to the wrangling bar.

4. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11. And such were some of you: but ye are wafted, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

1 Corinthians 6:9-11

The apostle, having warned them against some particular offences, passes on to enumerate a black catalogue, of which they had formerly been guilty, and under the power of which whosoever continued to walk, he never could inherit the kingdom of God.

1. The firm mentioned are fornication, idolatry, adultery, effeminacy and infirmity, sodomy, theft, avarice, drunkenness, reviling, extortion, crimes which, if indulged, must necessarily exclude the soul from any part in the kingdom of grace, and for ever hauls it from the presence of God in glory.

2. He warns them against all self-delusion in this matter. There was a lie in their right-hand, if they flattered themselves with any vain imagination that they had yet hope towards God, whilst walking in such abominations; which then, now, and for ever, if not forgiven and forsaken, must inevitably destroy both body and soul in hell.

3. He reminds them of the blessed change which had passed upon them, that they might not again return unto folly. Such were some of you. But, glory be to God’s sovereign, rich, and boundless grace, ye are wafted, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God: ye are wafted in the fountain opened for sin and uncleanness; by the atoning blood and righteousness of the abored Redeemer your iniquities are pardoned, great and aggravated as they were, and your persons presented spouses before the throne of God; and you are not only accounted righteous, but made pure in heart by the mighty operation of the Divine Spirit, and in body, soul, and spirit, renewed, that you might be made meet for the inheritance among the saints in light. Note, (1.) The greatest crimes exclude none from salvation who fly to the atoning blood of Jesus. In him there is grace abounding for the chief of sinners. (2.) All who are justified by grace are sanctified by the Spirit. We deceive ourselves, if we think we have an interest in the one, if we do not experience the effectual operation of the other. (3.) Nothing is so strong an argument to a redeemed soul to fly from sin, as the remembrance of the mercy he hath tailed, and of the ransom which hath been paid.

4. “All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. 13. “Meant for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for

fornication,¹ but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body. 14. And ² God hath both raised up the Lord, and ³ will also raise up us by his own power. 15. Know ye not, that ⁴ 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. 16. What, know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot, is one body? for ⁵ two (saith he) shall be one flesh. 17. But he that is joined unto the Lord, ⁶ is one spirit. 18. Free fornication. Every sin that a man doth, is without the body: but he that committed fornication ⁷ sinneeth against his own body. 19. What, know ye not that ⁸ your body is the temple of the holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ⁹ ye are not your own? 20. For ¹⁰ ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

As some of them at Corinth appeared to have too light thoughts of the sin of fornication, which the apostle ranked under the damning sins, and seem so have set it on a footing only with the means forbidden to the Gentile converts, (Acts xv. 25,) the apostle through sins himself to show their dangerous error. With regard to means forbidden by the Levitical law, or offered to idols, All things are lawful unto me, which Christ hath not forbidden, and are not in their own nature sinful; but all things are not expedient; even in indifferent matters, for the sake of others, it is right to forego our Christian liberty. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any, so as to have my affections enslaved by them, or to have my conscience subjected to any human arbitrary authority. Means for the body, and the belly for meats; all wholesome fund is disfigured for our use; but there are things of trivial consequence, since God shall shortly destroy both it and them. In the eternal would the continual will not need these bodily refreshments, for they shall hunger no more, nor thirst any more: but respecting fornication, the matter is very different; though the belly is not at all debled by meats, the body is by fornication.

He urges this matter by various arguments.

2. Now the body is not for fornication; it was not made to be prohibited to impurity; but for the Lord, to be employed for his glory, and the Lord for the body, who, as the bridegroom of his church and people, requires their bodies as well as souls to be under his holy government. And,

3. God hath both raised up the Lord “Jesus from the dead, that his quickened body might be the pledge and earnest of our resurrection; and will also raise up us by his own power: our bodies therefore that shall be fashioned like to his glorious body, ought not now to be polluted by fornication and uncleaned.

4. Know ye not, that your bodies are the members of Christ? through faith we are united to Christ as our living head, and compose a part of his body mystical: shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? how horrid the very suggestion! and every Christian heart, with dereliction of the thought, cannot but cry, God forbid! What, know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot, is one body? such an unhallowed connection is most contrary to the union of the heart with Jesus: for two, faith he, shall be one flesh. A fornicator becomes united to an harlot, and not to Christ; but he that is joined to the Lord, in real vital union of heart and person, is one spirit, situated and influenced by the same divine Spirit, which in all its fulness dureth in our exalted head. Therefore for fornication, as the highest indignity we can offer to the Lord, of whose body we are members. Now, In temptations to lewdness flight is often the only preservative.

5. Every other sin that a man doth, is without the body, and terminates upon an object without himself, not immediately defiling the body, though it brings guilt upon his soul; but he that committed fornication sinneeth against his own body; not only offending against God and his neighbour, but immediately contaminating his own flesh by such an abomination.

6. What shall I farther urge? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God? and, since he hath been pleased to take up his abode in your hearts, ye are not your own, but bound to yield yourselves to his will and guidance, and to do nothing which should provoke the divine inhabitant to quit his temple with abhorrence.

7. For, to finish with one argument more, ye are bought with a price, even the amazing price of a Redeemer’s blood, from the curle of the law, and the bondage of corruption, that you might be restored to the service and enjoyment of the blessed God. Therefore, since this was one great end of your redemption, glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s, not dare to at-enter your affections from him, or to dishonour your bodies by fornication, which should be employed in his blessed work, and wholly and unreservedly devoted to his glory.

1 Corinthians 6:16-23

16. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 17. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 18. Let no man deceive himself: if any man among you fermeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. 19. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God: for it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness. 20. And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. 21. Therefore let no man glory in men: for all things are yours: 22. Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephar, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours. 23. And ye are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s.

The apolite here.

1. Perlies the argument of holiness upon them from the consideration suggested, v. 9. Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, designed in a more peculiar manner for his abode than that house which Solomon built; and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you, in his gracious presence and mighty operations! If any man defile the temple of God, and seek, by broaching his corrupt opinions, to subvert the foundation, or by evil practices to seduce and draw men away from the truth of the gospel, him shall God defile with more fearful judgment than was threatened against the defilers of the material temple: for the temple of God is holy, let apart for himself; which temple ye are, and therefore are bound to be holy in all manner of conversation.

2. He warns them against the danger of vain conceit on their gifts and attainments. Let no man deceive himself with high imaginations of his own superior excellence, and in consequence propagate as truth his own erroneous opinions. If any

man among you fermeth to be wise in this world, and values himself upon his attainments in philosophy and human literature; let him become a fool, that he may be wise, renouncing it all so far as it would be perverse reasonings against the humbling truths of revelation, and content simply to embrace the doctrine of the cross, which the wise would counts foolishness; for thus only can any man become wise unto salvation: for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God, all their systems of theology, and their learned dispositions on religion, are mere folly, compared with his glorious scheme of salvation through a dying Redeemer: for it is written, He taketh the wise as their men craftiness, their fine-spun reasonings are the nets wherein they entangle and ruin themselves: and again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are but vain; all their prophets and designs, however deep concealed, are open to his eye; and, compared with his thoughts, weakness, folly, and vanity, are stamped upon them. Note. (1.) No man can become truly wise till, forishable of his spiritual ignorance, like a little child he comes to God’s word to learn the first elements of truth. (2.) How amazingly foolish will all the wisdom of this world shortly appear, when those who truised on the powers of their fallen reason to lead them to happiness, will find it to have been, like the deceitful meteors, a light only to delude them into eternal detestants.

3. He warns them against exalting men, even the best and wisest, or following any minister implicitly, when their faith ought to stand not in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God. Therefore let no man glory in men, as being this or that man’s disciples, despising others and undervaluing their ministry: for all things are yours, appointed and ordained for your blessing and advantage; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephar; their gifts are bestowed on them for the obliteration of the body of Christ; or the world; the administration of it is in the hands of Jesus, and he will give his people such a portion of it as shall be most for their good; or life; he will preserve you so long, and in such circumstances, as shall be most for his glory and your eternal happiness; or death; he will disarm it of his thing, and, in whatever manner it may come upon you, will cause it to prove your greatest gain; or things present; you shall be cared for through all your pilgrimage by his gracious providence; or things to come an eternity of glory is before you; all are yours, secured to you in the everlasting covenant, and working together for your present and eternal benefit; and ye are Christ’s, the objects of his love, the parachute of his blood, the members of his body; and Christ is God’s, the appointed Mediator, the great Covenant-Head, who hath all things in his hands, and ever lives to perfect the salvation of his people, and to bring them to reign with him in heaven, to the eternal praise of the glory of God’s grace.