重价买来的
哥林多前书六章12至20节
12凡事我都可行,但不都有益处。凡事我都可行,但无论那一件,我总不受他的辖制。
13食物是为肚腹,肚腹是为食物;但神要叫这两样都废坏。身子不是为淫乱,乃是为主;主也是为身子。
14并且神已经叫主复活,也要用自己的能力叫我们复活。
15岂不知你们的身子是基督的肢体么?我可以将基督的肢体作为娼妓的肢体么?断乎不可!
16岂不知与娼妓联合的,便是与他成为一体么?因为主说﹕二人要成为一体。
17但与主联合的,便是与主成为一灵。
18你们要逃避淫行。人所犯的,无论甚么罪,都在身子以外,惟有行淫的,是得罪自己的身子。
19岂不知你们的身子就是圣灵的殿么?这圣灵是从神而来,住在你们里头的;并且你们不是自己的人;
20因为你们是重价买来的。所以,要在你们的身子上荣耀神。
信息分享
哥林多前书论及的范围很广,更触及不少深入的问题,尤其是关乎个人圣洁的问题。今天的经文涉及肉体的亲密关系;而下一章则论及婚姻,以及离婚等复杂问题。
哥林多城的道德风气败坏,淫乱的罪极为普遍。该城有一座供奉维纳斯的神庙,而行淫便是敬奉仪式的一部分。当地的居民根本不认为这是罪。只有神的话语和基督的标准,才会直斥这是罪。哥林多教会的信徒似乎深受这风气所影响,不把淫乱的行为视为严重的罪。教会该如何处理呢?
保罗首先强烈呼吁信徒要过圣洁的生活。他强调圣灵住在每个信徒心里,同时,每个信徒的生命都是基督用宝血买赎回来的。
圣灵与我们同在,不单保守我们成为圣洁,更加力给我们,使我们过主所喜悦的生活。圣灵又称为「圣洁的灵」,因此,祂若与人同在,祂就可以将圣洁带给人。我们若然听从祂,祂就会天天带领我们,在我们的心中和良心说话。帮助我们察验自己的行为是否讨主的喜悦,抑或是否做错。
保罗提醒哥林多的信徒,他们的生命再不是属于自己的。他们的行事为人,不能单为满足自己的欲望或取悦自己。他们是属于基督的,因为祂曾用宝血将他们买赎回来。我们同样是属乎基督的,祂是我们的主,因此,我们应该凡事讨祂的喜悦。
祷告:
主啊,求你使我身体的每一部分都是为你而活,愿我的生命能够荣耀你。
BOUGHT WITH A PRICE
1 Corinthians 6:12-20
12 All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.
13 Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.
14 And God both raised up 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 harlot? Certainly not!
16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body with her? For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.”
17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
Message
This first epistle to the Corinthians deals with all kinds of subjects and touches very deeply on many of them, particularly personal holiness. Today's reading deals with the intimate use of the human body. The next chapter deals with marriage and the difficult subject of separation and divorce.
The sin of immorality was very common in Corinth. It was part of the temple worship of the goddess Venus. People did not think of it as sin. It is only the Word of God and the standards of Christ that plainly call immorality sin. It seems that the church in Corinth had adopted the standards of the city rather than the standards of Christ. How could this be dealt with?
Paul makes a tremendous appeal for personal holiness. He emphasises the presence of the Holy Spirit in. each life and the fact that each Christian has been bought with the precious blood of Jesus Christ.
The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives is to keep us pure and to enable us to live as Christ would have us live. He is the Holy Spirit or, as he is called in another place, the Spirit of Holiness. Wherever he is, he wants to bring about holiness. If we will listen to him, he will guide us each day and speak to our hearts and to our consciences. He will help us know whether we are doing what Christ wants or whether we are doing wrong.
Paul reminds the Corinthians that they really do not belong to themselves. They cannot just please themselves and satisfy their own desires. They belong to Christ. He purchased them with his own blood. The same is true for us. He is our Master and we should only do those things which please him.
A PRAYER:
Lord help me, to use every part of my body for Christ and for his glory today.

