Yes, believers must avoid sexual immorality because it violates their union with Christ and sins against their own body.
According to Les Feldick's teaching, believers are joined to Christ as members of His body, making sexual immorality a direct contradiction of that sacred union. The apostle Paul emphasizes that sexual sin is unique because it sins against one's own body, which belongs to the Lord. Therefore, believers are called to flee from sexual immorality and honor God with their bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:15-16 — Paul directly asks how believers can unite Christ with a prostitute, showing the incompatibility of sexual immorality with union with Christ.
The Bible teaches that sexual immorality is a serious sin, especially for believers. In 1 Corinthians 6:15-16, Paul asks, "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. What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh." This shows that sexual union creates a profound oneness, which is holy in marriage but defiling when outside it. The Bible also states that sexual immorality sins against the body itself. 1 Corinthians 6:18 says, "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." This highlights the unique nature of this sin, as it directly violates the believer's body, which is the temple of the Holy Spirit. Furthermore, Hebrews 13:4 affirms the sanctity of marriage: "Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge." This verse underscores that God's design for sex is within marriage, and He will judge those who violate it.
Les Feldick teaches that believers must flee sexual immorality because they are united with Christ as members of His body. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul confronts the rampant immorality in Corinth, where even believers were tempted by the city's 1,000 temple prostitutes. Les emphasizes that to engage in sexual sin is to take the members of Christ and join them to a prostitute, which is unthinkable. Les also explains that the Church is not a building but the universal body of believers, joined to Christ and made joint heirs with Him. This union demands faithfulness, just as a husband and wife are one flesh. Sexual immorality breaks that sacred bond and corrupts the believer's position in Christ. Moreover, Les points out that sexual sin is not just personal but also a church matter. When gross immorality is open among believers, the church must confront it, as Paul instructed in 1 Corinthians 5. Believers are not to tolerate such sin in the assembly, but are to be distinct from the world and honor God with their bodies.
Sexual immorality defiles the believer's body, which is a member of Christ. In 1 Corinthians 6:15, Paul asks, "Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot?" This shows that sexual sin is not just a personal failure; it is an act that unites Christ's body with a prostitute, which is utterly inconsistent with the believer's holy calling.
Les Feldick teaches that gross immorality among believers must be addressed by the church. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul instructs the church to confront and discipline those who are openly living in sin. Les emphasizes that Christians cannot simply turn a blind eye to such sin, but must take corporate action to uphold the holiness of the body.
Corinth was notorious for its immorality, with the temple of Aphrodite housing 1,000 female priestesses who descended into the city each night. Les explains that this pervasive culture confronted believers daily, making it a constant temptation. Paul wrote explicitly to warn the Corinthians to flee from these practices, which were part of idolatrous worship.
Les uses the illustration of geese, which mate for life, to underscore that faithfulness should characterize human relationships. He also points to Genesis 2 and Ephesians 5, showing that marriage is a picture of Christ and the Church—a union of one flesh. Sexual intimacy is honorable within marriage, but those who commit sexual immorality will face God's judgment.
The Church as the Body of Christ
Les explains that the Church is the universal body of believers joined to Christ, not a building or denomination, and believers are joint heirs with Christ.
Sexual Immorality in Idolatrous Worship
Les connects sexual immorality to idolatry, showing that it was part of the golden calf worship and was a constant temptation for first-century believers.
What the Bible Really Says About Judging Other Christians
There are the immoral, the covetous, and the wicked. I mean they are the norm no matter where we live. So Paul says, when I say not to have any kind of fellowship with immoral people, he said, I'm not talking about the immoral people out there in the workplace, I'm talking about those who are immoral and are members of your church. Remember? Look at it. Verse 10 again.
Members of Christ and Prostitution
Les emphasizes Paul's rhetorical question about taking the members of Christ and joining them to a harlot, showing the horror of sexual sin for believers.
Union with a Harlot is One Flesh
Les explains that sexual union creates a one-flesh bond, and he traces this back to Genesis, showing the seriousness of sexual immorality.
Church Discipline for Immorality
Les teaches that when gross immorality is open in a church, the body must confront and discipline those involved, as Paul instructed.
Christ and Church as One Flesh
Les explains that believers are members of Christ's body, just as a husband and wife are one flesh, showing the sacredness of the union.
God's Stamp on Marriage
Les reminds us that God approved the marriage relationship in the Garden and that the marriage bed is undefiled, while sexual sin will be judged.
1 Corinthians 6:15: 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.
This verse directly addresses the believer's union with Christ and the grave sin of joining that body to a prostitute.
1 Corinthians 6:16: What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
Paul explains the profound oneness that sexual intimacy creates, showing why sexual immorality is a violation of God's design.
1 Corinthians 6:18: Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
This commands believers to flee sexual sin and highlights its unique damage to the body.
Hebrews 13:4: Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.
This affirms the sanctity of marriage and warns that God judges those who commit sexual immorality.
Ephesians 5:25: Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it;
This shows Christ's love for the Church, the model for marital love, emphasizing the sacredness of the relationship.
Genesis 2:24: Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
This is the foundational verse Paul quotes to show that sexual union creates a one-flesh bond, designed for marriage.
Scripture says that sexual immorality sins against your own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18 explains, 'Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.' Since the believer's body is a member of Christ, sexual immorality corrupts that sacred union.
According to Les Feldick, gross sexual immorality among believers is to be addressed by the church. In 1 Corinthians 5, Paul instructs the church to confront and discipline those openly living in sin, showing that it is not just private but a corporate concern.
The Bible describes believers as members of Christ's body. Ephesians 5:30 says, 'For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones.' This union, like marriage, is a one-flesh relationship, so sexual sin defiles that bond.
Watch the Teaching: Your Body Is the Temple of the Holy Spirit — 1 Corinthians 6:19