Flee Fornication 1 Corinthians 6:18

Paul the apostle asked the church members in Corinth if they knew their “bodies are members of Christ?”, and he questioned rhetorically, “shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them members of an harlot”? Paul answered, “God forbid”, and in chapter six and verse eighteen of First Corinthians, Paul told the church members to, “flee fornication” where we read:

Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body;

but he that commits fornication sins against his own body.

The verse begins, “Flee fornication. Every sin that a man does is without the body;” Paul began with the word, “Flee” or “seek safety and shun or avoid by flight” “fornication” which means “illicit sexual intercourse such as adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality or with close relatives”.“Every sin” which refers to “each, any, all, the whole and everyone of the evil deeds” “that a man does” which means “which a human being whether male or female makes, produces, constructs, causes, bears or acquires” “is without” or “is outside, beyond and toward the exterior” “the body” which refers to “the living corpse”. Basically, Paul told the church members to “run” from “sexual immorality” because “sin” committed by people is outside of their own bodies.

The verse continues, “ but he that commits fornication sins against his own body.” Paul added the word, “but” which is a disassociation conjugation that means what is about to be written take precedence over what was just stated “” “he that commits fornication” or “makes or commits illicit sexual intercourse such as adultery, homosexuality, lesbianism, bestiality or with close relatives” “sins against” which means “misses the mark, errs, mistakes and wanders from the law of God toward and unto” “his own body” or “belonging to one's own living corpse”. The difference between “fornication” and other “sin” is that “sexual immorality” causes a person to “sin” against themselves.

When we think through these words from Paul, we discover how to respond to “sexual immorality” - “run”. When people commit “fornication”, in whichever expression relates to its definition, they “sin against” themselves, and that should be enough motivation to keep away from it. Damage to our own “souls” and the forsaking of our connection to Jesus Christ is the affect of participating in “fornication”, and those who are Christians should never let it be once named among us.

Next time Paul tells the church members, “your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you”, so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

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