TOPIC: CONTAINING SPIRITUAL CONTRADICTIONS

TEXT: 1 Corinthians 6:9-15
9. Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,

10. Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.

11. And such were some of you; but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God.

12. All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient; all things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.

13. Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats; but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.

14. And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power.

15. Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.

KEY VERSE:
“Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.” – (1 Corinthians 6:15).

 MESSAGE:

The prevailing conditions in the city of Corinth, a Roman colony in the days of Apostle Paul, were not different from what obtains in most metropolitan centres of today. It was a melting pot of Jews, Greeks, Romans and a great splash of others drawn from other parts of Europe and northern Africa. Corinth, thus, became a thriving convergence of big business, learning and trade. This gave the city much renowned wealth and cultural pull. But, alas, all these led to a spiritual downside, the same way today’s civilisation is battling with a fatal slide in moral norms.

Addressing these problems that befell the Corinthian brethren, Paul warned that the salvation they had from the Lord did not permit them to partake in unholy things. He told them that their redemption stood them out and primed them for heaven. If they were serious about making it to the abode of God, they would shun all the immorality associated with Corinth, because the kingdom of God they desired to live in forever would not admit the defiled.

The same charge comes to all believers today. We must maintain our unspotted garment made snow-white by the matchless feat of the crucifixion of Christ at Calvary. When we identify with the death and resurrection of Jesus, and receive Him as our Lord, we cede our bodies to Him. We are no longer allowed to indulge in acts which He detests.

Though the world is witnessing the contradictory phenomenon of a technologically and educationally sophisticated society alongside a high level spiritual bankruptcy as it was in Corinth, the way out for the heaven-focused believer is to remember that we are only in the world and not of the world. We must be guided by the laws of God.

THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
The true Christian looks beyond earthly pleasures to heaven’s gains.

THE BIBLE IN ONE YEAR:
Revelations 1-3

DCLM Daily Manna 13th October 2022 || Containing Spiritual Contradictions