This is a cream-filled donut. Without the cream in this donut, it would just have a giant air-pocket. It would be empty. But, similarly, without the dough surrounding the cream, the cream would be all over the place. The cream would have nothing to give it form. It would be messy.
This represents the experience of our own lives; and the lives of many people in the world today. Where we feel like we’re always trying to figure out who we are. Where we’re always trying to figure out what matters more – the outside (our physical bodies), or the inside (our inner, intangible life: our mind and feelings).
And people struggle with this confusion in different ways. This struggle exhibits itself in: Dealing with one’s body size. Dealing with one’s feelings. Dealing with one’s sexual attraction. Dealing with one’s gender. Dealing with one’s aging body. Dealing with one’s disease ridden body or mental makeup.
Making sense of myself in relation to my height (false sense of who I am as a whole). As I developed through puberty, it became obvious the closer I got to the end of high school, that I was not going to be a tall person. And, you can see, that hasn’t changed. I’m shorter than that average man.
I internally struggled with this reality in relation to women and dating. The stereotype of most couples is a taller man with a shorter women. And when I looked around, most girls that I knew, or who could be potential dating partners, were taller than me, or, possibly closer to my height. But, the difference still stuck out to me. I constantly had the stereotype of a taller man with a shorter women in my mind. And, I could tell quickly the pool of women shorter than me, was pretty shallow.
I constantly wrestled with this reality. My mind constantly reminded me of the “typical” height difference between men and women; and my body didn’t reflect that. Most people wouldn’t probably wouldn’t have thought about this. But, I did. And it was a struggle for me to make sense of my self. My whole self.
Our world is filled with people struggling to make sense of their whole self. And this disjointed understanding of our whole self, has prompted us to seek ways of making sense – of our both our inner and outer realities – make sense of our thought and feelings in relation to the flesh and blood and bodies we were born with, and naturally developed into.
The people of first-century Corinth wrestled with a similar reality. First-century Corinth had people who believed – that the physical body was temporary, and had no bearing on an eternal existence. So, this often resulted in a tendency to – use the body however one pleased. Because, what mattered more, was one’s inner self. Which was believed to matter past death. But on the flip side, first-century Corinth also had people who believed – that their will and desire trumped all. Which often resulted in using their bodies to gratify that will and desire – however they wanted. This treated the body as a utilitarian tool. It was a vehicle to achieve other ends: view themselves as over another with the eyes. Extortion of another with the tongue. Sexual release with the sexual parts of the body. These are all ways that, Paul, the early Christian church leader, addresses throughout the first six chapters of 1 Corinthians – that the first-century, Corinthian, followers of Jesus – were, or, were tempted to emulate.
While this was “normal” for Corinthian culture. And it’s the “normal” for our current culture. Paul reminds the followers of Jesus in Corinth, and us today, that God’s word – that, God’s kingdom – declares another perspective of life. God’s word, in 1 Corinthians 6, declares that: we are more than just an outer shell body – to use however we can contort or use it. That: we are more than just an inner conglomeration of thoughts and feelings. Rather, God’s word declares that we are a whole self. Created in the image of God. But, this whole experience of self, is broken because of our separation from God. Because of sin. Because we are separated from the wise being who knew the fullest experience we could have as humans – is to live a whole life: inner realities working with the outer. And outer realities working with the inner. And all of that connected to the power and life of God. And because of this separation from God and his original purpose for human life, we are left to make sense of our self – on our own. And what we commonly experience is: war within our self. Pitting the inner realities over the outer; or the outer realities over the inner. And often forcing one to unnaturally fit the other. We long for our inner and outer selves to be in harmony, often seeking ways other than God to achieve this.
Throughout 1 Corinthians 6, Paul frequently asks the question, “Don’t you know?….” Don’t you know that it’s only in Jesus, that your whole self can make sense. It’s only in Jesus that you can truly experience your whole self. Good news God’s word declares to us in 1 Corinthians 6, is the reality that you can: Experience your whole self in Jesus.
Earlier this week, we had a couple over for dinner. And they brought a dessert for us to share. When I was offered the dessert, I didn’t know what it was exactly, so, I asked, “What is it?” Guessing on my own, could have resulted in an awkward situation. The clearer path to know what the dessert was, was to go to the source. To go to the creator. In verses 12-13, Paul draws out this underlying point that God created you: body and spirit. It’s God who made you a personal soul. He knows what a whole experience of your life should look like. But, when we separate from the creator, when we separate from God, when we separate from the authority on human life, we assume authority; and assuming that authority can lead us down some distorted and unwise paths. Because we start guessing, and trying to figure out life on our own. Like, believing that any way of life is beneficial for us. Like, believing that certain ways of life won’t master us. But in the end, we make these choices based on our limited experience, our limited wisdom and perspective.
Paul is reminding us that we were created for God. We were created to live under his wise direction and perspective. Your body is meant for the Lord (verse 13). Your thoughts and feelings are for the Lord. Your whole self is for the Lord. You are an embodied being. All of you is for the Lord. And it’s when we separate the inner or outer aspects of our self to something – other than the Lord – that we separate from God, and live for ourself as Lord. Which, is trading the full authority on human life, for a lesser authority on human life.
Paul uses the sexual culture of Corinth – to highlight how “off the rails” our experience of human life can get, when we live apart from God. Paul may have a particular situation in mind when we addresses sexual immorality, as sexual activity outside of marriage (especially for men), was a normal, acceptable activity in Corinthian culture. But, Paul also uses “human sexuality” to communicate a broader point about human life; and the relationship of human life in connection to God.
As Bills fans, we would be appalled if a Bill’s fan used a Josh Allen jersey to get the autograph of Kansas City quarterback, Patrick Mahommes. Their is a betrayal of loyalty or allegiance happening. The union of the the fan to the Bills is being defiled with the signature of a quarterback from a rival team. This imagery is what Paul uses when talking about a follower of Jesus uniting themself with a prostitute. In verses 15-17, Paul draws out the transfer of allegiance that happens, when a follower of Jesus pursues sexual activity – beyond the shape of how God created a man and a woman to engage sexually in marriage. The sexual union of marriage between a man and woman is a flesh and blood model of the union that a follower of Jesus shares in relationship with God. Now, this union to God isn’t sexual in nature, but there is still a union of your embodied person to the embodied person of God, Paul describes this further in his letter to the church in Rome, Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. (Romans 6:3-5 NIV)
Followers of Jesus become one with the life of God. And Marriage between a man and woman is a picture of the union that we share with God. (1 Corinthians 6:16; Genesis 2:24)
Which, is the “two becoming one flesh” dynamic, that Paul references in verse 1 Corinthians 1:16. And draws from Genesis 2:24 (when Adam and Eve come together as one). Paul similarly says this about the sexual union between a husband and wife in his letter to the church in Ephesus, “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.” This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband. (Ephesians 5:31-33 NIV)
Sexual activity beyond marriage – tearing the union between husband and wife, is a distortion of the sexual nature of human life – that God created. It’s an elevation of personal desire or bodily gratification – over the intimacy that is mutually shared and given in the sexual union that God created between a husband and wife. Sexual union isn’t just a bodily action. And it’s not just something you feel. It’s a whole self experience. It’s a whole communication of self to another self – that is impossible any other way. And this intimacy is torn and distorted when the union is torn and shared. Our culture often cries that sexual activity is just a physical activity, like eating. So also did the Corinthian culture (1 Corinthians 6:13). But, it’s not just a physical activity. It’s also emotional and mental. Because sexual intimacy is meant to be a whole-self experience. But, when one partner breaks that intimacy – breaks that allegiance in marriage (or outside of marriage altogether), messy confusion accompanies that tear.
While this is true of relationship between a husband and wife, the marriage relationship is a microcosm of each person’s relationship with God. When we break intimacy or relationship with God, messy confusion accompanies that tear. Messy confusion about who we are. Messy confusion about how we live in our bodies. Messy confusion about how we embody our thoughts and feelings. Paul is telling the Corinthian followers of Jesus to not fall for a false version of life. Rather, experience (know) wholeness of life – in Jesus, in union with God, in faithful allegiance to the way of Jesus. Know is referenced 6 separate times in chapter 6 (3 in verses 12-20 alone: verses 15, 16, and 19 ). Experience your whole self in Jesus.
Recently, I’ve had an issue with the air conditioning in my car not working. And, I’m the kind of person who is hesitant to mess with the system of a car: mechanical or electronic. I’m afraid if I start messing with things, and pulling things out to look at them, that I won’t be able to get them back in the right place, afterward. Right now, my air conditioning doesn’t work. That brokenness has brought messiness to my life. It was super hot earlier this week!!! It was miserable in my car. That brokenness has also brought confusion. I don’t know how to fix the problem. I could choose to just ignore the issue, and make myself believe that life without air conditioning is all good. Or, I could turn to someone who knows more than me. I could turn to someone who isn’t confused by the brokenness. Someone who is able to wade through the messiness of making the repair. Someone who is able to right what is not right. This is an example of how we find our own lives: Confused and messy in trying to figure out who we are on our own. Confused and messy in how we live into our bodies. Confused and messy in how we we embody our thoughts and feelings. But Paul calls the Corinthians and us – to Turn to Jesus to get out of the confusion and messiness (1 Corinthians 6:14 and 20). In verses 14 and 20, Paul reminds the Corinthians that God is the only one who can redeem the confusion and messiness we encounter about our lives. Originally, God created the human life for the Lord. And in our brokenness, God sent his Son, Jesus – to take on human life; and experience the brokenness and confusion and mess that we all experience – even to the extent of the brokenness, confusion, and messiness of being unjustly put to death. But what we see in the life of Jesus, is that he didn’t give into the brokenness, confusion, and mess. Jesus didn’t allow his thoughts and feelings to override his body. And he didn’t allow the desires of his body to override his thoughts and feelings. Rather, he lived as a whole person. Specifically, as a whole person in union with his heavenly Father – with God, and in union with God, Jesus was restored from death. Restored from brokenness, confusion, and the messiness of life. Jesus exhausted sin and death with the cost of this body – to make way to receive a healed, restored, new body in resurrection. Paul references that Jesus paid this price, so that we all might experience a healed, restored, and new body in resurrection with him (verse 20). So that we can be raised by the power of God, just as Jesus was raised (verse 14).
The only way to experience our whole self, is in entrusting our life to Jesus. And allowing God to show us who we wholly are. Allowing God to show us how we live into our bodies. Allowing God to show us how we we embody our thoughts and feelings. Allowing God to show us who we are as a whole person. Experience your whole self in Jesus.
As I aged into adulthood, I had to come to grips with my height, and how I would allow that to impact how I found a wife. I by no means did this perfectly, but, I had to eventually surrender that area of my life to God – trusting that faithfulness to pursuing marriage, a wife, and sexual intimacy as God has revealed in his word – are what would be best. I had to trust that God is aware of my life: God is aware of the body he gave me. God is aware of the feeling and thoughts that bubbled-up inside my body, in relation to the couples I saw all around me. I had to trust that God knows what’s best for me – what’s best for my whole life. And to jump ahead in the story, that’’s where Julia fits. God provided what seemed improbable. God unconfused and cleaned-up what was a confusing and messy process to me, of finding a wife.
But, I had to live toward that end. I could have given-in and tried to fix it my way. That could have also led down some more confusing and messy paths. But ultimately, I had to believe: Am I my master? Or is Jesus? Am I my own? Or, am I God’s?
And what Paul is pleading with the Corinthians in this chapter to understand, Is that they were created by God and for God. And God knows what’s best for them. God knows who you are fully: inside and out. And it all matters. And What seems broken and confusing and messy to you, God knows how to make whole. – if you’ll trust him to bing it about. And while that healing hasn’t fully come yet, God asks us to live toward that hope. And honor God with your body. Honor God with your whole life. And following the way and example of Jesus to do so. Experience your whole self in Jesus.
Experience your whole self by being united to Jesus.
Today, if you’re confused about who you are, if you’re not sure how to fully live into your body, if you’re not sure how to embody your thoughts and feelings, I invite you to consider how Jesus wants to give you clarity. I invite you to ask God, in faith, to help you experience your whole self in Jesus. I invite you to see the wholeness of life that Jesus had, and how God wants that same experience for the embodied life he created and gave to you. I invite you to find me, or Mitch, or Sean, or an elder, or another trusted follower of Jesus — to help you discern how to unite your life to Jesus under the water of baptism, and allowing him to heal, restore, and resurrect you to wholeness of life.
Know that you can experience your whole self in Jesus.
If you’ve already united your life to Jesus, I invite you to know – to remember that God knows all of you. God knows who you were created to be. God knows what is broken, distorted, confusion, and messy right now. God knows how to heal the confusion you feel between the inner and outer parts of your life. To know that God knows how to heal you, doesn’t mean that can’t involve medical or scientific help. But it does mean that you’re ultimate understanding of yourself, is how God sees you, and ever other path falls in line with that. I invite you to know – to remember that God knows who you will fully be in the resurrection, when God will put all things right. I invite you to know that you can experience your whole self in Jesus.
Experience your whole self in Jesus.