The church has often emphasized the soul to the exclusion of, or the minimizing of, the body. As a result, neglecting the body is sometimes seen as a virtue or a mark of super-spirituality. One pastor explained his struggle with this to me:
Somewhere along the way I equated recreation with worldliness. If it wasn’t directly advancing the Kingdom I didn’t need to be doing it. I secretly thought that God would look down and see that I was taking ministry so seriously that he would bless me. But I wasn’t living like a human being. I didn’t realize how much I needed these things. I needed to experience beauty and creativity. I needed to enjoy God’s gifts without guilt. It was a matter of survival.
He’s right. And such errors can be defeated only with truth, with the Bible’s theology of the body. Yes, the Bible does have a theology of the body, much of it is contained in 1 Corinthians 6:9-20. Read the rest of this post here where I explore the Paul’s teaching in this passage:
1. Your body is damaged by sin (vv. 9-11).
2. Your body is saved by God (v. 11).
3. Your body remains vulnerable (v. 12).
4. Your body is for the Lord (vv. 13-14).
5. Your body is a member of Christ (vv. 15-17).
6. Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit (vv. 18-19).
7. Your body was bought with a price (v. 20).