The Body as Temple: Flee Sexual Immorality
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
1Cor.6.12 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- Παντα: ADJ,acc,pl,n
- μοι: PRON,dat,sg,1
- εξεστιν·αλλ᾽ου: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- παντα: ADJ,nom,pl,n
- συμφερει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- παντα: ADJ,nom,pl,n
- μοι: PRON,dat,sg,1
- εξεστιν·αλλ᾽ουκ: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- εγω: PRON,nom,sg,1
- εξουσιασθησομαι: VERB,fut,pass,ind,1,sg
- υπο: PREP
- τινος: PRON,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- 1 Cor.10.23 (verbal): Uses the nearly identical formula “All things are lawful for me, but not all things are helpful” in a parallel discussion of Christian liberty and limits (edification).
- Gal.5.13 (thematic): Affirms Christian freedom while warning against using that freedom for the flesh—freedom must not become an occasion for wrongdoing, echoing the balance of liberty and restraint.
- Rom.6.12-14 (thematic): Focuses on not allowing sin to reign or have dominion over the believer; parallels the concern in 1 Cor 6:12b about not being dominated/enslaved by anything.
- 1 Pet.2.16 (thematic): Commands believers to live as free persons but not use freedom as a cover for evil—similar ethical qualification to the claim that not everything permitted is beneficial and one must not be mastered by anything.
Alternative generated candidates
- Everything is lawful for me, but not everything is profitable. Everything is lawful for me, yet I will not be mastered by anything.
- 'All things are lawful for me,' some say — and 'all things are lawful for me' — but not all things are profitable. 'All things are lawful for me,' yet I will not be mastered by anything.
1Cor.6.13 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- τα: ART,acc,pl,n
- βρωματα: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- κοιλια: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- κοιλια: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- τοις: ART,dat,pl,n
- βρωμασιν·ο: NOUN,dat,pl,n
- δε: CONJ
- θεος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ταυτην: PRON,acc,sg,f
- και: CONJ
- ταυτα: PRON,acc,pl,n
- καταργησει: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,sg
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- δε: CONJ
- σωμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- ου: PART,neg
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- πορνεια: NOUN,nom,sg,f
- αλλα: CONJ
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- κυριω: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- κυριος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- σωματι·: NOUN,dat,sg,n
Parallels
- 1 Corinthians 6:12 (structural): Immediate context and contrast: Paul begins with 'All things are lawful for me' and the 'food for the stomach' motif that 6:13 continues and qualifies.
- 1 Corinthians 6:15-20 (verbal): Direct continuation of the same argument: bodies as members of Christ, warning against sexual immorality, and the claim that you were bought and the body is the Lord's.
- 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (thematic): Develops the theme of believers as God's temple—God's presence makes the body/group holy and subject to divine ownership and judgment.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (thematic): Ethical teaching on sexual purity and control of the body ('each one should know how to possess his vessel in sanctification and honor'), echoing 'body...not for fornication but for the Lord.'
- Romans 6:12-13 (thematic): Calls believers to stop presenting body members to sin and instead present themselves to God as instruments of righteousness—parallel ethical logic about bodily use and belonging to the Lord.
Alternative generated candidates
- Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food—God will destroy both—but the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
- Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food — and God will destroy both one and the other. But the body is not for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
1Cor.6.14 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- θεος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- κυριον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- ηγειρεν: VERB,impf,act,ind,3,sg
- και: CONJ
- ημας: PRON,acc,pl,1
- εξεγερει: VERB,fut,act,ind,3,sg
- δια: PREP
- της: ART,gen,sg,f
- δυναμεως: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- αυτου: PRON,gen,sg,m
Parallels
- 2 Corinthians 4:14 (verbal): Paul uses virtually the same claim that God, who raised the Lord Jesus, will also raise believers—close verbal parallel in wording and argument.
- Romans 8:11 (thematic): Affirms the same power that raised Jesus (the Spirit) will give life to believers' mortal bodies—emphasizes the enabling power behind resurrection.
- 1 Corinthians 15:20-22 (structural): Develops the same theology: Christ's resurrection as the basis and pattern for the future resurrection of those in him (firstfruits → all made alive).
- Romans 6:4-5 (thematic): Speaks of being united with Christ in his death and raised to new life with him—connects ethical/new-life implications with the reality of resurrection power.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:14 (thematic): Grounds hope in the resurrection of Jesus: since he died and rose, God will bring with him those who have died—assurance of believers' future raising.
Alternative generated candidates
- And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
- And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power.
1Cor.6.15 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ουκ: PART,neg
- οιδατε: VERB,perf,act,ind,2,pl
- οτι: CONJ
- τα: ART,acc,pl,n
- σωματα: NOUN,nom,pl,n
- υμων: PRON,gen,pl,2
- μελη: NOUN,nom,pl,n
- Χριστου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- αρας: VERB,part,aor,act,nom,m,sg
- ουν: CONJ
- τα: ART,acc,pl,n
- μελη: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- Χριστου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- ποιησω: VERB,fut,act,ind,1,sg
- πορνης: NOUN,gen,sg,f
- μελη: NOUN,acc,pl,n
- μη: PART
- γενοιτο: VERB,aor,opt,mid,3,sg
Parallels
- 1 Cor 12:27 (verbal): Uses the same metaphor—'you are the body of Christ, and individually members of it'—echoing the language of believers as Christ's members.
- 1 Cor 6:16 (quotation): Immediate context: cites 'the two will become one flesh' to argue that sexual union makes one body with a prostitute, directly contrasting membership in Christ.
- Gen 2:24 (quotation): The source of the 'one flesh' language quoted in 6:16; provides the marriage/one-flesh background for Paul's argument about bodily union and loyalty.
- 1 Cor 6:19 (thematic): Affirms bodily sanctity—'your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit'—supporting the ethical imperative not to prostitute one's body.
- Eph 5:30 (verbal): Speaks of believers as 'members of his body' (Christ/the church), reinforcing the same member-body imagery and its moral consequences.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? By no means!
- Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? By no means.
1Cor.6.16 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- ουκ: PART,neg
- οιδατε: VERB,perf,act,ind,2,pl
- οτι: CONJ
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- κολλωμενος: PART,pres,mid,nom,sg,m
- τη: ART,dat,sg,f
- πορνη: NOUN,dat,sg,f
- εν: PREP
- σωμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- Εσονται: VERB,fut,mid,ind,3,pl
- γαρ: PART
- φησιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- οι: ART,nom,pl,m
- δυο: NUM,acc,pl,m
- εις: PREP
- σαρκα: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- μιαν: NUM,acc,sg,f
Parallels
- Genesis 2:24 (quotation): The original OT verse Paul echoes—'the two shall become one flesh'—which grounds his argument about bodily unity in sexual union.
- Ephesians 5:31 (quotation): Paul again cites 'two shall become one flesh' when describing the marital union (and Christ/Church), using the same language about oneness.
- Matthew 19:5 (quotation): Jesus quotes Genesis 2:24 ('the two shall become one flesh') in his teaching on marriage; Paul invokes the same verbal tradition to define the significance of sexual joining.
- 1 Corinthians 6:17 (structural): Paul's immediate contrast: being 'joined to the Lord' makes one spirit—structurally parallels and contrasts with being 'joined to a prostitute' as making one body.
Alternative generated candidates
- Or do you not know that the one who unites with a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, says he, the two will become one flesh.
- Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For it is said, 'The two will become one flesh.'
1Cor.6.17 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- κολλωμενος: VERB,pres,mid/pass,part,nom,sg
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- κυριω: NOUN,dat,sg,m
- εν: PREP
- πνευμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- 1 Corinthians 6:16 (verbal): Uses the same verb (κολλωμενος) to contrast joining to a prostitute ('one flesh') with joining to the Lord ('one spirit')—direct linguistic and conceptual foil in the immediate context.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19 (thematic): Speaks of the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit; supports the chapter's argument that believers' union with the Lord is effected by the Spirit dwelling in them.
- 1 Corinthians 12:13 (thematic): Affirms that by one Spirit believers are baptized into one body—parallels the idea of spiritual union and shared 'one-ness' produced by the Spirit.
- John 6:56 (allusion): Jesus' language of mutual indwelling ('he who eats my flesh and drinks my blood abides in me, and I in him') parallels the close, spiritual union expressed by 'one spirit with the Lord.'
- John 15:4 (thematic): The command to 'abide in me' and the vine/branch imagery express sustained union with Christ, resonating with the 'joined to the Lord' motif.
Alternative generated candidates
- But the one who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
- But the one who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him.
1Cor.6.18 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- φευγετε: VERB,pres,act,imp,2,pl
- την: ART,acc,sg,f
- πορνειαν·παν: NOUN,acc,sg,f
- αμαρτημα: NOUN,nom,sg,n
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- εαν: CONJ
- ποιηση: VERB,aor,act,subj,3,sg
- ανθρωπος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- εκτος: PREP
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- σωματος: NOUN,gen,sg,n
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ο: ART,nom,sg,m
- δε: CONJ
- πορνευων: VERB,pres,act,part,nom,sg,m
- εις: PREP
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- ιδιον: ADJ,acc,sg,neut
- σωμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- αμαρτανει: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
Parallels
- 1 Corinthians 6:13 (verbal): Same discussion that the body is not meant for sexual immorality; connects directly to the claim that sexual sin is an abuse of the body.
- 1 Corinthians 6:15-17 (thematic): Argues that believers' bodies are members of Christ and that sexual union thus has spiritual implications—supports the idea that sexual sin is uniquely injurious to one's own body/spiritual life.
- 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (thematic): Affirms the body as temple of the Holy Spirit and that believers were bought with a price, providing the theological basis for fleeing sexual immorality and treating the body as belonging to God.
- 1 Thessalonians 4:3-5 (verbal): Explicit command to abstain from sexual immorality and to control one’s body in holiness and honor, paralleling the moral exhortation and concern for bodily purity.
- Romans 6:12-13 (thematic): Commands believers not to let sin reign in their mortal bodies and to present their members to God—similar ethical logic that the body is the sphere in which sin should not exercise dominion.
Alternative generated candidates
- Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body; but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
- Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
1Cor.6.19 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- η: ART,nom,sg,f
- ουκ: PART,neg
- οιδατε: VERB,perf,act,ind,2,pl
- οτι: CONJ
- το: ART,acc,sg,n
- σωμα: NOUN,acc,sg,n
- υμων: PRON,gen,pl,2
- ναος: NOUN,nom,sg,m
- του: ART,gen,sg,n
- εν: PREP
- υμιν: PRON,dat,pl,2
- αγιου: ADJ,gen,sg,n
- πνευματος: NOUN,gen,sg,n
- εστιν: VERB,pres,act,ind,3,sg
- ου: PART,neg
- εχετε: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,pl
- απο: PREP
- θεου: NOUN,gen,sg,m
- και: CONJ
- ουκ: PART,neg
- εστε: VERB,pres,act,ind,2,pl
- εαυτων: PRON,gen,pl,3
Parallels
- 1 Cor 3:16-17 (verbal): Same temple-language and belief that the Spirit dwells in believers; warns that destroying God's temple brings judgment — closely parallels wording and argument about the body as God's temple.
- 2 Cor 6:16 (verbal): Explicitly applies OT temple imagery to Christians ('I will live in them and walk among them... I will be their God'), echoing the idea that God's presence (Spirit) makes believers a dwelling-place.
- Eph 2:21-22 (structural): Uses corporate/architectural temple imagery (the whole building, a dwelling for God by the Spirit) to depict believers collectively as God's habitation, parallel to the individual-body-as-temple motif.
- Rom 12:1 (thematic): Draws the logical ethical implication of belonging to God: present your body as a living sacrifice — complementing the claim that the body is not your own but God's.
- Rom 6:12-13 (thematic): Connects bodily belonging to moral conduct: do not let sin reign in your body but present your members to righteousness; supports the ethical consequence of bodies belonging to God/Spirit.
Alternative generated candidates
- Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you received from God? You are not your own.
- Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own;
1Cor.6.20 - Details
Original Text
Morphology
- ηγορασθητε: VERB,aor,pas,ind,2,pl
- γαρ: PART
- τιμης·δοξασατε: NOUN,gen,sg,f + VERB,aor,act,imp,2,pl
- δη: PART
- τον: ART,acc,sg,m
- θεον: NOUN,acc,sg,m
- εν: PREP
- τω: ART,dat,sg,m
- σωματι: NOUN,dat,sg,n
- υμων: PRON,gen,pl,2
Parallels
- 1 Corinthians 6:19 (structural): Immediate context: argues that the body is a temple of the Spirit and you are not your own, leading directly to 'you were bought...glorify God in your body.'
- 1 Corinthians 7:23 (verbal): Uses the same language of purchase ('you were bought at a price') to draw ethical conclusions about Christian freedom and behavior.
- Romans 12:1 (thematic): Calls believers to present their bodies as a living sacrifice to God—parallel ethical demand to glorify God in one’s body in light of redemption.
- 1 Peter 1:18-19 (allusion): Speaks of believers being redeemed not with perishable things but with the precious blood of Christ, echoing the 'bought' motif behind ethical obligations.
- Acts 20:28 (verbal): Says the church was 'purchased with his own blood,' a closely related wording that grounds responsibility to honor God in Christ’s costly purchase.
Alternative generated candidates
- For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
- for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which belong to God.
All things are lawful for me, you say — but not all things are beneficial. All things are lawful for me — but I will not be enslaved by anything.
Food is for the stomach and the stomach for food; God will destroy both. The body, however, is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us by his power.
Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? By no means!
Do you not know that whoever unites himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For the two—said he—will become one flesh. But the one joined to the Lord is one spirit with him.
Flee sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you received from God? You are not your own.
For you were bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which belong to God.