I Corinthians 6:19-20

I Corinthians 6

19 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,

20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit… In the Old Testament, a lot of guidelines are given regarding first the tabernacle, then the temple. You can read on and on about the rules for building it, from how many layers thick the curtains were to what you had to do before entering it. How people treated the temple was extremely important to God because it was the dwelling place of the Spirit of God and it had such rich symbolism regarding our coming Messiah. The penalties for not respecting the guidelines surrounding the temple were serious, and sometimes resulted in death.

I Corinthians 6 reminds us that today, the spirit of God isn’t dwelling inside a temple. It is inside of us. Are you treating your body as a temple of the Holy Spirit? As the dwelling place of God? A lot of people try and use this verse to advocate against tattoos and piercings… This may be something that God convicts you about personally, but I don’t think that’s what this was saying at all. After calling us the temple of the Holy Spirit, it says you are not your own- you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Glorify God in your body… what does this mean? I think its no mistake that earlier in this chapter, verse 12 says “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything.” I think we can make the application that what we put in our body should be considered… things like alcohol and drugs probably aren’t suitable for the temple of God… but neither are half the foods we consume! Are you treating your body like a temple regarding what you allow in it?

However, its also relevant that right before this verse, Paul is talking about fleeing sexual immorality. I think glorifying God in our bodies is also glorifying God with our bodies. How are you using your temple of the Holy Spirit- the dwelling place of the Spirit of God? Are you dressing it up provocatively to capture the attention of others (make no mistake- causing others to lust is no small matter!). Are you defrauding your body (God’s temple) sexually, either alone or in relationship with anyone other than your spouse?

You were bought with a price… You are so precious to God and He wants so much for you- that is why He gives us these very guidelines as our protection. Glorify Him in and with your body, remembering that you are His temple.