What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 6:16? Or don’t you know Paul opens with the familiar challenge he uses throughout this letter (1 Corinthians 3:16; 6:19). He reminds believers that certain truths are already settled by God’s Word, so ignorance is never an excuse. The statement recalls Proverbs 7:22–23, where folly follows a prostitute “like an ox going to the slaughter,” underscoring that sexual sin is never a private matter; it bears real, spiritual consequences. He who unites himself with a prostitute • “Unites” (BSB: “joins”) speaks of a deliberate, physical choice that fuses two lives. • The act violates the believer’s calling to be “joined to the Lord” (1 Corinthians 6:17) and set apart for holiness (1 Thessalonians 4:3–5; Hebrews 13:4). • Scripture consistently warns against sexual immorality: Proverbs 5:3–9; Ephesians 5:3. These passages highlight that casual sin entangles far more than the moment. Is one with her in body • Sexual intimacy is a God-given covenant glue, intended for marriage (Genesis 2:24). • Paul insists this bodily oneness is real, not symbolic; it mingles lives and destinies. Christ-followers, already members of His body (1 Corinthians 12:27), compromise that sacred union when they unite with sin. • The warning mirrors Romans 6:13, which urges believers not to “offer the parts of your body to sin.” For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.” • Quoting Genesis 2:24 (also echoed by Jesus in Matthew 19:5 and Mark 10:8), Paul appeals to the very first marriage covenant. • The verse affirms God’s original design: lifelong, exclusive unity. Any sexual act outside that covenant still forges a one-flesh bond, but in a context God never blessed, producing guilt, brokenness, and spiritual defilement. • By rooting his argument in creation, Paul shows this standard predates culture, covenants, or law; it is woven into human nature itself. summary 1 Corinthians 6:16 teaches that sexual union is never casual. God created it to form an indivisible one-flesh bond meant only for marriage. When someone joins with a prostitute—or any partner outside God’s covenant—he tears that sacred gift from its rightful setting, dishonors Christ, and invites serious spiritual harm. |
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