My Body is a What?
“Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
“If my body is a temple, why has God allowed pain and malfunctioning to enter in?”
I’ve asked this question many times, both to myself and to God. I know I’m not alone. One of the biggest reconciliation “problems” people with chronic illnesses have is why, if God created and loves us, He would allow us to suffer in our bodies. Even with the examples of Godly people having physical afflictions, there's still dissonance between our faith and mind regarding this concept. It just doesn’t make a lot of sense, but I’ve learned to trust that sometimes my limited mind is unable to comprehend why and how God works.
I’ve had this (blog) topic on my mind for a while. I started out intending to write about the temple of the Old Testament, built by Solomon, and its multiple destructions and rebuildings, ending with the destruction and resurrection of the final temple - Jesus Christ. But, because the Word is alive and active, I have a new revelation about our flawed temples.
So, here it is: it’s really not about the temple itself and what it’s made of, how it's structured, and its physical appearance, as beautiful or ugly as it may be. Solomon built an immaculate temple made from the finest marble and wood, and slathered it in gold. But in its beautiful immensity, the only room that truly mattered what the Holiest of Holies - the innermost room where the high priest would offer up sacrifices for the atonement of sins. This is the place where God would appear.
And the same can be said for us. It has less to do with our bodies (the shape, structure, or physical flaws), but rather the presence of God - and the good news of the Gospel - that is supposed to dwell within us. 2 Corinthians 4:7 says “But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” The NIV translates “earthen vessels” as “jars of clay,” meaning plain and relatively insignificant (compared to what is inside).
Perfection is not a requirement for Him to use us. God can still be glorified through a flawed and even malfunctioning temple. I would go so far as to argue that imperfection and suffering provide more opportunities for His glorification. > If we are able to spread the Gospel, make disciples of others, and reflect the love of God, well, then our temples did their jobs, inflicted with illnesses or not.
“For all things are for your sakes, that grace, having spread through the many, may cause thanksgiving to abound to the glory of God.”
None of this is to say that we can and should do whatever we want with our bodies. If God created us in His own image, and if the Holy Spirit is within us (and both are true if we’re believers), we need to treat our bodies with the utmost respect. This means healthy living, seeking God’s wisdom about the medications and procedures we use, and watching how we present and what activities we do with our bodies.
Our temples are merely containers for the souls we hope, with obedience and repentance, will join with God once our time on Earth is finished. Of course, we strive to be healthy and treat our bodies like the God-made masterpieces they are. But God allowed, in His sovereignty, illnesses into our bodies for purposes that are often beyond our limited understanding. And it is in those purposes - known or unknown - that we can see that our flawed temples have been deemed worthy of His use.
So, I will leave you with one of my favorite verses. Let this be a reminder that although your body may not be functioning the way you wish it would, the operation on the inside of you is far more crucial:
Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:16-18