9 – YOU AND YOUR BODY
1 Corinthians 6:20
“For you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.”
Romans 12:1
“I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship”
Every single person alive today lives in a body. The Christian life is lived out in the real world in a real body. We communicate via our body. All we do whether it be speech or action is played out through our bodies. No wonder the Bible has a lot to say about how we live, how we speak and how we conduct ourselves in this earthly temple. The body is important.
Some teach that the body is a hindrance, tying us down to this material world, and that what matters is in the realm of the spirit, where we can soar away to higher things. But this is not biblical Christianity. The Bible teaches that the body is important.
Why is your Body is Important?
Here very quickly are some reasons why your body is important.
Because Jesus came in bodily form.
Jesus didn’t come purely as a spirit being, but ‘the Word’ became flesh.’ (See N.T – John 1:14)
What does (N.T) Hebrews 10:5 say about what was prepared for Jesus? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Because Jesus has a glorified body now.
After His resurrection Jesus didn’t ‘graduate’ out of His body to some higher spirit-realm. He didn’t become a ghost or some form of non-physical being. He still retained a real body!
From (N.T) Luke 24:39 – How did Jesus prove that He was not a ghost? ______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Jesus proved convincingly that He was alive in a real body. The disciples saw Him and touched Him, unlike a ghost that you cannot touch.
The resurrection body did, however, have greater powers. He apparently had the ability, for example, to appear in a locked room without coming through the door. (See N.T – John 20:19-20, 26) In this same resurrection body He later ascended to the Father’s presence. (See N.T – Acts 1:9-10)
He has the same body now.
Because our bodies are ‘temples of the Holy Spirit.’
What does (N.T) 1 Corinthians 6:19 say our bodies are?
_______________________________________________________________________________
A temple is a special and honoured place where a God dwells. Our bodies are important and worthy of great honour because the Holy Spirit of God has chosen to live there.
Because Scripture assumes that we care for our bodies.
To give attention to your body is not a waste of time. It’s natural and proper – even animals look after their bodies. Paul put it this way in Ephesians 5:28-29:
“Husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. After all, no-one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it.”
Because Jesus’ healing ministry confirmed the body’s value.
A large part of Jesus’ public ministry was devoted to restoring sick and
ailing bodies to healthy normality. His ministry was not just a ministry of ‘saving souls.’ He addressed the needs of the whole person, the body
included. From (N.T) Acts 10:38 what two things does this verses say Jesus did?
- ____________________
- ___________________________________________________________ What was the source of His power? ___________________________________________________
Because our eternal state is to be a bodily one.
Your ultimate destiny, at Christ’s return, is to have a resurrection body like His. What is this transformation that will take place called by Paul in (N.T) Romans 8:23. It is called
_______________________________________________________________________________
How is this described in (N.T) 2 Corinthians 5:4? _______________________________________________________________________________
How is it described in (N.T) Philippians 3:20-21? _______________________________________________________________________________
The body’s needs and drives
Until this transformation takes place your body’s needs and drives are all God-given and therefore good. They are:
HUNGER AND THIRST.
A healthy appetite, and good food to satisfy it, is one of God’s great ideas. (See O.T – Psalm 107:9).
THE SEX DRIVE.
Sex was one of God’s gift before the fall when Jesus told Adam and Eve to, “be fruitful and increase in number.” (See O.T – Genesis 1:27-28). The sex drive was given not only for procreation but also for pleasure in the sealing of love and commitment between a husband and a wife. In (O.T) – Song of Songs this whole book is about the beautiful picture of the physical side of love and its sensual words applaud sexuality as part of God’s wonderful creation. Another example is found in (O.T) Proverbs 5:18-19 where the Bible is very graphic about this pleasure. (‘fountain’ means the body parts that produce life).
SLEEP AND REST.
Sleep and rest is the divinely-appointed means by which we recover from the exertion of daily living. There are many, many verses we could look at that declare this – for example (O.T) – Psalm 4:8, 23:2. This is one of the reasons why God initiated the Sabbath, i.e. – the need to have at least one day off in a week for rest, relaxation and worship.
EXERCISE.
Movement and action are the natural outworking of a healthy body, especially when the blessing of God puts a spring in the step.
Self-control by the Holy Spirit
While it’s true that all these physical drives are God-given and good, they can quickly get out of hand if not kept in check. They then become a means by which sin can take hold. The best prevention against bodily excess is the development of the spiritual side of your being. What does (O.T) Galatians 5:16 say you must do to avoid the sinful bodily excess?
You must_______________________________________________________________________
Only when the impulses of the soul (mind, will and emotions) and body are kept subservient to your spiritual drive will you enjoy true freedom in living. Paul saw the importance of self-control in this area when he said in 1 Corinthians 9:27:
“I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.”
How, in practise, can you exercise this self-control? What does it mean to ‘beat’ your body and make it your slave? For starters – it does not mean literally beat your body up because it’s bad and deserves it. I know that sounds crazy – but you’d be surprised how many have read it that way and brought their body great discomfort in an attempt to bring it under control. Paul is NOT suggesting that for one moment.
It will include:
Right eating and drinking, and fasting.
A BALANCED DIET.
You need a balanced diet for good health. There’s plenty of literature available to point you in the right direction without making you a food faddist.
MODERATION.
You should eat and drink in moderate quantities, in keeping with your workload and metabolism. (O.T) Proverbs 23:20-21 says:
“Do not join those who drink too much wine or gorge themselves on meat, for drunkards and gluttons become poor, and drowsiness clothes them in rags.”
As we have already seen in a previous paper, (N.T) Ephesians 5:18 teaches us that the key to avoiding bodily excess is being filled with the Holy Spirit. If you’re filled with the Spirit, part of whose fruit is self control (O.T – Galatians 5:23), you’ll be able to exercise restraint.
FASTING.
Fasting is an excellent way of showing your body who’s boss. But when you fast always fast with a specific purpose and involve prayer. Biblical fasting is prayer and fasting. So if you decide to miss lunch once a week, for example, be sure to spend the lunch break in purposeful prayer, and/or Bible meditation. From (N.T) Matthew 6:6&16 do you think
Jesus assumed we would fast? Yes _____ No _____
The Bible assumes that we will fast from time to time. In both these verses Jesus said “when” (not ’if’) you fast. Jesus also said that when you personally fast you should do it privately and not let everyone know what you are doing.
Sexual restraints.
God is not against sex – He created it and as already explained, He didn’t create it just for procreation but also for our enjoyment. But God did put clear boundaries and guidelines for this. Unfortunately, the world sees it as normal to be sexually promiscuous. But in His love and grace, God only permits sexual expression within the commitment of the marriage bond. (N.T) 1 Corinthians 7:2 says:
“Since there is so much immorality, each man should have his own wife, and each woman her own husband.”
This is a subject that the Bible has lots to say about, and it needs to be considered and looked at separately from this one. In the meantime, God’s Word to you is, ‘Keep yourself pure.’ (N.T – Thessalonians 4:3, Hebrews 13:4).
An ordered life.
If your life is to be a fulfilling one then you need to use your time wisely. This means balancing out all the demands of our life so that you find time for relaxation, work, family and of course God. We all have the same amount of time – 24 hours a day, 168 hours per week, 10,000 minutes per week, half a million seconds per week and 8,760 hours per year – it’s how we use it that counts.
Sleep is a gift from God, and you need relaxation to function efficiently. But unless you take care, it’s all too easy to lapse into idleness and time-wasting. Discover your sleep requirements and, as far as possible, tailor the rest of your life accordingly. If, out of twenty-four hours, you sleep eight and work eight, that still leaves you eight to organise – more than enough time to do all you want to do. Plan these precious eight hours to the best advantage. What does (N.T) Ephesians 5:18 say about how we are to use our time?
We are to use it W__________________
We are to M______________________________________
What does (O.T) Psalm 90:12 tell us to do with our days? We are to __________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Set goals in every are of your life. Check periodically as to how well you are succeeding in ordering your life in balanced way so that time is found for all the important aspects of your life. Don’t let the TV or even your work rule your life. Exert mastery of your use of time.
Fitness and grooming
Mind, emotion and spirit, functions best in a healthy body. Since normal living today fails to keep us physically fit, you need to build some kind of exercise into your personal schedule. From (N.T) 1 Timothy 4:8 what does the Bible say about value of physical training? ___________________________________________________________________________
What does (N.T) 1 Corinthians 6:20 say you are to do with your body? _______________________________________________________________________________________________________
It goes without saying that smoking and drug-taking should not have a place in your life as a Christian. They definitely offer no benefit whatever and are proven dangers to good health. We should do all we can to prevent polluting the temple of the Holy Spirit with such activities.
Proper attention to personal hygiene and good grooming will add the finishing touches of proper self-respect to you as a man or woman of God who’s healthy in spirit, soul and body.
Appearance and mannerism.
Today we live in a day where anything seems to be acceptable. In today’s society where God’s teaching on sexuality has been turned upside down it is important we remain loyal to God’s ideal. It is important that your appearance and mannerism express your sexual identity. The blurring of the difference between the sexes so common in our generation is strongly opposed by the teaching of Scripture. For example read (O.T) Deuteronomy 22:5.
This does not mean a woman cannot wear trousers, or a trouser suit or a Scotsman should not wear a kilt, but rather it is to warn against the onset of transvestism or similar sexual perversion. In general, if you’re a man, aim to look like a act like a man: if you’re a woman aim to look like a woman and do not be ashamed of your feminine nature and personality.
Remember, you’re God’s shop-window to the world. People can’t see into your mind or spirit; all they can see is your outward appearance. So let them see something that commends the Lord.
1 Corinthians 6:20
“You were bought at a price. Therefore honour God with your body.”
