No Tolerance for Sexual Immorality - 1 Corinthians 6:9-20

Today’s world pushes so many different agendas on us today. One, in particular, is tolerating what someone may ‘identify’ as. We are to tolerate homosexuality, sexual immorality, and numerous other sins. If we don’t, then we are discriminating against those individuals.

However, God lays out what sin is, and the law condemns us to death because of sin. All sins are equal in God’s eyes. God does not want us to tolerate sin of any kind, but we are to love the sinner because His grace is equally given to all who accept it.


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1 Corinthians 6:9-20
⁹ Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, ¹⁰ nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. ¹¹ And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.

¹² “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. ¹³ “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴ And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. ¹⁵ 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? Never! ¹⁶ Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” ¹⁷ But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. ¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. ¹⁹ Or 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, ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
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Paul just told us to take care of disputes that arise within the church by addressing them internally with a Biblical foundation and with love. We shouldn’t have to resolve these issues outside of the church by third parties. He tells us that spiritual issues amongst Christians in the church and their disputes should not be addressed with unbelievers as mediators.

In this section, we are reminded of the Corinthian church and that the unrighteous do not inherit the kingdom of God. We, as Christians, are sanctified and set apart and are not to be actively practicing the ways of the fleshly world. The sins Paul lists are ones that we, as Christians, may feel there is no way we would do some of these. But Paul throws ‘greed’ into the list. Greed is listed as an equally serious sin. Greed can manifest as a desire and potentially become bigger and more destructive. Additionally, Paul points out homosexuality as well. Christians may not tolerate other sins, but we see more and more today that churches tolerate homosexuality. This is not to say that homosexual individuals cannot be justified and saved, because God pours out the same and equal grace to all. It is the sin of homosexuality that we are not to tolerate. We are to love the individual still and love the sinner as Christ loves us. If we tolerate any sin, what kind of example are we setting? The line in the sand becomes blurred, and we begin to tolerate it even more. Paul said that a little leaven would leaven the entire loaf; sin slowly spreads and grows like cancer. We are to be different and a witness of Christ to believers and unbelievers alike. We can all be washed, sanctified, and justified by our Lord Jesus Christ. He paid the ransom for our sins. But we must be the witness of Christ to those around us. God treats all sin the same.

Next, Paul specifically addresses sexual immorality. This is incredibly important because our bodies are temples for Christ. Sexual desire can be destructive to one’s own body and temple. God gave us something beautiful when used in marriage between a man and a woman. God created Adam and Eve, male and female, to go forth, be fruitful, and multiply through a marriage that He ordained. But the Corinthian church was abusing the liberty in Christ and turning it into sin. When we habitually submit to our desires, we lose the control to stop. Christians are called to submit to God’s control and give Him dominion over our lives. Addiction hinders our relationship with God because it enslaves us. Sin prevents us from being joined to Christ. One takes the place of the other because the two cannot coincide within us simultaneously. The blood of Christ purchased our bodies. We are God’s possessions, and we are to be good stewards of what belongs to God.

When we purge our hearts of sin, we build a temple that allows the Holy Spirit to dwell and take control. We are to be submissive and attentive to the control of the Holy Spirit. All of us will struggle with sin, and we all struggle in different areas. Sin is sin, no matter how big or small. But sexual sin affects the individual’s entire personality and affects them physically. Homosexuality is a sin. No matter what the world tells us today, sin is unacceptable, nor should it be tolerated. However, we are still to love one another and bring the Gospel to those who habitually struggle with sin. God will hold us accountable for the active practice of such sins. We must also hold others accountable within our church since tolerating sin will infect our fellowship with each other and with God. However, we must bring the love of Christ to those who habitually practice sin so they may realize that they, too, can be justified by faith in Jesus Christ. Lastly, honor God by building your temple as a worthy dwelling place for the Holy Spirit.