Paraguay. A young woman and two young men on the grounds of the Asuncion Paraguay Temple.
It might sometimes feel like widespread immorality and sexual sin are problems unique to our day. However, in his letter written nearly 2,000 years ago, Paul taught and warned about these same sins. Paul’s powerful teachings strengthened and corrected the Saints in Corinth, directing them back to the covenant path. This lesson is intended to help you better understand the importance of your physical body and the importance of staying sexually pure.
Sexual purity
Read the following statements about sexual purity. Rate each statement on a scale from 1 to 5 (1=strongly disagree, 2=disagree, 3=neutral, 4=agree, 5=strongly agree).
We live in a world where people have varying ideas of what sexual attitudes and actions are acceptable.
I understand the Lord’s standard of sexual purity (also known as the law of chastity).
I have a desire to live the Lord’s standard of sexual purity.
I recognize how the Lord’s standard of sexual purity blesses my life.
I have questions about the Lord’s standard of sexual purity.
Consider writing in your study journal what you know and believe about the Lord’s standard of sexual purity as well as any questions you have about it. As you study this lesson, seek for Heavenly Father to guide you through the Holy Ghost. Strive to recognize and learn truths that can help you better understand and desire to live the Lord’s standard of sexual purity and that will help answer your questions and concerns.
Paul teaches the Lord’s law of chastity
The city of Corinth was a large, wealthy, diverse city where sexual sin was prevalent. Paul listed fornication (sexual relationships outside of marriage), adultery, and homosexuality as some of the sins common among the Corinthians (see 1 Corinthians 6:9–10).
Read Paul’s teachings in 1 Corinthians 6:18–20, and consider marking words or phrases that contain God’s teachings about sexual purity and the sacred nature of the human body.
1 Corinthians 6:19–20 is a doctrinal mastery passage. Consider marking doctrinal mastery passages in a distinctive way so you can locate them easily. You will learn more about this doctrinal mastery passage in the next lesson.
What truths do you feel the Lord would want you to understand from these verses? Why do you think the Lord wants you to understand those truths?
How can these truths influence the way you view the Lord’s law of chastity?
One truth we learn from these verses is that our bodies are temples of God where the Spirit can dwell.
1. Complete the following activity in your study journal:
On the center of a page in your study journal, briefly create a simple drawing of a person standing next to a temple. Around your drawing, list similarities between a physical body and a temple. Identify reasons this comparison could help you understand the law of chastity. The following questions can help you make this comparison:
How might thinking of our bodies as temples influence the way we treat our bodies?
How could this analogy of our bodies as temples influence our thoughts and actions regarding sexual purity?
What truths about the Holy Ghost are important to understand in this passage? Why?
What are some reasons you think it is worth the effort to have the Holy Ghost dwell with you?
What if someone disobeys the law of chastity? While teaching the Corinthians, Paul noted that some of the Corinthian members had committed sexual sins in the past (see 1 Corinthians 6:9–11). But when they repented and were baptized, they were cleansed through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
Read 1 Corinthians 6:11, and consider marking words or phrases that Paul used to help the Corinthians understand the cleansing power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, which is available to all individuals.
Why is it essential to know that Jesus Christ can cleanse us from sexual sin?
Remember that “victims of sexual abuse are not guilty of sin and do not need to repent. If you have been a victim of abuse, know that you are innocent and that God loves you. Talk to your parents or another trusted adult, and seek your bishop’s counsel immediately. They can support you spiritually and assist you in getting the protection and help you need” (“Sexual Purity,” For the Strength of Youth [booklet, 2011], 36–37).
Read 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 again, looking for what else Paul taught about Jesus Christ and His Atonement.
What do you think Paul meant when he said that “ye are not your own” and that “ye are bought with a price”?
How does the Savior’s sacrifice affect the way you think about and treat your physical body?
Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles emphasized the relationship between chastity and the sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
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Official Portrait of Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. Photographed January 2018.
The body is an essential part of the soul. This distinctive and very important Latter-day Saint doctrine underscores why sexual sin is so serious. … In exploiting the body of another—which means exploiting his or her soul—one desecrates the Atonement of Christ, which saved that soul and which makes possible the gift of eternal life. …
Please, never say: “Who does it hurt? Why not a little freedom? I can transgress now and repent later.” Please don’t be so foolish and so cruel. You cannot with impunity “crucify Christ afresh” [see Hebrews 6:6]. “Flee fornication” [1 Corinthians 6:18], Paul cries, and flee “anything like unto it” [Doctrine and Covenants 59:6; emphasis added], the Doctrine and Covenants adds. Why? Well, for one reason because of the incalculable suffering in both body and spirit endured by the Savior of the world so that we could flee [see especially Doctrine and Covenants 19:15–20]. We owe Him something for that. Indeed, we owe Him everything for that.”
(Jeffrey R. Holland, “Personal Purity,” Ensign, Nov. 1998, 76)
2. Answer the following questions in your study journal:
What does knowing that the Savior suffered for you through the shedding of His blood help you understand about Him? How could recognizing this increase your desire and ability to obey Him?
Like Paul addressed the Corinthian Saints, the Lord’s servants in our day have provided relevant counsel about the Lord’s standard of sexual purity and the power the Savior has to forgive and cleanse us. Read “Sexual Purity,” For the Strength of Youth (booklet, 2011), 35–37, available on ChurchofJesusChrist.org or on the Gospel Library app, looking for truths that can strengthen you and answer your questions.
For additional information about the law of chastity and for modern-day examples of youth living it, consider watching the video “I Choose to Be Pure” (4:19) or “Chastity: What Are the Limits” (3:59) available at ChurchofJesusChrist.org.
3. Answer the following questions in your study journal:
What principles did you learn from 1 Corinthians 6 and the words of modern-day prophets that helped you better understand the Lord’s standard of sexual purity?
If you have questions or concerns about sexual purity that were not answered in this lesson, where could you turn?
Take a moment to ponder any promptings from the Holy Ghost about what actions the Lord might have you take because of your experiences today.
Optional: Want to Learn More?
1 Corinthians 6:19. Why does it matter if I see my body as a “temple of the Holy Ghost”?
President Russell M. Nelson taught how seeing our body as a temple of God can impact our lives.
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Official portrait of President Russell M. Nelson taken January 2018
With your body being such a vital part of God’s eternal plan, it is little wonder that the Apostle Paul described it as a “temple of God” [1 Corinthians 3:16; see also 6:19]. Each time you look in the mirror, see your body as your temple. That truth—refreshed gratefully each day—can positively influence your decisions about how you will care for your body and how you will use it.
Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles taught about the distortions of Satan and the importance of the body.
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Elder David A. Bednar, Quorum of the Twelve Apostles official portrait. 2020.
Because a physical body is so central to the Father’s plan of happiness and our spiritual development, Lucifer seeks to frustrate our progression by tempting us to use our bodies improperly. …
Violating the law of chastity is a grievous sin and a misuse of our physical tabernacles. To those who know and understand the plan of salvation, defiling the body is an act of rebellion (see Mosiah 2:36–37; [Doctrine and Covenants] 64:34–35) and a denial of our true identity as sons and daughters of God. As we look beyond mortality and into eternity, it is easy to discern that the counterfeit companionship advocated by the adversary is temporary and empty.
Susan W. Tanner, former Young Women General President, addressed some of the ways the adversary tempts us to misuse our physical bodies.
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Former official portrait of Susan W. Tanner, general president of the Young Women, 2003. Released April 2008.
[Satan] tempts many to defile this great gift of the body through unchastity, immodesty, self-indulgence, and addictions. He seduces some to despise their bodies; others he tempts to worship their bodies. In either case, he entices the world to regard the body merely as an object. In the face of so many satanic falsehoods about the body, I want to raise my voice today in support of the sanctity of the body. I testify that the body is a gift to be treated with gratitude and respect.