Does 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, 6:19-20 refer to the body as a group or rather to individual Christians? I have heard that the applications of these scriptures to us as individuals is out of context since they refer to the body as the church. And if that is so can we really use these scriptures to argue against harming our bodies through smoking and even suicide? -- Edi Balian
The body in 1 Corinthians 3 is the church; the body in 1 Corinthians 6 is the individual human body. I have heard 1 Corinthians 3 taken out of context, though never 1 Corinthians 6. Of course, anything that damages the human body must be circumspect. You are right to question whether passages are being handled correctly and in context.
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