Like so many people I try to get to the gym a few times a week for my regular bouts with the bulge. It never fails that when I am there I will be surrounded by a few people who have, to borrow Paul’s language, “become more than conquerors” of that stubborn bulge. They have chiseled muscles in places that I am not sure I even have muscles. Within that particular circle, it is not uncommon to hear the motto…“The body is a temple.” This creed, of sorts, is the driving force behind the fervor of so many to attain and maintain the epitome of the human physique.
Now, whether they realize it or not, such a motto has its roots in the scriptures, particularly 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, which does contain the phrase, “your body is a temple.” Yet the question should be asked, “Whose temple is it?” Ask the average person on the street and you will probably be given a response to the effect of, “Well, it’s my temple. We keep our bodies in shape for our own well-being and existence.” This belief goes all the way back to the days of Alexander the Great, who fervently spread the ideology (called Hellenism) that MAN is his own god and should be elevated in the sight of all. Think about it for a while and you will discover that this philosophy has permeated western cultures all the way to this day. So what is the problem with believing your body is a temple for your own self-existence?
The problem is that the scripture from which the popular motto is drawn says something completely different. Notice the actual content. “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.” Not forgetting the full context of sexual purity, note who the owner and resident of your bodily temple is. It is God’s Spirit who resides in your temple. As such, upkeep, care, and use are at His disposal. If anyone is to be worshipped with the good health and strength we have, it is God…not me. He bought me with a price, and He is the one who receives glory. With a similar thought in mind, Paul will say in Romans 12 to “present your bodies as living sacrifices” to God.
Such a truth should cause us to readjust the purpose for any efforts to keep ourselves healthy and clean. I hope you place a specified focus on doing so. After all, as a Christian, your body is a temple. It is just not your temple.
Cory Waddell