Our Bodies For God's Glory

Many Christians focus on the externals of serving God with their body--going through the motions--forgetting the spiritual dimension.  The Jews also focused on externalism like fasting, sacrifices, Sabbath and holy day observance, circumcision, kosher rules, washing of hands and feet, and tithing.  It was Jesus who first brought spirituality into this new realm of performance.  We are not called to be a body-builder nor to elevate the body in such a way so as to distract from the spiritual element.  Even non-Christians can diet, exercise, and be hygienic but this doesn't define any spiritual devotion--quite the contrary, it may be a focus on the physical at the expense of the spiritual.  Paul did say that physical exercise was of some benefit but the discipline of godliness has a greater reward in this life and the one to come; though we must discipline our bodily passions, appetites, and desires.

There have been great believers who have been overweight for instance including Spurgeon and Luther, and there is no direct correlation between weight and holiness.  It is far more significant whether one is a glutton or makes food the focus of his life than whether they are overweight.  Some refer to 1 Cor. 9:27 that mentions that we can be "disqualified" after having preached to others, but this means being trapped in sin, not some physical standard to comply with or meet. 

Preachers that work out may live longer, be more attractive, and feel better about themselves, but there is no direct correlation with spiritual hygiene and physical discipline, especially in the senior years.  We don't need work-out heroes and champs but prayer warriors!  I see ads for male testosterone that enhances a man's ability to gain muscle mass and think this is nothing but vanity--a no-no for one's spiritual walk.  We need to learn to walk with the Lord, not walk our dog!  This physical body will decay and it's not a contest to see what a good corpse will be in our coffin.

On the other hand, though we don't either exalt nor degrade it we ought to treat it with respect and not be abusive nor remiss.  For instance, when good food is available we should have the discipline to eat our vegetables and even thank God we have them and not consume them begrudgingly.  Our appetites can get the best of us and lead to lack of discipline overall.  Our physical health is enhanced by proper diet and this, in turn, makes us feel better and more productive for God's work--but I do not believe we are called to be vegans or go on fancy and expensive diet programs.  The key is to avoid extremes and to count all food as the blessing of God and none should be refused for His sake.

But let's focus on the real bodies that we must dedicate to God:  our feet are meant to rush to those that need comfort and aid; we need to be lending a helping hand to those in need; we need eyes that see that world's blight and disasters; we have voices that sound off for God and spread His message of grace; God gave us ears that hear those crying for help (we must beware lest God's Word falls on deaf ears); our minds must be dedicated to thinking a divine viewpoint and expressing the thoughts of Christ with His cures; God gave us hearts to reach out in love to all in need and in our circle or orbit and we must pray for God to unite our hearts to fear His name; and our labor is meant to build and do the work of Christ in the world.  The whole point of salvation is that God gives us a new heart to love Him and do His will in service.

Remember that true faith expresses itself!  The faith you have is the faith you show, someone has said.  Note that we are to love God with all our strength and this means putting our best foot forward and always doing our best for God's glory, with whatever bodily strength we can muster.   As Mother Teresa of Calcutta, now canonized, said:  Christ has no hands but ours, no feet but ours; and no heart like ours to share with the world in need.

Christians have problems with their spiritual bodies: they become hard of hearing spiritually and are not sensitive to God's will and mission; they become blind to things of the Spirit and need their eyes opened up as revealed in the Word--both ways they become callous to fulfilling their calling in life and using their gifts and all the resources God has granted them and will hold them accountable for.  We are to walk by faith, not by sight nor feeling and this can only be done a proper focus on the way God reveals His will to us.

I would be remiss not to mention that the only sin against the body is sexual immorality, not getting fat!  In the final analysis, we all need to admit we have feet of clay (flaws not readily apparent) and constantly need the eyes of our hearts and understanding to be enlightened by God's Word.  In sum, we are to offer our bodies as living sacrifices (cf. Rom. 12:1) unto God (for we all died and our life is hidden in Christ, cf. Col 3:3)--i.e., living for Him, His glory, and will.    Soli Deo Gloria!

Glorify God In Your Body

"My dear friends, since we have these promises, let's cleanse ourselves from anything that contaminates our body or spirit so that we make our holiness complete in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1, CEB).
"For everything created by God is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with gratitude; for it is sanctified by means of the word of God and prayer" (1 Tim. 4:4-5, NASB).

Our bodies are not our own as believers but have been purchased by Christ and we are His--He owns us!  (cf. 1 Cor. 6:20).  We must glorify God bodily as living sacrifices and offer ourselves up to Him daily; God doesn't call us to martyrdom, but to live for Christ as witnesses.  Glorifying God in our body doesn't mean we exalt it nor worship it, but that we show all due respect and not neglect or demean it.  We show no respect when we don't watch our diets and eat virtually anything, including thriving on comfort foods or fast food when we know they are not good for us and have access to good food.

I'm not addressing attitudes toward the opposite sexual persuasion, but toward our own body--remember, no man hates his own flesh, but nourishes it and cherishes it, according to Scripture though.  There is profit in exercise for this life (cf. 1 Tim. 4:8), but we must not overemphasize it and forget the more important exercise of the spirit in godly matters such as prayer, witnessing, and Bible reading--spiritual exercise.  The person with the best body doesn't win!

We all have a cross to bear and different responsibilities and we cannot and must not compare ourselves with others (cf. 2 Cor. 10:12)--we will be judged individually and held accountable for what God allotted us (2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10,12).  One way to show respect for the body is to keep it clean, especially when in public or in the company of others.  Cleanliness is still a biblical principle, and though it was a ritual according to the Law, and Jesus wasn't serious about washing His hands, which offended the Pharisees, we show respect for others by bathing and not being unnecessarily offensive, thus creating stumbling blocks to our testimony.  We aim to offend no one!  Christ is offensive to some but that doesn't mean we are to be.

Being a good Christian doesn't mean we necessarily are spiritually measured by our weight as if we can't be a spiritual or good believer if we are overweight, but Christians shouldn't be addicted to food nor have food disorders such as binge eating.  Some people's sins are more visible, while those of others are not that apparent.  But we can be sure our sin will find us out (cf. Num. 32:23).  We are to reject no food on religious grounds that it's contaminated or unclean, for God has cleansed all food--all food is blessed or consecrated "by the Word of God and prayer" (cf. 1 Tim. 4:5).  But that doesn't give us free rein to eat foolishly on junk food with a devil-may-care attitude.  Gluttony is a real sin and was considered one of the so-called Seven Deadly Sins.

Then again, spiritual discipline and care far outweigh the physical, but we must never forget the offering of our bodies to Christ and realizing they belong to Him as our reasonable service and worship (cf. Romans 12:1). We are mere stewards of our bodies, on loan from God, and respecting them and treating them with dignity goes along with being pro-life in general.  Note that in Christ's servile act of foot-washing of his disciples, He showed that cleanliness is not merely physical, though we are "clean" physically if we have bathed--grooming and hygiene are equally of concern.  Christ also chided the Pharisees for declaring that nothing that enters the mouth defiles him, but only what comes out! Food isn't unclean nor evil of itself (cf. 1 Tim. 4:3).  Glorifying God in your body entails much more than respect for the body per se, but using it in good works, like lending a helping hand, having heart, sharing your strength and talents to help the weaker brother, walking the extra mile, putting your best foot forward, hearing, seeing, and speaking no evil, and so forth.

Also, it's a no-brainer that respected bodies entail clean clothes (cf. Zech 3:3-4), for there is much truth in the proverb:  "Cleanliness is next to godliness."  Ben Franklin had some noteworthy words of wisdom:  Dress to please others [especially pleasing to Christ if you're saved]; eat to please yourself [with self-control, a fruit of the Spirit]; and speak to please God [Paul strove to be offensive to no one--Acts 24:16!].  In the final analysis, Scripture lists one sin specifically against the body, namely, sexual immorality or adultery (adultery means impurity, uncleanness, making weak, mixing impurities with, or corruption by the way).

Paul bore in his body the marks of Jesus and it goes without saying that suffering in the body brings glory to God, as we bear our cross and follow Him. Paul had suffered the thirty-nine lashes minus one five times!  He who has suffered in the flesh has ceased from sin.  This is the real stigmata, not necessarily what Saint Francis of Assisi supposedly had.  Note that loving God with all our strength implies we use all the strength God has endowed and blessed us with faithfully and not fainting in the Lord's work, to become lackadaisical or slack.  Soli Deo Gloria!