Do you not know? We find this phrase six times in 1 Corinthians chapter 6. I always stop to give attention to the words and phrases that get repeated in scripture. So what is it that we should know about ourselves and our bodies? There are two things that I am taking from verses 19-20:
1. Our bodies are a temple of the Holy Spirit.
We often talk about the Holy Spirit as if He’s somewhere else and we have to call Him to come to us. But as believers, He makes his home inside of us. When I was growing up, my brothers and I cleaned on Saturdays. First, we had to take care of our home, and then we had to take care of the church. We need to care for our physical bodies in the same way we would care for a church building. We need to repair whatever is damaged in our spirits. We need to weed out the evil and trim off whatever hinders the Holy Spirit from being free in our hearts.
2. We are not our own.
Jesus paid a high price for us. His blood is the guarantee for the new covenant that God made with us. We are valuable to Him. We are His creation, fearfully, and wonderfully made.
Following these two takeaways, we find the word, “Therefore.” This means because of all that was mentioned, we must honor God with our very selves. In the same way that the Church building needs to be cared for, so do our bodies. I love the way this passage is written in the Passion Translation of the Bible. It says,
“Have you forgotten that your body is now the sacred temple of the Spirit of Holiness, who lives in you? You don’t belong to yourself any longer, for the gift of God, the Holy Spirit, lives inside your sanctuary. You were God’s expensive purchase, paid for with tears of blood, so by all means, then, use your body to bring glory to God!” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (TPT)
As believers, we are being watched. Others take note of how we live, how we act, and how we respond to situations in life. Are we being good stewards of what God has given us? Are we treating our temple with respect?
Every building begins with a foundation. My foundation is more than just a hashtag, #praysweateatrepeat, that I’ve been using. It’s more than the reason I wrote a devotional for YouVersion, or a slogan on a t-shirt, it’s the core of my strategy for building a rock-solid foundation for my temple. I desire that my faith, fitness, food, and focus all bring glory to Him. I’m a work in progress that won’t be perfected until I stand in His presence. How about you? What foundation are you building on?
Let’s Reflect: How are you currently caring for your temple? What are you building your life on? Take some time to journal. Pray about a personal strategy for building a solid foundation and ask God to help you put it into action.
Let’s Pray: Precious Lord, we acknowledge that we are not our own. We have been redeemed by Your blood and reconciled to God through the covenant that You mediated for us. God, teach us how to build, teach us how to honor You with all of who we are. In Jesus’ holy name. Amen.