I think this verse is telling us more about what Jesus has done for us (the Gospel) and our new position with God than it is about what we are to do. In light of knowing and reminding ourselves that we have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus in His life-death-resurrection by God's grace, we know we are now free from the bondage of Sin. That freedom gives us a chance to glorify God in our bodies (sex, food, etc.) on earth and through the Holy Spirit's work in our life. A Christian that continues to struggle with these things in the verses before this one, needs to constantly remind themselves of the God that freely chose to purchase them by sending Himself as Jesus and showed them great grace and mercy. It's a case of remembering who you are In Christ. Thanks Jules.
Well I see two parts to this verse 1 Cor 6:20. First, the economy of Egypt, Greece, and Rome was based on slave labor. In the first Christian century, one out of three persons in Italy and one out of five elsewhere was a slave. - Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Although slavery also existed in ancient Israel, the Mosaic Law ensured that Hebrew slaves received protection.—Exodus 21:2-6; Leviticus 25:42, 43; Deuteronomy 15:12-18.
The provision of voluntary servitude provided a fore gleam of the type of slavery that true Christians are under. For example, the Bible writers Paul, James, Peter, and Jude identified themselves as slaves of God and of Christ. (Titus 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1) Paul reminded the Thessalonian Christians that they had “turned to God from [their] idols to slave for a living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9) What moved those Christians to become willing slaves of God? Well, what was the motivating force in the case of the Israelite slave who renounced his personal freedom? Was it not love for his master? Christian slavery is based on love for God. When we come to know and love the true and living God, we are moved to serve him “with all [our] heart and all [our] soul.”
Second, and most importantly, is the role Christ’s blood plays in our salvation;
Since Noah’s day, true worshipers have viewed blood as sacred. (Genesis 9:4-6) Blood plays an important part in the life process, for the Bible says that “the soul of the flesh is in the blood.” (Leviticus 17:11) So the Mosaic Law required that when an animal was sacrificed, its blood be poured out before GOD. At times blood was also placed upon the horns of the altar. Clearly, the atoning power of a sacrifice was in its blood. (Leviticus 8:15; 9:9) “Nearly all things are cleansed with blood according to the Law, and unless blood is poured out no forgiveness takes place.” Hebrews 9:22.
Little wonder, then, that under the Law, any misuse of blood was punishable by death. (Leviticus 17:10) So knowing that when a substance is made rare, or severely restricted as to its use, its value increases - and this accorded with the exalted purpose the blood of Christ would serve.
Fittingly, he died in a manner that caused his blood to be shed. Thus, it was evident that Christ not only sacrificed his human body but poured out his soul, sacrificed his very life as a perfect human. (Isaiah 53:12) Christ did not forfeit the legal right to that life because of imperfection, so his poured-out blood had great value and could be presented before God for the atonement of mankind’s sins.
Christ could not take his literal blood into heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:50) Rather, he took what that blood symbolized: the LEGAL value of his sacrificed perfect human life. Before the person of God, he could make formal presentation of that life as a ransom in exchange for sinful mankind. God’s acceptance of that sacrifice became evident at Pentecost 33 C.E., when the holy spirit came upon 120 disciples in Jerusalem. (Acts 2:1-4) Christ, as it were, now owned the human race by purchase. (Galatians 3:13; 4:5; 2 Peter 2:1) Hence, ransom benefits could flow to mankind.
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I think this verse is telling us more about what Jesus has done for us (the Gospel) and our new position with God than it is about what we are to do. In light of knowing and reminding ourselves that we have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus in His life-death-resurrection by God's grace, we know we are now free from the bondage of Sin. That freedom gives us a chance to glorify God in our bodies (sex, food, etc.) on earth and through the Holy Spirit's work in our life. A Christian that continues to struggle with these things in the verses before this one, needs to constantly remind themselves of the God that freely chose to purchase them by sending Himself as Jesus and showed them great grace and mercy. It's a case of remembering who you are In Christ. Thanks Jules.
Well I see two parts to this verse 1 Cor 6:20. First, the economy of Egypt, Greece, and Rome was based on slave labor. In the first Christian century, one out of three persons in Italy and one out of five elsewhere was a slave. - Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary
Although slavery also existed in ancient Israel, the Mosaic Law ensured that Hebrew slaves received protection.—Exodus 21:2-6; Leviticus 25:42, 43; Deuteronomy 15:12-18.
The provision of voluntary servitude provided a fore gleam of the type of slavery that true Christians are under. For example, the Bible writers Paul, James, Peter, and Jude identified themselves as slaves of God and of Christ. (Titus 1:1; James 1:1; 2 Peter 1:1; Jude 1) Paul reminded the Thessalonian Christians that they had “turned to God from [their] idols to slave for a living and true God.” (1 Thessalonians 1:9) What moved those Christians to become willing slaves of God? Well, what was the motivating force in the case of the Israelite slave who renounced his personal freedom? Was it not love for his master? Christian slavery is based on love for God. When we come to know and love the true and living God, we are moved to serve him “with all [our] heart and all [our] soul.”
Second, and most importantly, is the role Christ’s blood plays in our salvation;
Since Noah’s day, true worshipers have viewed blood as sacred. (Genesis 9:4-6) Blood plays an important part in the life process, for the Bible says that “the soul of the flesh is in the blood.” (Leviticus 17:11) So the Mosaic Law required that when an animal was sacrificed, its blood be poured out before GOD. At times blood was also placed upon the horns of the altar. Clearly, the atoning power of a sacrifice was in its blood. (Leviticus 8:15; 9:9) “Nearly all things are cleansed with blood according to the Law, and unless blood is poured out no forgiveness takes place.” Hebrews 9:22.
Little wonder, then, that under the Law, any misuse of blood was punishable by death. (Leviticus 17:10) So knowing that when a substance is made rare, or severely restricted as to its use, its value increases - and this accorded with the exalted purpose the blood of Christ would serve.
Fittingly, he died in a manner that caused his blood to be shed. Thus, it was evident that Christ not only sacrificed his human body but poured out his soul, sacrificed his very life as a perfect human. (Isaiah 53:12) Christ did not forfeit the legal right to that life because of imperfection, so his poured-out blood had great value and could be presented before God for the atonement of mankind’s sins.
Christ could not take his literal blood into heaven. (1 Corinthians 15:50) Rather, he took what that blood symbolized: the LEGAL value of his sacrificed perfect human life. Before the person of God, he could make formal presentation of that life as a ransom in exchange for sinful mankind. God’s acceptance of that sacrifice became evident at Pentecost 33 C.E., when the holy spirit came upon 120 disciples in Jerusalem. (Acts 2:1-4) Christ, as it were, now owned the human race by purchase. (Galatians 3:13; 4:5; 2 Peter 2:1) Hence, ransom benefits could flow to mankind.
Thanks for reading!
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