Monday, October 2, 2023
One of the most powerful and essential doctrines of our Christian faith is the resurrection of our bodies. [1] We will not be disembodied spirits in the resurrection that occurs when Jesus returns. [2] We will have immortal bodies that are connected to the kind of resurrected body that Jesus had. [3]
This understanding of our bodies and their importance to God is tied to two important truths:
We reject every temptation to pollute our bodies with any immorality. Our bodies are made to honor the Lord and not to be defiled and enslaved by our appetites. [6] Paul spelled out what this kind of immorality is when he talked about the previous lives of the Corinthian believers was full of sin and openly trying to satisfy the appetites of the flesh before they came to Jesus:
Or do you not know that wrongdoers will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: Neither the sexually immoral [7] nor idolaters nor adulterers nor men who have sex with men nor thieves nor the greedy nor drunkards nor slanderers nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God. And that is what some of you were. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God. [8]
Jesus' followers have always comprised people who once lived in sin — all kinds of sin. As they have come to Christ, they have sought to live in holy ways, honoring loving God with all their heart (emotions), soul (their life force), mind (intellect), and strength (physical bodies). [9] The Holy Spirit empowered them — and empowers us today — to overcome these sins and put them in our past while transforming us to become more and more like Christ. [10] As we are transformed, we await the return of Christ and the redemption of our body [11] — the time when we are given our new, immortal bodies we will have with Jesus, and those who belong to Him, forever. [11]
We are to flee immorality and encourage each other to walk the way of God. In addition, we don't want to lead another follower of Jesus into sin that dishonors God and pollutes us. Encouragement toward holiness and accountability to spiritual friends, along with prayers for each other, can help us live together as God's holy temple. Let's help each other honor God with our bodies. [12]
O, God, please forgive us for allowing our appetites and the world around us to define normal and acceptable behavior for us as Your people. Cleanse us, O, Holy Spirit, so that we can be a holy place for You to dwell, and our bodies can be used to glorify and honor the Father. We long to honor you and not be conformed to the world but to be transformed to become more and more like Jesus. We pray this in His name and to honor His gift of salvation. Amen.
Together in Christ is a daily devotional that focuses on what Scripture teaches about godly living in relationships.
'Together in Christ' is written by Phil Ware.
Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.
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