God’s Imperfect Home
“All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any. Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. 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! 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.” But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee sexual immorality. Every sin that a man does is outside the body, but he who commits sexual immorality sins against his own body. 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? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
- 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (NKJV)
This morning we will begin the first in our ‘Keys for Christian Living’ series. Today we will look at the physical nature of the Christian, namely the human body. In reading through the book of Corinthians, which coincidentally is the quintessential book on Christian living, I came to our scripture text today. In it Paul reminds us that our physical body is home to God’s Holy Spirit and that we have been ‘bought at a price’, that being the death of Christ Jesus. Knowing the bodies importance as the vessel of His Spirit, it behooves the Christian to treat it right and nurture it correctly in order to accomplish the plan of God not only in our lives but in relation to our calling as Christians to ‘go forth’.
God, who before the creation of the universe, lived outside of space and time, and who at a given point spoke into existence the world and all that live within it, has throughout the history of human existence spoken to us and lived among us in different ways; first in the Garden of Eden where we learn in Genesis that He walked with Adam and Eve in the cool of the day. Later, after their fall from grace we see God inhabit the tabernacle where He would manifest His glory so that the Israelites would believe on Him. And now as we are in the season of Christ’s birth we are remind of the book of Hebrews that tells us “God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son, whom He has appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the worlds; who being the brightness of His glory and the express image of His person, and upholding all things by the word of His power, when He had by Himself purged our sins, sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become so much better than the angels…” And lastly we are reminded, as we have reiterated over the last few weeks, that it is the Son of God that promised to us a ‘comforter’ after He returned to the Father. John writes the words of Jesus: “But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me…” That comforter which Jesus speaks is the Holy Spirit which He promises to give to us (remember Acts 2:38-40) which in turn would live within us.
It is here we MUST understand that prophecy of God through Ezekiel that says “I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will keep My judgments and do them.” Paul reminds us over and over that we “have been crucified with Christ; it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me.” Why do we need to fully understand that God’s Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of the risen Christ, lives within us? Well, that brings us to our scripture today.
The key questions of the text today guide us in understanding the importance of cultivating our whole being; mind, body, and spirit for Gods purpose. Those questions are: “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? … 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?” There are three keys to understanding our text today which, once contemplated and examined, will help us to understand our own bodies and its importance to the kingdom of God and I hope will also encourage us to take a little better care of our ‘whole’ person.
Textual Understanding –
1) Members of Christ – 1 Corinthians 12:12-14 reads “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.” Paul goes further and says later “Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.” As individuals we are members of the body of Christ which is the Church, the bride of Christ. Upon repentance and confession of our faith in Jesus Christ as the Son of God and subsequent baptism into the authority of His name, we acknowledge and enter this new body, regardless of where we come from, who our parents are, how much money we make, what type of job we have, and even regardless of our past sins.
So, as Paul exhorts us to understanding He reminds us that our bodies, this physical fleshly tent that we indwell in, is more than flesh but is a member of the body of Christ, individual and yet corporate. He reminds us that as the body of Christ that we should refrain from the temptations of this world that would cause us to become ‘one flesh’ with the body of evil that is present, in the case of this particular scripture that body of evil is sexual immorality that drives a wedge between us and Christ. But we can take it further to understand that as the body of Christ we should do all in our power to refrain from any sin that would cause our bodies, the temple of the Holy Spirit, to be less than it should be in the kingdom of God.
2) Temple of the Holy Spirit – “do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you…”? Here Paul takes his liberty to the church and presents a word picture for his readers that harkens them back to the wilderness stories of the Israelites. For the Jew this imagery must have caused a strong emotion, for in it they are reminded of God’s immense and holy presence with Israel, dwelling with them in the temple, or tabernacle. We are told that in those days that once per year the High Priest was allowed to minister in the Holiest of Holies, where Gods presence resided. A rope was tied around the ankle of the priest so that if he went in and was without repentance or had fault in his life that was unresolved, that the very holiness of God’s presence would overtake the man and kill him. Folks, sin cannot exist in the same realm as a Holy God. Paul tells them again and again to resist immoral activity because the Holy Spirit which now resides in the believer is the same presence that dwelt among men in the temple or tabernacle of old. Again, I don’t think we quite grasp that sometimes. We have become the temple / tabernacle of God’s Spirit. Because of that we have an obligation to align our lives with His will and to follow a path of holiness. For Paul, that admonition here was to avoid sexual immorality which we can see was a serious problem for the church at Corinth.
3) We belong to Christ – “Or do you not know that … you are not your own?”
Paul tells his readers and us today, those that have found faith in Jesus Christ that “you were bought at a price…” That price is that Jesus was crucified as a sacrifice for the sins of all mankind. Because of this we have been given the gift of God’s grace, our sins have been forgiven, and just as importantly because He overcame the grave and rose again that we to will overcome death in the end and will spend eternity with Him. The cost of this gift was and still is the priceless sacrifice of the living God for us, then…and now.
So, if we belong to Christ and our lives have been bought by the precious blood of Jesus Christ, does it not behoove us to serve Him with our whole mind, body, and soul? Does it not suggest to us that our health; physically, mentally, and emotionally are important to Him as He now lives within us?
The ‘So What?’ –
What this means for us today is simple but profound. As I have stated several times over the last few of my messages, the day we invite God into our lives and trust in Jesus Christ is the day and hour that His Holy Spirit comes to live WITHIN us. That means we have God in us right now. Obviously if we truly understand that then it makes sinning much more difficult for the Spirit speaks to our spirit and warns us away from those things which are not right for us. Now, we understand this in relation to sin but what about in relation to our health and well being. We might not watch porn every night but many of us load up on calories or nicotine or any number of other things that dilute our health: mentally and physically. We must remember that gluttony and sloth are also sins and causes us immeasurable damage.
Understanding How –
So, how do we overcome the dangers to our physical and mental health? Well, it’s like repentance. When it comes to our sin we trust in Christ by repenting, or turning from our former ways, and vowing to live a life pleasing to God. To change, we must repent. Look at our present eating, thinking, and exercise activities. Do they support a vibrant and healthy life? If not, it’s time to repent. To help us do that I took a look at a very popular health plan that is making its way around churches today for some insight and guidance. The Daniel Plan, as it is known, is endorsed by Pastor Rick Warren. Rick came to the conclusion a few years ago after a marathon of over 800 baptisms completed in one day that his size and health were not conducive for an active ministry. In other words, his health was interfering with all God had called him to do and it was, quite literally, killing him. Although I am not going to advocate neither the diet nor the actual plan as that is up to you and your prayerful choice, I would give you some insight offered directly from their website on the fundamental approach to the plan. It is offered as the following.
First of all we need:
FAITH
“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” -
Philippians 4:13 (WEB)
God is the power and the energy behind all transformational change and that includes making the lifestyle choices necessary for you to become healthy. We all have a part to play in getting healthier, but God will energize your efforts.
CONCERNING FOOD
“So whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” - 1 Corinthians 10:31 (NIV)
Each healthy choice you make fuels your progress and motivates you to stay the course.
CONCERNING FITNESS
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit …
Therefore honor God with your bodies.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19a, 20b (NIV)
The most effective form of exercise you can do to achieve abundant health is the one that you will actually do. We encourage you to discover movement that you will enjoy and repeat. Most importantly, have fun doing it!
THE NEED FOR FOCUS
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.” - Romans 12:2 (NIV)
In a world where so many distractions compete for your attention, it is more important than ever to focus on God’s plan and priorities for your life. Express your gratitude to God and make the choice to dwell in God’s goodness; consistently reflecting on his truth and promises.
AND LASTLY, THE NEED FOR FRIENDS
“Two people are better off than one, for they can help each other succeed.” - Ecclesiastes 4:9 (NLT)
When it comes to getting healthy, two are always better than one. The Bible says God created the universe in such a way that we need each other. “Everybody needs a buddy”. We truly get better together. Find an ‘accountability’ partner to help share in your struggle.
Again, the previous helps come directly from the website at: http://www.danielplan.com/start/the-essentials/
Conclusion –
“For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.” Always remembering that “All things are lawful for me, but all things are not helpful. All things are lawful for me, but I will not be brought under the power of any.” We can eat anything we want, but it may cause us problems later. We can avoid physical activity, but the more we go without it the more lethargic we will become. And lastly, a mind unused is a crime against God and our freedom. Today is the day, as we enter this new year, to enact true change in mind, body, and soul. But I would be remiss if I did not remind you that it is through Christ Jesus that all things are possible. We shouldn’t even begin, if we cannot begin with Him.
