1 Corinthians 6:20 meaning summary explained with word-by-word analysis enriched with context, commentary and Cross References from KJV, NIV, ESV and NLT.
1 Corinthians 6:20 kjv
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 nkjv
For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.
1 Corinthians 6:20 niv
you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.
1 Corinthians 6:20 esv
for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.
1 Corinthians 6:20 nlt
for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6 20 Cross References
| Verse | Text | Reference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 Cor 7:23 | "You were bought at a price; do not become slaves of men." | Reiterates the divine purchase and freedom from human bondage. |
| 1 Pet 1:18-19 | "redeemed... not with perishable things... but with the precious blood of Christ..." | Identifies the "price" as the atoning sacrifice of Christ. |
| Gal 3:13 | "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us..." | Highlights redemption from sin's penalty through Christ. |
| Eph 1:7 | "In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins..." | Affirms redemption through Christ's blood leading to forgiveness. |
| Col 1:14 | "in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." | Confirms redemption and forgiveness through Christ. |
| Rev 5:9 | "...you purchased people for God with your blood from every tribe..." | Depicts Christ's redemptive purchase of humanity. |
| 2 Pet 2:1 | "...even denying the Master who bought them..." | Alludes to the concept of being bought by God (often misused in context). |
| Rom 12:1-2 | "present your bodies as a living sacrifice... this is your true and proper worship." | Command to offer entire being to God, connected to glorifying Him. |
| 1 Cor 10:31 | "Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." | Principle of glorifying God in all of life's activities. |
| Phil 1:20 | "...that Christ will be exalted in my body, whether by life or by death." | Desire to magnify Christ through one's physical existence. |
| Heb 13:16 | "Do not neglect to do good and to share what you have, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God." | Calls for glorifying God through righteous deeds and generosity. |
| 1 Cor 3:16-17 | "Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?" | Emphasizes the body as a sacred dwelling place for the Spirit. |
| 2 Cor 6:16 | "...for we are the temple of the living God." | Reinforces the sacredness of believers' bodies as God's temple. |
| Rom 8:9-11 | "if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you... your bodies are dead because of sin... alive because of righteousness." | Spirit's indwelling making the body vital to God's purpose. |
| Psa 100:3 | "Know that the Lord is God. It is he who made us, and we are his..." | Establishes divine ownership through creation. |
| Isa 43:1 | "I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are mine." | Affirms God's personal redemption and ownership over His people. |
| Rom 14:7-8 | "For none of us lives for ourselves alone, and none of us dies for ourselves alone... we belong to the Lord." | Declares our belonging to the Lord in life and death. |
| Acts 20:28 | "Shepherd the church of God, which he bought with his own blood." | God purchased the church (people) with His own blood. |
| Tit 2:14 | "He gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own..." | Christ's self-giving for purification and unique ownership. |
| Deut 7:6 | "For you are a people holy to the Lord your God. The Lord your God has chosen you to be a people for his treasured possession..." | OT parallel for God's selection and ownership of His people. |
1 Corinthians 6 verses
1 Corinthians 6 20 meaning
1 Corinthians 6:20 states that believers have been purchased by God through a costly redemption, specifically the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. This divine transaction establishes God's full ownership over both their physical bodies and their spiritual beings. Therefore, the essential duty and ultimate purpose of a believer is to honor and bring glory to God in every aspect of their holistic existence, demonstrating their belonging to Him.
1 Corinthians 6 20 Context
1 Corinthians 6:20 culminates Paul's powerful argument against sexual immorality within the Corinthian church, specifically addressing issues like lawsuits among believers and involvement with prostitutes. The preceding verses (6:13-19) meticulously dismantle common justifications for sexual sin, highlighting that the body is not meant for immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. Paul declares that believers' bodies are "members of Christ" and "temples of the Holy Spirit," bought by God.
Historically, Corinth was a major Roman port city notorious for its lax morality, where temple prostitution and libertine lifestyles were commonplace. Some philosophical views, such as certain strains of Gnosticism or Epicureanism, promoted a detachment between the spirit and the body, leading some to believe that bodily actions had no spiritual consequence. Paul's message directly counters these beliefs, asserting the sacredness and importance of the body as integral to Christian living. The phrase "bought at a price" serves as the foundational theological truth for his commands regarding holy conduct.
1 Corinthians 6 20 Word analysis
- For (γὰρ - gar): A strong coordinating conjunction. It indicates a reason or explanation, linking back to the command in verse 19 to flee sexual immorality and honor God with their bodies. It underpins the ethical imperative with a theological basis.
- you (ὑμεῖς - humeis): Second person plural pronoun. Refers collectively to the Corinthian believers, emphasizing a shared, corporate reality, while also holding individual members responsible.
- were bought (ἠγοράσθητε - ēgorasthēte): Aorist passive indicative verb from agorazo. Describes a completed action in the past done to them. Implies a market transaction, an act of purchasing a slave for liberation. They were previously enslaved (to sin, to the Law, to the elements of the world) and have been released.
- at a price (τιμῆς - timēs): Instrumental dative noun from time. Refers to value or cost. While the specific price (Christ's blood) is not explicitly named here, the context of redemption in Christian theology universally understands it to be the costly sacrifice of Jesus on the cross (cf. 1 Pet 1:18-19, Acts 20:28). It signifies a payment of immense value.
- therefore (ἄρα - ara): A strong illative conjunction. It signifies a logical consequence or conclusion drawn directly from the preceding truth of redemption. It acts as a divine imperative based on an accomplished fact.
- glorify (δοξάσατε - doxasate): Aorist active imperative verb from doxazo. It is a command, not a suggestion, for a definitive and active expression of honor, praise, and worship. To glorify God means to display His character and worth through one's life.
- God (τὸν Θεόν - ton Theon): The direct object of glorification. It is God, the triune deity, who is both the Initiator and Recipient of this honor.
- in your body (ἐν τῷ σώματι ὑμῶν - en tō sōmati humōn): A prepositional phrase meaning "in" or "with" the body. It specifically includes the physical human body as an instrument of worship and service. This directly refutes any Gnostic-like devaluation of the material world. The body is consecrated, not discarded.
- and in your spirit (καὶ ἐν τῷ πνεύματι ὑμῶν - kai en tō pneumati humōn): The conjunction "and" signifies comprehensive inclusion. This refers to the human spirit, the deepest immaterial part of a person, where one relates to God. Together with the body, it completes the picture of a holistic glorification, leaving no part of the human person untouched by God's ownership and purpose.
- which are God's (ἅτινα τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐστιν - hatina tou Theou estin): A relative clause ("which things belong to God"). The neuter plural "which" refers back to both "body" and "spirit," emphasizing that both belong exclusively to God. This phrase provides the ultimate theological ground for the command to glorify Him; the reason to glorify is God's rightful ownership, established by redemption.
Words-group by words-group analysis:
- "For you were bought at a price": This phrase serves as the foundation for Christian ethics, particularly regarding the body. It shifts the believer from self-ownership to divine ownership, through a powerful, redemptive act. The "price" paid by Christ secures our freedom and transfer of allegiance from sin to God.
- "therefore glorify God": This is the direct command arising from their purchased status. It signifies that Christian living is not just avoiding sin but actively demonstrating God's worth in every aspect. This act of glorification is a response of gratitude and obedience, acknowledging God's costly work of salvation.
- "in your body and in your spirit": This underscores the holistic nature of Christian discipleship and worship. Paul explicitly states that every part of a person – the physical, tangible body and the invisible, inner spirit – is to be dedicated to God's glory. It is a unified consecration.
- "which are God's": This final clause provides the ultimate justification for the command to glorify God in body and spirit. It powerfully reiterates divine ownership, confirming that the believer, in their totality, is now the rightful possession of God through redemption, and therefore is obligated to live according to His purposes.
1 Corinthians 6 20 Bonus section
The concept of being "bought at a price" inherently brings to light the theological reality of a debt paid. Before Christ, humanity was under the bondage of sin and death, subject to its penalty. The "price" (ransom) was the substitutionary atonement of Jesus Christ, fulfilling the righteous demands of God's justice. This divine exchange not only frees the believer but transfers them from the domain of darkness to the Kingdom of God's beloved Son. This transaction impacts our ultimate identity and purpose. Our "spirit," being "God's," refers to our inner self now indwelt by the Holy Spirit (as argued earlier in 1 Cor 6:19), further solidifying the Spirit's role in empowering us to glorify God. Furthermore, Paul's consistent emphasis on the body throughout 1 Corinthians, particularly regarding resurrection (chapter 15), implies the enduring value of the physical body in God's eternal plan, not merely as a temporary container.
1 Corinthians 6 20 Commentary
1 Corinthians 6:20 stands as a bedrock principle for Christian ethics and identity. It concisely states that believers are not their own; they have been liberated from slavery to sin and bought by God through the immeasurable cost of Christ's sacrifice. This divine transaction establishes absolute divine ownership, creating an indissoluble bond between the believer and God.
The natural and logical consequence of this ownership is the command to "glorify God in your body and in your spirit." This directive demands a complete, integrated surrender. It specifically counters any dualistic tendencies that would diminish the body's significance. For the Corinthians, this meant challenging a culture that compartmentalized faith from physical behavior, especially in sexual matters. Paul insists that the physical body, as much as the spirit, is a sacred vessel, a member of Christ, and a temple of the Holy Spirit.
Therefore, every action, thought, decision, and attitude of a believer, encompassing their physical being, their mental life, and their innermost spirit, is to be purposefully directed towards honoring God. It transforms the motive for good behavior from mere legalism or self-preservation into a response of grateful worship and obedience to their Redeemer and Owner. This principle extends beyond sexual purity to encompass all of life, influencing how one works, rests, speaks, consumes, and relates to others—all as an act of glorifying the God to whom they entirely belong.