{"id":995,"date":"2009-12-31T03:01:28","date_gmt":"2009-12-31T03:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.beliefnet.com\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/living-christmasly-part-7.html"},"modified":"2009-12-31T03:01:28","modified_gmt":"2009-12-31T03:01:28","slug":"living-christmasly-part-7","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/2009\/12\/living-christmasly-part-7.html","title":{"rendered":"Living Christmasly, Part 7"},"content":{"rendered":"

READ 1 Corinthians 6:9-20<\/a><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body.<\/p>\n

1 Corinthians 6:19-20<\/a><\/p>\n

Do our bodies matter to God? If God cares about our bodies, how does this impact our behavior as sexual beings? These questions find startling answers in 1 Corinthians 6:9-20.
\nThis passage from Paul\u2019s letter to the Corinthians was written in response to certain behaviors and attitudes that were present among the Christians in Corinth. As new believers, the Corinthians naturally brought along into their Christian life the assumptions and practices of their culture. This culture valued the spirit, the inner being of thought and feeling, but tended to ignore or even denigrate the worth of the body. Thus, the Corinthian Christians engaged in sexual immorality without worrying that it might be inconsistent with their faith. After all, sex was simply a function of the body, and bodies weren\u2019t all that important, or so they thought. The spirit was what really mattered.
\nIn 1 Corinthians 6, Paul did far more than rebuke the Corinthians for their immoral practices. He wanted them to understand why sexual activity matters to God. This has everything to do with the value of our bodies. \u201cThey were made for the Lord,\u201d Paul writes, \u201cand the Lord cares about our bodies\u201d (6:13). Our physical members, and not just our spirits, are actually in some way parts of Christ himself (6:15). Even more amazing than this, \u201cyour body is the temple of the Holy Spirit\u201d (6:19). The very Spirit of God dwells in your body, thus giving it extraordinary value as a sort of human temple. On top of this, God has \u201cbought you with a high price,\u201d the death of his Son (6:20). For all of these reasons, your body is important to God. Therefore, Paul concludes, \u201cyou must honor God with your body\u201d (6:20). For the Corinthians who were engaging in sexual immorality, this meant they should stop using their bodies for illicit pleasure and start using them for God\u2019s glory.
\nMost Christians know that God has high standards for sexuality, standards that are increasing inconsistent with those of our culture. Most of us, at one time or another, also struggle to be faithful in living up to these standards. Our laudable efforts to remain sexually pure often focus exclusively on the wrongness of sexual immorality, on what we should not do. Though we should take seriously God\u2019s standards for sexual expression, rather than focusing so much on what to avoid, we would be better off to imitate Paul\u2019s example by highlighting the inestimable value of our bodies. The more we see our own bodies as temples of the Spirit, the more we realize that our bodies are for God and his purposes, the more we will be empowered to honor God with our bodies, both in what we do and in what we don\u2019t do with them. We will find the motivation and strength to glorify God even in our sexuality. Moreover, knowing that our bodies are precious to God can also bring healing and hope for those who have been physically or sexually mistreated.
\nLiving Christmasly means realizing that our bodies are for the Lord. Even as God\u2019s glory was revealed through the Incarnation of the Word at Christmas, so our bodies are to be instruments of God\u2019s glory each day.
\nQUESTIONS FOR REFLECTION<\/strong>: How do you think about your body? When you read 1 Corinthians 6:9-20, how does this impact your thinking? How might you glorify God in your body today?
\nPRAYER<\/strong>: Dear Lord, when we think about our sexuality, we can easily focus on the negative, on what we\u2019re not supposed to do, on how our culture draws us away from sexual holiness. To be sure, we live in a day when sexual sin is rampant, and many of us are touched by this reality.
\nThank you, Lord, for the positive message of 1 Corinthians 6:9-20. Thank you for the reminder that our bodies were made for you and that you care for them. Thank you for dwelling in our bodies through the Spirit. Thank you for purchasing all that we are, including our bodies, with the sacrifice of the Son. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to honor you with our bodies, in what we do and in what we choose not to do for your sake.
\nHelp me, Lord, to honor you with my body. Teach me what it means to treat my body as your temple. In all that I do, may I glorify you. And, by your Spirit\u2019s help, may I refrain from all that dishonors your.
\nTo you be all the glory, dear Lord, even and especially in my body! Amen<\/em>.<\/p>\n

_________________________________________________<\/p>\n

Today’s post is one of the Daily Reflections that I write for The High Calling of Our Daily Work <\/em>(www.thehighcalling.org<\/a>), a wonderful website about work and God<\/em>. You can read my Daily Reflections<\/a> there, or sign up to have them sent to your email inbox<\/a> each day. This website contains lots of encouragement for people who are trying to live out their faith in the workplace.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

READ 1 Corinthians 6:9-20 Don\u2019t you realize that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Do our…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":214,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[88],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-995","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-living-christmasly"],"yoast_head":"\nLiving Christmasly, Part 7 - Mark D. 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Roberts","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-content\/wphb-cache\/gravatar\/f2d\/f2ddf5f080861f66ea230384f9d1bab2x96.jpg","caption":"Mark D. Roberts"},"description":"The Rev. Dr. Mark D. Roberts is a pastor, author, retreat leader, speaker, and blogger. Since October 2007 he has been the Senior Director and Scholar-in-Residence for Laity Lodge, a multifaceted ministry in the Hill Country of Texas. Before coming to Laity Lodge, he was for sixteen years the Senior Pastor of Irvine Presbyterian Church in Irvine, California (a city in Orange County about forty miles south of Los Angeles). Before his time at Irvine Pres, Mark served on the staff of the First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood as Associate Pastor of Education. (Thanks to Janel Pahl for taking the photo to the right.) Mark studied at Harvard University, receiving a B.A. in Philosophy, an M.A. in the Study of Religion, and a Ph.D. in New Testament and Christian Origins. He has taught classes in New Testament for Fuller Theological Seminary and San Francisco Theological Seminary. Mark has written several books, including No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer (WaterBrook, 2005), Dare to Be True (WaterBrook, 2003), Jesus Revealed (WaterBrook, 2002), After \"I Believe\" (Baker, 2002), and Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther (Word, 1993). His most recent book is Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John (Crossway, 2007). He is currently working on a commentary on Ephesians that will be published by Zondervan in 2014. Mark writes a devotional for The High Calling of Our Daily Work, a website associated with Laity Lodge. His \"Daily Reflections\" can be viewed online or sent as a daily email. If you wish to receive this email, just visit TheHighCalling.org and sign up. Mark serves on the editorial board of Worship Leader magazine, where he publishes articles and reviews, including his regular column \"Lyrical Poetry.\" Additionally, he has published dozens of articles in leading magazines and journals. He often speaks for churches and other Christian groups, and has been interviewed on over seventy-five radio programs nationwide. Mark is married to Linda, who is a Marriage and Family Therapist, a Spiritual Director, and a retreat speaker. They have two children, Nathan and Kara.For Publicity Photos and Bio Statements for Mark, please check here. Mark's Dossier Professional History: Senior Director and Scholar-in Residence, Laity Lodge, October 2007 to present. Senior Pastor Irvine Presbyterian Church, June 1991 to September 2007 Adjunct Assistant Professor Fuller Theological Seminary, 1994 to 2007. Courses: New Testament Theology and Exegesis. Adjunct Instructor San Francisco Theological Seminary, 1995 to 2001. Courses: New Testament Greek and Exegesis Associate Pastor of Education First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood, 1987-1991 Teaching Fellow Harvard University, 1980-1983 Education: Ph.D. in the Study of Religion. Harvard University, 1992. Area: New Testament and Christian Origins M.A. in the Study of Religion Harvard University, 1984. A.B. magna cum laude in Philosophy Harvard University, 1979. Phi Beta Kappa; Danforth Fellowship Books: Can We Trust the Gospels? Investigating the Reliability of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. Crossway, 2007 No Holds Barred: Wrestling with God in Prayer. WaterBrook, 2005 Dare to Be True: Living in the Freedom of Complete Honesty. WaterBrook, 2003. Jesus Revealed: Know Him Better to Love Him Better. WaterBrook, 2002. After \"I Believe\": Experiencing Authentic Christian Living. Baker, 2002. Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther in the Communicator's Commentary Series. Word, 1993. Contacting Mark: You can reach Mark at: E-mail: mark@markdroberts.com mroberts@laitylodge.org Phone: Laity Lodge: (830) 792-1216 Address: Laity Lodge 719 Earl Garrett Kerrville, TX 78028","url":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/author\/mroberts"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/995","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/214"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=995"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/995\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=995"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=995"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/columnists\/markdroberts\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=995"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}