lectionary.com

Epiphany · Second Sunday after the Epiphany · Year B

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Sexual Immorality

January 17, 2027

Solomon Dedicating the Temple outside Jerusalem, Philips Koninck
Solomon Dedicating the Temple outside Jerusalem, Philips Koninck, c. 1664Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen's University
Koninck, better known for wide Dutch panoramas, sets the dedication under an enormous sky with the crowd spread out below it.Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body.Philips KoninckA Dutch painter of enormous flat panoramas under enormous skies, who ran a ferry business on the side.Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen's UniversityA Canadian university gallery in Kingston, Ontario, with a notable group of Dutch and Flemish paintings.Agnes Etherington Art Centre, Queen's University
LSB Three-Year Lectionary
GospelJohn 1:43-51Jn 1:43-51
Epistle1 Cor. 6:12-201 Cor 6:12-20
Old Testament1 Sam. 3:1-10 (11-20)1 Sm 3:1-10 (11-20)
PsalterPs. 139:1-10Ps 139:1-10

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.

From Sermons.com: Join Today to access the most scholarly & well written preaching resources anywhere.

Take it further: 1 Corinthians 6:12-20

Commentary

Commentary on 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (Working Preacher)Commentary on 1 Cor 6:12-20 (Working Preacher) Working Preacher

Reads Paul's freedom sayings as the boundary between license and glorifying God in the body.

1 Corinthians 6 Commentary: Lawsuits and Loose Living1 Cor 6 Commentary: Lawsuits and Loose Living Enduring Word · David Guzik

Verse-by-verse evangelical treatment of the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 6 Commentary1 Cor 6 Commentary Precept Austin

Cross-referenced compilation of expositors and word studies on the chapter.

1 Corinthians 6:12 Commentaries1 Cor 6:12 Commentaries BibleHub

Classic commentators on the all-things-are-lawful slogan Paul is qualifying.

1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (Center for Excellence in Preaching)1 Cor 6:12-20 (Center for Excellence in Preaching) Center for Excellence in Preaching

Reformed preaching commentary on Christian freedom and the sanctity of the body.

Background & Word Study

Book of 1 Corinthians Summary (Overview Video)Book of 1 Cor Summary (Overview Video) BibleProject

Animated overview of the letter's themes of unity and holiness in Corinth.

1 Corinthians 6:12 Interlinear Bible1 Cor 6:12 Interlinear Bible BibleHub

Greek text with parsing and Strong's numbers for word-level study.

The Church Fathers

1 Corinthians 6 (Catena Bible and Commentaries)1 Cor 6 (Catena Bible and Commentaries) Catena

Patristic and early-church comment on the chapter collected verse by verse.

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.

Prep at sermons.com

Ready to write?

  • Full sermons on John 1:43-51
  • Illustrations cleared for use in worship
  • Commentary, quotes, and Bible dictionary
Open it at sermons.com →

Trusted by pastors since 1995.

Free every Tuesday

Illustrations & Sermon Prep in your inbox

The coming Sunday’s readings, a cleared-for-use illustration, and a sermon-prep head start. One email, free.