This verse should be taken figuratively. But why is it even in Scripture if it is not literal? The answer can be found in surrounding verses. But first, we must keep in mind that the people who lived in the city of Corinth came out of a pagan environment. They were prone to tag some of their previous experiences along with their Christian conversion. One of their chief shortcomings was that of loose sexual morals. Paul literally had his hands full to instruct the people what a godly life looks like. Sexual experiences accompany pleasure. It was their assumption that God wanted them to enjoy life. That meant to them sex was a vital part of their daily conduct.
The major thrust of Paul’s declarations in this chapter was that being a Christian had certain stipulations. Central to this belief was that the blood of Christ from the cross was an actual payment, not only for their sin, but also from their very being. To be a Christian is to be a unique creature. (2 Corinthians 5:17) In fact, that verse translated directly from the Greek means that a person who accepts Christ becomes a whole new creation! We as believers no longer own our bodies. They belong to Christ.
Carry this thought further. Since he owns our bodies, it is our duty to perform utmost care for it. This does not just include physical care. It means all of the spiritual ramifications that accompany our walk on this earth. All through the Old Testament notations have been made about the Jews who betrayed their vows to God that was spiritual infidelity. They were labeled as adulterers or fornicators in their relationship to God.
Catch the significance of this. Whether it was the Jews in the Old Testament or Christians discussed in the New Testament, mistreatment of us with an unauthorized person is a major breach of devotion. For example, suppose someone asked you to care for a very valuable and irreplaceable portrait, but you threw it in the shed behind your house with all the garden tools. That portrait would be susceptible to damage and ruin. It was not yours to keep but yours to care for. How do you think the owner of that portrait would respond to your carelessness? In the same way, Christ purchased us and owns us because of his death on the cross. He allows us to use our body as a house for our soul.
In our text, Paul is declaring that fornication, sexual sin, puts us in a position where the Holy Spirit is unable to operate in our minds and hearts. Whereas the Holy Spirit would normally be the inspiration for how we worship God, yet this is hampered by the lack of devotion and obedience he expects of us. Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit where his divine influence is expressed. In the same way fornication or adultery is a breach of the marriage contract between a man and a woman, so is it a breach of the spiritual contract we have with the Holy Spirit.
Any person who displays noble character can only do it for the great cause and devotion he would have. This is what must be expected of the Christian. It is our secret how we live for God and what separates us from earthlings. No longer can the Christian follow their own desires and walk their own path. We must assure ourselves that how we walk does not lead us to spiritual bondage. Before becoming a Christian, no person can have a claim based on right and justice for, they have none. That individual would remain in spiritual bondage without the purchase of ourselves from the slavery of evil and sin.
As spiritually freemen liberated by God, we have the obligation to have the character that is devoted and pleasing to God. We are not our own. Our heart, our thoughts, our time, our abilities become devoted to Christ because of our redemption. It is through this submission; it is through this cooperation that we glorify God allowing the Holy Spirit’s freedom to operate in our lives.
In our busy day-to-day minutes, it is very easy to forget this profound truth. Our submission to God directs us to a consecration of high and holy and sacred purposes. Misuse of our bodies is inconsistent with our eternal destiny because our mortality will be exchanged for a glorious life. It is not just avoiding evil. It is a consecration of all that we are and all that we could be to the divine life that dwells within us. Our spiritual freedom occurs as a result of our subjection to the rightful Lord. Our bodies are not an enemy to our spirits. They are the means by which the energy of the Holy Spirit conducts his purposes.
Without the encumbrances of sinful behavior our bodies can be a shrine where deity dwells and presents his Holiness to the rest of the world. The dedicated Christian constantly seeks to avoid that sinful behavior so that Christ in us can give us a hope of glory. (Colossians 1:27) Our efforts are to avoid entanglement from the former life that we once lived. (Galatians 5:1) We now live gratefully to his divine love.
Christian Writer 