Lesson 13: The Christian’s Body

By the end of this lesson, the student should:

(1) Understand how physical issues affect spiritual health.

(2) Dedicate his body to God and learn new habits that honor the Lord.

Martin Luther became a monk because he thought it was the best way to commit to serving God. The disciplines of a monk’s lifestyle included diet restrictions, fasting, simple clothing, limited possessions, and celibacy. Martin’s zeal to submit his body to God caused him to also punish his body with whipping. After Martin understood the gospel of salvation by grace through faith, he realized that he could not earn grace by afflicting his body. He renounced his monastic vows as unscriptural. He married Katherina, a former nun, and had six children.

Some people in Corinth did not believe that followers of Christ would be resurrected. They thought that the body is discarded at death and that only the believer’s spirit goes to heaven.

Some said, “Since the body will die and be discarded, it doesn’t matter what we do with it now. Sinful use of the body doesn’t matter, because the body has no ultimate value.”

Others who denied the resurrection said, “The body will be discarded because its desires are bad. In heaven we will not have any physical desires. Because physical desires are bad, we should not follow them now. We should not eat good food, wear comfortable clothes, or even have sex in marriage. We should suppress the body every way we can until we leave it.”

Both of those views were wrong. They were both based on a mistake. In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul explained why the doctrine of the resurrection is important.

Though it is right for us to talk more about spiritual life than physical issues, our bodies affect spiritual issues. God created us not just as spirits but as spirits with physical bodies. We are not mere animals, yet we are not only spirits temporarily living in bodies.

► A student should read 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 for the group.

These verses tell us that our bodies belong to God because he has redeemed us. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit and should not be used for sin.

The Bible tells us that the physical body should be submitted completely to God.

► A student should read Romans 12:1 for the group.

This verse tells us that our bodies are to be holy and that they belong to God. The worship that God wants from us is complete obedience.

We cannot serve God consistently if we are controlled by the desires of our bodies. Any habit of sin is like an addiction.

Imagine an animal that has two masters. One master gives orders, but the animal cannot obey because the other master has the animal on a chain. The master with the chain pulls the animal wherever he chooses. The animal may love the other master more, but he cannot obey him. This is what an addiction is like. A person may want to serve God, but the addiction is a chain that he cannot resist.

Addictions and most forms of sin damage a person’s body and mind. Because our bodies belong to God and are dedicated to serve him, it is wrong to damage them. The verse we read from Romans tells us to give our bodies as a sacrifice to God, but we cannot do that if we do not have control of ourselves.

► A student should read 1 Corinthians 9:24-27 for the group.

Your body is your servant, but you must keep it under control. It is very good as a servant. If it gets out of control, it becomes your master, and the body is a terrible master. Paul said that he refused to let any desire dominate him (1 Corinthians 6:12).

► A student should read Romans 6:13 for the group.

The body is like a set of tools that belong to you. The tools are under your control. You are no longer to use them for sin but for God.

Some people think that we cannot avoid sin because of our natural desires. It is true that we are born with a sinful nature that takes us into sin. That nature includes not only physical desires but also desires of the mind and a will that is bent toward sin. A person who has not been regenerated by God’s Spirit cannot keep from sinning, though he may successfully resist some sins. An unbeliever who has not experienced God’s grace may not believe that he could ever live in victory.

Natural desires are not the problem. God created natural desires. Adam had natural desires but was not sinful until he made the choice to disobey God. These desires are part of what God designed humanity to be. They are not sinful in themselves, but they make temptation possible.

► What are some examples of natural desires?

The following chart is not thorough, but provides some examples of natural desires, some usual and proper expressions of those desires, and some ways that they make temptation possible.

Notice that natural desires are not necessarily desires of the body. They are natural because they come from human nature, but they are not all physical desires.

► Is there any natural desire that you can always obey?

No natural desire can be allowed to rule without question. There is no natural desire that you can always follow safely because a desire does not limit itself to the things that are right for you. For example, the desire of hunger does not distinguish between one’s own food, another person’s food, or food that one cannot afford.

There are times when even the proper expressions of a desire must be suppressed. Just because a person is hungry does not mean that he can take someone else’s food. It is natural to desire rest, but sometimes a person will have to work even when he is tired. It is natural for us to want to avoid danger, but a person must resist the urge to run from danger when he is responsible for someone else’s protection.

Natural desires can become so distorted and misdirected that they take unnatural and inhuman forms. That’s why some people do extremely perverted or cruel actions. Natural desires become distorted or misdirected by incorrect teaching, the development of bad thought patterns, being in a sinful environment, or one’s own sinful actions.

Every believer should expect to have temptations because of natural desires. Grace does not usually remove natural desires, but it does give a person the power to control his actions and direct his desires toward legitimate objects.

Natural desires make spiritual disciplines necessary for maintaining spiritual victory. Grace does not free a person from the necessities of obeying the instructions of scripture, attending worship, keeping the body in subjection, and practicing prayer and Bible study. A believer who is serious about maintaining spiritual victory may also set personal restrictions to protect his areas of weakness.

Temptation will appear attractive, but if the heart is established to desire God’s will, the person can truly reject temptation from the heart (1 John 5:3). He won’t think he is giving up what would really make him happy. By faith he knows that God does not forbid anything that is harmless, even if he doesn’t see the harmfulness of something that is forbidden (Deuteronomy 6:24). By faith he knows that nothing contrary to God’s will would really satisfy him, because his satisfaction is in God (Psalm 16:2, Psalm 84:11).

► What does the Bible say about food?

The Bible does not specifically forbid anything for food. The dietary restrictions of the Old Testament were not required of New Testament believers (1 Timothy 4:4, Mark 7:19). There was an issue of food offered to idols, but that was not because the food itself was wrong, but because some people ate the food as part of worship to the idol (1 Corinthians 8).

Diet is important for the sake of physical health and strength. Because we are servants of God, we should want to be in good physical condition. We should try not to damage our bodies or shorten our lives with bad diets. Many people do not have many choices of diet, because they must eat what is available and what they can afford, but they should make the best choices they can. They should also teach their children to make good choices of diet.

People who have money to spend for food sometimes eat too much food for the taste they like rather than choosing the food that would give them the best nourishment. People are also tempted to spend too much money on unhealthy food. Some people feel unable to buy a book for ministry training, but they spend that much every week for candy and Coke.

Physical exercise is necessary for a person to stay in good physical condition. A person should not allow lack of exercise to cause him to lack strength or have excess body weight that hinders him from doing his best for God. If a person’s employment requires physical labor, he may not need additional physical exercise; otherwise, he should discipline his body to be in good condition.

A believer should consider diet and exercise because he belongs to God. However, specific directions about diet and exercise are not in the Bible. People must find ways to apply the principle of dedication to God in their own situation. We must avoid judging and criticizing others. These details should not be made rules of spiritual living unless a select group of people commit to specific disciplines.

► A student should read Romans 14:4 for the group.

We must each apply scriptural principles in specific ways, but we must not judge people who apply them differently, when the specific applications are not in scripture.

► A student should read Romans 8:18-23 for the group.

Disease is a result of the curse that came on all creation when the first people sinned. God’s plan of salvation will ultimately restore creation and end all suffering. However, these verses tell us that this restoration does not all happen immediately. Though we are saved already, our bodies will continue to suffer aging and disease until God’s plan of salvation is finished.

God does miracles in the world already. Many miracles of healing are recorded in the Bible. God promises to heal in response to prayers of faith by the church (James 5:14-15). It is not necessary that the sick person have faith for his own healing; the church can have faith for him. Therefore, a sick person should not be accused of lacking faith.[1]

We cannot expect that a person with faith will never suffer sickness. God allowed Job to suffer physically for a period of time though Job had been faithful to God (Job 2:8).

Paul said that God allowed a thorn in his flesh to keep him humble and dependent on God. Paul prayed three times for deliverance, but finally realized that God wanted to give him strength for endurance rather than healing (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). It seems likely that the “thorn in the flesh” was a physical affliction, though we do not know that for sure.

Paul suffered a physical affliction while he was evangelizing the Galatians (Galatians 4:13-15). Apparently he had a problem with his eyes, because he said that the Galatians so loved him that they would have been willing to give him their eyes. We don’t know if Paul was healed of this problem later, but obviously he was not healed immediately. It is obvious that Paul did not teach that every believer should be always free of sickness, and the Galatians did not think his sickness contradicted the gospel he preached.

► A student should read Philippians 2:25-30 for the group.

Epaphroditus was sick and in danger of dying. He became sick because he was working so much to help Paul. Paul said that Epaphroditus deserved honor because he risked his life for the work of Christ.

The examples of Job, Paul, and Epaphroditus show us that we should not accuse people of a lack of faith when they are sick. We should not assume that they are being punished for sin. Only God knows if there is a spiritual cause for someone’s suffering. Some of the greatest Christians in history, people of great faith, suffered sickness for long periods.

The Bible does not forbid the use of doctors and medicine. Even though we pray for health and healing, it is not wrong to use the help that is available.

It is wrong to seek healing from people who claim magical power or serve spirits that are not from God. We do not serve Satan, and we should not seek benefits from him. Our loyalty is to God, and we should be content with his blessings. If he chooses not to heal, we should pray for grace and strength to be faithful.

Some people use substances that give their body pleasure but have bad results.

While narcotics are sometimes needed to treat medical problems, they should never be used for pleasure. They can damage the body, damage the mind, and cause addiction. In many places it is illegal to use narcotics without a doctor's prescription and supervision.

Except in very small amounts, alcohol affects a person’s perceptions and causes him to act in ways he would not act if he were not affected. Alcohol is also addictive. In large amounts it damages health. It is used excessively in places of worldly, immoral entertainment. The Bible does not forbid alcohol directly, but many churches forbid it because it affects behavior and judgment, is addictive, and often accompanies immoral behavior. Many believers are concerned that if a person does carefully use alcohol while avoiding the dangers, he may influence others harmfully, especially young people.

► A student should read Proverbs 20:1 and Proverbs 31:4-5 for the group.

Tobacco, smoked or chewed regularly, is addictive and tends to shorten life by several years. The user has a high risk of cancer.

The Bible does not forbid narcotics, alcohol, or tobacco specifically. However, most people who understand their harmfulness believe that a follower of Christ should not use them. That has not always been the case everywhere, in times before people knew the full effects of these substances.

The greatest danger of these substances is their tendency to make the user addicted. Addictions take control of a person’s life. They consume his resources. They affect his perceptions, making him irrationally justify them. He makes sacrifices that harm his family and work. The addiction demands loyalty that is similar to a religion and conflicts with loyalty to God.

Ephesians 5:18 tells us that believers should not get drunk, but rather be filled with God’s Spirit.

The believer should have habits of physical cleanliness that are at least as good as the normal customs in his culture. He should not be noticed by others for having an unpleasant odor, hair that is unattended, or clothes that are dirty or in bad condition. A person in poverty may have some difficulty keeping a good appearance, but he should do what he can.

You should listen if your friends criticize your appearance or hygiene. Parents should teach good habits to their children.

Believers should not follow the pattern of the world, using dress and adornment to show that they are superior to others. However, a careless appearance can imply that a person has little respect for the people he meets. For example, if you are careless about your appearance when you go to a meeting, it may seem that you think the meeting and the people are not worth respect. Christians should demonstrate how to honor God and show respect to others with a good appearance.

People who do not have spiritual and eternal priorities often emphasize the body by dressing in a way to get attention. A man may want to show his muscles. A woman may want to be physically attractive to men. Believers should not want to show pride or get the wrong kind of attention with their clothing.

Encourage the students to think about how dedication to God should make changes in their lifestyles.

► How do your habits show that your body belongs to God?

Avoid lengthy arguments that are intended to impose rules of diet or similar restrictions as requirements for believers.

► How would you explain to a person why you do not use certain substances?

Heavenly Father,

Thank you for the wonderful design that you gave us to live first on earth and then in heaven.

Help me to live in complete dedication to you, knowing that you created me and redeemed me.

Help me to live in freedom from anything that would hinder my service to you and worship of you.

Thank you for the great privilege I have to be a temple of your Holy Spirit. I want to live in a way that honors you.

Amen

(1) Write your answers to each of the following questions in a personal journal entry. (You should not turn this in to the class leader.)

• Have you fully dedicated yourself to God? What does that mean to you?

• What natural desires most often lead to temptation in your life?

• What two or three scriptures should you memorize to help you consistently overcome these temptations?

• What changes has God talked to you about making as you have studied this lesson?

(2) Study 1 Corinthians 15. First divide it into sections that each cover a smaller topic. Write a paragraph for each section explaining the message of that section. What are the practical directions that should be based on this chapter?