Book of Common Prayer

Do Not Be Sexually Immoral

¹² “All^[a] things are lawful^[b] to me”, but not all things are beneficial^[c]. “All things are lawful to me”, but I will not be mastered by any. ¹³ Foods^[d] are for the stomach and the stomach for foods. But God will do-away-with^[e] both this and these. But the body is not for sexual-immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. ¹⁴ And God both raised the Lord and will raise us up by His power.

Your Bodies Are Body-Parts of Christ: Flee Sexual Immorality

¹⁵ Do you not know that your bodies are body-parts^[f] of Christ? Therefore, having taken-away the body-parts of Christ, shall I make them body-parts of a prostitute? May it never be! ¹⁶ Or do you not know that the one joining himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says [in Gen 2:24] “the two will be one flesh”. ¹⁷ But the one joining himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. ¹⁸ Be fleeing sexual immorality.

Your Body Is The Temple of The Holy Spirit. Glorify God In Your Body

Every sin which a person may do is outside the body. But the one committing-sexual-immorality is sinning against his own body. ¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit in you, Whom you have from God? And you are not your own^[g], ²⁰ for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

But Do Not Merely Put On a Show of Righteousness For Others

6 “But take-heed not to do your righteousness^[a] in-front-of people so-as to be seen^[b] by them. Otherwise indeed, you do not have a reward with your Father in the heavens.

Don’t Give Money To Glorify Yourself. Give Without Thinking of Yourself At All

² “So whenever you do almsgiving^[c], do not trumpet it before you as-indeed the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the lanes^[d] so that they may be glorified by people. Truly I say to you, they are receiving their reward^[e] in full. ³ But while you are doing almsgiving, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, ⁴ so that your almsgiving may be in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will reward you.

Don’t Pray To Impress Others. Always Pray As If Alone With Your Heavenly Father

⁵ “And whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. Because standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the wide-roads, they love to pray so that they may make-an-appearance^[f] to people. Truly I say to you, they are receiving their reward in full. ⁶ But whenever you pray, enter into your inner-room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father, the One in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will reward you.

Don’t Display Yourself As Fasting. Fast In Secret

¹⁶ “And whenever you fast, do not be like the sad-faced hypocrites. For they disfigure^[a] their faces so that they may appear to people as ones fasting. Truly I say to you, they are receiving their reward in full. ¹⁷ But while you are fasting, anoint your head and wash your face ¹⁸ so that you may not appear to people as one fasting, but to your Father, the One in secret. And your Father, the One seeing in secret, will reward you.