What is the meaning of 1 Corinthians 6?

Introduction to 1 Corinthians 6

In this pivotal chapter of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, we encounter a powerful discourse on the dignity of the believer’s body and the profound implications of our union with the Messiah. The apostle addresses two critical issues plaguing the Corinthian fellowship: believers taking other believers to secular courts and the rampant sexual immorality that had infiltrated the community. These weren’t merely cultural challenges but struck at the heart of their identity as temples of the Holy Spirit.

The urgency in Paul’s tone reflects his deep pastoral concern for a community struggling to understand how their new identity in the Messiah should transform their daily choices and relationships. This chapter serves as a masterful exposition of how our union with Yeshua should radically alter our view of conflict resolution, sexuality, and our physical bodies.

Context of 1 Corinthians 6

The immediate context of this chapter flows from Paul’s correction of various disorders within the Corinthian community. In chapter 5, he addressed the scandal of sexual immorality that the fellowship had tolerated, even boasted about. Now in chapter 6, he extends this discussion of communal holiness to address how believers handle disputes among themselves and the broader issue of sexual ethics.

Within the larger narrative of 1 Corinthians, this chapter serves as a crucial bridge between Paul’s treatment of church discipline (chapter 5) and his subsequent discussion of marriage and singleness (chapter 7). It’s part of a broader section (chapters 5-7) dealing with the practical implications of being “in the Messiah” for both community life and personal holiness.

In the grand narrative of Scripture, this chapter echoes themes from the creation account where humanity was given dignity as God’s image-bearers, the Exodus narrative where Israel was called to be distinct from surrounding nations, and points forward to the ultimate wedding feast of the Lamb where the Bride (the Church) will be presented pure and spotless to her Bridegroom.

Ancient Key Word Study

• κριτήριον (kritērion) – “court/tribunal” (v.2,4): This term in ancient Greek referred not just to a place of judgment but to the process of discernment itself. In the Septuagint, it often translated Hebrew terms related to God’s righteous judgments. Paul’s use here carries deep irony – those who will judge angels are unable to judge trivial matters.
• ἀδικεῖτε (adikeite) – “you wrong” (v.8): The present tense indicates ongoing action. This verb carries the weight of violating covenant relationships, not merely committing isolated wrongs. In the Jewish mindset, this would recall the prophets’ condemnation of those who oppressed their own brothers.
• ἀπελούσασθε (apeloussasthe) – “you were washed” (v.11): A term used in ritual purification contexts, it appears here in the middle voice, suggesting both divine and human agency. This washing imagery would resonate deeply with Jewish converts familiar with mikvah practices.
• ἡγιάσθητε (hēgiasthēte) – “you were sanctified” (v.11): The aorist passive indicates a definitive act of God. This term connects to the Hebrew קָדַשׁ (qadash), emphasizing both separation and dedication for divine purpose.
• πορνεία (porneia) – “sexual immorality” (v.13,18): A broad term encompassing all sexual activity outside God’s design for marriage. In the first-century context, it specifically challenged the prevalent Greco-Roman acceptance of various forms of sexual expression.
• κολλώμενος (kollōmenos) – “joins” (v.16,17): This vivid term describes being “glued” or “cemented” together. It’s the same word used in the Septuagint’s translation of Genesis 2:24, emphasizing the profound nature of sexual union.
• ναός (naos) – “temple” (v.19): Unlike ἱερόν (hieron) which referred to the temple complex, ναός specifically designated the Holy of Holies where God’s presence dwelt. Paul’s use here emphasizes the astounding intimacy of the Spirit’s indwelling.
• τιμῆς (timēs) – “price” (v.20): In commercial contexts, this term referred to the full market value of an item. The imagery evokes the slave market, where freedom was purchased at great cost.
• δοξάσατε (doxasate) – “glorify” (v.20): An aorist imperative calling for decisive action. The term connects to the Hebrew כָּבוֹד (kavod), suggesting both weight and manifestation of God’s presence.

Compare & Contrast

• Verse 1: “Dare any of you…” (τολμᾷ τις ὑμῶν) – Paul’s choice of τολμᾷ (tolma) is striking. Rather than using a milder term like βούλομαι (boulomai, “wish”) or θέλω (thelo, “want”), he employs a word that suggests brazen disregard for propriety. This heightens the scandal of believers taking fellow believers to pagan courts.
• Verse 2: “The saints will judge the world” uses κρινοῦσιν (krinousin) in the future tense, deliberately echoing Daniel 7:22 where the Ancient of Days gives judgment to “the saints of the Most High.” Paul could have used διακρίνω (diakrino, “to distinguish”) but chose the stronger term to emphasize eschatological authority.
• Verse 7: The phrase “Why not rather be wronged?” employs ἀδικεῖσθε (adikeisthe) in the passive voice, contrasting with the active ἀδικεῖτε in verse 8. This wordplay emphasizes the radical nature of Christian ethics – choosing to accept injustice rather than perpetrate it.
• Verse 11: The threefold progression “washed… sanctified… justified” reflects Hebrew parallelism and possibly early baptismal liturgy. Each verb appears in the passive voice, emphasizing divine action while maintaining human responsibility through the middle voice of ἀπελούσασθε.
• Verse 16: Paul’s citation of Genesis 2:24 uses κολλώμενος (kollōmenos) exactly as the Septuagint does, reinforcing the creation theology underlying his sexual ethics. He could have used συνάπτω (sunapto, “join together”) but chose this stronger term to emphasize permanence.
• Verse 19: The question “Do you not know?” (οὐκ οἴδατε) appears six times in this chapter, using the perfect tense to emphasize established knowledge they’re failing to apply. This rhetorical device builds to the climactic temple imagery.
• Verse 20: The final command to “glorify God in your body” places σῶμα (soma, “body”) in the emphatic position, confronting any lingering Gnostic tendencies to devalue the physical body.

1 Corinthians 6 Unique Insights

The chapter contains fascinating parallels to ancient Jewish court practices. The prohibition against taking disputes before pagan courts reflects the rabbinic principle of arkhaot shel goyim (“gentile courts”), which was considered a chilul hashem (profanation of God’s name). The Talmud (Gittin 88b) states that those who take their cases to gentile courts “deny the fountain of living waters,” referring to God’s Torah-based justice system.

The concept of the body as God’s temple (v.19) takes on deeper significance when viewed through the lens of Second Temple Judaism. The Jerusalem Temple was considered the meeting point between heaven and earth, the place where God’s glory dwelt. Paul radically democratizes this theology, declaring that each believer’s body now serves this cosmic function. This would have been particularly striking to his readers, as the physical Temple still stood when he wrote these words.

The chapter’s sexual ethics must be understood against the backdrop of both Greco-Roman and Jewish cultural contexts. While many Greek philosophers viewed the body as a prison for the soul (leading to either asceticism or licentiousness), and Roman society was notably permissive regarding sexual behavior, Jewish thought maintained a high view of both body and sexuality within proper bounds. Paul affirms and elevates this Jewish perspective while grounding it in new creation theology.

The repeated phrase “Do you not know?” (οὐκ οἴδατε) appears six times in this chapter, more than any other chapter in the New Testament. This repetition follows a rabbinic teaching technique called “teaching by reminding,” suggesting Paul is calling them back to fundamental truths they had already been taught but were failing to live out.

1 Corinthians 6 Connections to Yeshua

The Messiah’s redemptive work fundamentally reshapes how we understand both justice and sexuality. His payment of an infinite price (τιμή) for our redemption establishes our worth and responsibility as His possession. This echoes the exodus narrative where Israel became יהוה’s special possession through redemption, now fulfilled and personalized through Yeshua’s sacrifice.

The chapter’s emphasis on the body as the temple of the Holy Spirit connects directly to Yeshua’s words about destroying and raising the temple in three days (John 2:19-21). Through His resurrection, the Messiah inaugurated a new temple reality where God’s presence dwells not in buildings made by hands, but in human bodies sanctified by His Spirit. This profound truth transforms how we view both our individual bodies and our corporate identity as His Body.

The union between believers and the Messiah (v.17) parallels and transcends the one-flesh union of marriage. This spiritual reality serves as the foundation for Paul’s sexual ethics – intimate physical union cannot be separated from spiritual union, and our prior union with the Messiah must govern all other relationships.

1 Corinthians 6 Scriptural Echoes

This chapter resonates deeply with various biblical themes and passages:

The concept of believers judging the world echoes Daniel 7:22 where judgment is given to “the saints of the Most High.” This eschatological role reflects the original creation mandate where humanity was to exercise dominion under God.

The washing, sanctifying, and justifying language in verse 11 recalls Ezekiel’s prophecy of spiritual cleansing in Ezekiel 36:25-27. The threefold pattern also suggests baptismal imagery and possibly reflects early Christian liturgical formulations.

The temple imagery draws on a rich biblical tradition from Exodus 40:34-35 through 1 Kings 8:10-11 and culminating in John 1:14 where the Word “tabernacled” among us. Paul extends this trajectory to its logical conclusion in believers’ bodies.

The “one flesh” citation from Genesis 2:24 connects sexual ethics to creation ordinances while pointing forward to the mystery of Christ and the Church (Ephesians 5:31-32).

1 Corinthians 6 Devotional

This chapter challenges us to live consistently with our identity in the Messiah in several practical ways:

First, we must recognize that our response to conflict reveals our understanding of the gospel. When we rush to secular courts instead of seeking Spirit-led resolution within the community, we deny the power of the gospel to transform relationships. What disputes in your life need to be brought under the Messiah’s lordship?

Second, we must grasp that our bodies matter eternally. In an age that either idolizes or despises the body, we’re called to a radical middle way – honoring our bodies as temples of God’s Spirit while remembering they’re not our own. How might this truth change your decisions about what you do with your body today?

Third, we must understand that our union with Christ affects everything. Every decision, every relationship, every action flows from this fundamental reality. Are you living in light of this union, or compartmentalizing your spiritual life from your “regular” life?

Did You Know

• The Greek word for “lawsuits” (κριτήριον) in verse 2 is the same word from which we get our English word “criterion,” suggesting not just legal proceedings but standards of judgment.
• The phrase “inherit the kingdom of God” appears 4 times in Paul’s letters, with two of those occurrences in 1 Corinthians (6:9-10 and 15:50), emphasizing the ethical demands of kingdom citizenship.
• The list of vices in verses 9-10 closely parallels similar lists found in both Jewish and Greco-Roman moral literature, suggesting Paul was engaging with broader cultural ethical discussions.
• The concept of the body as a temple would have been particularly striking in Corinth, home to the temple of Aphrodite where sacred prostitution was reportedly practiced.
• The command to “flee sexual immorality” uses the present imperative in Greek, suggesting continuous action – literally “keep fleeing” or “make it your habit to flee.”
• The reference to being “bought with a price” uses marketplace terminology that would have been familiar to Corinthians, as their city hosted one of the largest slave markets in the ancient world.
• The chapter’s emphasis on the body challenged both Greek philosophical dualism (which devalued the physical) and Roman cultural practices (which often indulged the physical).
• The repeated phrase “Do you not know?” appears 10 times in 1 Corinthians, with 6 of those occurrences in this chapter alone, emphasizing its role in establishing foundational Christian principles.
• The word for “temple” (ναός) specifically refers to the inner sanctuary where God’s presence dwelt, not the outer temple complex, highlighting the intimacy of the Spirit’s indwelling.
• The chapter’s structure follows a classical rhetorical pattern known as diatribe, where Paul anticipates and responds to potential objections.