1 Corinthians 6:15

My Notes

What Does 1 Corinthians 6:15 Mean?

"Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid." Paul addresses sexual immorality in Corinth with a theological argument rooted in union with Christ. Your body isn't just yours — it's a member of Christ's body. Sexual sin isn't merely a personal moral failure; it takes what belongs to Christ and joins it to something that violates the relationship.

The logic is corporate, not just individual. When you are united to Christ, your body becomes part of his body. Sexual immorality doesn't just affect you — it affects the body of Christ. Paul's "God forbid" (mē genoito — "may it never be!") expresses horror at the theological violation, not just moral disapproval.

Reflection Questions

• 1.How does understanding your body as 'a member of Christ' change how you think about physical choices?
• 2.Why does Paul's argument go beyond personal morality to talk about corporate identity in Christ?
• 3.What would change about your relationship with your body if you truly believed it belonged to Christ?
• 4.How do you hold together sexual freedom in culture with the reality that your body is a member of Christ's body?

Devotional

Your body is a member of Christ. Not metaphorically. Not poetically. Paul means it literally enough that sexual sin constitutes a violation not just of your own body but of Christ's body. You take something that belongs to him and join it to something that doesn't.

This reframes sexuality in a way that goes far beyond "don't do bad things." The question isn't whether a sexual choice is socially acceptable or personally satisfying. The question is: does this honor the one my body belongs to? Does this reflect the union I have with Christ? Because if your body is a member of his body, then what you do with your body is done, in some mysterious sense, to him.

"God forbid" — Paul's response isn't gentle pastoral counsel. It's visceral rejection of the idea. May it never be. The horror isn't prudishness about sex. It's the same horror you'd feel if someone took a sacred vessel from the temple and used it for something profane. The vessel isn't the problem. What it was created for is the point.

Your body was created for union with Christ. When you understand that — really understand it — the conversation about sexual boundaries changes completely. It's not about what you can't do. It's about who you belong to. And what belongs to the Lord of glory deserves to be treated with glory.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture