The Use of Our Body

So much of our life revolves around our body—more than we realize, perhaps!

When we are small children just about all we are is a body. As we grow to maturity we ought to begin to realize our body is a vehicle that carries around who we truly are. Isn't that so?

Although we are children of God, destined some day to govern the angels and the rest of the creation, we have been put in animal bodies to humble us. The human body is a very effective prison and instrument whereby God can test us.

The Lord said to place all of our treasures in Heaven, including our body. We are not to yield to the continual insistence of our body that we follow its lusts and desires. We are to determine in Christ that the body shall not be able to dictate to us but we, as Paul said, shall beat our body into submission and make it serve the Lord.

I do not mean by this that we are to whip ourselves physically. I mean, rather, that by prayer and the exercise of our will in Christ we are to force our body to do what is scriptural and reasonable.

We are to maintain self-control over our body at all times. When we feel our body gaining the upper hand we are to pray desperately until our will regains control. We are never, never, never to be led about by the lusts of our flesh! To do so is to invite years of anguish, or even sickness and death.

The Apostle Paul was grieved over the sin dwelling in his flesh and groaned for a new body.

For while we are in this tent, we groan and are burdened, because we do not wish to be unclothed but to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling, so what is mortal may be swallowed up by life. (II Corinthians 5:4—NIV)

The "heavenly dwelling" mentioned above is a robe of righteousness that is created by our conduct on the earth. When we do the Lord's will, confessing our sins and turning away from them, our heavenly robe is kept white and shining with righteousness.

If we are not serving the Lord in our present body, our robe is dirty, or it may even be true there is no robe in Heaven that belongs to us.

When the Lord returns He will raise our flesh and bones from wherever they have been interred. Then our resurrected flesh and bones will be clothed with our robe from Heaven. In other words, we shall be clothed with our own conduct.

Here is the perfect Kingdom law of sowing and reaping.

Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear. (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of the saints.) (Revelation 19:8—NIV)

One of the most marvelous of the rewards to be given to us at the appearing of the Lord is an immortal body that has no compulsion to sin dwelling in it.

For the perishable must clothe itself with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality. (I Corinthians 15:53—NIV)

To be continued.