WHY CHRIST GAVE YOU A BODY: 1 Corinthians 6:12-14

DOCTRINE. Christ gave you a body so that you would use it not for sin but to glorify Him.

OUTLINE. I. How to use your body concerning unclear matters. II. How to use your body concerning all matters. III. What Christ will one day do with your body.

Why did Christ give you a body? It seems to me there are four major views concerning the body—by which I mean our physical bodies—that are prevalent in our culture today. The first view is seen in those outside of Christ and it is essentially a Naturalistic view of the body. I would call them Body-Naturalists. All that really matters is the physical. Typically those with this view elevate physical fitness, healthy eating, and personal intimacy to high levels, yet they neglect the supernatural, seeing they reject Christ and will not all things for His glory. They might say the mind matters or something more spiritual sounding, but usually they seem to mean something that is still just natural or biological. These say, “What matters is the natural” while ignoring the supernatural. Some of these people might even profess to be believers, but they are clearly not.

The second view is seen in those who are outside of Christ and do not care about the natural or the supernatural. We could call them Body-Nothingists. Some of these might even profess to be Christians, but they are not. 

The third view is seen in those who are truly in Christ and have a regard for the supernatural. They know their soul matters and that they need to be forgiven of their sins, reconciled to God, and they need to live a holy life by glorifying and enjoying God. They focus on the supernatural, that is true, but they neglect the natural. I would call them Body-Gnostics. They fuel their bodies with trash (as if they were a DeLorean) and/or they do not exercise either vocationally or as an addition, and/or they do not rest; and/or they may even use their bodies for sexual immorality. However, they do pray, read Scripture, worship, meditate, sing, and the like. These say, “What matters is the supernatural” while they neglect the natural. “What matters is the spiritual” they say, while neglecting the physical. This is not a Christian view. This can be overtly done or covertly; this can be knowingly done or unknowingly; this unchristian view can be held explicitly or implicitly. This is more akin to Gnosticism, which believes all that matters is the spiritual and not the physical.

The fourth view, however, says both the supernatural and the natural matter. God created the body as well as the soul. Adam fell into sin and we ruined our bodies and our souls. Christ came to Redeem the whole man, both body and soul. One day Christ will perfect both my body and my soul. Therefore I must use both my body and my soul to glorify the Lord. We can call this the Christian view, because that is what it is.

What is your view of your body? Are you thinking or acting like a Naturalist? You need to repent and hear that your soul also matters. Are you thinking or acting a Nothingist? You need to repent and hear that your body and your soul matter. Are you thinking or acting like a Gnostic? You need to repent and hear that your body also matters. Are you thinking and acting like a Christian? You need to be exhorted to keep going in faith.

This brings us right to our text of Scripture today. 1 Corinthians 6:12-14. Paul has just told the Corinthian saints that they who are united to Christ by faith have been washed, sanctified, and justified (see verse 11). So the question then becomes, “How should I live, seeing God has saved me from sin and hell by His grace?” Even more specifically, because the Corinthians seemed to be failing miserably in this, Paul has to answer this question, “How should I use my body as a Christian?” How should I use my body? That question is answered in this passage of Scripture.

I. HOW TO USE YOUR BODY CONCERNING UNCLEAR MATTERS (1 Cor. 6:12).

QUESTION. What is an unclear matter? ANSWER. An unclear matter is something that the Scriptures do not speak to directly, therefore we must use wisdom to make decisions.

I) When making decisions about your body you should ask, “Is this good?” rather than than “Is this allowed?” “‘All things are lawful for me,’ but not all things are helpful” (1 Cor. 6:12a). (i) Ask, Through this will I glorify God or try to glorify myself? “So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God” (1 Cor. 10:31). You exist to use your body to glorify the Lord in every single way, and never to seek glory for yourself. (ii) Ask, Through this will I enjoy God or dishonor God? “I brought you into a plentiful land to enjoy its fruits and its good things. But when you came in, you defiled my land and made my heritage an abomination” (Jer. 2:7). You exist to use your body even to enjoy the Lord even through enjoying the good gifts He has given you on this earth, and never to abuse His gifts. (iii) Ask, Through this will I build up my brothers or tear them down? “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing” (1 Thess. 5:11). You exist not for yourself, Christian, but to help build up others in Christ no matter the personal cost. 

II) When making decisions about your body you should ask “Am I taking dominion or is this thing taking dominion over me?” “’All things are lawful for me,’ but I will not be dominated by anything” (1 Cor. 6:12b). Calvin rightly wrote, “We are lords of all things; only we must not abuse that lordship in such a way as to drag out a most miserable bondage, being, through intemperance and inordinate lusts, under subjection to outward things, which ought to be under subjection to us.” Examine yourself, therefore, by asking this question: Am I taking dominion over every single particular thing for Christ’s glory or is this thing, any particular thing, taking dominion over me? Let me press this a bit further. Does food take dominion over you or do you take dominion over food? Does drink take dominion over you or do you take dominion over drink? Does money take dominion over you or do you take dominion over money? Does reputation take dominion over you or do you take dominion over reputation? Does your tongue take dominion over you or do you take dominion over the way you speak? Do enjoyments take dominion over you or do you take dominion over enjoyments? Does time take dominion over you or do you take dominion over time? Does sex take dominion over you or do you take dominion over sex, by refraining if you are outside the covenant of marriage and enjoying if you are inside? What about that thing I have not mentioned because I am not omniscient, but the Holy Spirit is causing alarm bells to go off in your mind right now? Are you taking dominion or is that taking dominion over you? Resolve today, beloved, to not let food or drink or money or reputation or your tongue or enjoyments or time or sex or any singly particular thing take dominion over you. Your job is to take dominion as Christ’s helpmate, the Church, as He conquers the nations through His Law and Gospel for His glory. 

II. HOW TO USE YOUR BODY CONCERNING ALL MATTERS (1 Cor. 6:13).

I) You must not use your body for sin, because Christ did not give you a body so that you would use it for sin. “‘Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food’—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality” (1 Cor. 6:13a). Mark this down: Just because you have the desire does not mean you should satisfy it. You may may need to crucify it instead! “And those who belong to Christ Jesus [are crucifying] the flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24). You young or unmarried people, this is the exact opposite of what your culture is telling you. This wicked generation is literally screaming at you, “You must use your body for sin!” Do not listen to them. “Stolen water is sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant. But he does not know that the dead are there, that her guests are in the depths of Sheol” (Prov. 9:17-18).

QUESTION. I am under conviction of sin because I know even thus far in the text that I am guilty. What should you do? ANSWER. Confess your known sins to God own them for the wickedness that they are. Then cry out for forgiveness as you look to Christ in faith. He lived, died, and arose to save His people from their sins both now and forever! “If we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 Jn. 1:8-9). Then by God’s grace labor to bear fruit in keeping with repentance. Do you know how to confess your sins to God, trust Christ to forgive you, and then walk away from sin in repentance? This is a huge part of what it means to be a Christian. We all stumble in many ways, but a true Christian confesses, leans on Christ, and labors to walk in paths of righteousness.

II) You must use your body for the glory of God, because Christ gave you a body so that you would use it for His glory, your gladness, and other’s good. “but for the Lord” (1 Cor. 6:13c). Christ gave you a body so that you would use it to glorify Him and enjoy Him! Do you use your body to serve the Lord and serve others, especially the saints? Do you take care of your body so that you can best serve the Lord and serve your neighbor, especially the saints?

III. WHAT CHRIST WILL ONE DAY DO WITH YOUR BODY (1 Cor. 6:13d-14).

Christ is for the body so much so that He will one day resurrect and glorify His people. “And the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power” (1 Cor. 6:13d-14). The Lord will raise up both the unrighteous and the righteous; both those who refused Christ and stayed in their sins and those who received Christ and were cleansed from their sins and reconciled to God. Those united to Christ will be glorified and those outside of Christ will be damned. You who are outside of Christ, know this and be warned: God will one day resurrect your body as well. If you will not repent and embrace Christ in faith and submission, He will cast your soul and body into hell. “And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather fear him who can destroy both soul and body in hell” (Matt. Matthew 10:28). For the sake of your body and soul, for the sake of your eternity, repent and believe the gospel today. Be baptized. Join the church. Walk with God’s people for His glory and your enjoyment for the rest of your life, and then enjoy eternal life with Christ forever on this renewed earth and in a renewed body. You who are united to Christ by faith, the Lord has good purposes for your body. He plans to resurrect it and glorify it along with your soul. Christ is not against your body but gave Himself as a sacrifice for sin so that He would one day purge your body totally from sin and make it perfect! The Lord Jesus Christ is Pro-Body, let us therefore act like it. Christ took upon Himself a human nature with a reasonable soul and a physical body. He walked this earth for 33 years in His body. He died in His body. The Lord Jesus Christ arose from the dead in His body. He ascended to heaven in His body. He stands at the right hand of God interceding for us in His body. Christ still bears the marks of His crucifixion in His body even in heaven right now. He will return to damn the wicked and save the righteous in His body. He will glorify not only your soul, believer, but also your body. Jesus will live with His people forever on the New Earth in His body.

I ask you again, what is your view of your body? Are you thinking or acting like a Naturalist? You need to repent and hear that your soul also matters. Are you thinking or acting a Nothingist? You need to repent and hear that your body and your soul matter. Are you thinking or acting like a Gnostic? You need to repent and hear that your body also matters. Are you thinking and acting like a Christian? You need to be exhorted to keep going in faith. Again I say, the Lord Jesus Christ is Pro-Body, let us act like it.