Epiphany Season · Second Sunday in Ordinary Time · Year B
1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20
Sexual Immorality
January 17, 2027
Overview & Insights
“Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you?” (1 Corinthians 6:19)
Following his vice list in 6:9–10 and getting ready for his teaching on marriage in chapter 7, Paul now revisits and broadens his discussion on sexual immorality from chapter 5. Whereas chapter 5 and 6:1–11 dealt with particular and somewhat narrow issues, these last verses of chapter 6 give a broader theological statement on Christian lifestyle using the practices at Corinthian dinner parties as a launching pad. The way Christ followers use their bodies and their material situations reflects their relationship to Christ. Christian faith makes no room for a separation of body and Spirit. The three-legged stool of gluttony (drinking, eating, and sexual immorality) so proudly exercised at Corinthian dinner banquets is irreconcilable with calling Christ Kyrios (“Lord”). Christian identity and Christian lifestyle go hand in hand. Christian identity becomes evident in a lifestyle that embodies Christ’s incarnational teaching.
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Commentary
Commentary on 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Working Preacher
Luther Seminary commentary on the exact RCL Year B reading, the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:12-20 Commentary Center for Excellence in Preaching
Reformed commentary unpacking Paul's astonishing claim that the body is a temple of the Spirit.
Enduring Word Bible Commentary 1 Corinthians Chapter 6 Enduring Word · David Guzik
Verse by verse evangelical commentary on Christian freedom and glorifying God in the body.
1 Corinthians 6 Commentary Precept Austin
In depth verse by verse study of 1 Corinthians 6 with cross references and word notes.
1 Corinthians 6:13 Commentaries BibleHub
Aggregated classic commentaries on the verses about the body and the Lord.
Background & Word Study
Enter the Bible: 1 Corinthians (Book Overview) Enter the Bible
Luther Seminary introduction to the letter and the disputes in the Corinthian church.
Book of 1 Corinthians Summary (BibleProject Video) BibleProject
Animated overview of the letter's structure and Paul's call to unity and holiness.
1 Corinthians 6:13 Greek Interlinear BibleHub
Word by word Greek with Strong's numbers for the temple of the Holy Spirit passage.
The Church Fathers
Questions preachers ask
Why does Paul call the body a temple?
Against the slogan that all things are lawful, Paul says the body belongs to the Lord and is a dwelling of the Spirit, so believers glorify God in the body rather than treating it as their own.
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