My Body, His Temple!
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)
Many Christians use this verse to motivate them to become healthier or lose weight. And there is nothing wrong with that, but this verse goes beyond just watching our weight and our health. Paul includes this verse as the rationale for abstaining from sexual immorality. He uses it to teach the Corinthians that they have been connected to Christ as a part of the Church, his bride. Therefore, they should abstain from visiting prostitutes.
You see, this verse goes beyond just my physical health and well being. While our health and well being are important, and we need to take care of them, this verse should be applied whenever we stumble upon something that causes us to sin. When we are tempted to lie, we need to remember that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. When we are tempted to share gossip with another Christian, our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. When we lust after someone or something (covet something), we need to be reminded that our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit. We want to glorify God with everything we have, including our bodies.
And that is why we had to be bought at a price. We were once slaves to our sinful natures, and to the devil. But Jesus paid the price to buy us back. He gave up his life so that we would no longer be slaves to the devil. We would instead be children of God and would live to serve and glorify God. We were bought at a price that only Jesus could pay. For that, we serve him and glorify him with our entire being, including our bodies. Amen.
Our song for today is “Bought with a Price” by Crown College Choir