We are very obsessive about our bodies. Of the various dimensions of human spirituality, heart, mind, body, or soul, we fixate most on our bodies. And in all of the wrong ways. I read an interesting statistic this week. A study found that ninety-nine percent of women would change something about their looks if they could. Men, before you get too carried away, the same study found that ninety-four percent of us would change something about our looks if we could. We live our lives in the mirror, mourning every wrinkle, every pound, every vanishing piece of hair, every wart, and every imperfection.
Sometimes we try to comfort ourselves. We say, "Beauty doesn’t matter. What really matters is a person’s heart ."But ninety-nine percent of us really do not believe that. We are still keeping the dream alive! We keep looking in the mirror, obsessing over our bodies, and making our bodies the focus of our existence.
Focus on the Family magazine did an interview with three supermodels who had collectively appeared on the covers of more than two thousand beauty magazines. The models spoke of the tremendous stress and health risks they suffered through the years in order to stay on magazine covers. They were promised cash bonuses and trips to Rome if they could lose X number of pounds. Under the pressure of magazine editors, the ladies would totally stop eating for as long as four days. They would try every type of fad diet available. One of the models named Beverly detailed her struggle with bulimia and anorexia and discussed how her crash diets and self-imposed starvation led to thyroid problems and a whole host of medical ailments. Beverly best summed up their common struggle. "In our profession, clothes look better on a hanger, so you have to look like a hanger."
Early Christians were influenced by their culture's obsession with the human body.
The Bible is not a stranger to our neurotic obsession with our bodies. The New Testament was written in Greek. Like us, the Greeks were obsessed with the human body. In their cities they sculpted nude statues which exalted or worshiped, the human body. They dreamed about the ideal human form. Their works of arts can be viewed in museums around the world. The early Christians were heavily influenced in an unhealthy way by this Greek obsession over the appearance of the body.
In 1 Peter 3:3-5 (NIV) the apostle Peter writes to the early Christians, "Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight. For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful."
There is a website I have heard about that allows you to submit your photo. Once you submit your photo, other users rate your appearance on a scale of one to ten. Curiosity gets the best of most people and they just have to log on and submit their photo to find out what other people think. "Am I ugly? Or am I really ugly?" The website gets over ten million hits a day and over one hundred fifty thousand photos have been posted. What if, instead of other users rating us, God could rate us? On a scale from one to ten, what rating would we receive from God ten? What would we look like in God’s sight? In the Bible there is ugliness, but then there is true ugliness. Better to be ugly in the eyes of men than ugly in the eyes of God.
This morning you will be surprised to learn that God is concerned with your appearance. He is concerned with how handsome or beautiful you are. But he would measure these qualities in an altogether different way. Consider a basic teaching outline concerning our bodies from God’s perspective.
Our body is a temple.
1 Corinthians 6:19 (NIV) says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple..." We all have at least a basic idea of what a temple is. A temple is a place of worship. A temple is a place where people gather to experience something beyond themselves, something that is divine or other-worldly. A temple is a place where people practice the religion that they so passionately profess. A temple is a holy place, a sanctuary, a memorial, or a testament to some god. A temple is a structure that does not call attention to itself, but to something greater.
Traditionally, temples have been thought of only as a building or some structure. Temples littered the ancient world. But God applies the temple concept to our physical bodies by telling us that our bodies are temples.
So first and most importantly, our physical body is a temple of worship. The question we have to ask ourselves is, who is being worshiped in our temple? When people come to our temple, when they encounter us, do they experience something that is divine and other-worldly? Or do they experience something that is commonplace andof this world? In your temple someone or something is being worshiped. Who or what gets worshiped in your temple? Who or what gets exalted?
A temple exists to call attention to something beyond itself. What does your temple call attention to? Is your temple all about exalting you? Do you get the glory? Are you the focus? Are you the obsession? A temple is only as a great as what dwells within it, which brings us to a next point.
Our body is Christ’s temple.
The rest of 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 body."
This is one of the most amazing truths found in all of scripture concerning our bodies. Our body is a temple, whether we like it or not. But if you are a Christian, your body is the temple of God’s divine presence. His Holy Spirit dwells within it. Consider a few additional biblical passages that reinforce this truth that the Holy Spirit of Christ lives within us. In Galatians 2:20 (NIV) Paul says, "I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."
In Romans 8:11 (NIV) Paul says, "And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you."
If Christ is not dwelling in your temple, you will be dissatisfied and miserable. The reason people obsess over the temple of their body is because there is nothing greater within, that is other than self. When there is nothing in the temple, the temple itself becomes the focus of worship. This is why people spend hours in front of the mirror. This is why people fry their bodies under sun lamps, and allow their skin to become like leather. This is why our culture worships its youth. This is why superficial beauty is exalted and true beauty is diminished. This is why we spend thousands on designer clothing, jewelry, fad diets, makeup, face lifts, tummy tucks, makeovers, exercise equipment, and memberships. We want to deceive people into thinking that there is something greater within our particular temple when in reality, it's just a temple of self-worship.
If you are a Christian the Bible teaches that your body is not your temple. Your body is Christ’s temple. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is God’s sanctuary, his dwelling place, and his place of inhabitance. When people encounter your temple, they don’t worship you! They don’t glorify your temple or your body! They glorify the one who is within you! Their attention is at once drawn beyond you and toward the Lord you serve!
Your body, every member of your body, is a God-honoring, Christ-exalting structure that draws others into worship of the Holy One. This is why 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says, "Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 body."
If you are a child of God, the temple of your body is like no other. Your body is the very showplace for God’s majesty and greatness. Let’s talk for a few moments about some practical ways to live this truth out.
Management of your temple, your body.
When it comes to our bodies, our temples, we have two options we can pursue. In Romans 6:19 (NIV) Paul says, "Just as you used to offer the parts of your body in slavery to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer them in slavery to righteousness leading to holiness."
We can offer our temples to the sinful nature as a place for self worship. Or we can offer our temples to righteousness as a place for Christ worship. If we offer our bodies to the sinful nature, our bodies will become a place of impurity, ever-increasing wickedness, and brokenness. If we offer our bodies to Christ, our bodies will become a place of righteousness, ever-increasing holiness, and life. The choice is ours! We ultimately decide what or who gets worshiped in our temples.
I don’t think I need to say more about the brokenness of temple self worship. Nature’s going to win whether you like it or not. You may get your fifteen minutes of fame, but after that no one is going to care anymore. But they will care if there is something greater within you. Consider the life that comes in offering your body as a temple for Christ's Spirit.
In Romans 12:1 (NIV) Paul says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship." Paul is inviting us to embrace an entirely new way of living. Offer your body to God as a holy and pleasing sacrifice to God. Worship Christ in your temple. Stop worshiping yourself!
Can you offer each member of your body completely to Christ's service?
In his book Renovation of the Heart Dallas Willard encourages us to engage in a simple, yet profound, exercise of Christ worship. He suggests that we set aside several hours of time, or a half-day, to get away from all the distractions of life. Once away, kneel down or lay face down on the floor. Start with your feet and pray throughout your whole body asking, "How might I more completely offer each member of my body as a temple for Christ's worship?"
Let’s survey a few areas just briefly to illustrate how we might offer ourselves to God. Consider your feet. Are there some places you should stop going? A peer group you should stop running with? A problem you should stop running from? A person you should go to and apologize? A Christian opportunity you should pursue?
Consider your hands. Are there some activities you should refrain from? Is there a need you should lend a hand in meeting?
Consider your eyes. Are there some images you should stop staring or lusting over? Are there some books you should stop reading and others you should start reading? What about television?
Consider your tongue. Are you using your tongue to build people up or to tear them down? Does your tongue glorify Christ? Does it sing his praises? Does it proclaim the gospel? Does it speak the truth in love? Does it edify others?
Consider your ears. What are you filling your ears with? Do you need to stop entertaining gossip and malicious talk? Do you need to change the type of music you listen to and programs you watch? Do you need to tune out certain people who bring you down?
Consider your stomach. Do your appetites glorify Christ? Do you consume appropriate amounts of food? Do you eat healthy foods? Do you eat out of hunger or because of the pain you face in your life?
Consider your intimate parts. Do you glorify Christ with these? Do you dress modestly and appropriately? Do you remain pure and holy? Do you honor your marriage and keep the marriage bed pure?
Consider the adornments of your body. Are you dressing extravagantly? Do you put too much emphasis on certain name brands and styles? Is what you wear too great a part of your identity?
Consider your eyelids. Do you ever see the back of them for more than a microsecond? Do you ever get the appropriate rest you need? Do you take a sabbath in order to let your body rest for its work? Are you a workaholic? Are you always running, but never allowing for time between you and the Lord?
Paul says, "Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God— this is your spiritual act of worship." The singular way to love God with your body is to offer your body as Christ’s temple, as a place in which he dwells and draws glory unto himself. Our bodies are the showplace where people experience God’s greatness and goodness. Better to be beautiful in the eyes of God than in the eyes of men.