“You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

When the world looks at Christians, they should see a people who are so devoted to their King that they are excellent in all they do. All we do is an act of love, worship, and service to the One who created us, so why are there so many areas where we aren’t doing this? Not that we should expect ourselves to idolize the activity, or to be great in our own strength, but too many things fall through the cracks due to lackluster faith and a weak and flimsy zeal.

Whatever we do, the Bible tells us, we are to work at it as if for the Lord. Do all for the glory of God. Many, however, take liberties with the law of freedom, thinking that once our eternal salvation is guaranteed, we no longer need to strive to obtain rest (Hebrews 4). While it is true Christians operate from a place of rest — our Sabbath being the first day of the week instead of the last — we have not been excused from a pursuit of excellence, self-control, and discipline.

The way we treat our bodies is one of the most visible signs of our spiritual condition, although, of course, there are untold ways humans have devised of hiding such conditions. When our appearance is slovenly, when we have poor hygiene, when we are massively overweight, this points to a laziness that is not compatible with an “upward calling.” I am not saying people aren’t still worthy of love, respect, and mercy, or that Christ’s mercy isn’t the overruling pronouncement over the Christian’s life no matter their personal struggle; I am saying that repentance is every believer’s command, and that it is sometimes very difficult, and that we are still called to do it with the strength and the grace of the One who paid for it.

I am talking to myself as well. I have struggled with feeling powerless against my own body’s cravings and tendencies. I think Paul felt this too when he wrote the impassioned words almost as if exhorting himself: “I pummel my body to make it my slave.” Now, if our bodies are temples, worthy of care and of keeping them pure, how can they also be worthy of a good pummeling? It is one of the paradoxical praxes of the Christian’s life. We believe our bodies are more than “meat prisons” for our souls… They have purpose, meaning, and are intricately connected to our souls in ways we may never understand this side of Heaven. So we honor our bodies with gentle nutrition, prayerful discernment of our hunger and satiety cues, and with the trust that God will help make up what is lacking and bless us and keep us. This is treating them as temples, and it also sometimes feels like an absolute beating.

We know what is right and what is wrong, especially those who have the Holy Spirit in them, guiding and helping them. The world feels confusing, it blasts us with information and opinions, and on top of that, our own flesh and hearts are deceitful. But at the end of the day, we know the answers and we know who is in charge. Take a deep breath, and start with a peaceful spirit. Thank God for food and ask for His blessing. Next, we know our bodies need protein — lean meats, dairy, or plant sources. We know we need vegetables and fruits. Beyond that, we should practice moderation, and sometimes consider the community aspect of food. 

We also know our bodies need movement and daily exercise. Barring physical handicaps, there is really no excuse for the Christian to neglect this. If we think we are too busy, we need to reevaluate our hearts’ assumptions about who we think is really producing the fruit in our lives — us or God. 

Circling back to the body/spirit connection, we often think that our bodies will follow our spirit’s lead. If our spirit is inclined to self-discipline, then our bodies will follow suit. And while this is true for the most part, I also think the reverse is truer than we give it credit. Often, the ways we use our bodies — the way we eat, move, posture ourselves, groom ourselves, dress ourselves, where we physically go — have the ability to change our souls and incline them to that upward calling, joy, peace, gratitude, willingness to serve, belief that God can and will be faithful to complete every good work He begins in us.