I had the privilege of teaching Bible class in a Reformed Christian school in Carman, Manitoba. One of the books I taught was 1 Corinthians. Every year I taught it, I came across 1 Corinthians 6:19–20: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, who you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” One year I bought a treadmill; the next year I bought new runners; the third year I bought Fitbits for my wife and me (she still wears hers). The truth is, I have a fundamental conviction that “I am not my own,” that I belong to Jesus Christ and that he has made me a temple of the living God by having the Holy Spirit dwell within me. At the same time, I find it quite difficult to get into the healthy habits of eating healthily and exercising regularly. So, as I prepare this article you can imagine I am taking breaks while walking on the treadmill downstairs, recharging my Fitbit (if I can find it), and having a salad for lunch!
The truth is, I have a fundamental conviction that “I am not my own,” that I belong to Jesus Christ and that he has made me a temple of the living God by having the Holy Spirit dwell within me.
In my faith tradition (Reformed), we make use of the Heidelberg Catechism, which asks and answers questions about some of the fundamental truths of Scripture. The very first question is “What is your only comfort in life and in death?” (Heidelberg-catechism.com). The answer:
That I am not my own, but belong with body and soul, both in life and in death, to my faithful Saviour Jesus Christ. He has fully paid for all my sins with his precious blood, and has set me free from all the power of the devil. He also preserves me in such a way that without the will of my heavenly Father not a hair can fall from my head; indeed, all things must work together for my salvation. Therefore, by his Holy Spirit he also assures me of eternal life and makes me heartily willing and ready from now on to live for him.
The apostle Paul makes it clear that “you are not your own; you were bought at a price” (1 Cor. 6:19). When he then refers to our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit, we need to understand that this is a radical claim on our entire lives. Our bodies cannot be both our own and also temples of the Holy Spirit. Either Christ dwells in us, Christ owns us, Christ rules in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, or He does not. The only alternative to belonging to Christ is belonging to the prince of this world, the devil. There is no neutral ground.
No one belongs to himself or herself. Autonomy, in the truest sense of the word, does not exist. That is the great lie of our age and, truly, of all ages since the fall into sin. We think autonomy is the goal, true self-emancipation. It is all a lie. True liberty came at a very high cost—Christ paid for it in full.
Before belonging to Christ, before our bodies become temples of the Holy Spirit, we are dead in our sins (Eph. 2:1). Dead. When we are dead in sin, we follow “the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient . . . gratifying the cravings of the flesh” (2:2–3). The desires of the body and the flesh include “sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like” (Gal. 5:19–21). These things are all unhealthy for us and for our youth. We need our young people to learn that healthy living means avoiding these things. Christian education needs to include lessons on what is biblically normative and healthy as well as unhealthy in all areas of life. Ideally, this education first takes place in the home and then in the school. When we teach Bible, biology, and P.E., these topics properly arise and should be addressed.
Consider the many challenges students face today. Thousands of students in our Christian schools struggle with non-suicidal self-injury, such as eating disorders and cutting. Young people (as well as older people) often struggle with idolatry of the body. While there are many varied reasons for these behaviors that need to be dealt with in careful, empathetic, and wise ways, we also need to teach our children that damage to the body is damage to a holy temple.
We should also consider other implications in confessing that “my body is not my own” but that “I belong to Jesus Christ.” Young people should be aware that abstinence is normal, even if it is not the cultural norm. They need to be taught both the emotional and physical consequences of pre-marital sex, multiple partners, and a cavalier attitude toward sexuality. We have to stop buying into the lie that our body is ours to do with as we please or the lie that tells us that what we do in the body does not matter as long as we love the Lord. Loving the Lord means loving the body, the temple that he made you.
We also need to teach Christian students about proper nutrition, making healthy eating choices, and consequences for bad habits such as illicit drug use, smoking, caffeine addictions, and excessive drinking of alcohol. Fad, fast, and unhealthy diets should be explored, discerned, and dismissed. Balanced eating choices make room for some chips and soda, while thriving on fruits, vegetables, grains, protein, and such. While eating habits are formed in the home, they can be informed and shaped by the education at school.
The final consideration is how to live an active lifestyle. This is my biggest challenge; I sit for most of every day behind a computer screen: reading, highlighting, typing, meeting, and so on. I have no need to get up and move. It is extremely unhealthy (I’ll be right back . . . need to go outside for a bit here). And that is how it goes for me; a small moment of guilt for not taking good care of my body, and I respond with a stiff walk and great music in my ears. How do we instill an active lifestyle in our youth? Might I suggest that P.E. classes focus more energy on individual activities or activities one can do with one other person (e.g., tennis, badminton, running, squash) and a bit less on team sports? Please do not misunderstand; team sports are great, but if we always need to rely on a group of people to help us engage in healthy living, we will not have much success.
As Christians, we know that our lives belong entirely to God. How we treat our bodies matters to Him. It is not an insignificant matter but a crucial one. If we confess faith in our Triune God but treat our body as a dumping ground for all kinds of abuse, immoral behavior, and neglect, then we insult the Holy Spirit who we confess dwells in us and makes each of us a temple. May the Lord equip us in modeling and teaching Christian youth the proper understanding of what it means to belong, body and soul, to our faithful Savior, Jesus Christ.
Chris deBoer recently completed his EdD through Western University in London, ON. He has spent fifteen years as a classroom teacher and seven of them as principal at independent Christian schools in Ontario and Manitoba. Today, Chris serves as executive director of Reformed Perspective Foundation. He is married to his wife, Joanna, and they are blessed with four children.
