Entrance to the Kingdom of God has some requirements. They are not impossible to attain, and it helps to know what’s expected. Paul is addressing some pressing issues facing the young church in Corinth. You could say similar issues are still on the minds of people living in our cultures today. Paul’s counsel is quite clear.
In light of what we’re being told to avoid, reflect on this. “You say, ‘I am allowed to do anything ‘—but not everything is good for you. And even though “I am allowed to do anything,’ I must not become a slave to anything.” How true is that! Most of us can identify with what it feels like to be able to do “anything.” We can choose to wake up when we want, when we don’t have to go to work. We can walk in the rain if we don’t care about getting wet. We can eat popcorn and ice cream for dinner, if we don’t have a parent glaring at us. As Paul says, some of those things we choose to do aren’t always good for us. We need to make wise choices.
What happens when we make a bad choice? Paul chooses to focus on lawsuits. I was a paralegal for many years and can find my way around the courtroom just fine, but it’s still hard for me to imagine what that process would have looked like back in Paul’s day. One thing we never did at any of the law offices I worked at was ask someone’s religious affiliation or make that an issue for the opposing party. Paul’s counsel didn’t make it into today’s courtrooms.
However, the intent of his counsel makes a lot of sense to me. As Christians, we should know better than to break the law or hurt another person, especially a fellow Christian. Unfortunately, negligent behavior doesn’t seem to stop because of our allegiance to Christ. What we can control is how we handle ourselves when those clashes with other believers arise. If only all Christians could heed Paul’s teaching.
Justice will be served whether we fight battles or not. “Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God?” Not being present with Jesus in his Kingdom is a lot bigger deal than suffering loss here in this life. Those who do wrong will pay. Paul suggests believers need to be careful not to be the one doing wrong, and if it happens, work it out.
It does us good to remember this: “But you were cleansed; you were made holy; you were made right with God by calling on the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.” We will mess up, but Jesus has paid the price for us. His blood was shed to redeem us. When we remember how our debt was paid, it helps us make wiser choices.
Paul spends a lot of time in this reading talking about sexual sin. Can you imagine what he’d think if he started surfing some cable channels these days! Those sins are everywhere. It’s been normalized to see people behaving in those sinful ways. The internet is another source of temptation for many who read and watch things that shouldn’t be shared publicly. People try to gloss over it, saying if God didn’t want us looking, he shouldn’t have given us the desire.
It makes sense why sexual sin is such a big deal. Since our bodies are temples of the living God, what we do with our bodies matters to God. He’s right there with us in those moments. If God has said these behaviors are detestable to him, why do we persist? I’d like to think that it’s only non-believers who act like this, but sadly we hear of pastors and other church leaders being caught in sexual sin all the time.
We can do better. Being part of the Kingdom of God is too important to mess up. Focus today on what it means that your body is God’s temple. God has made you holy when he redeemed you. “God bought you with a high price.” What do you do to honor God with your body?
Let’s pray. Father, forgive me for all the wrongs I have done to others, known and unknown. I know I have a sinful nature, and I want to do better at controlling it and helping others do the same. It breaks my heart to see how people treat their bodies. I thank you for the body you have given me and want to do my best to eat well, rest well, and move well to be strong for your service. Help me be strong. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
