1 Corinthians 6:20 Meaning and Explanation
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →We belong to God because He paid dearly for us, and so our whole selves, body and spirit, are made to honor Him.
The Context of 1 Corinthians 6:20
Paul has been urging the Corinthians to honor God with their bodies in a city where the body was treated as cheap. The phrase "bought with a price" would have struck them at once, since in their world a slave could be purchased out of bondage into freedom, the price paid by another.
What Does 1 Corinthians 6:20 Mean?
Paul gives a reason before he gives a calling. "Ye are bought with a price," he says, and the price he has in mind is the costly death of Christ. We belong to Another now, redeemed and purchased out of slavery into belonging, no longer loose property to spend however we please. And so Paul says "glorify God in your body, and in your spirit." He means the whole self, body along with spirit, every part of us taken up into His honor. What God paid so dearly to own, He means to fill with His honor.
There is deep dignity here. Christ did not buy back only a part of us, and he did not pay a small price. The cross declares that our bodies and our inner lives are worth that much to God, that He wanted all of us home. To glorify Him in body and spirit is simply to live as people who know whose we are. We are loved enough to have been bought, and that love reaches every part of who we are.
1 Corinthians 6:20 in the Original Language
agorazo (ἀγοράζω), 'bought' -- to purchase in the marketplace, used of buying a person out of slavery into freedom.
How to Apply 1 Corinthians 6:20 Today
This verse meets us with a quiet dignity: every part of us, body and spirit alike, was wanted and worth a great price to God. We do not have to earn that belonging; it has already been bought. Knowing whose we are gives us a gentle reason to let our whole lives, our bodies along with our private thoughts, honor the One who redeemed us.
Frequently Asked Questions About 1 Corinthians 6:20
What does 1 Corinthians 6:20 mean?
We belong to God because He paid dearly for us, and so our whole selves, body and spirit, are made to honor Him.
What is the context of 1 Corinthians 6:20?
Paul has been urging the Corinthians to honor God with their bodies in a city where the body was treated as cheap. The phrase "bought with a price" would have struck them at once, since in their world a slave could be purchased out of bondage into freedom, the price paid by another.
How can I apply 1 Corinthians 6:20 today?
This verse meets us with a quiet dignity: every part of us, body and spirit alike, was wanted and worth a great price to God. We do not have to earn that belonging; it has already been bought. Knowing whose we are gives us a gentle reason to let our whole lives, our bodies along with our private thoughts, honor the One who redeemed us.