Temple

I have recently been reminded and challenged of the importance of keeping our bodies healthy and pure, as a response to the message in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, which says, "Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies." Someone put this into perspective for me again in the past few days, but for the life of me, I can’t remember who it was. Maybe it was Pastor Luke in his sermon? Regardless, they said the Lord no longer dwells in the temple as He did in the Old Testament. Rather, now our bodies act as His temple, where He lives and dwells. In the Old Testament (and much of the New Testament, I suppose) the temple was kept with utter respect and dignity. It was revered as a place of worship. Since the temple is now represented through our bodies (Paul says in Colossians 1:27 that Christ in us is our hope of glory), I think we owe it to ourselves, and to God, to take better care of our bodies. This can be interpreted in many different ways and translated to a variety of different areas, but some that come to my mind are communicated below. I hope you only feel challenged and encouraged to commit not only your life, but also your body to the Lord, as I have been reminded to do recently.

Food- Gluttony is that “rarely-mentioned” sin, brought up in Proverbs 23:20-21, as well as a couple other passages. Food is supposed to be something that helps to nourish our bodies to keep us alive, and while I don’t feel like it is a sin to enjoy food, I do think some of us have put food at almost a place of lordship in our lives. Whenever we get together with friends or have company over, there has to be food and lots of it. When we feel bad about ourselves or stressed, we may turn to food. Some of us may stress over the preparation and presentation of meals to a high degree. I think in many ways food has taken a level of worship in our lives that is unnecessary and may even be harmful.

Sexuality- In my area of work I interact with many young women who simply do not understand the value of honoring their bodies and practicing dignity with their sexuality. I realize it is an issue in both men and women, young and old. This mindset is communicated through the clothes worn, body language, premarital/extramarital sex, etc. There is so much that could be said about this, but it really just comes down to the need to honor God with our bodies, as believers, which includes our sexuality and interactions with others.

Indulgences- By “indulgences” I mean the things we indulge in, not the Catholic belief in temporary payment for sin. This could cover a wide range of things, but a big one for me is sweets (which may also fall under gluttony). I am definitely a sucker for sugar… Any time, any kind. More examples could be alcohol, shopping/spending money, smoking, or really anything else that takes up our time, money, and attention. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 6:12 that we are not to be controlled by anything (just an fyi; 1 Corinthians 6:12-15 has some good stuff in it related to this topic). I don’t want to get to the point that I am indulging in something that has control over my body. I want to practice healthy habits that honor God through my body, and not tear my body, God’s temple, down.

I know I left out some areas but the point is not to be all-inclusive, rather it is to help you begin thinking about how you are honoring God with your body, and keeping in mind that your body is God's temple and His dwelling place.