1 Corinthians 6:19

My Notes

What Does 1 Corinthians 6:19 Mean?

Paul asks one of the most body-honoring questions in Scripture: what? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?

Know ye not (ouk oidate) — the rhetorical question assumes they should know this but have forgotten or ignored it. The phrasing carries a tone of surprise: you should already know this. The truth Paul states is fundamental, not advanced.

Your body (to soma humon) — not your spirit. Not your soul. Your body — the physical organism, the flesh-and-bone structure you inhabit. Paul is talking about the actual, material body — the one that eats, sleeps, moves through space, and interacts with the physical world.

Is the temple (naos) of the Holy Ghost — naos is the inner sanctuary, the holy of holies — the most sacred space in the temple where God's presence dwelt. Paul does not use hieron (the temple complex). He uses naos — the inner shrine, the holiest place. Your body is not the outer court. It is the holy of holies — the place where God's presence resides.

Which is in you — the Holy Spirit is in you. Not near you. Not available to you. In you — dwelling inside your physical body. The Spirit's location is not heaven. It is your body. The presence of God is not distant. It is as close as your own skin.

Which ye have of God — the Spirit is a gift from God. You did not earn the Spirit's presence. You received it. The Holy Spirit's indwelling is God's initiative, not your achievement.

Ye are not your own — the conclusion that changes everything. If the Holy Spirit lives in your body, your body does not belong to you. It belongs to the one who lives there. You are not your own — the most countercultural statement in the New Testament. In a culture that worships autonomy, Paul says: you do not own yourself.

Verse 20 completes the logic: for ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. The price was Christ's blood. The ownership transferred. The body that was bought belongs to the buyer.

Reflection Questions

• 1.What does Paul using 'naos' (inner sanctuary) rather than 'hieron' (temple complex) communicate about the sacredness of your body?
• 2.How does 'ye are not your own' challenge the cultural assumption that you have absolute authority over your body?
• 3.What does the Holy Spirit being 'in you' — physically present in your body — demand about how you treat your body?
• 4.Where are you treating the temple of the Holy Spirit in a way that does not honor the one who lives there?

Devotional

Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you? Your body. Not your spirit floating somewhere above your body. Your actual, physical, material body — the one reading these words right now. That body is a temple. Not a warehouse. Not a rental property. A temple — the holy of holies, the sacred inner sanctuary where God dwells.

The Holy Ghost which is in you. In you. The Spirit of God lives inside your body. The presence that once filled the tabernacle, that hovered over the ark, that filled Solomon's temple with glory so thick the priests could not stand — that presence is in you. Your body is the current address of the living God.

Which ye have of God. The Spirit is a gift. You did not earn the indwelling. You did not qualify for it through moral performance. God gave the Spirit to you. The presence is his initiative. The temple was his idea.

Ye are not your own. This is the conclusion that overturns everything your culture tells you. Your body is not yours. You do not have the right to do whatever you want with it. You are not sovereign over your own flesh. The Holy Spirit lives there — and the one who lives in a house has authority over the house.

For ye are bought with a price (v.20). The price was Christ's blood. The purchase was real. The ownership transferred. You belong to the one who bought you — body and spirit. The body that was redeemed at the cross is the body the Spirit inhabits. And the appropriate response to being purchased and inhabited is: glorify God in your body.

What are you doing with the temple? The body that houses the Holy Spirit — how are you treating it? What are you putting into it? What are you doing with it? The Spirit is not a guest you can ignore. He is the resident who defines the purpose of the house. Your body is his temple. Treat it like one.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture