Glorify God With Your Body

Feature 2 – July/August 2020 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Glorify God With Your Body

Many philosophers of history have sought to understand the source of evil and whether mankind can overcome it. Some have concluded that the problem of evil is centered in the material world and the human body. For example, a 3rd century philosopher named Mani taught that humans have divine souls which must be liberated from within their evil physical bodies. This system of thought, called “Manichaeism” (pronounced “Man-i-KEY-ism”), persisted in various forms in the Middle East, Europe and Asia for many centuries.

Beliefs like this have sometimes infected Christian teachings. It must be acknowledged that every wicked deed ever done on earth has, in fact, been committed through the activity of a human body. Certainly those sins have brought much distress into the world, to say nothing of the sorrow they inflict upon the heart of God. But does the Bible say that the human body itself is evil? Nothing could be further from the truth! When God created the first man and woman He declared that everything was very good. Even now, in humanity’s fallen, sinful condition, it can be said men and women bear the image of God (Gen. 1:31; Jas. 3:9). Therefore it is helpful to seek a biblical understanding of our physical bodies so we can accurately recognize God’s assessment of them.

Our Earthly Tent
Our bodies are wonderfully intricate masterpieces of God’s design. Many amazing examinations of the human body’s interdependent systems have produced massive volumes of detail regarding its perfections. At the same time our bodies are frail and weak. A small scratch might permit the entrance of a microscopic infection that can quickly ravage the entire body. Or, even if we are granted years of good health, the slow decline of age leads eventually and inevitably to weakness and death. Our bodies are only temporary dwellings, after all – our earthly tents (2 Cor. 5:1).

These earthly homes are subject to the cares and needs of this life. Yet Christ Himself lived on earth in a human body – without sin – and was subject to hunger, thirst, tiredness and all the other weaknesses and limitations a body imposes. This fact actually honors our physical bodies, for it affirms that God displays His work on earth through their activity. Therefore, perhaps the most basic statement about our bodies is that it is right for us to take care of them. God knows our weaknesses, and He shows mercy to us since we are only dust (Ps. 103:13-14). Despairing Elijah was given food and water, and the Lord’s weary disciples were offered rest (1 Ki. 19:5-7; Mk. 6:31). The Lord acted with compassion to provide food for the multitude which gathered around Him lest they would faint from hunger on the way home (Mt. 15:32).

Desires for good health and suitable clothing are appropriate. When we are sick we cannot do what we previously did for the Lord (2 Tim. 4:20). We should therefore develop good eating habits, maintain a healthy weight, dress ourselves in modest, appropriate clothing, and keep ourselves looking presentable. It is true that the Lord sees our hearts (1 Sam. 16:7), but that does not mean we should ignore our health or look shabby in public. When Joseph was invited to stand before Pharaoh, he shaved; and those who are fasting are taught by the Lord to maintain a normal appearance (Gen. 41:14; Mt. 6:17-18).

On the other hand, we should avoid extreme devotion to fitness or fashion. We ought to be content with the bodies God gave us, accepting our body types and imperfections. Many have despaired because they believe they are not thin enough, attractive enough, muscular enough – and the list goes on. But God does not make junk! Every person, regardless of appearance, is of precious worth simply by being human.

Some have become fashion enthusiasts, collecting clothing and jewelry as if those things will add value to their humanity. This is misguided. Our primary attractiveness should come from our character, not from jewels and fancy clothes. The apostle Peter wrote especially to women about this (1 Pet. 3:3-4), but the principles apply to all. We should note, however, that those Scriptures do not mean that nice clothing and tasteful jewelry are prohibited for Christians. Reading the text that way would imply all clothing is wrong to wear, which is plainly not the case.

Because the body is our earthly tent, we should also recognize that there are earthly joys which God not only approves but even intends for us to appreciate. A good meal, for example, is certainly in this category if it is received as from God, who “gives us richly all things to enjoy” (1 Tim. 6:17 NKJV). Christ Himself came eating and drinking (Lk. 7:34), and we may do the same, although we also recognize the need to avoid unhealthy foods or gluttonous habits. The physical pleasures of life are all acceptable if enjoyed in their proper place and context.

Possess Your Vessel
Still, the enjoyment of a good meal should not prevent our ability to appreciate a simple one. When the Lord sent His messengers He told them to eat and drink whatever was set before them and to avoid going from house to house. They were to accept whatever was provided by their hosts rather than seek a better situation someplace else (10:7). Enjoying earthly things does not mean that we should develop extravagant tastes, which can lead to sinful excess.

When pleasures become goals in themselves, they will always lead us astray. Paul wrote about some people whose bellies had become their god and who were ruled by earthly things (Phil. 3:19). This is clearly an unacceptable use of material pleasures. Although the body has various needs, reactions and desires, we are not to live like the beasts! Both Peter and Jude wrote about some who were controlled by their bodies to this extent, and Jude added that those natural instincts had turned into corrupting influences (2 Pet. 2:12; Jude 1:10). Cravings for food, dependence on alcohol, addictions to painkillers or other drugs, obsessions about sexual pleasure – all of these in principle might be rooted in acceptable behavior. However, unchecked desires can become dominating influences that control our lives. Satan takes great pleasure in providing us with opportunities to ruin what God had intended for us to enjoy.

The potential for sin does not, however, mean that our bodies are evil. The redeemed believers in Rome received these instructions: “Do not let sin reign in your mortal body ... And do not present your members as instruments of unrighteousness to sin, but present ... your members as instruments of righteousness to God” (Rom. 6:12-13). Like most earthly things, our bodies can be used for either good or bad. Our flesh, as the Bible describes it, is the natural part of us which always wants its own way and refuses to submit to God. Fleshly motives will seek to control our bodily members, attempting to use our mouths, hands and feet as instruments of unrighteousness. But those very same body parts can be used as instruments of righteousness. As we present our bodies to God as living sacrifices we prove that God’s will is good and perfect (Rom. 12:1-2).

Because the Holy Spirit resides in the body of every believer, we are empowered to choose to do God’s work with our bodies. We also have personal responsibility in this. God’s good and perfect will, mentioned above, is worked out in our lives as we learn to be more and more sanctified to Him.

We have been sanctified (1 Cor. 6:11), which means God has set us apart from the rest of the world to be His own special people. Yet we are also becoming sanctified by living out this truth in daily life according to God’s will. Each Christian “should know how to possess his own vessel in sanctification and honor” (1 Th. 4:3-4). Our “vessel” is a metaphor for our bodies, and it is a lifelong process to exercise self-control through the work of the Holy Spirit, rather than give in to our passionate bodily desires.

Glorify God In Your Body
It is not surprising that the Bible tells us to honor God with our souls and spirits, but we are also instructed to glorify Him with our bodies! “You were bought at a price,” wrote Paul, “therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s” (1 Cor. 6:20). God delights to be identified not only with our spirits but also with our bodies, and we can honor Him through them.

In some Bible translations our bodies are called “vile,” such as in Philippians 3:21 (KJV). This has sometimes led to the wrong view that our bodies are worthless and despised. But the old English word “vile” did not mean then what it means today. Its common usage at that time merely referred to something of little value or of low esteem, not something disgusting or foul.

God intends to give us bodies of glory like Christ’s. In comparison to that, our human bodies surely seem to be of low estate! Yet for now, these bodies are all we have. In our weaknesses we can trust God’s strength; in our sicknesses we can call on Him for help; in our joys we can appreciate the God who gave them. In all these things we are able to bring honor to the God of the universe. We have to serve Him with our limited human bodies – and yet that is exactly the way we serve Him with all that we are!

By Stephen Campbell