My daughter was picking up a few groceries for me. One item on my grocery list was vanilla. She phoned me to say that it would cost me about $20 for a bottle of vanilla. I was shocked! We realized that she was looking at a bottle of pure vanilla, not the imitation vanilla that I usually buy.
Pure stuff costs more! Like vanilla, it may look basically the same, and maybe taste very much the same, but the truth of the matter is that one is pure and one is imitation (not pure).
The culture of Corinth was much like our culture today. Some Christians saw nothing wrong with sleeping around with a variety of partners. Paul called it the way that God sees it — sexual immorality. In these verses, and in the ones preceding them, Paul pointed out that sexual immorality actually hurts us in ways that other sins do not (1Corinthians 6:18) and defiles our body, which is actually a temple for the Holy Spirit.
Christ died on the cross, paying a high price for pure Christians. Purity is important to Christ, because he is a jealous husband to his bride, the Church. We cannot just join ourselves physically to whomever we want without there being consequences to our overall well-being and purity as Christians.
Are you in a relationship right now that is not honoring the God who paid a high price for you? Consider returning to a pure life. It is not too late.
Father God, thank you for the price you paid on the cross to make me pure in your sight. Please help me to make choices that honor you and reflect the truth that I am a temple (dwelling place) for God’s Holy Spirit. Amen.
Go Deeper — Take a glass of water and drop a pinch of pepper in it. See how a tiny bit makes the water impure? Christ came to remove the impurity from our lives when we confess, but even a small amount can change us if we let it.
Read Further — Spiritual virginity can be obtained at any time, but it takes courage. Here are two articles that might help: 6 Steps to Great Dating and How Do I Stay a Virgin While Dating.
Photo Credit: Maria Shanina