In our past studies, we have seen how the Spirit is the Spirit of Life, the Spirit of Christ, and the Spirit of Pentecost. In this study, we consider the role of the Holy Spirit in making us holy. More specifically, we will look at the Holy Spirit’s role in making us holy as the living temple of Christ.
“Your body is a temple” is a common saying amongst Christians, and it often used to remind us of the need to treat our bodies well, even with reverence. It is so common that even the secular world has picked it up, for example in the health and fitness world, or in memes. But what does it really mean? What is the Spirit’s role and what is ours?
(A) The Spirit of Holiness has washed, sanctified, and justified those who are in Christ (1 Cor 6:11)
Paul is writing to the church in Corinth, which was one of the major Greek trade cities that was also full of corruption. It is Paul’s second longest epistle, and he writes with great concern to them because of troubling reports. Among other things, the Corinthian believers were divided over pride and jealousy, competing for significance and status; plagued by sexually immoral behaviour including incest, which even the pagans frowned upon; divided over food laws and food restrictions.
In 1 Corinthians 6:11a, he says “And such were some of you.” As we read the earlier verses in 1 Corinthians 6:9-10, we see that this list of sinful and unrighteous people is not meant to be exhaustive, but illustrative of the lives of people who are not God’s people.
Paul writes to them and say that the believers are now washed, sanctified, and justified (1 Cor 6:11b). What do these words mean and what is the difference between these three?
Washed: imply, we are clean. Clean from what? We are clean from sin.
Sanctified: To be sanctified is to be made holy. What does that mean? Holy is not just about separation from sin, but when we think about the holy things in the tabernacle, these are the things set aside, reserved, devoted to the worship of God. In the same way, when we are in Christ as believers, we have been devoted to the worship of God. That is our sole purpose and chief end.
Justified: to be declared legally righteous. This involves not only the payment for the punishment for our sins, but also the fulfillment of the righteous requirements of the law, accomplished through the perfect obedience of Christ. This is about our status.
How did it come to be? Paul says “in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ”and “by the Spirit of our God”. We are washed, sanctified and justified because of the work of Christ and Spirit!
Notice how it is written in the past tense. Friends, if you are in Christ, then take comfort. These things have already been accomplished through the completed work of Christ in his life and death, and by the Holy Spirit working in you. He has changed your status, you have been made clean, righteous, and holy.
Yet, this begs the question. If we have been sanctified by the Holy Spirit, made holy and devoted to Christ, then why then do we still struggle with sin? As we can see from the example of the Corinthians, Paul tells them this is their status, and then proceeds to challenge them and correct their sinful behaviour. How do we make sense of this?
Now, we might associate sanctification with progressive sanctification, but in 1 Corinthians 6:11, Paul is not speaking of this, but our positional sanctification or our status. We are holy as a result of what God has done, but we still struggle with holiness.
(B) Be holy, for the Spirit of Holiness joins us to Christ as members of His body (1 Cor 6:12-17)
Paul references and rebuts some common sayings in 1 Corinthians 6:12-14. These convey the Corinthian state of mind, that they focus on and indulge their fleshly desires. The phrase “everything is lawful for me” implies that they thought they were free to do anything they wanted. Paul was addressing the sinful, worldly mindset that had also crept into the church or ideas that they held before they became believers.
Paul also used the phrase, “food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food” (1 Cor 6:13). Shortly after this phrase, Paul also addresses sexual immorality. This suggests that the saying is not just about food, but about fulfilling and sating our fleshly ‘appetites’ or desires.
Paul addressed these views. Firstly, not everything is helpful. Just because you can do it, doesn’t mean you should. What are the effects of your behaviour?
Secondly, Paul also reminded them that they will should not be dominated by anything. They can do anhthing, but who or what is really in control?
He also teaches them that God will destroy both one and the other; the body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord (1 Cor 6:14). It is a reminder that the current life is not all there is, and there is a judgment to come. Moreover, rather than the stomach being made for food, or our private parts being made for sex, our bodies as a whole are made for the purpose of worshipping and glorifying God.
To help us understand Paul’s rebuttals, we must also turn to Romans 6. What happens when we become believers? Previously, we were dead in our sins, slaves to sin. We had to obey its passions. Slaves obey their masters, we could not not sin.
When we become believers, we have died with Christ to sin, so that we are no longer slaves to sin. We are raised with Christ in the spirit, that we may live. We are no longer dominated by sin, and we are free instead to live to God. This is what theologians call “definitive sanctification” or “positional sanctification” - that we are dead to sin, being crucified with Christ, and no longer under sin’s control but under Christ as our new master. Our position or status has changed.
Notice the commands Paul gives – “let not sin therefore reign. . .”, “do not present . . .”, present . . .”. There is an active action on our part. As some theologians have put it, while we are dead to sin, sin is not dead in us. We still have to fight it. While the Spirit has done the work of setting us free, we too have the responsibility to choose to obey God rather than our sinful passions. We cooperate with the Spirit in being holy. As we obey God and are conformed more and more to the image of Christ. This is what theologians call “progressive sanctification”.
This is enabled by the Spirit’s work of bringing us to life (c.f. Ezekiel 37), which enables us to even desire holiness and obedience to God’s word. Remember the valley of dry bones? Dead people do not desire holiness. They stay dead. Moreover, God pronouncement in Ezekiel 37:23-24 shows that he will cause our behaviour to change, to walk in his rules and be careful to obey his statutes.
Paul’s statements about not being dominated about anything then makes sense. Just because you can sin, does not mean you should. You have a choice; furthermore you have a new master whom you serve. Obey Him instead!
Do the Corinthian sayings sound familiar to you? Do you justify your sins by telling yourself that your urges are natural, therefore it must be ok? Friends, do not be deceived. If you are in Christ, you are no longer dominated by sin. You do not need to obey your urges and passions, strong as they may be. Heed the exhortation in Romans 6:12-13.
Or maybe we struggle with repeated sin, and wonder why we keep sinning if we have been saved. Friends, remember that dead people don’t struggle. Only those made alive see sin for what it is and struggle. If you desire to be holy and honour God, this struggle is a sign of life and is a result of the Spirit working in you. And remember that sin is no longer your master. Take heart and resist sin.
Paul reminds the Corinthians that they are members of Christ (1 Cor 6:15-18). This is the first mention in Paul’s letter of believers being the members of Christ’s body. In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, he more fully describes the metaphor of believers being members of Christ’s body. Those of us who are believers are united with Christ through the Holy Spirit (as laid out in Romans 6). We are united with Him in his death, and in His life.
As 1 Corinthians 12:13 says, “For in one Spirit we were all baptised into one body. . . all were made to drink of one Spirit”. It is the same Holy Spirit who unites every believer to Christ — if we are all united to Christ, then we too are united to one another.
Paul connects the concept of our unity with Christ with the body-spirit union that happens in sexual relations (Gen 2:24). The idea of uniting the holy son of God with an unholy prostitute should make us balk. Never!
Paul thus calls the believers to flee from sexual immorality because “the sexually immoral person sins against his own body”. It’s not clear what Paul means that other sins are outside the body; however some possible interpretations about sinning against his own body include 1) sinning against our partners, if we are married, 2) sinning against Christ, with whom we are united, and 3) sinning against the body of Christ.
All three interpretations are valid, but let us consider the third. Normally when we think of sin, most of us would think about the offence it causes to God, that we have cheapened the work of Christ and the grace extended to us, that we have grieved the Holy Spirit with whom we have been sealed for the day of redemption. 1 Corinthians 12:26 tells us that when one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honoured, all rejoice together.
Perhaps you have heard about sin in the church. 1 Corinthians teach us that an individuals sin also hurts the body of Christ, bringing shame unto the church and unto the name of Christ. This heightens the stakes for us – our sin does not just have private impact, but corporate impact. Our sin harms the larger body of Christ.
(C) Be holy, for our bodies are the temple of the Spirit of Holiness (1 Cor 6:18-20)
Paul also reminds the Corinthians of two truths in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20. Firstly, he reminds them that their bodies (collectively) are the temple of the Holy Spirit within them. Secondly, he reminds them that they were redeemed, bought with a price.
We tend to interpret this as our individual bodies are individually the temples of the Holy Spirit. However, the Greek pronoun for you is plural, indicating that this is referring to the body of Christ as the temple of the Holy Spirit. This would be consistent with 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, where he refers to the believers collectively as the temple of God. Historically there has been one temple that the people of God go to for worship.
And that is the more important point – what is a temple for? The temple is where God dwelled amongst his people, and is where God’s people worship him. Ezekiel 37:26-28 shows God’s promise to set his sanctuary (holy place) and dwelling in the midst of his people again. This was what the people were looking forward to, when God will dwell with His people again. He will change their hearts to obey Him,
Ephesians 2:18-22 tells us that we as the church, being built on the foundation of Jesus Christ, are joined together into a holy temple and a dwelling place for God by the Spirit. We were redeemed for the worship of God, and at the price of the blood of the lamb, the Son of God. Paul calls us then to glorify God with our bodies. Because God now dwells with and within us, giving us his presence; and because he has redeemed and purchased us.
Let us consider how we can devote our lives to Him in obedience, trusting that He is also at work in us, until the day that we are finally presented to Him as pure and blameless.