By Danielle Amatucci
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
"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."
What is a temple? A temple is a place of worship, considered to be a sacred place. Paul is
saying that we are temples of the Holy Spirit – what does that mean? Well, if we accept Jesus
into our hearts, we know that the Holy Spirit lives inside of us. These 2 verses perfectly display that:
‘And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ
from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you.”
Romans 8:11
“Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you—guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit who
lives in us.” 2 Timothy 1: 14
Our bodies are gifted to us, from God, and for God. We did not create our own bodies, our own
personalities, our own appearances - God did! If our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, we
should be treating our bodies in that way.
How do we treat our own homes? Do you scribble on the walls with permanent markers? Do
you break plates and furniture? Do you treat it carelessly? Drag mud and dirt all around the
house? Do you tear down the exterior of the house?
We should respect our homes! Who tells us how to clean, how to respect our homes? Our
parents! Think of your body in the same way - respect your body! Who tells us how to respect
our bodies? God! Why should we respect our bodies? Because it is a temple of the Holy Spirit.
There are a lot of ways we can easily disrespect our bodies. Whether through sexual
tempations, looking at ourselves with hateful/judgemental eyes, or even just neglecting to see
ourselves the way Jesus sees us. A lot of times we disrespect our bodies because there are so
many outside influences coming in, its hard to know what the actual truth is.
So, what are some ways we can respect our bodies? How can we treat them like the beautiful
temples God designed them to be?
1. Love yourself through the eyes of the Lord
God designed our bodies perfectly, He made you the way you are for a reason. Sometimes it's
really hard to see that and embrace that, but when we look at what God says about us, it makes
it a little bit easier. Psalm 139: 14 says “I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are
wonderful.” So, because we can believe, and rest on that truth, that we are fearfully and
wonderfully made, we can treat our temples (bodies) with adoration and beauty. We can treat
our temples with respect because we know what God says about us.
2. Know your worth in Christ
The second half of 1 Corinthians 6:19 says that we were bought at a price. That price was the
blood of Jesus - He died for us and shed His blood for us. For us! It’s such a crazy thought -
how can we be so important to God that He would send Jesus to die, just for us? That’s how
much God loves you. He wants your heart, He wants you to find worth in Him, not in anything
else. So, understand how important you are to God.
3. Treat your bodies with care
Move your body, exercise! Eat your fruits, vegetables. The most important part about this -
exercise because you love your body through the eyes of the Lord, and because you know your
worth in Christ. Don’t exercise because you dislike your body, or want it to look a certain way on
Instagram.
Fitness is a great way to learn how you can honor your bodies. Find a workout that you enjoy
and look forward to doing!
Treating your body as the temple God designed is not easy! It takes time. The more you pray
and learn more about God’s love for you, it will seem a little clearer on why God blessed us
with our bodies, and why God wants us to treat our bodies with respect.
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