Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods,  but God will destroy both it and them.  Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.  (14) And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.  (15) Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?  Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a harlot?  Certainly not!  (17) But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him.  (18) Flee sexual immorality.  Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body.  (19) Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?  (20) For you were bought at a price, therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s. 

The first letter to the Corinthians was written by the apostle Paul.  Corinth was a center of trade in the ancient world and a thriving pagan culture. It was known as a worship center for the goddess Aphrodite which had 1000 cult prostitutes available for custom in the name of religion.  So prostitution was not only legal, it was encouraged as a religious act.  The Christian Corinthians appeared to equate morality with legality

In this first letter Paul is writing to encourage the Christians but also to correct some of the abuses there. In our verses today he is dealing with the problem of immorality by condemning sexual immorality – specifically that of sex with a prostitute. Our first verse talks of body necessities and Paul tells his audience that food is for the body and the body for food. There’s nothing wrong with that but food and other necessities for life here will pass. We must use things of this world, Not abuse them.  Paul then moves to sexual abuses and tells the Corinthians their bodies are in faith for the Lord. Our spiritual connection to Christ is not just the soul but also the body and Paul proceeds to set before the faithful in Corinth standards of honorable conduct.  He tells them that sexual immorality is an obstacle to spiritual growth as it is an offense against one’s self. Any practice which allows our bodies to gain mastery over us is harmful and should be considered worthless.  Food does not defile and the inference is that the Corinthians are equating food with casual sexual immorality

Paul cautions the faithful in Corinth  that their bodies are now temples of the Holy Spirit and the Spirit cannot live in a defiled body. The faithful are also now members of the body of Christ and the body as well as the soul is subject to God – the mind should be pure as well as the physical profession of the saved. Outward actions matter. His advice Is unequivocal:  Flee sexual immorality.