What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 6:13? Food for the stomach • God designed hunger and meals as good gifts. “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed” (2 Corinthians 9:10). • Genesis 1:29 and 9:3 show the Creator explicitly providing food; 1 Timothy 4:3-4 affirms that “everything created by God is good.” • Paul reminds the Corinthians that physical appetites are legitimate—but only in their proper place. and the stomach for food • Body parts have God-given purposes. Jesus noted, “Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?” (Matthew 6:25). • 1 Timothy 6:17 warns against fixing hope on “uncertain riches” (including the continual filling of appetites) instead of on God “who richly provides us with all things to enjoy.” • The pairing highlights design without elevating it to ultimate importance. but God will destroy them both • Food and the digestive system are temporary, bound to this present age. “The present form of this world is passing away” (1 Corinthians 7:31). • Philippians 3:19 pictures those “whose god is their belly”—a destiny that ends in destruction. • 2 Peter 3:10 foretells the final dissolution of all earthly elements, sharpening our focus on what endures. The body is not intended for sexual immorality • God’s blueprint for the body rules out porneia (any sexual activity outside covenant marriage). “For this is the will of God: your sanctification; that you abstain from sexual immorality” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). • Ephesians 5:3 insists such conduct “must not even be named among you.” • Paul shifts from a lesser appetite (food) to a greater one (sexuality), making clear that misuse of the body in this area contradicts its divine purpose. but for the Lord • Our bodies exist to honor, serve, and display Jesus. “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God” (Romans 12:1). • 1 Corinthians 10:31 extends the same principle: “Whatever you do, do it all to the glory of God.” • Every physical choice—diet, sexuality, recreation—becomes an act of worship or rebellion. and the Lord for the body • Christ values our physical frame and has bound Himself to it. “God raised the Lord and will also raise us by His power” (1 Corinthians 6:14). • The Incarnation (John 1:14) and the indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:11) testify that the Lord is invested in the body’s present purity and future resurrection. • He supplies grace, direction, and ultimate redemption for the very bodies we steward today. summary Earthly appetites are real yet temporary; treating them as ultimate distorts God’s design. Sexual immorality especially violates the body’s true purpose, for our bodies belong to the Lord and He is committed to them. Honoring Him in tangible, everyday choices anticipates the day He perfects these same bodies in resurrection glory. |
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