Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? (1 Cor. 6:15)
A FRIEND OF MINE refused to do a book study because she didn’t want to and she didn’t have to. True. But the study was a focus on complete surrender to God’s call on our lives. She repeated, “I don’t want to and I don’t have to” several times—which I found interesting. If ever there were a motto for our culture, that’s it. But Paul would have disagreed.
In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul argued that our bodies are not our own. “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?” Wow! What a concept! Not even my body belongs to me. I possess nothing but what Christ has given me, and therefore Christ decides how my body is used—for His glory.
So if my body truly belongs to Christ, how would that change how I use it? Would I abuse it in any way? Would I use it for ungodly purposes? How do I live in a body that belongs to Christ? This passage gives clear directions of what not to do. Remembering that Jesus is always present with us in spirit might guide us in the proper use for a Christ-owned “temple” of the Holy Spirit.
Determine today that you can’t just do what you want.
Kathy Bence lives in Idaho with her professor husband, Phil.
