1 Corinthians 6:19–20
Bible verses · Also called: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, 1 Cor 6:19-20, Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, Ye are bought with a price, Glorify God in your body
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19 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?
20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.
The text is the New Korean Revised Version (1998), shown under a licence from the Korean Bible Society. Wording may differ slightly from the Korean Revised Version and the Revised New Korean Standard Version. Read in the Korean Revised Version
This passage declares that "your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God," and that believers "are bought with a price"; they are therefore to glorify God in their body. It serves as a foundation for sexual ethics and is widely used to encourage health and self-control.
Context
In Corinth, some people, appealing to the slogan "All things are lawful unto me," held that the body does not matter and that it was therefore acceptable to be joined to a prostitute (vv. 12–13). Paul responds that the body is for the Lord and will be raised (v. 14), and that it is a member of Christ (v. 15). After commanding "Flee fornication" in verse 18, he gives his reasons in verses 19–20: the body is a temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells, and it has been bought with a price.
Interpretation
- As a basis for sexual ethics: In context, the passage serves first of all as a ground for prohibiting sexual immorality, particularly prostitution. Most commentators regard this as its primary meaning.
- The individual body and the community: When 3:16 says "ye are the temple of God," it refers to the church as a community, whereas many hold that 6:19 focuses on the body of each individual believer. Others, however, note that the "ye" in 6:19 is also plural and argue that its communal sense should be considered as well.
- As the language of redemption: "Bought with a price" evokes the contemporary practice of purchasing slaves in order to set them free, and it connects to an understanding of atonement that views the death of Christ as a ransom.
Questions Concerning Application
In the Korean church, this passage is frequently cited as grounds for abstaining from alcohol and tobacco. Applying it to avoiding habits that harm the body is widely accepted, but some point out that because the primary subject of the passage is sexual ethics, it is difficult to derive a general prohibition of drinking and smoking from this passage alone. It is also cited in support of differing conclusions in discussions of tattoos, cosmetic surgery, exercise and health maintenance, and organ donation.
In the Korean Church
The passage is commonly used as a theme verse for sex education in youth and young adult ministries, for programs on quitting smoking and moderating alcohol use, and for health seminars.
Related Passages
- 1 Corinthians 3:16–17
- 1 Corinthians 6:15–18
- Romans 12:1
- 1 Peter 1:18–19
See also 5
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