Our Bodies, The Holy Spirit’s Temple
Today I flew to Dallas, Texas for the “Legacy Conference.” This is the first national conference on Christian grandparenting. There are a host of great speakers and topics and the schedule for the next three days will be full and challenging.
BIBLE VERSE FOR TODAY…. “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” (1 Corinthians 6:19,20 NIV)
The Temple in Jerusalem was the physical representation of the glory of God. It was “God’s dwelling” place with the understanding that the God of the universe can not be confined or limited in space. He is omnipresent. He is everywhere, at the same time. He is without limit.
Paul used that imagery to arrest the Corinthians attention to the importance of honoring the Lord with their lives. There are two ways in which Paul used this metaphor. One of those is in reference to committing sin with and against our physical bodies.
He asserts that our “bodies are the temple of the Holy.” The Holy Spirit Paul says is, “in us” and is God’s gift to us when we embrace life in Him.
We use the language of “inviting the Lord into our life.” As children many raised in the church remember singing a song that contain the words, “….come into my heart Lord Jesus.”
We we stop and consider that, it should get our attention. Paul revisits this in his second letter to the Corinthians. Paul challenges believers by asking the rhetorical question, “…do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?” (2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV)
This presents a challenge to us as individuals to live as those who have “sanctified” bodies that reflect the “sanctified” life the Lord calls us to. Paul says clearly, “you are not your own.” It we stop and give that consideration, it should have an impact on us. That flies in the face of “it’s my body, I can do with it as I want” mentality that we find in present culture.
There are perhaps a host of applications and it is easy to “run wild” with the concept. But what is important is that while we are in this life, our spirits are part of our bodies and Christ’s spirit inhabits our lives. We must consider the impact of this. Does it just relate to the way we live? But also how we use and “treat” our bodies?
Prayer for today… Lord, often we read the words of scripture, but find the challenge in taking them to heart; meditating on what is being said; and applying it to our lives. May we seek Your guidance, as we to please and honor You.