But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
To be joined to the Lord is to be bound to Christ in the covenant of grace as one spirit with Him, the opposite of being joined to a harlot and becoming one flesh. That joining makes believers members of His body, of His flesh and bones, bought with a price and no longer their own but His purchased property and temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore flee fornication at the first step of transgression, strictly guarding the lower passions and turning away without pausing to reason with temptation, while sacredly preserving the body in eating, dressing, and health. To be so joined is to treat the body as God's property bought with the life of the Son, presenting it a living sacrifice and glorifying God in body and spirit until soul and body are in harmony with God. Those joined to the Lord in this way partake of the divine nature and are united under Christ as Head as branches are united to the vine, controlled by one Spirit and knit together in perfect heaven-born love.
Meaning of Spiritual Union
Being joined to the Lord is being bound up with Christ in the covenant of grace as one spirit with Him. It stands as the direct opposite of being joined to a harlot and becoming one flesh. The union means believers belong to Christ and must not unite their bodies, which are His members, with sexual immorality, but must flee fornication and honor God in body and spirit. It calls for strict control of the passions and an immediate turning away at the first step of transgression, without pausing for a moment to reason or argue with temptation or weak conscience.
The union makes believers members of Christ's body, of His flesh and His bones, united with the Lord in spirit. Christ has redeemed the body as truly as the soul, so believers are not their own but Christ's purchased property bought with a price, even with the life of the Son of God. They are therefore to treat the body as God's property, presenting it a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God and glorifying God in both body and spirit. Then the believer becomes a fit temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The warning of 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 belongs to those who claim to be Christians and profess righteousness, not to those who have made no profession of righteousness. To be joined to the Lord as one spirit stands opposite belonging to the enemy, so no subject of the enemy can claim to be a temple of God. The union therefore requires making no concessions to the enemy, changing not one principle of received truth, holding no converse with those in league with evil angels, and seeking no peace by compromise, because Christ never purchased peace by compromise.
The chapter is a lesson ministers and medical missionaries must study for this time to wake up and give the warning message. It is given that they may understand their need to be healed of the maladies of sin and unbelief. It calls them to refuse the teachings of the prince of darkness, to have Satan cast out of the heart, and to come to the Lord humbling their defective hearts to receive help.
Purity Required by Union
To be joined to the Lord as one spirit is to belong to Christ and therefore to refuse any uniting of the body with sexual immorality, fleeing fornication itself. The union is a binding in the covenant of grace that calls for strict control of the passions and for turning away from sexual sin at once, without stopping to reason with temptation. It requires guarding the lower passions and fleeing at the first step of transgression rather than pausing to argue with a weak conscience. The turning must be immediate, without a moment spent in reasoning or parley.
Indulging the passions draws blood in undue amount to the internal organs, brings disease, and leaves the mind unhealthy until the evil is seen and remedied. For this reason the spiritual union must be sacredly preserved by keeping the body sacred in eating and in dressing and by refusing indulgence of appetite, so that God is glorified in both body and spirit. Christ has redeemed the body as truly as the soul, and believers united with the Lord in spirit as members of His body, of His flesh and bones, are not their own but His property bought with a price. Every organ, nerve, muscle and sinew is to be kept in perfect health by rightly valuing the body, exercising God-given powers to overcome temptation, especially temptation of appetite, and refusing to gratify self at the cost of health and disease.
The wise course is that of Joseph, who refused to be governed and controlled by appetites and passions but controlled and governed them. Drawing near to God thus prepares mind and body to discharge aright all the duties of life. Moral purity and self-control over baser passion are required even in the union of husband and wife, where lustful indulgence debases mind and body and destroys vigor and purity.
Joining to the Lord means treating the body as God's property bought with the price of the life of the Son of God, presenting it a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, and glorifying God in body and spirit. Through sanctification of body, soul and spirit the believer becomes a fit temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, with soul and body in harmony with God, conscience without guilt and soul without corruption. The understanding becomes irradiated by truth, and the will is made pure, elevated, refined and sanctified into the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, which alone opens the way for the manifestation of the Spirit of God.
Being joined to the Lord as one spirit stands opposite belonging to the enemy, so no subject of the enemy can claim to be a temple of God. The warning belongs to those who claim to be Christians and profess righteousness, not to those who have made no profession. It therefore requires making no concessions to the enemy, changing not one principle of received truth, holding no converse with those in league with evil angels, and seeking no peace by compromise, because peace was never purchased by compromise. The chapter is a lesson ministers and medical missionaries must study for this time, that they may wake up and give the warning message, be healed of the maladies of sin and unbelief, refuse the teachings of darkness, have evil cast out of the heart, and come humbling their defective hearts to receive help.
Unity Created by Union
To be joined to the Lord is to partake of the divine nature and to be one in spirit with Christ, with minds united under Christ as the great Head as branches are united to the vine, and under Him believers work together in harmony, each doing his appointed work and sending forth truth as a lamp that burneth. This spiritual oneness is kept in the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace, a unity in diversity in belief and knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, where no single human mind controls. It is Christ's infinite sacrifice that joins them, and sanctification through the truth that knits them together in bonds of perfect, heaven-born love.
Those so joined are controlled and guided by one Spirit, stamped with the same image and giving evidence of the same power and divine influence, having exchanged the heart of selfishness and sin for the heart God gives. Though they may differ in speech and attitude, the Spirit guides them in unity, so no vainglory or independent self takes possession and the quarrelsome spirit ceases. Their changed lives give the world evidence of the power of true conversion and answer Christ's prayer for unity by those who claim to believe the truth. This unity allows differences among them without division or friction, with harmony and no friction.
Workers in the Lord's institutions are to be firmly assured of this union with Christ, and their spirit is to be in harmony with the witness of the Holy Spirit. Being one with Christ in spirit leads to being one with Him in action, so students joined to Christ will not be unruly or governed by selfish pleasure. Their influence can help their fellow students follow Christ rather than betray them to the enemy.
To be joined to the Lord is to be bound to Christ in the covenant of grace as one spirit with Him, the opposite of being joined to a harlot and becoming one flesh. That joining makes believers members of His body, of His flesh and bones, bought with a price and no longer their own but His purchased property and temples of the Holy Spirit. Therefore flee fornication at the first step of transgression, strictly guarding the lower passions and turning away without pausing to reason with temptation, while sacredly preserving the body in eating, dressing, and health. To be so joined is to treat the body as God's property bought with the life of the Son, presenting it a living sacrifice and glorifying God in body and spirit until soul and body are in harmony with God. Those joined to the Lord in this way partake of the divine nature and are united under Christ as Head as branches are united to the vine, controlled by one Spirit and knit together in perfect heaven-born love.
Meaning of Spiritual Union
Being joined to the Lord is being bound up with Christ in the covenant of grace as one spirit with Him. It stands as the direct opposite of being joined to a harlot and becoming one flesh. The union means believers belong to Christ and must not unite their bodies, which are His members, with sexual immorality, but must flee fornication and honor God in body and spirit. It calls for strict control of the passions and an immediate turning away at the first step of transgression, without pausing for a moment to reason or argue with temptation or weak conscience.
The union makes believers members of Christ's body, of His flesh and His bones, united with the Lord in spirit. Christ has redeemed the body as truly as the soul, so believers are not their own but Christ's purchased property bought with a price, even with the life of the Son of God. They are therefore to treat the body as God's property, presenting it a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God and glorifying God in both body and spirit. Then the believer becomes a fit temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
The warning of 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 belongs to those who claim to be Christians and profess righteousness, not to those who have made no profession of righteousness. To be joined to the Lord as one spirit stands opposite belonging to the enemy, so no subject of the enemy can claim to be a temple of God. The union therefore requires making no concessions to the enemy, changing not one principle of received truth, holding no converse with those in league with evil angels, and seeking no peace by compromise, because Christ never purchased peace by compromise.
The chapter is a lesson ministers and medical missionaries must study for this time to wake up and give the warning message. It is given that they may understand their need to be healed of the maladies of sin and unbelief. It calls them to refuse the teachings of the prince of darkness, to have Satan cast out of the heart, and to come to the Lord humbling their defective hearts to receive help.
Purity Required by Union
To be joined to the Lord as one spirit is to belong to Christ and therefore to refuse any uniting of the body with sexual immorality, fleeing fornication itself. The union is a binding in the covenant of grace that calls for strict control of the passions and for turning away from sexual sin at once, without stopping to reason with temptation. It requires guarding the lower passions and fleeing at the first step of transgression rather than pausing to argue with a weak conscience. The turning must be immediate, without a moment spent in reasoning or parley.
Indulging the passions draws blood in undue amount to the internal organs, brings disease, and leaves the mind unhealthy until the evil is seen and remedied. For this reason the spiritual union must be sacredly preserved by keeping the body sacred in eating and in dressing and by refusing indulgence of appetite, so that God is glorified in both body and spirit. Christ has redeemed the body as truly as the soul, and believers united with the Lord in spirit as members of His body, of His flesh and bones, are not their own but His property bought with a price. Every organ, nerve, muscle and sinew is to be kept in perfect health by rightly valuing the body, exercising God-given powers to overcome temptation, especially temptation of appetite, and refusing to gratify self at the cost of health and disease.
The wise course is that of Joseph, who refused to be governed and controlled by appetites and passions but controlled and governed them. Drawing near to God thus prepares mind and body to discharge aright all the duties of life. Moral purity and self-control over baser passion are required even in the union of husband and wife, where lustful indulgence debases mind and body and destroys vigor and purity.
Joining to the Lord means treating the body as God's property bought with the price of the life of the Son of God, presenting it a living sacrifice holy and acceptable to God, and glorifying God in body and spirit. Through sanctification of body, soul and spirit the believer becomes a fit temple for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, with soul and body in harmony with God, conscience without guilt and soul without corruption. The understanding becomes irradiated by truth, and the will is made pure, elevated, refined and sanctified into the good and acceptable and perfect will of God, which alone opens the way for the manifestation of the Spirit of God.
Being joined to the Lord as one spirit stands opposite belonging to the enemy, so no subject of the enemy can claim to be a temple of God. The warning belongs to those who claim to be Christians and profess righteousness, not to those who have made no profession. It therefore requires making no concessions to the enemy, changing not one principle of received truth, holding no converse with those in league with evil angels, and seeking no peace by compromise, because peace was never purchased by compromise. The chapter is a lesson ministers and medical missionaries must study for this time, that they may wake up and give the warning message, be healed of the maladies of sin and unbelief, refuse the teachings of darkness, have evil cast out of the heart, and come humbling their defective hearts to receive help.
Unity Created by Union
To be joined to the Lord is to partake of the divine nature and to be one in spirit with Christ, with minds united under Christ as the great Head as branches are united to the vine, and under Him believers work together in harmony, each doing his appointed work and sending forth truth as a lamp that burneth. This spiritual oneness is kept in the unity of the Spirit in the bonds of peace, a unity in diversity in belief and knowledge of the truth as it is in Jesus, where no single human mind controls. It is Christ's infinite sacrifice that joins them, and sanctification through the truth that knits them together in bonds of perfect, heaven-born love.
Those so joined are controlled and guided by one Spirit, stamped with the same image and giving evidence of the same power and divine influence, having exchanged the heart of selfishness and sin for the heart God gives. Though they may differ in speech and attitude, the Spirit guides them in unity, so no vainglory or independent self takes possession and the quarrelsome spirit ceases. Their changed lives give the world evidence of the power of true conversion and answer Christ's prayer for unity by those who claim to believe the truth. This unity allows differences among them without division or friction, with harmony and no friction.
Workers in the Lord's institutions are to be firmly assured of this union with Christ, and their spirit is to be in harmony with the witness of the Holy Spirit. Being one with Christ in spirit leads to being one with Him in action, so students joined to Christ will not be unruly or governed by selfish pleasure. Their influence can help their fellow students follow Christ rather than betray them to the enemy.