1 Corinthians 6:13 Commentary and Bible Study

Here is another freedom claim, and it is intriguing. ‘Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats.’ That is what they said. It is not what the apostle Paul is saying, because he is promptly going to contradict it, but there was a saying, and he quotes it: ‘Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats.’ It is a kind of proverbial saying. It means this: God made meats, and God made the belly, so let's eat to our heart’s content. Let us indulge ourselves, pamper ourselves, have whatever we want, and satisfy our appetite. These freedom heresy people, claiming their Christian liberty, say, ‘Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats.’ That is their motto. And here is the apostle’s reply, ‘But God shall destroy both meat and the belly, both it and them.’ This belongs to the here and now; those meats are just for the presence. The satisfying of the belly is not your ultimate goal, pandering to self-indulgence, self-satisfaction, having whatever you want now; that is not for you. You are a Christian; you have a higher destiny, a higher aim. You are looking for eternity: the resurrection body, the future, purity in eternity and glory which God will bring about. These are the things we value. We are not living for now. Meats for the belly and the belly for meats, but remember, God will destroy these things. You may enjoy food with thanksgiving to God, but you must keep your appetites in control, and not be enslaved to them.‘Now the body is not for fornication’ – we come back to that great sin – ‘but the body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.’ Your body is for the Lord. ‘Body’ includes not only your flesh and blood body; it means your mind, the way you think about your body and consciously respond to its appetites, all your faculties and your gifts. They are for the Lord. You are a Christian. So that governs what you eat, what you drink, what you do. ‘And the Lord is for the body.’ He suffered and died for you body and soul, so that one day he could recreate your body and cherish it in eternity, and he will look after you now, if your body is his.