Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:12-14.

We live in a world that treats the body like a playground—something to indulge, use, bend, and satisfy at any cost. Corinth wasn't any different. They had a saying they loved to quote: "All things are lawful for me."

Translation: "I can do whatever I want with my body." But Paul takes that slogan and makes a theological adjustment, as any good Bible teacher would.

"All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be dominated by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food"—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. — 1 Corinthians 6:12–14

The Corinthian church had built an entire theology to justify its sexual habits. And honestly? Churches and believers still do this today—reshaping doctrine, bending Scripture, and redefining holiness to accommodate whatever desires they refuse to surrender. For example:

Some justify porn and masturbation: "It's natural." "No one gets hurt."

Some justify same-sex attraction acted upon: "This is who I am." "God wouldn't deny love."

Some justify multiple sexual partners: "It's just physical." "Everyone does it."

Others justify emotional affairs, hookups, cohabitation, sexting, or "sleeping together because we love each other."

Paul looks at all of this and declares, "Your logic is broken because your theology is broken." The Corinthians even had a clever argument for their desires: "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food…"

In other words: "If my body craves it, then my body must be made for it."

That logic is wild. It's like saying:

• "My anger flares easily, so God gave me the spiritual gift of rage."
• "I crave donuts at midnight, so clearly this is holy hunger."
• "I like Taylor Swift songs, so I must be a liberal."

It sounds ridiculous because it is ridiculous. Desire never defines design. Craving never clarifies calling.

Your body isn't disposable. It isn't personal property that you can use however you want. Your body has a calling. It belongs to the Lord. And the Lord is for your body. Created for holiness. Redeemed by Christ. Destined for resurrection.

So don't surrender your body to impulse. Steward it and its worth.

Your body isn't a playground for desire—it's a temple for the Lord. And when you understand the calling on your body, you stop using it for things that destroy it.

DO THIS:

Identify one desire that tries to dominate your body—lust, impulse, laziness, or escape—and surrender it to Christ today.

ASK THIS:

1. What desire most often tries to tell me my body belongs to me?
2. How does remembering my body's calling reshape my choices today?
3. Which impulse have I allowed to master me that Christ is calling me to resist?

PRAY THIS:

Father, thank You for claiming my body as Yours. Help me honor You with what I desire, what I pursue, and what I allow to shape my habits. Strengthen me to resist impulses that don't reflect who I am in Christ. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Lord, I Need You"

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:9-11.

When believers forget who they are, they start acting like who they were. That's exactly what was happening in Corinth. The lawsuits, the fighting, the mistreatment, the "me-first" mindset—none of it fit who they had become in Christ.

So Paul brings them back to the foundation:

Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. — 1 Corinthians 6:9–11

Paul's list is not gentle. He names sins the Corinthians once embraced—sins they preferred not to talk about—sins that defined how they lived, what they desired, and who they believed they were.

Then he hits them with four words that change everything: "Such were some of you."

Past tense. Former identity. Old life. Dead self. Not who you are anymore. The Corinthians were living as if their old identity still held power over them. Paul reminds them of the supernatural reality that reshaped their entire existence:

Your filth is gone, not managed. Christ didn't rinse you—He cleansed you.

Set apart. Made holy. Placed into a new category of belonging.

Declared righteous. Given a new standing before God. Not because you earned it, but because Christ secured it.

This was Paul's entire point: Believers acting unrighteously had forgotten they had been made righteous. Their behavior didn't match their identity. Paul is not saying, "Try harder." He's saying, "Remember who you are."

Identity fuels obedience. Identity kills sin. Identity restores relationships. Identity corrects foolishness like lawsuits, bitterness, pride, and division.

And identity always begins with what Christ has done—not what we achieve.

Paul drags the Corinthians out of their petty battles and back into their eternal status:

• Washed from who you were
• Sanctified for who you are
• Justified for who you're becoming

The gospel didn't just change your destination. It changed your definition. And when you remember who you are, you start living like who you truly are.

DO THIS:

Slow down today and say these three truths out loud: Washed. Sanctified. Justified. Let your identity shape your obedience.

ASK THIS:

1. Which part of my old identity tries to pull me back the most?
2. Which truth—washed, sanctified, or justified—do I struggle to believe today?
3. How does remembering my identity change how I treat others?

PRAY THIS:

Father, thank You for washing me, sanctifying me, and justifying me in Christ. Help me live from this identity, not from my past. Let my life show who You've made me to be. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Who You Say I Am"

Welcome to The Daily, where we study the Bible verse by verse, chapter by chapter, every day.

Read more about Project23 and partner with us as we teach every verse of the Bible on video.

Our text today is 1 Corinthians 6:7-8.

Most people believe strength looks like fighting back, striking first, or refusing to let anyone take advantage of them. Paul flips that entire worldview in two sentences.

To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? But you yourselves wrong and defraud—even your own brothers! — 1 Corinthians 6:7–8

Paul doesn't merely say lawsuits are messy or unfortunate. He says they reveal defeat—a spiritual collapse long before a judge renders a verdict.

Why? Because believers were willing to destroy each other to protect their pride, their possessions, their image, or their "rights."

So Paul asks the question no one wants to ask: "Why not rather suffer wrong?"

This cuts against everything the world teaches—yet it matches everything Jesus modeled.

Strength in the Kingdom is not the ability to crush someone. It's the ability to be mistreated without becoming bitter. It's the willingness to take the hit without hitting back. It's the courage to absorb injustice—when necessary—for the sake of love, unity, and witness.

This isn't weakness. It's Christlike power.

It's the strength that made Jesus stay silent before His accusers. It's the strength that kept Him from calling legions of angels. It's the strength that absorbed the cross instead of avoiding it.

The Corinthians thought they were strong by standing up for themselves. But in doing so, they didn't just protect themselves—they wronged and defrauded their own brothers.

Paul is asking them—and us—to consider a harder path: Sometimes the strongest thing a Christian can do is suffer well. Because suffering wrong for the sake of righteousness is never defeat. In the Kingdom, it's victory.

And sometimes choosing to lose makes room for Christ to win through you.

Suffer well. Trust Christ with the outcome.

DO THIS:

Choose one place where you're tempted to fight for your "rights." Ask God if surrender—not retaliation—is the better witness.

ASK THIS:

1. Why does suffering wrong feel so impossible in the moment?
2. Where am I choosing pride over peace?
3. How might Christ be calling me to a harder, stronger path?

PRAY THIS:

Father, give me the strength to suffer well. Keep my heart soft when I'm wronged, and make me more like Jesus—strong, humble, and willing to trust You with every outcome. Amen.

PLAY THIS:

"Lead Me to the Cross"