This is a different type of teaching; even though I am the Pastor, I decided to speak on a subject that is typically not considered as “spiritual”. That is because, at first glance, it does not seem to be related to the Bible.
It is about our physical body and our well-being whilst we still live in this world – where our physical body is most needed, even when the Gospel of the Kingdom of God is concerned.
Things may not always be as first impressions would have us believe, so it is not necessarily true that caring for our physical body and our well-being is not a spiritual matter.
In fact, this may be a far more important subject for believers and disciples of Jesus when it comes to real life, than many other theoretical, theological, and intellectual teachings, which are practically of no value or application in real life.
When it comes to our human body, it has been attacked by deceptive teachings and subjected to falsehood in various ways. Some consider it sinful and corrupt, teaching that it must suffer and be punished as something evil.
On the other end of the pendulum, some have idolized the human body, which they worship as an idol, completely taken over by vanity and narcissism.
Somewhere half-way between the two extremes, there are some who have become so spiritual that they are no earthly good; so they have suppressed the needs of their own body and have abandoned it because they pay no attention to it.
Regrettably, those of us who are, or, who have been, like that in the past, have neglected this most essential reality, that our walk in Christ is in this world, and can only be done in our physical body – and that it is God who created our body, so that He could also use it for His Glory and purpose.
When we fail to understand that God created our body, and therefore we have the responsibility to steward it along with the rest of the Creation, when we neglect our body, we sin. That is because we neglect to look after the temple of God in which we live together with the Holy Spirit.
When we become born-again-from-above children of God, our body becomes the habitat of God, as Jesus has said:
John 14:21 “He who has My commandments and keeps them, it is he who loves Me. And he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and manifest Myself to him.” 22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?” 23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
There are various reasons why people neglect their body. For some, it is because they have a false theological frame of thinking, as we said. For others, it is because they have very low regard of themselves, and some even hate themselves. Whatever is the reason that leads believers to disregard or despise their own body, that leads eventually to the point where such people destroy their body, which is a sin.
1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and [that] the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
Our body is the temple of the living God; not only He lives in our physical body, but by living in us, He can walk with us!
2 Corinthians 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? 15 And what accord has Christ with Belial? Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever? 16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.”
I pray that everyone who will listen to this message, will make the decision to become a better steward of the temple of God, which is the human body where he/she lives.
That is not be done out of vanity, or narcissism, but as a form of worship unto God, who made us so that He may dwell in and among us, and make His Glory known through us.
1 Corinthians 6:15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make [them] members of a harlot? Certainly not! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a harlot is one body [with her?] For “the two,” He says, “shall become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit [with Him.]
18 Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit [who is] in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.