OUR BODIES Devotion 5 of 15 "Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body" (1 Cor 6:13) – Tomorrow:
" . . . Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body . . . Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? . . . Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body. What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." (1 Corinthians 6:13-20, KJV).
In View of what we have said thus far, it may appear peculiar to say "the Lord is for the body," or, "the body is for the Lord." Yet, this is the affirmation of our text. What does it mean? If the body is "vile," why is the Lord "for" it! If it is "dead because of sin," why is the body "for the Lord?" Does the body have some redeeming qualities? Are the affirmations of its vileness and deadness overstatements, to be ignored by believers?
THE BODY IS NOT FOR FORNICATION
A hedonistic society does not want to hear it, but the people of God must shout the truth! "The body is meant not for fornication but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body." Here is a sin altogether too common among those that wear the name of Christ. It is not to be tolerated! There is no acceptable explanation for involvement in this form of immorality.
The Spirit underscores the illogical nature of fornication. "Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Should I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that whoever is united to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For it is said, 'The two shall be one flesh'" (1 Cor 6:15-16, NRSV). Here is a unique sin, for all sin is not the same, as some sophists declare. "Shun fornication! Every sin that a person commits is outside the body; but the fornicator sins against the body itself" (1 Cor 16:18, NRSV). The clear teaching of this passage is that fornication interrupts the union of the believer with Christ. The transgressor takes his body, which belongs to Christ, and gives it to a harlot! Overstating the gravity of this sin is not possible. Those who wink at such transgression as though it was insignificant betray their own aloofness from God.
Unlawful fleshly gratification is a sin against Christ, as well as the body itself. The logic of the situation is straightforward. Our bodies have been purchased, and are not our own, to be used to fulfill fleshly lusts that war against the soul. "The Lord is for the body, and the body is for the Lord." Our bodies find signification in Christ, and in Him alone. Every other use of the body is to be subordinated to that basic consideration.
YOUR BODY IS A TEMPLE
The Spirit reasons further on this subject. "Know ye not that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which ye have from God?" (verse 19, NASB). The "great salvation" which we experience in Christ involves the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Our bodies, not our spirits, are the temple of the Holy Spirit! They are a shrine for Deity – a staggering consideration!
The purpose for this indwelling is not the experience of fleshly fervidness, as though the Spirit produced bodily sensations that confirm His presence. Our use of the body is the consideration! This is particularly true in regard to moral purity. Think of the temple of old. When God's glory filled it, no man was able remain in it (2 Chron 5:13-14). The same thing occurred previously, when the glory of God filled the tabernacle (Ex 40:34-35). God will not share His dwelling! Those who imagine they can live for themselves while maintaining identity with God Almighty are mistaken!
Let every soul that views the body as a mere repository for appetites to be fulfilled, think seriously! Their body is not for them, it is for the Lord! The Holy Spirit of God dwells within that body, which is His sanctuary. It is not possible to live within the light of this consideration and give your body to sinful indulgence!
GLORIFY GOD IN YOUR BODY
There is holy logic to what is being said. Those who accentuate human logic will fail to see the power of this affirmation. " . . . and ye are not your own, for ye were bought with a price: glorify God therefore in your body" (verse 20, NASB). In the strictest sense of the word, our bodies do not belong to us. We are stewards of them, being given charge of them by their Owner. This is a temporary arrangement, to be terminated at death, or at the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ. "You are NOT your own!"
We have been "bought with a price." Jesus paid the price, and it was paid to God. The price was His own life. You may think His vicarious death has little to do with your body, but that is not the case. Peter elaborates on the price. "For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a Lamb without blemish or defect" (1 Pet 1:18-19). How is it that this redemption is associated with our bodies?
The Spirit makes clear that Christ's vicarious (substitutionary) death dealt directly with life in this world, and the one to come. "For God has destined us not for wrath but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, Who died for us, so that whether we are awake or asleep we may live with Him" (1 Thess 1:9,10, NRSV). His salvation covers the redemption of our bodies, which redemption will complete our adoption.
As it is written, "We ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. For in this hope we were saved . . . " (Rom 8:23,24a). Our bodies are part of our person (1 Thess 5:23), and they are included in Christ's redemption. Until we are raised from the dead, our adoption is not complete. What is more, faith causes us to "groan" in anticipation of the resurrection, as a woman in travail anticipates the birth of a child. We are not complete as long as we are "in the body" (Heb 13:3).
The death of Christ guaranteed the change of our bodies. Until that regeneration, they belong to Him, not to us. We are only stewards, or managers, of these bodies until He comes to change them. That change will be, as all other spiritual changes, upward. It will be for the better! As the Spirit says, "But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. He will transform the body of our humiliation (our vile body, KJV) that it may be conformed to the body of his glory, by the power that also enables him to make all things subject to himself" (Phil 3:20-21, NRSV). Our bodies are the weakest part of our constitution – thank God they will be "changed!" They have been purchased, and God will redeem the possessions He has purchased!
A spiritual understanding of this facet of our salvation dramatically effects the way we live, speak, and even dress. Our bodies do not belong to us! Their comfort, appearance, and gratification are not our primary concerns. If we allow such perspectives to dominate our thinking, we will dishonor our bodies, as well as the Lord that bought them.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I present my body to You as a living sacrifice. Work in me both to will and to do of Your own good pleasure.