1 Corinthians 6:12a
Ps Paul Cheng
~5 min read
Dear Bethelites,
Today, we want to embark on the theme, “Not all things are profitable.”
Oftentimes when people fall into sin and commit terrible things, they would try to come up with all kinds of reasons for doing those wrong things, sometimes they may even give theological excuses for their sins. Some would say, “But you know that I am not perfect, and no one is perfect, that is why I fall into this sin.” People would try to be “clever” to justify their sins. The Corinthians were no different.
The Corinthians lived in a society that was awfully sinful and immoral. In fact, having a sexual relationship with a prostitute was so common in Corinth that the practice was known as “Corinthianizing.” The situation in the Corinthian church was so bad that one of their members had been sleeping with his own stepmother. The church not only did not do anything about it, but on top of that, they were proud of the fact that they did not do anything about it. Perhaps, they were accommodating that horrendous sin in the name of love or Christian liberty.
Many of the Corinthians had been formerly involved in all kinds of sexual sins, like fornication, adultery, homosexuality and so forth. It was very hard for them to break away from their old ways and hence easy for them to fall into those same sins again. So, there was always this tendency for them to come up with excuses or reasons whenever they fall back into those sins.
The whole passage in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 was about sexual immorality. The word fornication, or harlot, sometimes translated as sexual immorality was used a total of five times. Here, we are going to learn how Paul gave three reasons why sexual immorality was so serious and harmful. Firstly, sexual sin is not profitable for you!
Sexual sin is not profitable for you.
All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient: (1 Corinthians 6:12a)
“All things are lawful unto me” appears to be a common Corinthian slogan that the people would quote whenever they fall into sexual sin. That is a troubling statement because we all know that all things are not lawful. There are many things in this world that are sinful.
Interestingly, Paul took that common Corinthian slogan, turned it around, and used it on them. It was as if he was saying, “You Corinthians always say that all things are lawful unto me, but as far as I am concerned, as a believer, every sin that I commit is forgiven in Jesus Christ, but I say to you, all things are not expedient.”
In a sense, believers are free and no longer under the penalty of the law (c.f. Romans 8:1), and so all things are lawful unto them because nothing they do will ever bring them unto condemnation again. But the price for committing certain sins can be extremely high and unprofitable. Sin never profits, and it always generates loss, especially sexual sins!
Dear friend, sexual sin is so destructive that it has broken marriages, devastated families, caused heartaches and diseases, and destroyed more lives than alcohol and drugs combined together. When someone falls into sexual sin, it is inevitable that he would lie, cheat, steal or even kill, and it would cause bitterness, hatred, betrayal, slander, gossip and unforgiveness.
The word expedient means profitable or beneficial. In other words, not everything is profitable or beneficial. As this whole passage refers to sexual immorality, the question is, “How can sexual immorality be profitable or beneficial? How do sexual sins help us to be the man or the woman God wants us to be? How do sexual sins help to serve God’s purpose for our lives?” It not only does not help, but it actually hinders God’s purpose for us.
As believers, we know that we are bought with a price (the precious blood of Christ), and therefore we should glorify God with our body and spirit which belong to Him (c.f. 1 Corinthians 6:20). Can sexual sins help us to glorify God? Most certainly not! It is unprofitable!
When a believer goes out there to visit the prostitute, he then tries to evangelize to the people. If he tries to evangelise to those who do not know what he has done, that would make him a hypocrite. If he tries to evangelize to those who knew what he has done, that would make him a stumbling block. Either way, it will not help him to glorify God through his testimony. Will the husband or wife be encouraged when he or she knows that the spouse has violated the wedding vows? Of course not! Will the children be encouraged to follow the Christ they profess to love with all their hearts when they know that the parents are engaged in sexual sins? Of course not! It is unprofitable!
God is not against sex; for He created it and blessed it. When sex is used exclusively within marriage, as God has intended, it is beautiful and satisfying, and the product of it is the creation of children which is a wonderful gift from God.
The Bible’s advice for avoiding sexual immorality outside marriage is simply; stay as far as possible from the people and places most likely to get you into trouble. There are two classic examples in the Bible about fleeing from sexual sins and the serious consequences we would face if we fail to do so;
- The example of Joseph – When Joseph was repeatedly enticed by Potiphar’s wife, he refused not only to lie with her, but he even refused to be with her. When she tried to force him into adultery and grabbed his coat, he immediately left his garment and fled. It was not the time for argument or giving reasons. Flee!
- The example of David – David was a man after God’s own heart and was greatly used by God. But he was not exempted from the serious consequences of his sexual sins. He committed adultery with Bathsheba and she became pregnant. He then arranged for her husband to be killed in the battle field and later he took her as his own wife. David had to face the consequences of those sins almost every day of his life; several of his sons were so rebellious and his son Absalom even tried to kill him and take over his kingdom. His whole family life was shattered. Though David repented and the Lord forgave his sins, the consequences of his sins were so devastating.
Dear friend, some people may have fallen into sexual sin in the past, but by the grace of God, their marriages did not end in divorces, their families are still intact, but there are painful memories and consequences that they have to face. It may take years to heal those wounds. Indeed, God has forgiven our sins, and as believers, we will not be condemned. But deep down in our hearts, we know that all things are not expedient.
With love in Christ,
Pastor Paul Cheng
(To be continued in our next pastoral chat)
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