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You are a complex being. You are body and soul. One of the heresies that plagued the early church was that mind and spirit were the important parts of a human being. The body was separate and unimportant, so God didn't care what you did with your body. With this viewpoint, it didn't matter what one did about sex, since sexual acts were purely physical and therefore unimportant. People express the same opinion today. They say, "If it feels good, do it. It's just physical fun."

Paul says this view is all wrong: "Now the body is … for the Lord and the Lord for the body (6:13). He points out that since you're linked to Christ, what you do about sex becomes terribly important. You don't have the right to give your body first to one person and then to another. Your body already belongs to Christ. His Holy Spirit lives inside your body (6:19). God expects you to enjoy sex, but only according to his design, in the context of marriage.

But appropriate sexual behavior isn't the only issue here. How about appropriate eating, appropriate exercise, appropriate medical care—and using your body to perform actions that please God? Your body belongs to him. (See also Genesis 39; Hosea 2:2-8; 3:1-3; Matthew 5:27, 28.)

For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's. 1 Corinthians 6:20

Since your body belongs to God, what steps can you take to treat it properly? How could these steps make you feel better about yourself and more attractive to your spouse?

Copyright 2003 by the author or Christianity Today International/Christian Bible Studies.

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