What Does the Bible Say About Our Bodies? | 1 Corinthians 6:12-20 (2024)

Summary

God cares deeply about our physical bodies, so we should too. In this message, TA continues the series, “A Bible-Revering Church” by zooming in on what the Bible says about how God created, redeemed, and owns our physical bodies. God even has an eternal plan for our bodies, as we will be resurrected and perfected when Christ returns. But until then, our bodies are meant to glorify him as members of Christ’s own body in worship.

Key Takeaways

• The Importance of the Body (1 Corinthians 6:12-13, Psalm 139:13-14, Colossians 2:9). God cares about our bodies because God created them for Himself. To be human is to have both a rational soul and a physical body. One is not human without both. This is made clear when God the Son took on a human body at the incarnation. Jesus Christ, in whom the whole fullness of deity dwells bodily, shows that God truly cares about human bodies because he cares about humans. Therefore, we ought to care about every person by caring for those struggling with self-harm, decisions toward abortion, and physical violence toward others.
• The Future of the Body (1 Corinthians 6:14, 15:51-57). God has eternal plans for our bodies. Though we suffer today from pain, disease, and disabilities, the Bible gives us hope that God will resurrect and perfect our bodies when Christ returns.
• The Owner of the Body (1 Corinthians 6:15, 19-20). Jesus Christ unites believers to His own body. We are not our own. By His blood, Jesus redeemed every part of us, including both soul and body. He is the true owner of our bodies.
• The Purpose of the Body (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). Our bodies ought to glorify God. By fleeing sin, exercising proper care, expressing thanks, being present, worshiping, and rehearsing the gospel concerning our bodies, we respond rightly to God with our bodies.

Discussing and Applying the Sermon

• Do you see your body as something outside of yourself, or do you see it as actually you? What changes about us when we realize that our bodies are handcrafted by God and vital for us to be truly human?
• Why is the human body important? What does the world say about the importance of our bodies? How does the Bible speak otherwise?
• How ought we, as Christians, care for others in our world because we see their bodies as valuable to them as whole humans? What issues come to mind (e.g., self-harm, abortion) as the most prevalent today?
• Take a moment to sit with God and ask Him, “In what ways am I gratifying self instead of glorifying you with my body?”
• TA encouraged Watermark to “rehearse the gospel concerning your body.” What does that mean, and how ought it help us flee from sin, care for our health, express thanks, be present, and worship with our bodies?

Recommended Resources

• "What God Has to Say about Our Bodies: How the Gospel Is Good News for Our Physical Selves" by Sam Allberry