1 Corinthians 6:12-20

New International Reader's Version

Sexual Sins

¹²Some of you say, “I have the right to do anything.” But not everything is helpful. Again some of you say, “I have the right to do anything.” But I will not be controlled by anything. ¹³Some of you say, “Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food. And God will destroy both of them.” But the body is not meant for sexual sins. The body is meant for the Lord. And the Lord is meant for the body. ¹⁴By his power God raised the Lord from the dead. He will also raise us up. ¹⁵Don’t you know that your bodies belong to the body of Christ? Should I take what belongs to Christ and join it to a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶When you join yourself to a prostitute, you become one with her in body. Don’t you know this? Scripture says, “The two will become one.” (Genesis 2:24) ¹⁷But whoever is joined to the Lord becomes one with him in spirit.

¹⁸Keep far away from sexual sins. All the other sins a person commits are outside the body. But sexual sins are sins against their own body. ¹⁹Don’t you know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is in you, and you have received the Spirit from God. You do not belong to yourselves. ²⁰Christ has paid the price for you. So use your bodies in a way that honors God.

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1 Corinthians 6:12-20

New International Version

Sexual Immorality

¹²“I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial.^(A) “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. ¹³You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.”^(B) The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord,^(C) and the Lord for the body. ¹⁴By his power God raised the Lord from the dead,^(D) and he will raise us also.^(E) ¹⁵Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?^(F) Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! ¹⁶Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”^[a]^(G) ¹⁷But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.^[b]^(H)

¹⁸Flee from sexual immorality.^(I) All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body.^(J) ¹⁹Do you not know that your bodies are temples^(K) of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;^(L) ²⁰you were bought at a price.^(M) Therefore honor God with your bodies.^(N)