Daily Dose of Hope

January 30, 2026

Scripture: I Corinthians 6

Prayer: Lord Jesus, We come before you this morning, thanking you for a new day. Lord, you are good and we rejoice in your holy and powerful name. As we begin our day, Lord, help us focus on you. Help us set aside our scattered thoughts and focus on your Word and what you want us to learn today. We get so distracted and self-consumed. Forgive us for that, Lord. In these next few moments of silence, help us have laser focus on your voice... In Your Powerful Name, Amen.

Welcome back to the Daily Dose of Hope, the devotional and podcast that complements the daily Bible reading plan at New Hope Church in Brandon, Florida. We have been journeying through Paul's letters. Today, we are continuing through our fourth pastoral letter, I Corinthians.

Today's reading is I Corinthians 6. Paul continues to press this issue: Jesus-followers should look different than the culture around them. Why were they allowing secular courts to decide issues that should have been worked out in the church? Why were they getting pulled into disputes that distracted them from the mission in the first place? And then Paul presents a list of wrongdoings which have no place in the church. He is imploring them, "You know better!" You've been washed by the blood of Jesus Christ. You are different now, new creations, so behave like it.

The second half of the chapter is the discussion about sexual misconduct in the church. Some of the Christians in Corinth were saying they had been freed from the law and now could do whatever they wanted. Remember, this was a very sexualized society. People from the church were still having sex with prostitutes and they were saying it was no big deal. Afterall, they weren't living under the law. Paul says that you were freed from the Law to love God and love others.

But the issue went deeper. The Corinthians were kind of like, "eat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we may die." They thought that their bodies were temporary and eventually God would be doing away with them, so who cares if they have some casual sex? It's just biology, just our bodies, right? Not our souls. So, what's the big deal? Well, Paul tells them what the big deal is.

The Corinthians believed in the immortality of the soul. But Christians believe in the resurrection of the body. Because the resurrection of the body is a core doctrine of the Christian faith, we take a very high view of the human body. Paul reminds them of this. The human body is sacred. God created you, God values you. We firmly believe that our soul and physical body are interconnected, we can't just separate the two so easily.

This is what Paul is saying: You can't have sex with someone and not become one flesh with them. You can't separate body and soul. Sex is not just biology; there's something deeply spiritual about it. Souls are connecting with one another.

I read this and it feels like Paul is in parent-mode. He is telling the Corinthians to remember who and whose they are! He even tells them he is ashamed of them. Two thousand years is a long time and yet people are still people. We aren't any better today; I do hope everyone realizes that. Yes, we think we are quite sophisticated. We think we are quite knowledgeable. But, just like the Corinthians, we still forget what it means to belong to Jesus. We still allow the values and temptations of the world to seep into our lives. How often we blend so neatly into the world around us.

How often have you believed the same lies that the Corinthians believed?

Blessings,

Pastor Vicki