Dave's Diary

Daily Readings: 1 Corinthians 6 and Psalm 118

1 Corinthians 6 is filled with Holy Spirit-inspired instruction and correction from Paul. Although he addressed a range of areas where the Corinthian Christians were falling into sinful tendencies, the heart of his instruction was to remind them that their salvation had begun with repentance from sin. Now that Christ had made them brand new people, they had no business living in compromise with sin. He lists examples of the sins common in Corinth: sexually immorality, idolatry, adultery, men having sex with men, theft, greed, drunkenness, slander, and swindling (v.9-10); and then he writes:

¹¹ And that is what some of you were. 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.

All of us sin and fall short of the glory of God, but when we come to Christ we choose to leave our wilful participation in sin behind us. We are washed clean and justified by His gracious forgiveness, we “offer our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord” (Romans 12:2) and we thereby surrender to the transformative, sanctifying power of Christ. To be a Christian means that we have been forgiven for our past, are being cleansed and made righteous by the Holy Spirit, and are deeply dedicated to living in a way that is pleasing to the Lord.

Perhaps our greatest motivation to guard against sin at all times (whether in public or in private) is the truth Paul declared when he rebuked the Corinthian Christians’ participation in sexual sin. He reminded them:

“¹⁷ Whoever is united with the Lord is one with Him in spirit. ¹⁸ Flee from sexual immorality.¹⁹ Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; ²⁰ you were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your bodies.”

The indwelling Holy Spirit both motivates and empowers us to resist sin and live for God!

Life application: Surrender afresh to the Holy Spirit as He inspires and empowers you to live a life pleasing to the Lord today. Turn away from every known sin, and commit yourself to be a living sacrifice of loving worship to Him today.