The Worth Of Knowing

“For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body.”
‭‭Colossians‬ ‭2:9‬ ‭NLT‬‬

I think I’m beginning to accept a bit of the significance of Jesus being in a human body.

But one aspect of the implications of this has shook me a little: God cares about our bodies.

"[Our bodies] were made for the Lord, and the Lord cares about our bodies." 1 Corinthians 6:13 NLT

My body being a temple of the Holy Spirit doesn’t just mean my body is not mine to do whatever I please with. It doesn’t mean my body is shameful because I have used it selfishly (Jesus took my sin and shame on His own body). It means God dwells in my body. It means God cares about my body. It means my body is a sacred place of worship to God. (1 Corinthians 6:12-20)

Maybe it’s obvious. I have been told it before. But it’s not something I’ve really let myself accept. It’s felt too dangerous. It comes with grieving what I and others have done to my body.

Because maybe (this is still hard for me to accept hence the “maybe”) this means that when I and others have used my body, strength, emotions, etc. selfishly or disrespectfully or neglectfully it’s not “just” my body we were mistreating. It’s God and His dwelling place that we have sinned against.

And maybe that’s why it cuts so deep when our bodies are mistreated. It’s not just because we’re sensitive. Or perfectionistic. Or overreacting. Or have a hard time moving on. It’s also because our bodies matter that much.

Jesus is jealous for not only my heart and soul but also my body.

It makes me wonder: does Jesus care enough that my body, His temple, has been used selfishly that He is flipping tables? Is He grieved and righteously angry at how I and others have treated it?

Jesus, He is the One Who has shown us what loving God with our bodies looks like. It’s obeying God with them. Which doesn’t necessarily mean obeying the culture, pastor, husband, father, or friend with our bodies.

Jesus taught from a boat so the crowd wouldn’t crush Him, He slipped into the crowd so He wouldn’t be arrested, He went to a mountain to be alone with God. But He also went without food for 40 days, touched lepers, washed dirty feet, and was tortured and killed. All by obeying God with His body.

Jesus died so this temple, my body, would be a holy place of worship for God.

So we have confidence to be in God’s presence. Not because we have our sinful habits under control or because we’re in a “good spot” right now, but because we enter through Jesus’ broken body and He makes us clean.

“Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
‭‭Hebrews‬ ‭10:19-22‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Jesus became embodied so His body could be broken in order for God’s Spirit to enter my body.

One day I will be in God’s presence fovever in a new, whole body.

Jesus cares about my body.