1 Coríntios 6
Marvin Vincent · Citado em PreceptAustin
1 Coríntios 6
Vincent - There is a play between this word and ἐξουσιασθήσομαι be brought under the power, which can hardly be accurately conveyed to the English reader. The nearest approach to it is: “all things are in my power, but I shall not be brought under the power of any.” David E O'Brien - Question 101 Didn’t Paul say everything was lawful for the Christian? If so, isn’t it legalistic to judge other believers for things they’ve done if the Lord doesn’t convict them (1 Corinthians 6:12)? Legalism has been a curse among the religious since before the Pharisees. We need to be on guard that legalism doesn’t define our practice of the Christian faith, but first we need to know what legalism is and isn’t. Trying to live a godly life is not legalistic. As we attempt to fit our faith into the world, we sometimes find things we must abstain from. It’s not legalistic for me, for example, to abstain from the recreational use of mood altering drugs. It is one example of my understanding of what it means to live a holy life before the Lord. Recognizing when another Christian slips into a style of life that violates clear biblical commands and prohibitions is not legalistic. The one who’s been caught by sin needs our concern and our correction (Galatians 6:1–2). It’s not legalistic to give it. Going to Scripture to find God’s way for our lives is not legalistic. Trying to win God’s favor by adopting and living by a set of rules carried out without love is legalistic. Legalists lick their chops at the chance to condemn sin in another. The sense of hurt that comes when a loved one falls is seldom felt by the legalist. The difference in attitude can be characterized this way. If a brother in Christ falls, we recognize that we are capable of the same sin. If we live by godly precepts we respond with sorrow and a powerful desire to see him brought back into fellowship with the Lord and His church. If we live by the codes of legalism, we respond with outrage, because our law is more important than the people who break it. Unable to see ourselves in the place of the fallen one, we point an accusing finger and demand the person’s removal to avoid contamination. Paul railed against the legalism, and he was not soft on sin. His letters are filled with help for believers who had fallen into sin. It wasn’t just the Corinthians, it was everybody. Paul might not have written more than a handful of letters if there hadn’t been so many sinners in his churches. His dealing with them, though, was instructive. He pointed first to their shared faith in Christ and the life their faith called them to live. Then he called them back to living it. The man who refused to acknowledge his sin of living with his mother-in-law was treated sternly, but notice the purpose for the harsh treatment: “so that the sinful nature may be destroyed and his spirit saved on the day of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 5:5). The punishment was to be redemptive. Was Paul afraid to tell people what was right and what was wrong? No. Would the man who wrote so extensively to correct errors in thought and behavior have written, “All things are lawful”? No. But the Corinthians would have. Remember the letter Paul quoted from? Remember the delegation from Chloe’s household? They both contained serious questions about the lifestyle and teaching of various factions at Corinth. One of those factions shouted slogans to prove they could live any way they chose. “All things are lawful” (1 Corinthians 6:12). “Food for the stomach, the stomach for food” (1 Corinthians 6:13). Sounds contemporary, doesn’t it? This faction seemed to wave these slogans like red flags of revolution, declaring their freedom from the law. Paul quoted the sayings, but didn’t agree with them. Paul wasn’t a bull. He didn’t paw and snort and bellow. He didn’t attack blindly. Doing so would have destroyed other believers. He could have said, “That is the dumbest slogan I ever heard.” Instead, he qualified it. “Maybe so,” he said, “but certainly not everything is useful.” “Maybe so,” he continued, “but you wouldn’t want to become the slave of any of these things you’re using to flaunt your freedom. Yes, food was made to fill the stomach, and the stomach was made to receive the food. But you must remember that these are temporary.” Here’s a lesson for all of us. Paul knew he could catch more flies with honey than vinegar. He began his response tactfully and gently. It didn’t take long for him to get at the heart of the matter, though. The Corinthians weren’t really talking about food at all. They were talking, in a way that’s painfully reminiscent of the sexual revolution of the sixties, about continuing the immorality they had practiced before they knew Christ. Paul zeroed in on sexual immorality almost immediately. Was he legalistic about it? No. He simply called it sin and condemned it as unworthy of one who had become a new creation in Christ. Today, as in Paul’s day, we need to be brought back to the Bible and reminded that our salvation puts us under obligation to our Savior. We are, after all, not our own. We’ve been bought, and what a price was paid for us. To say that people bought by the blood of Christ should live up to the price paid for them is the furthest thing from legalism. BRUCE GOETTSCHE Walking Through Life With Jesus - First, though we are free, not everything is profitable. Even though we have been set free in Christ, some behaviors are still wrong. These things lead to painful consequences and erect a barrier between us and God. Though you certainly can do whatever you want with your body, why would you do things that were actually harmful to that body? Paul implies that we need to always ask: “Is this profitable?” before we do it. though we are free, we must continue to be on guard against being enslaved again. Second, though we are free, we must continue to be on guard against being enslaved again. In the careless exercise of our freedom we may actually end up in bondage. Let’s illustrate this: You might like to go shopping. There is nothing wrong with that as long as you can afford it. However, if you don’t show restraint you can start to feel that you “need to buy something” in order to be happy. You can become enslaved to debt or that constant feeling that you need more. You like to eat. That’s natural and good. However, if you can’t control your eating you can do harm your body by eating too much or eating the wrong foods. It is good to have a desire to look good but if that desire gets out of control, you may end up with an eating DIS-order and do harm to yourself. There is nothing wrong with taking medication but the overuse of medication results in you become “addicted” which is just another word for enslaved. You may enjoy sporting events. However, if these events begin to control your life or if they get you too worked up (they are just games, afterall), it is no longer a good thing. It has caught you in its snare. Enjoyment Or Addiction? All things are not helpful. . . . I will not be brought under the power of any. — 1 Corinthians 6:12 Today's Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 With the growing use of computers and on-line services, an increasing number of people are withdrawing into cyberspace. Despite eye and wrist strain, and complaints from their families and employers, they continue to spend hours a day browsing bulletin boards and visiting discussion groups on the Internet. How can we tell when something legitimate has moved from enjoyment to addiction? Dr. Joseph Gerstein, a Massachusetts physician, says, “When people cling to activities despite negative effects, it generally indicates addictive behavior.” As the apostle Paul addressed the danger of excusing sin under the guise of Christian liberty, he wrote, “All things are not helpful. . . . I will not be brought under the power of any” (1 Cor. 6:12). His words can guide us in evaluating those gray areas that the Bible does not specifically label as sin. Has a friend or family member recently spoken to us about overindulgence in some area of our life? A defensive attitude may indicate that it’s time to step back and view ourselves through the eyes of those who love us. Think It Over What sins did Paul mention in 1 Corinthians 6:12-20? How can legitimate activities become sinful? (v.12). Has something good become a sin in your life? To gain self-control, give Christ control. Pure Love If they cannot exercise self-control, let them marry. — 1 Corinthians 7:9 Today's Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:18–7:9 A situation that once was viewed by most people as unacceptable and immoral has become commonplace. According to the National & International Religion Report, before the majority of American marriages take place, the man and woman have already been living together. The report goes on to point out that this practice has devastating effects. “Marriages that are preceded by living together have 50 percent higher disruption (divorce or separation) rates than marriages without premarital cohabitation.” Even among Christians there is no shortage of those who think they can violate God’s moral standards. The temptations were similar in the first century. That’s why Paul had to make it clear to the believers at Corinth that they had no business being involved in sexual immorality. He said that if they found their passions becoming so strong that they could not control their sexual desires, there was an answer. It was not found in an immoral relationship; it was found in marriage. Those who feed their passion Outside God’s holy plan Forsake the loving pattern He has designed for man. —K. DeHaan Saving yourself for marriage will help to save your marriage. Question - What does it mean that “all things are lawful unto me” (1 Corinthians 6:12; 10:23)? Answer: Twice in his first letter to the Corinthian church, Paul uses the statement “all things are lawful unto me” (KJV), once in 1 Corinthians 6:12 and again in 1 Corinthians 10:23. In both instances, the apostle is warning the church against misusing Christian liberty. We’ll take a look at both passages in their immediate context. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul is finishing up his address of several specific sins the Corinthian believers were tolerating: some church members were taking advantage of each other in court (verses 1–8), and others were practicing immorality (verses 12–20). In this context, the apostle says, “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” (verse 12, KJV). In this verse, Paul seems to be anticipating an argument from those who justified their sin in the name of “Christian liberty.” His point is that liberty has limitations. He moves right into proofs that sexual immorality is at odds with the Christian life, and no amount of “Christian liberty” can excuse it. The NIV translation of 1 Corinthians 6:12 brings out more clearly the idea that Paul is quoting those who objected to his reprimand: “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but I will not be mastered by anything.” It seems that some within the Corinthian church were using “I have the right to do anything” as a mantra, repeating it whenever they were questioned about their behavior. Paul responds to their mantra by adding his own clauses: “but not everything is beneficial” and “but I will not be mastered by anything.” Even if all things were lawful, not everything should be done, and nothing should be allowed to enslave us as a sinful habit. In 1 Corinthians 10, the issue is eating meats offered to idols. Paul again turns to the mantra of the Corinthians: “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not expedient: all things are lawful for me, but all things edify not” (verse 23, KJV). He then goes on to make the case that eating meat sold in the marketplace is not wrong in itself; however, if eating meat offered to idols caused anyone to stumble, then that activity becomes wrong. The NIV words 1 Corinthians 10:23 this way: “‘I have the right to do anything,’ you say—but not everything is beneficial. ‘I have the right to do anything’—but not everything is constructive.” So, Christian liberty is limited by at least two considerations: 1) what is the effect of this action upon oneself? and 2) what influence will this action have on “Jews, Greeks or the church of God” as a whole (verse 32)? Our goal must be to seek “the good of others” (verse 24), not just our own good (cf. verse 33). Christian liberty was a major theme of Paul’s (see Galatians 5:1). So it is quite possible that the Corinthians’ mantra, “All things are lawful unto me,” was originally Paul’s teaching to that church. But the church was ignoring the limitations that love for others and holiness before God place on liberty. The Christian cannot live in sin and, when confronted, shrug and say, “All things are lawful unto me, because Paul said so.” No believer has the right to knowingly cause someone to fall into sin and excuse it with the catchphrase “I have the right to do anything.” Christian liberty ceases to be “Christian” and becomes libertinism when we engage in acts of immorality or fail to truly love one another. GotQuestions.org Question: Christian liberty – what does the Bible say? Answer: Christian liberty is found in the Bible in several concepts. For example, liberty for the Christian can mean that he or she has been freed from the penalty of sin by faith in Jesus Christ (John 8:31-36; Romans 6:23). Also, Christian liberty can refer to being freed from the power of sin in one’s life by daily faith in Jesus Christ as Lord of one’s character and conduct (Romans 6:5-6, 14). In addition, Christian liberty can mean that Christians are freed from the Jewish Law of Moses in that the Law only "exposes" sin in one’s life but cannot "forgive" sin (Romans 3:20-22). Finally, Christian liberty can mean that Christians are freed in respect to such activity that is not expressly forbidden in the Bible. Therefore one can feel free to engage in such activity as long as it doesn’t "stumble" or "offend" another Christian (Romans 14:12-16). Most of these activities revolve around social "dos" and "don’ts, such as whether or not to wear certain kinds of clothes, make-up, jewelry, tattoos, piercings, and/or practicing certain things, such as smoking, social drinking, recreational gambling, dancing, or viewing movies or videos. As the passage in Romans 14 says, these things may not be strictly prohibited by God’s Word, but they can be bad for one’s spiritual growth or Christian testimony and can cause other Christians to stumble. Furthermore, Christians who tend to vigorously promote such liberties can sometimes fall into a loose lifestyle of undisciplined living, while, on the other hand, Christians who tend to vigorously limit such liberties can sometimes fall into a legalistic lifestyle of being defined by what they are "against." So, it is wise to seek God in prayer and His Word to determine whether or not a particular activity is actually forbidden in Scripture. If it is, it should be avoided. If it is not forbidden, then we should seek to determine how the activity reflects on our reputation as Christians and whether it will help us or hinder us in representing Jesus to unbelievers around us, whether it edifies them or not. The ultimate goal for the Christian should be to glorify God, edify fellow believers, and have a good reputation before unbelievers (Psalm 19:14; Romans 15:1-2; 1 Peter 2:11-12). "For you brethren, have been called to liberty; only do not use liberty as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another" (Galatians 5:13).GotQuestions.org Watch What You Watch Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things. —Psalm 119:37 Is your living room the site of daily murders? Do you routinely entertain guests who swear at you and make fun of your faith? Have you ever had somebody drop by and try to convince you that sexual sin is a joking matter and that violence is entertaining? You’ve had all these things happen in your house if you’ve watched many of the programs on TV. This is not late-breaking news. The moral content of television has been on the decline for years. But that doesn’t mean we have to go down with it. The psalmist, who knew as much about TV as most of us know about tending sheep, said, “Turn away my eyes from looking at worthless things” (Ps. 119:37). That’s a good verse to post over our TV set. For the most part, the entertainment world is serious about casting off restraints. Just as seriously, we should protect our minds. These guidelines can help: Avoid jokes about sex (1 Cor. 6:18; Eph. 5:3-4,12). Don’t listen to vulgar language (Eph. 5:4). Don’t let ads cause you to covet (Ex. 20:17; Col. 3:5). Don’t let your eyes cause you to sin (Mt. 18:9). Temptation's face is young and soft And smooth in its appeal; But when it's through it ruins lives With velvet fists of steel. —Gustafson Use self-control with your remote control. 1 Corinthians 6:13 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. Amplified - Food [is intended] for the stomach and the stomach for food, but God will finally end [the functions of] both and bring them to nothing. The body is not intended for sexual immorality, but [is intended] for the Lord, and the Lord [is intended] for the body to save, sanctify, and raise it again].
1 Coríntios 6
Vincent - The body is not only for the Lord (1 Cor 6:13), adapted for Him: it is also united with Him. See Eph. 4:16+. Members (3196) melos) refers to a limb or member of the body and in the plural (and in the context of the present verse) refers to the members of body as the seat of the desires and passions. Melos is literally any part of the human body. In James 3:5+ melos is singular (most of us have only one tongue, although some of us to often speak with a "forked tongue!") In the plural melos was used to describe the members of the body as the seat of the desires and passions (Ro 6:13, 19; Ro 7:5, 23; 1 Cor. 6:15; Col. 3:5; James 4:1). Figuratively melos of one who belongs to the Christian community as the body of Christ (Ro 12:5; 1 Cor 6:15; 1 Cor 12:27; Eph 5:30). In classical Greek the primary meaning of melos is “limb” or “part” of the body. Shall I then take away (airo "snatch, carry off like Latin rapio our rape" - ATR) the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute?- "To ask the question is to answer it, as Paul does with an indignant Certainly not!" (MacDonald) Our Union with Christ extends to our physical bodies so defling our bodies (with immoral acts) should be unthinkable! Believers’ lives are greatly altered when they are joined to Christ. The union affects both the believer and Christ. When a believer commits immorality, he or she is dragging the union with Christ into the illicit relationship! This should give any reasonable person pause to consider his or her actions. The believer’s body is not only for the Lord here and now (v14) but is of the Lord, a part of His body, the church (Eph 1:22, 23). The Christian’s body is a spiritual temple in which the Spirit of Christ lives (1 Cor 12:3; Jn 7:38, 39; 20:22; Acts 1:8; Ro 8:9; 2 Co 6:16); therefore, when a believer commits a sexual sin, it involves Christ with a harlot. Vincent - The union of man and woman, whether lawful or unlawful, confers a double personality. Fornication effects this result in an immoral way. Oster - When the Lord brought Adam and Eve together, they entered into a sexual relationship that involved them as both physical beings and spiritual beings. And you can't tear those two things apart. D. S. Bailey describes sexual intercourse as "an act which by reason of its very nature engages and expresses the whole personality in such a way as to constitute a unique mode of self-disclosure and self-commitment." There is no such thing as casual sex or inconsequential sex or recreational sex.The horror of deliberately taking “members of Christ” and making them “members of a harlot” in an actual union staggers Paul and should stagger us. That sexual immorality is incompatible with the relationship of the bodies of believers to Christ arises out of the special nature of that sin. The parties to it share a common life. Whether we can understand this or not, it is the doctrine of the Bible. In the matter of prostitutes, the prevailing cultural views (ED: = what was right in their own eyes, cp Jdg 21:25) which were brought into the church of God by pagan converts and against which Paul is arguing in this section are encapsulated in a statement by a leading Roman politician and philosopher of the first century b.c. Cicero wrote: "Mind you, if there is anyone who thinks that young men ought not to visit prostitutes, he is certainly narrow-minded (no doubt about it), and completely out of step with our present liberal thinking. In fact, he has nothing in common with the customs and behaviour of previous generations, who were quite broadminded on the subject." As is often the case, the “free love” attitudes found among some in the Roman world involved a double standard. Immoral sex was tolerated much more if committed by men than by women, and of course there were certain societal norms which were suppose to be observed. As is recorded in the works of one Roman author, “Provided you keep away from married women, virgins, young innocents, and children of respectable families, love anyone you want.” To have sexual relations with a prostitute was so common in Corinth that the practice came to be called ''Corinthianize.'' Many believers had formerly been involved in such immorality, and it was hard for them to break with the old ways and easy to fall back into them (cf Backsliding) Houses of prostitution were widespread in the Greco-Roman world and were generally looked upon as a social necessity indicating had depraved and distorted their godless minds had become! The venerable Roman leader Cato was supposed to have congratulated a young man he saw departing from a brothel. When your sexual passions are strong, he told the young man, it is better to have sex with a prostitute than another man’s wife. Like much of 21st century paganism that affirms that men’s and women’s sexual activity should be based upon personal choice and inalienable rights (AND EVEN MAKES IT THE LAW OF THE LAND WHICH TRAGICALLY HAS OCCURRED IN AMERICA!) and that argues that their bodies are their own private property, so also most ancient pagans did not correlate the satisfaction of bodily sexual appetites with a view of divine ownership of their bodies. This is one reason Paul is emphasizing the point in this section that the body of a believer is not his or her body to do with as they please. For the most part neither ancient religions nor ancient philosophies affirmed anything like the Biblical view that the divine creation of mankind (with its sensual appetites) placed mankind’s sexual expressions and activities under divine authority and legislation. The Biblical view simply stated is that mankind is, was, and will always be creation and will never evolve into the status of the Creator. As such, the creations of God are subject to God’s laws and his divine ordering of creation. Humans are never wise enough or holy enough to guide their own steps. (Note most of the preceding is from 1 Corinthians Commentary)
1 Coríntios 6
Vincent on joins - He that is joined. See on Luke 15:15 (The verb means to glue or cement.). Compare Aeschylus: “The family has been glued (κεκόλληται) to misfortune” (“Agamemnon,” 1543). The verb is used Ge 2:24, Sept., of the relation of husband and wife: shall cleave. In Deut. 10:20; 11:22; Jer. 13:11, of man’s cleaving to God. Joins (2853)(kollao from kolla = glue) means literally to glue, cement, join or fasten together and thus to unite (someone with or to someone or some thing). To fasten firmly together. Kollao is used to describe joining oneself to a harlot in a sexual union in (1Co 6:16). Kollao - 12v - Mt. 19:5; Lk. 10:11; Lk. 15:15; Acts 5:13; Acts 8:29; Acts 9:26; Acts 10:28; Acts 17:34; Ro 12:9; 1 Co. 6:16; 1 Co. 6:17; Rev. 18:5. The Septuagint uses the derivative verb proskollao in Genesis 2:24 "shall leave his father and his mother and be joined (proskollao) to his wife...." Vincent on a prostitute - Lit., the harlot. The article is significant: his harlot, or that one with whom he is sinning at the time. Prostitute (4204)(porne from perano - to sell. Porno-, as prefix in pornographic) is a woman who practices sexual immorality as a profession. BDAG adds it can be used figuratively of " a political entity hostile to God, prostitute, whore, fig. ext. of 1 (Isa 1:21; Isa 23:15f; Jer 3:3; Ezk 16:30-31, 35) as the designation of a government that is hostile to God and God’s people Rv 17:15-16." Babylon is called pórnē, the great harlot, being the chief seat of idolatry since porneía is symbolic of idolatry (Rev. 17:1, 5, 15, 16; 19:2). What is the whore of Babylon / mystery Babylon? | GotQuestions.org Porne - 17v - Matt. 21:31; Matt. 21:32; Lk. 15:30; 1 Co. 6:15; 1 Co. 6:16; Heb. 11:31; Jas. 2:25; Rev. 17:1; Rev. 17:5; Rev. 17:15; Rev. 17:16; Rev. 19:2 Porne in Septuagint - Gen. 34:31; Gen. 38:15; Gen. 38:21; Gen. 38:22; Lev. 21:7; Lev. 21:14; Deut. 23:2; Deut. 23:17; Deut. 23:18; Jos. 2:1; Jos. 6:17; Jos. 6:23; Jos. 6:25; Jdg. 11:1; Jdg. 16:1; 1 Ki. 3:16; 1 Ki. 12:24; 1 Ki. 21:19; 1 Ki. 22:38; Prov. 5:3; Prov. 6:26; Prov. 29:3; Isa. 1:21; Isa. 23:15; Isa. 23:16; Isa. 57:3; Jer. 3:3; Jer. 5:7; Ezek. 16:30; Ezek. 16:31; Ezek. 16:35; Ezek. 23:43; Ezek. 23:44; Hos. 4:14; Joel 3:3; Nah. 3:4;
1 Coríntios 6:18
Vincent - The body is not the instrument, but the subject. But in fornication the body is the instrument of the sin, and “inwardly as well as outwardly is made over to another.” Witherington - Paul’s point is that sexual sin, unlike other sins, involves one’s very body in a union with others and is a sin against self as well as others. It involves the whole self and thus is dangerous and deadly to one’s spiritual well-being, for it puts one into the hands and mastery of someone other than the Lord. (Conflict and Community in Corinth : A Socio-Rhetorical Commentary on 1 and 2 Corinthians. Page 169. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans) Jon Courson has an interesting interpretation (but be a Berean, Acts 17:11-note, 1Th 5:21, 22-note) "Because we are made in the image of a triune God, we are comprised of three parts as well: body, soul, and spirit. The body relates to the physical world. The soul is one’s essence, one’s personality, and relates to people. The spirit relates to God and will live eternally. Thus, each time one engages in immoral activity, a part of his soul is permanently and irreplaceably forfeited. The tragedy, then, is that the one who continues to live in promiscuity becomes less and less of a person as a piece of his soul is stripped away with each encounter. (Jon Courson's Application Commentary. Page 1038. Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson) Sexual sin not only is against God and other persons, it is also against ourselves. Part of our moral responsibility to ourselves is to be sexually pure. When Christians are immoral, the testimony of the gospel is polluted, as we all know too well from the national exposure of the sexual infidelity of many well known pastors. The NET Bible note is interesting "It is debated whether this ("Every sin a person commits is outside of the body”) is a Corinthian slogan. If it is not, then Paul is essentially arguing that there are two types of sin, nonsexual sins which take place outside the body and sexual sins which are against a person’s very own body. If it is a Corinthian slogan, then it is a slogan used by the Corinthians to justify their immoral behavior. With it they are claiming that anything done in the body or through the body had no moral relevance. A decision here is very difficult, but the latter is to be preferred for two main reasons. (1) This is the most natural understanding of the statement as it is written. To construe it as a statement by Paul requires a substantial clarification in the sense (e.g., “All other sins…” [NIV]). (2) Theologically the former is more difficult: Why would Paul single out sexual sins as more intrinsically related to the body than other sins, such as gluttony or drunkenness? For these reasons, it is more likely that the phrase in quotation marks is indeed a Corinthian slogan which Paul turns against them in the course of his argument, although the decision must be regarded as tentative. Augustine, The Confessions of Saint Augustine - "Sin comes when we take a perfectly natural desire or longing or ambition and try desperately to fulfill it without God. Not only is it sin, it is a perverse distortion of the image of the Creator in us. All these good things, and all our security, are rightly found only and completely in him. Hodge - This does not teach that fornication is greater than any other sin; but it does teach that it is altogether peculiar in its effects upon the body; not so much in its physical as in its moral and spiritual effects. The idea runs through the Bible that there is something mysterious in the commerce of the sexes, and in the effects which flow from it. Every other sin, however degrading and ruinous to the health, even drunkenness, is external to the body, that is, external to its life. But fornication, involving as it does a community of life, is a sin against the body itself, because incompatible, as the Apostle had just taught, with the design of its creation, and with its immortal destiny. (1 Corinthians Commentary) Harry Ironside… Other sins do not affect the body, but this one sin is ruinous to body and soul alike, and so, Paul says, "Flee fornication," run from anything that would tend to stir the body to unholy lust. (Ed: You may want to read that again. In his "Confessions" St. Augustine tells how in his unconverted days he had allowed himself to become the willing victim of vile and fleshly lusts. He lived his careless life as the pagans of that day, and associated with the corrupt and wicked members of society. When he got converted, the great question upon his mind was this, "Will I ever be able to live according to the Christian standard of holiness, will I ever be able to keep myself from the vile, sensuous life in which I have lived so long?" When he first yielded himself to Christ, he took as his life-text Ro 13:13, 14 (note), where the apostle exhorts the believer to "Put on (aorist imperative = Command to make a decisive choice to do this!) the Lord Jesus Christ and make (present imperative + negative = Stop doing this!) no provision (pronoia - word study) for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts." For long after his conversion he did not dare even to go near that part of the city where his godless companions of former days lived. But one day a matter of business called him there, and as he was walking along the street he suddenly saw one of the beautiful yet wicked companions of his folly. The moment her eyes lit upon him her face was illuminated with delight, and she came running with outstretched arms and said, "Austin! where have you been for so long? We have missed you so," and he turned and gathered up his long philosopher's gown and started to run. It was not a very dignified proceeding for a doctor, a professor of rhetoric, to run up the street with a godless girl running after him. She called to him, "Austin, Austin, why do you run? It is only I!" He looked back and exclaimed, "I run because it is not I." And he was off again. "The life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me" (Gal. 2:20-note). That is our standard, and so in all our behavior in the use of the body we are thus to glorify Him. (H A Ironside Expository Commentary) Susannah Wesley defined “sin” to her young son, John