Your Body

We may not think we give our body much thought, but we do. Boys, when they become aware of their bodies, will work out to have a powerful looking body. Girls do much the same thing, primping, etc. What does the Bible teach us about our bodies?

The Bible tells us that God created these bodies, Gen. 1:26,27; 2:7. It also tells how man fell into sin and the consequence this had on our body, Gen. 3:19. It is obvious that these bodies die. Someone quite accurately said: “We begin to die the moment we are born.” The Apostle Paul compares our bodies with a tent, II Cor. 5:1. Our bodies are only a house for our soul and spirit. God breathed into man’s body the “breath of life.” It is hard to talk about the body without talking about the spirit or soul, so we will probably be mentioning them also. When we are young we are not as aware how frail these bodies are, but we probably know a friend or relative that is young and suffers with some physical condition. So, God created these bodies and because of sin our bodies are subject to sickness, weakness and altimately to decay.

We also learn from Scripture that God has provided healing for the body. Even in the Old Testament it mentions God healing these physical bodies, Ex. 15:26. Jesus, during His earthly ministry performed MANY healings. Some say that miracles of healing were limited to the time and life of Jesus, but in the book of Acts we see that God continued to heal through the ministry of the Apostles, Acts 3:1-9; 5:13-16. Although Jesus healed many, He was concerned more about their spiritual need.

God has provided redemption (body, soul, and spirit) through His Son Jesus Christ. I Thess. 5:23. When we accept Christ as our Savior we are made alive (I Cor. 15:22), but our bodies remain the same. As believers we still suffer sickness, weakness and death. But there is coming a day when this body will be changed, Rom. 8:23; I Cor. 15:51-54; I Jn. 3:2. When we get to heaven we will have a glorified body that will be able to enjoy the glories of heaven.

What about our bodies right now, today? You realize that as a Christian your body has been purchased by God, I Cor. 6:20. Your body belongs to Him, in light of this we must take care of our bodies the best we can. We should not go to extremes because the Word of God also tells us that exercise of the body only profits for this life, I Tim. 4:8. This is the reason Christians should not smoke or engage in other habits that abuse or damage our bodies. This is also one of the reasons that we should remain pure. Our bodies are not only purchased with the blood of Jesus, but they are the temple (dwelling place) of the Holy Spirit, I Cor. 6:19.

I pray that God, through His Holy Spirit, would cause you to understand how important you body is to God. He purchased your body to be used as an instrument of righteousness, Rom. 6:13. These bodies that are ravaged with the consequences of sin, have been purchased and can now be used for the glory of God. Satan likes to display his effect on humanity in the human body by sickness, drugs, disease, death, etc. and God displays His glory through these same, redeemed, Spirit lead bodies. May God help you to render to God that which is His, Rom. 12:1.

RC