Not Your Own
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. 1 Corinthians 6:19
This section makes four powerful statements about our physical bodies. All four share a common concept summed up by the second statement, “You are not your own” As beings who innately struggle with pride, this is a tough pill to swallow, hard to even wrap our heads around. Even if we agree with it, we still always act like we are our own.
We are not our bodies, rather, we are souls inhabiting our bodies. As Christians, we have been bought, and paid with the lifeblood of Christ. The Lord bought us for a reason and for a purpose. That purpose isn’t to sit on a shelf collecting dust, nor is it to be another apostle Paul. We are to glorify God in the exact way he designed us to.
We all have unique circumstances in our lives, but we are all temples of the Holy Spirit. We get the privilege of serving him in ways no one will see … personal, private ways. Along with all the other less private ways we are able to. What a wonderful way to do life. It’s the highest calling anyone could have without the fear of being unable.
Jonathan Duncan
Building Up a Church Body
We have all been in that situation. Your heart is racing, you’re sweating from every crevice, your muscles are burning, and you’re wondering why you’re doing this to yourself. Yep, you guessed it… exercising.
We all know that building up our bodies is hard work. Hard enough that we often give ourselves really good reasons why we can't do it. I recently started working out doing CrossFit. (I know I know, I've heard all the jokes about how there are no quiet vegans or cross-fitters…😉). The first few weeks after every workout I wasn’t sure I’d be able to walk to my car. But then the craziest thing started to happen. I started sleeping better, being in a better mood and stopped getting sick all the time. See, we all know it’s good for us, but sometimes the work of just doing it feels like it’s too hard.
I think we do that in the church as well. The Bible tells us that the church is the body of Christ and that we each have our unique function and purpose. But even within the body, each part needs to be healthy for the whole body to function well. You know exactly what I mean if you‘ve ever hurt your pinky. You quickly realize that all your functioning is impaired and that little finger is the only thing you can think about even though it's just one tiny part of your otherwise functioning body.
Maybe we are missing out on some blessings because we haven't been exercising our part. We have each been given the tools to be equipped as saints; namely scripture, the Holy Spirit, and a community of believers. But is it possible that we sometimes just find it too hard to actually do? I know I do. I can think of 100 reasons why I can't be involved in building up the body of Christ (and they're mostly all over the floor of my kids’ room).
In Ephesians 4:12, Paul is urging the church in Ephesus to be building the church up, each part of the body doing its part so the whole body could function in unity and in love. And the same is true for us today. We each get a special blessing as we exercise our part, as “small” or “big” as it may seem, because that’s how we build each other up and glorify God.
And maybe like exercising our physical bodies, the first few weeks or tries will feel achy and hard and impossible. But after a while, we will see the fruit and the blessings that come to us as we engage in our part in building up the body of Christ.
What’s God calling you to? What part is He asking you to be in building up in His Church body?
Alisha Keating
Well Equipped
Ephesians 4:12 To equip the saints for ministry, for building up the body of Christ. Does anyone ever feel equipped to do anything they try? I’m legitimately asking because I can’t tell you how many times a day I feel that I’m not well equipped to do something I’m supposed to. Being a wife? Being a mom? Being a healthcare provider? There’s a term “imposter syndrome” that describes the feeling that you are in a position or role that you’re not qualified to be in even if you really are qualified. I find that I feel like an imposter in many areas of my life, even as a “saint” for Christ. I mean, even that word makes me feel like an imposter. I’m really not a saint. And I certainly do not feel equipped for ministry and building up the body. Music ministry? Didn’t really take voice lessons. Women’s ministry? I haven't been to seminary. Being a mom and raising boys in the way of Jesus in a postmodern world? …there’s no playbook for that. Certainly it can't be me that the Lord is asking to do those things… could it? Thankfully, I’m not alone in this feeling. I think of Moses and take comfort. He tried to make every excuse he could think of for why God shouldn’t use him to free God’s people from slavery in Egypt. And God used him anyway… And I love that. Isn’t it so sweet and beautiful that our loving Heavenly Father equips us through His Word, His Spirit, and His truth? Isn’t it amazing that even though we may have imposter syndrome in our different roles of ministry which happen inside the church campus and outside the church campus, he still uses us? Isn’t it fantastic that all the reasons we give God for why He shouldn’t use us He just smiles and nods and uses us anyway for His glory? And He will keep doing so over and over again. He has said, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in your weakness”. (2 Cor 12:9). Take heart, sister. You are equipped for your role because the God of unending love and grace has chosen you for your unique ministry and He is with you.
Alisha Keating
The Myth of What We Feel
I just wrapped up teaching portions of Plato’s Gorgias to my students, and because of that, I kept thinking of a passage we discussed as I read over 1st Corinthians 6. In the Gorgias, Socrates (Plato’s spokesman in his written works) speaks of the destructive power of injustice (or as Christians would call it, sin) on the soul. He demonstrates that sin affects your soul in the same way that an illness or disease affects your body: it makes your soul “sick.” The effects of sin on your soul aren’t felt in the same way that a bodily illness is felt, though, because the soul is not physical like your body is. However, this doesn’t mean that you’re not being affected. It just means that you can’t “see” the damage being done to you, and this might mislead you into thinking that your sin isn’t hurting you.
I think Socrates’ analogy is powerful because at the very least it can help us realize that sin can hurt us and affect us without us realizing it. This is also a point Paul is trying to make in 1st Corinthians 6:18: “The sexually immoral person sins against his own body.” It’s the idea that the very essence of who we are (which can’t be separated from our bodies) is being affected by our sexual sin, even though it may not feel like we’re being affected.
Another problem with sexual sin is that God has declared our bodies precious and holy, because as Christians we have been mystically united with Christ, and have become Christ’s body on earth. Paul sandwiches verse 18 with these words in verse 17, “But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him” and with these words in verse 19, “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?” Paul seems to be illustrating that in a similar way to a married couple becoming “one flesh,” we have become “one flesh” with Christ. And doesn’t sexual immorality violate and defile the union with Christ as the sexual immorality of adultery, for instance, violates the union of marriage? And let’s ponder the implications of this for a moment: any kind of sexual act that violates our “marriage” with Christ is going to harm our relationship with him, too, just as powerfully as a spouse cheating on their husband or wife will harm their relationship. It’s just as real! Just as devastating.
Now, can we feel our relationship with God being harmed through sexual immorality though? Not necessarily. And that’s the problem; it’s so easy to rationalize sexual immorality because of how good it feels in the moment. So, though it’s important not to forget that we belong to Christ no matter what we do (let’s not lose sight of this essential reality!), what is Paul’s advice for how to deal with something that can harm our relationship with God so powerfully? RUN. Away, away, away.
Ashley Carr
The Physical & the Spiritual
I still remember one of my first times teaching students about the nature of Jesus. I explained that he is one person with two natures, 100% human and 100% divine. A 7th-grade student was sitting in the front row and she immediately raised her hand and, without waiting to be called on, yelled out for the whole group to hear, “But wait, that's 200%!?” She was right to see a mystery there. God’s participation in and with humanity represents a host of mysteries, and one of those is the way that the spiritual and the physical collide.
This mystery happens in a similar manner in our bodies too. Paul asks in 1 Cor 6:15 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?” Our bodies may not feel very spiritual, but Paul emphasizes this point when he asks in verses 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.”
The spiritual is a part of the physical. Some imagine that our souls are the only part that is united to Christ, but our bodies are united to Christ too. The way we treat our bodies reflects the honor we give to or withhold from God. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6, this is especially emphasized with regard to sexual behavior.
Only Jesus is 100% human and 100% divine, but believers participate simultaneously in the natural and in the spiritual in ways that are intertwined and interconnected. It is easy to feel autonomous, but a proper perspective is one that lives in order to honor God, honor the Spirit of God who lives in us and honors Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection on our behalf. Therefore, let's live so that our bodies (our lives) honor God!
John Riley
Jr. High Pastor
The Hands and Feet of Jesus
We’ve learned a lot of things these last few years as we’ve navigated this Covid situation. One thing I think we all learned to appreciate in a very new and real way is the power of the human touch. We all know it’s powerful but until you’ve gone without it, it might be something really hard to know deep down without experience. And when the world began to open back up the first thing many of us did was run to hug those we hadn’t been able to hug in a long time.
I love that God created us with bodies. I’m thankful that He walked this earth in human form. I’ve often wondered what it must have been like to be alive during bible times and actually be one of Jesus’s followers and be able to see Him, touch Him, and maybe even hug Him. Fully God and yet walking like a man on earth. It must have been amazing!
Psalm 139:14 says He fearfully and wonderfully made us. From each teeny tiny microcell to the structure of our bones, to the color of our hair and eyes. We were created with intention, not just spiritual intention and purpose, but also the physical details of us and how we function. Even our fingerprints make each one of us unique from one another. Not even identical twins have the same fingerprint. Isn’t that amazing? God created each of us on purpose and with intention and calls us by name.
In 1 Corinthians 6:14, it says our bodies will be resurrected with Jesus. I’m sure there is a ton of theology that goes with this verse, but for me, I read it and take it at face value. I don’t know all the specifics and hows, but I believe my body will rise when Jesus returns for His church. And although my body will be riddled with all kinds of scars from this life on earth, I will get to one day stand in body form with Jesus and be able to touch Him and hug Him just like the disciples did so many years ago.
How does that impact you? Does that impact you? When I think about the details of how God uniquely created me I find I am more content with the body He gave me. Sure, there are things I struggle with, but God made me in His image and loves me for who He created me to be. And at the end of the day isn’t it God’s love that we should be most comforted with? The world tells us we need to be all sorts of things and fit certain molds to be loved. But not God, He says I created you and love you and want to bring you to heaven with me one day. Now that’s a truth and love I can cling to.
So what do we do in the meantime while we wait? I think we have a mission to serve others. That’s what God did when He was here on earth. He used his time to serve others. To love them, and to help change their hearts and lives. He wasn’t a spirit here on earth. He was a man and used His arms and legs to serve. And God has equipped us to do the same. We are the hands and feet of Jesus here on earth.
God says our bodies are a temple for the Holy Spirit (1Corinthians 6:19-20). God also says that we are a representation of Him. We are of value to Him. The WHO He created and the HOW He created us definitely matter. Do people see an example of Jesus when they see you or interact with you?
As you know, we just celebrated Easter and we know that Jesus was crucified and resurrected from the dead. It wasn’t a spirit that came floating out, His body that came walking out. If Jesus’ body was a big piece of the whole “resurrection story” then I have to believe that God recognizes our bodies as important too. I look forward to standing face to face one day in heaven with Him. How about you?
Bonnie Nichols
Women's Ministry Specialist
Some Body
Fun fact, the idea for buffet-style eating began in France in the 17th century, of course, some might say it was developed earlier or in other regions. The reason I threw out this fact is that in my younger days (higher metabolism) my friends and I loved going to buffets. We specifically looked for all you -can- eat buffets and sometimes we were asked to leave. We would spend a couple of hours talking, laughing, and eating until the restaurant staff was not our biggest fans. We were young athletes so we could eat pretty much what we wanted without worrying about what it might do to us. Now, however, I get indigestion just thinking about that.
Here is the point: our physical state has an effect on our spiritual state. When we are hungry, tired, and stressed, it takes a toll on our bodies and it takes a toll on our souls. In 1 Corinthians 6:12-20, Paul is addressing how physical sins affect our bodies and the body of the church. The issue was believers living out the philosophy of, “I have the right to do anything…” When they acted this out, it quickly became a problem because it opened up individuals to sin and it ended up hurting everyone. We are made of spirit (or soul) and flesh, and we need to take care of both. Paul reminds us that physical training has some value and he warns us to be careful because godliness or taking care of the soul is vital (1 Tim. 4:8).
Let’s be careful to make sure we take care of our souls and our bodies (no more all you can eat for me!), let’s strive to be ready for what God calls us to do. That will take discipline and it will take a desire for the things above more than the comfort for now. As we journey together, let’s encourage one another; take some time to reach out to someone who might need this reminder or if you need a little help, we are here and will do our best!
Pastor Jeremy Johnson
Family Pastor
Let Him Loose!
We have all experienced the consequences and yucky feeling that comes with knowing we have sinned. It might be a feeling of shame, a deep pit in the stomach, or an overwhelming lack of energy or life. In James 1:14-15 it says, “But each person is tempted when he is lured and enticed by his own desire. Then desire when it has conceived gives birth to sin, and sin, when it is fully grown, brings forth death.” Sin produces death.
Yet praise be to God for offering the solution through Jesus Christ! Eternal death is not our destiny as Paul declared in Romans 8:1-2, “There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus. For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death.” Not only are we no longer condemned, but we are set free! The bondage that once held us captive has been loosed, and we are pronounced alive in Christ.
John 11:42-44, in the Message, says, “Jesus raised his eyes to heaven and prayed, “Father, I’m grateful that you have listened to me. I know you always do listen, but on account of this crowd standing here I’ve spoken so that they might believe that you sent me.” Then he shouted, “Lazarus, come out!” And he came out, a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe with a kerchief over his face. Jesus told them, “Unwrap him and let him loose.”
Scripture proclaims over and over again that we are captives set free by the work of Jesus, and yet, we tend to walk out of our sin as a cadaver, wrapped from head to toe. We know the truth, and we know that we have been set free, but until the community that surrounds us responds by “unwrapping and letting us loose”, we continue to live as captives. We are called to live as children of God, free from condemnation, but often we are still burdened down by the scorn, scrutiny, and shame of others. We know the truth, but we don’t know how to live as free.
What role then should the community of believers play in “letting others loose”? What good do we serve by reminding others of their sin? Is that even our job? What good does it do to kick our brother when he is down? What kind of community could we live within instead, if only we genuinely believed that there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, turned to our neighbors, loosened their chains, and declared them righteous?
Who do you know that has struggled, turned to God for their hope, and now longs to live in the freedom that comes only from Christ Jesus? What is your response? Do you point your finger and gossip? Or are you actively loosening their bindings and reminding them of their righteousness through the grace of Christ Jesus? Are you a conduit of condemnation, or of hope and forgiveness? May we all be the sweet aroma of Jesus, loving our neighbors, proclaiming truth, and reminding captives the chains have been loosed and they have been set free!
Lynette Fuson
Director of Care & Counseling
He Said it, but He Didn’t Get it!
John 11:47-53:
“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”
Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was a high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! You do not realize that it is better for you that one man dies for the people than that the whole nation perish.”
He did not say this on his own, but as high priest that year he prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one. So from that day on they plotted to take his life.
A sad sad story. The High Priest spoke the truth, spoke what would be recorded as God’s Word contained in the Word of God, and yet, he did not know what he was saying. If you are ever feeling strongly against someone if you ever find yourself despising or conspiring against another person, watch out! You may be following the devil’s plans and not the Lord’s way of love.
John Riley
Jr. High Pastor
Resurrecting Glory
In the history of good deals, the offer of eternal life ranks as the very best! Life in its total abundance for all of time! What could be better?
And yet, here we see despite the Good News Jesus brings – indeed, the Good News that Jesus is (John 11:25) – there are some either disappointed, offended or even angered by it!
Why is this the case? We can gather some clues from this passage.
Mary and Martha both reasonably complain: “Lord, if you had been here our brother would not have died!” (John 11:21, 32). Notice how their lack of faith isn’t whether Jesus has the power of resurrection, rather it’s whether he even cares! The Jews echo this: “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” (John 11:37)
Through his tears, Jesus proves that they’re wrong about him. He does care. For they, after seeing him weeping, proclaim: “See how he loved him!” (John 11:36)
And yet, there is a nub of truth to their complaint: contrary to their expectations, God’s plan is not first and foremost about comforting Mary or Martha, nor is it about preventing them from experiencing the pain and loss of mourning their brother. Rather, Jesus declares in verse 4: “This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God’s glory so that God’s Son may be glorified through it.”
The Good News is not primarily about you and me. It is not about what is easiest, nor most carefree, nor most free of pain for us. Rather, it is first and foremost about God’s glory and He will allow any death to occur if it means his resurrection glory is to be revealed in and through us.
Perhaps we can begin to understand why some don’t readily receive the Gospel as Good News.
We see this with the response of the chief priests and the Pharisees. When they hear about what Jesus has done, they worry for themselves, their place of power and privilege. For resurrection requires certain things to die – most especially our expectations, our list of demands, our non-negotiables, and all those things that get in the way of God’s most glorious demonstration: life from death.
What do you need to let die in order for God’s resurrection power to be displayed in and through you?
Ryan Lunde
Young Adults Pastor
