1 Corinthians 6:19
“What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?”
King James Version (KJV)
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Paul confronts Corinthians who excused sexual sin by minimizing the body, reminding them that their physical bodies are indwelt by the Holy Spirit and belong to God.
What Does 1 Corinthians 6:19 Mean?
Paul presses a truth the Corinthians should already know: each believer's body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives. Having addressed the whole congregation as God's temple earlier, he now narrows it to the individual. The body is not a throwaway shell or a private possession to use however one wishes. It is a dwelling made holy by the presence of God's Spirit, given as a gift from God Himself.
The closing phrase strikes at the heart of self-rule: "ye are not your own." Paul is confronting Corinthians who justified sexual immorality by treating the body as morally neutral. He answers that the body matters precisely because God has claimed it. The Spirit's indwelling presence makes physical choices spiritual ones. To honor God is to honor Him in the body, not merely in thought or feeling. This gives the body remarkable dignity -- it is no obstacle to holiness but the very place where God chooses to dwell and be glorified. Paul's logic moves from privilege to responsibility: because the Spirit lives within and because God has taken ownership, the believer lives as a steward, treating the body as a sacred trust rather than a personal property to spend on whatever it craves.
In the Original Language
The Greek "naos" again means the inner sanctuary, the holy dwelling, applied here to the individual body. The phrase "ouk este heautōn" (ye are not your own) asserts God's ownership.
Cross References
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.”
- 1 Corinthians 6:20
“That ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”
- Romans 12:1
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?”
- 1 Corinthians 3:16
Application
Honor God with your body in your choices and habits, remembering it is a temple of His Spirit and a trust given by Him, not merely your own to use as you please.