Bible Studies

YOU ARE TEMPLES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

by GLENN PEASE
02/01/22
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I don't care how widely traveled you are, I know you have never sailed among the Island of Langerhans, or drifted lazily down the Aqueduct of Sylvius. Nor have any of you ever strolled along the banks of Hunter's Canal, or watched the sun go down behind McBurney's Point. None of you have ever ridden through the Tunnel of Carti, nor have you ever climbed the Pyramids of Malpighi. I can say this with confidence, not because I know where all of you have ever been, nor because all of these places are fictions and unreal. On the contrary, they are more abundantly real than most of the places you have ever been. But I can say this because all of these places are parts of our body.

The Islands of Langerhans are small masses of tissues in our pancreas. The Aqueduct of Sylvius is part of the brain. Hunter's Canal is in the thigh. McBurney's Point is a spot on the right side which is tender to the touch in acute appendicitis. The Tunnel of Carti is in the inner ear. The Pyramids of Malpighi is in the kidneys.

The point of this little anatomy lesson is that there is a great deal about our bodies that we do not know. We live in them, but we know more about the house our body lives in than we know about our bodies, which is the house of our spirit. Sophocles said, "Numberless are the world's wonders, but none more wondrous than the body of man." We live in this wondrous temple 24 hours a day, and 365 days a year. We never leave this house in which we dwell until we die, for to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.

I CORINTHIANS 6:19-20

Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

Amplified: Do you not know that your body is the temple (the very sanctuary) of the Holy Spirit Who lives within you, Whom you have received [as a Gift] from God? You are not your own,

I. BODY IS TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT.
2. YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN.
3. YOU ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE.
4. GLORIFY GOD WITH YOUR BODY.

Somr of you may remember my study on I cor as the worst church in the New Testament. It was notorious for so many sins of controversy over leadership, tolerant of sins in the people, the sin of suing one another and here he deals with the sin of immorality because it was a common practice of having sex with prostitues. Not an issue in any of the churches that I served, but the fact is I never asked if it was an issue.

SPURGEON, "You will notice that in this chapter the apostle Paul has been dealing with sins of the flesh, with fornication and adultery. Now, it is at all times exceedingly difficult for the preacher either to speak or to write upon this subject; it demands the strictest care to keep the language guarded, so that while we are denouncing a detestable evil we do not ourselves promote it by a single expression that should be otherwise than chaste and pure.
Possession. "Your body is a temple of the Holy Ghost." The context requires that we give to this a strictly individual application. It is spoken here, not of the Church as the Body of Christ, "the fulness of him that filleth all in all," but of the physical personality of each individual member of that body.

The idea of the old temple was not that of the modern church, which is a building in which men may gather to worship God. The old temple was a shrine for Deity to dwell in; and this Divine presence in the central shrine was conceived as hallowing the entire temple buildings, right through to the outer courts and gates. Nothing might enter the precincts that defiled or worked abomination. Illustrate from Solomon's temple, and the extreme jealousy with which the Jews regarded the sacred place.

1 COR. 3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

2 COR 6:16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said,
“I will dwell in them and walk among them;
And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

EPH. 2:21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

Amplified: In Him the whole structure is joined (bound, welded) together harmoniously, and it continues to rise (grow, increase) into a holy temple in the Lord [a sanctuary dedicated, consecrated, and sacred to the presence of the Lord]. (Amplified Bible - Lockman)

Ezek 36.27: "And I will put my Spirit within you."
Ezek 37.14: " And I shall put my Spirit in you, and you shall live."
In the New Testament the doctrine opens upon our view with increasing power and brightness. Our Lord's own words are familiar.
John 14.16, 17: "And I will ask the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever; even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it sees him not, neither knows him: but you know him, for he dwells with you, and shall be in you."
Ro 8.9: "But you are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you."
Ro 8:11: "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you," etc.

God is most clearly manifested in humanity. Christ, pre-eminently, was the glorious temple in which God dwelt, and through whom the Divine glory was revealed to the world. There was the holy of holies; there the altar which made every other altar fire grow pale and expire.

2. The temple was very magnificent (1 Kings 6:32). So the soul of a believer is an illustrious temple. God Himself brings His glory into it (Psalms 45:13). Christ never admired the goodly stones of the visible, but admired the glory of the spiritual temple.
1 Kings 6:32 New International Version (NIV)
32 And on the two olive-wood doors he carved cherubim, palm trees and open flowers, and overlaid the cherubim and palm trees with hammered gold.
3. The temple was a place set apart for God’s peculiar worship; it was separated from all other places. So a believer’s heart is consecrated ground, and set apart for God’s service.
4. The temple was a place of God’s special presence: He did there command His blessings. So in a spiritual heart God wonderfully manifests His presence: there He gives forth the influences of His grace, the communications of His love.
5. The temple had a fire burning on the altar; so a believer’s heart is the altar on which there is a sacred fire still burning
6. The temple, being an hallowed place, was to be kept clean

II. This Divine temple of the soul differs from other temples, and hath a transcendent excellency above them.
1. Other material temples, though of a beautiful structure, yet have no life in them; but a believer is a living temple. 
1 Peter 2:5 you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

If God meant simply to convey the idea that the Spirit lives within the believer, He could well have used words such as “home,” “house,” or “residence.” But by choosing the word “temple” to describe the Spirit’s dwelling, He conveys the idea that our bodies are the shrine, or the sacred place, in which the Spirit not only lives, but is worshiped, revered, and honored. Therefore, how we behave, think and speak, and what we let into the temple through our eyes and ears becomes critically important as well, for every thought, word and deed is in His view. Even though He will never leave us, it is entirely possible to grieve the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 4: 30). Instructing the Ephesians to not grieve the Spirit, Paul told them to “get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you” (Ephesians 4:31-32). When we live by the Spirit, we will no longer gratify the desires of the sinful nature (Galatians 5:16).

Quotes
Ravi Zacharias “We are his temple. We do not turn in a certain directlon to pray. We are not bound by having to go into a building so that we can commune with God. There are no unique postures and times and limitations that restrict our access to God. My relationship with God is intimate and personal. The Christian does not go to the temple to worship. The Christian takes the temple with him or her. Jesus lifts us beyond the building and pays the human body the highest compliment by making it His dwelling place, the place where He meets with us.

Factually, the Temple Mount is the precise location of the Temple. It's the holiest place in the world for Jews. It's the third holiest place for Muslims.

Solomon's temple also was designed to increase the
attractiveness of the city of his residence.
- Julius Wellhausen

The Lord showed me, so that I did see clearly,that he did not dwell in these temples which men had commanded and set up, but in people's hearts...his people were his temple, and he dwelt in them.
- George Fox

Jesus predicted the same thing: “the hour comes, when you shall neither in this mountain, nor at Jerusalem, worship the Father……. But the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship him. So the only temple valid in the eyes of God is yourself: You also, as living stones, are built up into a spiritual temple, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:6) So stop fantasizing about a piece of real estate somewhere in the Middle East and start worshipping YHWH in His true nature: spiritually.

Psalm 27:4
One thing I have asked from the LORD, that I shall seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the LORD And to meditate in His temple.
MIKE BICKLE, "It was only in seeing the beauty of God that David could see his beauty in God. Did you know that in redemption you possess a beauty that’s staggering? You possess a beauty even in your creation. The fact that you’re a human being already separates you from all the rest of the created order. A token of your beauty is seen in your natural humanity, but a greater fullness of your beauty is seen in your redemption. In seeing the beauty of God, David could see his own beauty more clearly. Beloved, when you see God’s beauty and then you see your beauty in God, it changes your emotional chemistry. It changes the way that you think and feel about everything. A man or woman who sees God’s beauty and his or her own beauty in God feels differently about everything. It changes you. You feel powerful when you feel beautiful. You feel powerful before sin when you feel beautiful before God. Redemption has beautified the people of God.

It says in Isaiah 61.3, one of the well-known statements of redemption, “God has given you beauty for ashes” (Isa. 61:3, paraphrased). In place of the ash heap of broken humanity God has given you beauty, but more than that He has given you His beauty for ashes. The very beauty of God has been imparted to you. Moses was to pray in Psalm 90:17, “Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us” (Ps. 90:17, NKJV). That’s what took place in Jesus Christ. It’s not just beauty for ashes; it’s God’s beauty that has been given to you. It’s fantastic! Moses understood that a little; David understood that a little. God beautifies everything He touches redemptively. Whenever God touches something redemptively, He beautifies it with His own beauty. God beautifies His people with salvation (Ps. 149:4). He makes you beautiful. He adorns and makes beautiful a bride for His Son (Rev. 21:2). God the Father makes beautiful the people of God for Jesus in the grace of God No Christian needs to lack self-esteem, for they are beautiful in the eyes of God. He does not dwell in any shack but only in temples.

The Temple's Interior
5He paneled the main room with cypress, which he overlaid with fine gold and decorated with palm tree and chain designs. 6He adorned the temple with precious stones for beauty, and its gold was from Parvaim. 7He overlaid its beams, thresholds, walls, and doors with gold, and he carved cherubim on the walls.…

Berean Study Bible
"Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting — a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing."
Ralph Waldo Emerson

ORTHODOX CHURCH IN AMERICA
Yet if we are to embrace and take full advantage of the Holy Spirit surrounding us and within us, we should also see the universe with the eyes of the Spirit. Everything is beautiful, all gives God glory in its unique manner. One cannot recognize that without the insight of the Holy Spirit. If we were truly awake to the Spirit, we might notice the varieties of all living things in the way that Aristotle enumerated and compiled in order, systematizing all flora and fauna on our behalf. We would develop the curiosity of Leonardo Da Vinci, utilizing his eyes in ways far transcending ordinary looking. We would relish the varieties of races, nationalities and people, exploring the intricacies of individuals, not only human beings, but animal life and other varieties of life forms found in plants, flowers and trees. To enjoy the newness that comes with constant learning of different experiences is also a gift of the Holy Spirit

What keeps our hearts from bursting with the celebration of life in all its forms? The cloud of depression, or the agony of sin infecting our souls like a spiritual virus that blares out negative thoughts and reminders of our failures. The antidote for these diseases is the awareness of Jesus Christ who came to raise us from a living death, the agony of defeatism and frustration that hinders us from celebrating the fullness of life. Christ and the Spirit are ever ready to free us from all that oppresses, suppresses and thwarts our progress towards the Father’s Kingdom and to enjoy all the loveliness that He created for our delight.

PIPER, "Christian joy is a good feeling in the soul, produced by the Holy Spirit, as he causes us to see the beauty of Christ in the word and in the world. the Holy Spirit opens the eyes of my heart to see the beauty of Christ. When I see Christ in all that he is doing, and all that he is, then my heart is drawn out in joy towards him. It is not just in the word that we see Christ. We see him in his gifts and in people. We see him in his gifts of nature. We see him in his gifts of food and in all of the good things that our Father in heaven gives to us. Every gift of Christ to us is intended to be a communication of something of himself. So we see Christ not only — we taste Christ not only — in his word, but also in his works.

A temple speaks of beauty.
A temple speaks of purity.
A temple speaks of separation.
A temple speaks of godliness.
A temple speaks of peace.
A temple speaks of revelation.
A temple speaks of truth.
A temple speaks of reverence.

SOLOMON DEDICATES THE TEMPLE IN I KINGS 8 AND II CHRON. 6-7

Dr. Jack L. Arnold
Corinth was a city given over to the worship of sex. A thousand prostitutes, male and female, came down from the Temple of Aphrodite into the city at night to carry out their wicked trade. An intimate part of the Corinthian pagan worship was involvement in sexual promiscuity.
Sexual immorality was accepted and highly regarded in that culture. Apparently there were some Christians who had not shaken all of their pagan past and were highly influenced by their sex-crazed culture. Therefore, there were some in the Corinthian church who argued that sexual immorality was right and proper for Christians. The problem of the church at Corinth is really the same problem the church in America faces-what to do with degenerating attitudes about sex and the ever increasing sexual laxity within the church. The American sex-saturated society is having a tremendous impact upon the church. In the Christian churches, there are many who say we need to soften our view of sexual immorality and even homosexuality and allow them to be practiced by Christians without recrimination.
READ I COR. 6:"15-20

Deuteronomy 23:17-18
"None of the daughters of Israel shall be a cult prostitute, nor shall any of the sons of Israel be a cult prostitute. "You shall not bring the hire of a harlot or the wages of a dog into the house of the LORD your God for any votive offering, for both of these are an abomination to the LORD your God. There are 48 verses in the Bible that deal with prostitutes. It was popular in all the ancient world and today it is in our country one of the biggest money makers there is. Christians today need the teaching of Paul just as much as they did in his day.

Barclay - because God's Spirit dwells in us we have become a temple of God; and so our very bodies are sacred. And more--Christ died to save not a bit of a man, but the whole man, body and soul. Christ gave his life to give a man a redeemed soul and a pure body. Because of that a man's body is not his own to do with as he likes; it is Christ's and he must use it, not for the satisfaction of his own lusts, but for the glory of Christ. (1 Corinthians - Daily Study Bible)

Spurgeon - “Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost?” Does this not make a man outstanding? Have you never stood in awe of your own self? Have you thought enough about how this poor body is sanctified, dedicated, and elevated into a sacred condition by being set apart as a temple of the Holy Ghost?… God Himself then dwells in you. The Spirit of Him who raised Christ from the dead is in you. You life is hidden with Christ in God and the Spirit seals you, anoints you, and abides in you. By the Spirit, we have access to the Father. By the Spirit, we perceive our adoption and learn to cry, “Abba, Father.” By the Spirit, we are made partakers of the divine nature and have communion with the threefold, holy Lord.

WHOLE TRINITY
And so Jesus’ promise in John 14 that the Holy Spirit would reside within them was not limited to the eleven apostles who were present that night. In fact the Holy Spirit indwells every Christian. In John 14:17 Jesus promised that "the Spirit of truth… abides with you and will be in you." In John 14:23, Jesus said "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, and make Our abode with him." This changes your whole concept of prayer. God is not just in heaven, He is right here in us and we can be praying without ceasing if we begin to grasp it. We can be talking to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit as we walk through life. He is present like a companion and we can be asking his advice and guidance every step we take, and for every decision we must make. Prayer is just talking to the one who is walking along with you. Galatians 5:16, ”This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh.”

Today I’m walking,
with The Holy Spirit
today the road
we are both going to hit.
I’ll be trusting Him,
for the right directions
I’ll follow His lead
without any objections.
We’ll travel together,
without Him I won’t go
for the righteous way
I know He knows.
I’ll be looking for Him,
to steer my desires
into all that God’s will
asks and requires.
Today I’m walking,
with the Holy Spirit
to whatever He says
I’m going to commit!

Harry Ironside - He says, "Your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost." Do we think as much of this as we should? Would you allow many things about which you are careless if that were constantly before your mind? You think of a church building as a sanctuary set apart for the work of the Lord. You step in from the outside, and immediately your hat comes off, for you realize that you are in the sanctuary. We teach our boys and girls not to be boisterous or frivolous in the church building for it is the house where we meet with God, and we realize that reverent behavior should characterize us. But think of this, your body is the sanctuary, it is temple in which the Holy Spirit dwells. How careful you and I ought to be that we grieve not that blessed One who dwells within, that we do not bring dishonor upon the name of the Savior who has sent His Spirit to live in our body. Say the words over and over again to yourself until they get such a grip on you that you will never forget them: "My body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. God dwells in me." It will give you to realize the dignity of the body and the responsibility that attaches to it. (Ironside's Notes on 1Cor 6)

As D L Moody rightly said - "I think it is clearly taught in the Scripture that every believer has the Holy Ghost dwelling in him. He may be quenching the Spirit of God, and he may not glorify God as he should, but if he is a believer on the Lord Jesus Christ, the Holy Ghost dwells in him. But I want to call your attention to another fact. I believe today, that though Christian men and women have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them, yet He is not dwelling within them in power; in other words, God has a great many sons and daughters without power." But to enable us to live this life we need the daily help of the Holy Spirit. He entered our hearts at the moment of regeneration, and has been with us ever since. We may not have realized His entry, but we believe it because of the assurance of 1Co 6:19; Ro 8:9-note; Ep 3:16-note. For my part, I like to begin every day, before lifting my head from the pillow, by saying, "Thou art within, O Spirit of Christ, though I feel Thee not."

SPURGEON, "You will notice the text says, "Ye were bought with a price." It is a common classical expression to signify that the purchase was expensive. Of course, the very expression, "Ye were bought," implies a price, but the words "with a price" are added, as if to show that it was not for nothing that ye were purchased. There was a something inestimably precious paid for you; and ye need scarcely that I remind you that "ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold;" "but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot."

Remember, too, that this fact is the most important one in all your history. That you were redeemed "with a price" is the greatest event in your biography. Even your birth, what was it unless a second birth had been yours!

If it be the most important thing in the world to you, that you were "bought with a price," let it exercise the most prominent influence over your entire career.

III. And now I must close, and oh, may God give power to his word while I beg to speak upon the last point, namely, THE NATURAL CONCLUSION: "Therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit." I am not clear that the last few words are in the original. A large number of the old manuscripts and versions, and some of the more important of them, finish the verse at the word "body" -- "Therefore glorify God in your body." It was the body the apostle was speaking about, and not the spirit, and there is no necessity for the last words: still we will not further raise the question, but take them as being the inspired word of God: but still. I must make the remark, that according to the connection the force of the apostle's language falls upon the body; and perhaps it is so, because we are so apt to forget the truth, that the body is redeemed and is the Lord's, and should be made to glorify God.

The Christian man's body should glorify God by its chastity. Pure as the lily should we be from every taint of uncleanness. The body should glorify God by temperance also; in all things, in eating drinking, sleeping in everything that has to do with the flesh. "Whether ye eat or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God," or as the apostle puts it elsewhere, "whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him." The Christian man can make every meal a sacrament, and his ordinary avocations the exercise of his spiritual priesthood. The body ought to glorify God by its industry. A lazy servant is a bad Christian. A working man who is always looking for Saturday night, a man who never spends a drop of sweat except when the master is looking on, does not glorify God in his body. The best Christian is the man who is not afraid of hard work when it is due, who works not as an eye-servant or man pleaser, but in singleness of heart seeks to glorify God. Our bodies used to work hard enough for the devil; now they belong to God we will make them work for him. Your legs used to carry you to the theater; be not too lazy to come out on a Thursday night to the house of God. Your eyes have been often open upon iniquity, keep them open during the sermon: do not drop asleep! Your ears have been sharp enough to catch the word of a lascivious song let them be quick to observe the word of God. Those hands have often squandered your earnings in sinfulness, let them give freely to the cause of Christ. Your body was a willing horse when it was in the service of the devil, let it not be a sluggish hack now that it draws the chariot of Christ. Make the tongue speak his praises, make the mouth sing of his glory, make the whole man bow in willing subservience to the will of him who bought it.

2. YOU ARE NOT YOUR OWN.

2 Corinthians 5:15 and He died for all, so that they who live might no longer live for themselves, but for Him who died and rose again on their behalf.

Romans 14:8 for if we live, we live for the Lord, or if we die, we die for the Lord; therefore whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s.
Titus 2:14 who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds.

The fact that our bodies "are not our own" means we cannot do with them whatever enters our mind. That's the way we used to act when we were non-believers but now we need to allow God to renew our minds in this area
All to Thee is yielded,
I am not my own;
Blissful, glad surrender,
I am Thine alone.
John Piper - The ultimate question is not who you are but whose you are.

"Not my own, but saved by Jesus,
Who redeemed me by His blood,
Gladly I accept the message,
I belong to Christ the Lord.

"Not my own, to Christ my Saviour
I believing trust my soul,
Everything to Him committed,
While eternal ages roll.

"Not my own, my time, my talents.
Freely all to Christ I bring,
To be used in joyful service
For the glory of my King.

"Not my own, the Lord accepts me,
One among the ransomed throng
Who in heaven shall see His glory,
And to Jesus Christ belong."

God gave me a life in this body of mine
To have and to use for a specified time;
So I must be careful of life, for you see
My body does not belong to me. --Anon.

What do I owe? Nay, Lord—what do I not?
All that I am, all that I've got;
All that I am, and that how small a thing,
Compared with all Thy goodly fostering!
—J. Oxenham

ALL TO HIM I OWE - We are not our own, we have been redeemed. But while we sing "Jesus Paid It All" let us remember the next line, "All To Him I Owe." Certain Divine requirements grow out of our being bought with a price. Such love demands my soul, my life, my all. We are to glorify God in body and spirit—our selves—because we belong to Him (I Cor. 6:19, 20). We are to glorify Him in our service: "Ye are bought with a price; be not ye the servants of men" (I Cor. 7:23). And Peter tells us that since we have been redeemed with the precious blood of Christ, we are to pass the time of our sojourning here in fear (I Pt. 1:17-21). Self, service, sojourning—all to Him I owe, because He paid it all. While we sing about the price that He paid, we had better check on what God expects for us, not to repay Him, but as the expression of our heart's love to Him who redeemed us. (Day by Day - Vance Havner)

We were imprisoned by our sin,
Controlled by evil ways;
But then the Savior set us free
To serve Him all our days. —Sper

To gain true freedom,
give your life to Christ.
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee;
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise;
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

All to Thee is yielded,
I am not my own;
Blissful, glad surrender,
I am Thine alone.

John Piper - If you are a Christian, you are not your own. Christ has bought you at the price of his own death (cp Titus 2:14-note). You now belong doubly to God: He made you, and he bought you. That means your life is not your own. It is God’s. Therefore, the Bible says, “Glorify God in your body.” God made you for this (Isa 43:7). He bought you for this (1Pe 1:18-note, 1Pe 2:24, 25-note, 1Pe 2:21-note). This is the meaning of your life.

"Not my own, but saved by Jesus,
Who redeemed me by His blood,
Gladly I accept the message,
I belong to Christ the Lord.

"Not my own, to Christ my Saviour
I believing trust my soul,
Everything to Him committed,
While eternal ages roll.

"Not my own, my time, my talents.
Freely all to Christ I bring,
To be used in joyful service
For the glory of my King.

"Not my own, the Lord accepts me,
One among the ransomed throng
Who in heaven shall see His glory,
And to Jesus Christ belong."

It will be wonderful to be His own up there. I would not want to miss it then, but it is a greater privilege to be His own as we walk the streets of this world than it will be when we walk the streets of gold, for this is the world in which we have the privilege of glorifying Him in our bodies.

I. THE CHRISTIAN IS NOT HIS OWN. Before conversion he may have so thought of himself. The essence of conversion is a voluntary surrender of will and life to Christ.

One of the most elementary principles of Christian thought and life is expressed in these words: "Ye are not your own." The sense of Divine ownership rather than self ownership is the inspiration of all Christian dignity and strength

3. YOU ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE.

II. HE IS A BOUGHT ONE. And he dwells with holy satisfaction on the "precious blood" which was as it were his purchase money (1 Peter 1:18, 19).

1. Purchase. "Ye were bought with a price." The apostle refers to a historic fact of the past, viz. the personal self surrender and sacrifice of Jesus, the Son of God, for the redemption of men. This, with all that it involved of obedience, humiliation, and suffering even unto death, was the "price" that bought us. We may differ in our abstract ideas as to the nature of the atonement, but this fact is to the Christian mind indisputable. "The Son of man came to give his life a ransom for many" (Matthew 20:28); "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse," etc. (Galatians 3:13); "Redeemed with the precious blood of Christ," etc. (1 Peter 1:19).
"Love so amazing, so Divine,
Demands my soul, my life, my all."

III. HE IS A BOND SLAVE TO CHRIST. Held indeed by purchase rights, but quite as truly held by the entire and willing surrender of a thankful love. Therefore in all the Christian is, in all the Christian has, and in all the Christian can be, he is under solemn obligation to glorify God, who is his Lord. And the Lord whom he serves, and who holds sole right in him and his, he is permitted to apprehend and recognize as his gracious Master, the glorified "Man Christ Jesus," whose service is perfect freedom and holiest joy. - R.T.

4. GLORIFY GOD WITH YOUR BODY.

"Glorify God therefore in your body." This is something more than a mere passive, negative abstinence from evil. It is the consecration of the powers of our nature to all holy service, the active expression of the inner Divine life in all possible forms of well doing. It implies:

1. Conscious spiritual freedom. Christ delivers us from all kinds of degrading moral bondage when he thus redeems us and makes us his own forever. And "where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty." Spiritual freedom lies in willing personal subjection to him who is our rightful Lord. Self hood in all its forms and phases is the slavery, the paralysis, and death of the soul. Live in and for yourself, as if you were "your own," and you have a very hard and oppressive taskmaster. Live unto the Lord, and you are most truly and joyously free.

2. The mastery of the spiritual over the fleshly part of us. The apostle has in view a special and most important aspect of the sanctity of the body. But we may take this word "body" as symbolizing the whole form and fashion and habit of the outward life. From the inner shrine of a spirit that has thus become the Lord's, the glory will stream forth through all channels of self revelation. The very outskirts of our being, the very lowest part of our nature, will be sure to be lighted up, spiritualized, beautified by it. We are apt to think of the body as being necessarily the encumbrance and the foe of the spirit. This is not a Christian way of thinking. Rather let us regard it as an instrument that God has wisely constructed, "fearfully and wonderfully made," and through which the holy energy of the spirit may serve his purposes and do him honour. - W.

He says, “for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.” The word “holy” is hagios. We saw that in chapter 1. Holiness does not mean perfection when it comes to us. When it comes to Him, yes, but not to us. His is inherent. Ours is imputed. But the word “holy” means we have been set apart, we have been put into a class all by ourselves. Amongst all humanity, we are in a class all by ourselves. Why? Because the Spirit of God has taken up residence in our heart. He has separated us unto Himself and for His purposes, therefore, we have been made holy. His living in our life is proof of that fact. Paul says, “and that is what you are.” You are holy because God is holy and lives in you and has separated you unto Himself and made you holy. We as believers are the very temple of God. He sent His own Spirit to take up residence in our life.

2Co 7:1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God

What right has any man or any woman to deface the temple of the Holy Ghost? What is the ear? Why, it is the whispering-gallery of the human soul. What is the eye? It is the observatory God constructed, its telescope sweeping the heavens. What is the hand? An instrument so wonderful that when the Earl of Bridgewater bequeathed in his will £8,000 sterling for treatises to be written on the wisdom, power, and goodness of God, and Dr. Chalmers found his subject in the adaptation of external nature to the moral and intellectual constitution of man, and the learned Dr. Whewell found his subject in astronomy, Sir Charles Bell, the great English anatomist and surgeon, found his greatest illustration of the wisdom, power, and goodness of God in the construction of the human hand, writing his whole book on that subject. So wonderful are these bodies that God names His own attributes after different parts of them. His omniscience — it is God's eye. His omnipresence — it is God's ear. His omnipotence — it is God's arm. The upholstery of the midnight heavens — it is the work of God's fingers. His life-giving power — it is the breath of the Almighty. His dominion — the government shall be upon His shoulder. A body so Divinely honoured and so Divinely constructed, let us be careful not to abuse it. When it becomes a Christian duty to take care of our health, is not the whole tendency toward longevity? If I toss my watch about recklessly, and drop it on the pavement, and wind it up any time of day or night I happen to think of it, and often let it run down, while you are careful with your watch, and you never abuse it, and you wind it up at just the same hour every night, and then put it away in a place where it will not suffer from the violent changes of atmosphere, which watch will last the longer? Common sense answers. Now, the human body is God's watch. You see the hands of the watch, you see the face of the watch; but the beating of the heart is the ticking of the watch. Oh! be careful and do not let it run down.
(T. De Witt Talmage.)

(1) Glorify God in your bodies, for they are His. Beware of regarding them as a number of organs and senses to be pampered, or as stately forms to be adorned and admired. The Spirit dwells not in an unhallowed temple. In your bodies, therefore, glorify God, by temperance, chastity, and the practice of every Christian virtue; by doing without weariness, and by suffering without murmuring; by letting your hands be active in the service, and your feet swift in the way of His Commandments.

(2) Glorify God in your intellects, for they are His. How often has science poured her treasures before him who knew not God, and how much of the choicest literary art is devoted to the service of the devil! In the midst of a perverse generation, bow yourself in unconditional allegiance to the Bible. Learn the true humility of knowledge. Stand out in all the nobleness of religious decision: spirits — students of the great Spirit; minds — drinking in the lessons of the immortal mind, which transforms them while they listen.

(3) Glorify God in your whole nature, for it is His. Never mind the opposition with which you may have to contend, nor think that you live to struggle alone. Your Saviour has sent His Spirit to help you, and that Spirit now worketh in you to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Glorifying God
A. Crummell.

II. HOW AM I TO GLORIFY GOD IN MY BODY? I claim —

1. Your hands for God. You have no right to use them in the service of Satan, the world, or sin. Idle hands do not glorify God, nor mischievous hands, nor dirty hands, nor dishonest hands, nor unkind hands, nor careless hands.

2. Your feet. They should go only on His errands. When I see the little feet kicking or stamping in passion, or venturing into forbidden and dangerous paths, or loitering when they should make haste, I cannot help thinking: "These feet are not for God." "How beautiful are the feet, when they are for God!"

3. Your lips. What shall I say of profane words, untruthful words, coarse and vulgar words, angry and irritating words, unholy and impure words, light and jesting words, slandering and gossiping words? When we are going to speak of any one, it has been said there are three questions which it is well to ask — "Is it true? Is it useful? Is it kind?"

4. And so with the whole body. The ears should be for God, listening to nothing of which He would disapprove; and the eyes, turning away from all that He would not look upon. All should be for God. "Whether ye eat or drink," &c. And how is all this to be? The root of all lies in having the heart for God.

Honoring God with Your Body - You’re acquainted with house sitters. Not wanting to leave your house vacant, you ask someone to stay in your home until you return. Let me describe two nightmares. The first house sitter redecorates your house, changing white paint to pink, Berber carpet to shag. His justification? “The house didn’t express me. I needed a house that communicated who I am.”Your response? “It’s not yours! My residence doesn’t exist to reflect you! I asked you to take care of the house, not take over the house!” You might choose him, however, over nightmare number two. She didn’t redecorate; she neglected. Never washed a dish, made a bed, or took out the trash. “My time here was temporary. I knew you wouldn’t mind.” Of course you’d mind! Both house sitters made the same mistake: They acted as if they owned the dwelling. How could they? But how could we? When it comes to our bodies, the Bible declares that we don’t own them. (Max Lucado)

God gave me a life in this body of mine
To have and to use for a specified time;
So I must be careful of life, for you see
My body does not belong to me. --Anon.

Lord, help us love what's good and right—
O make us pure within;
And give us courage to repent
When we would choose to sin. —D. De Haan

We were imprisoned by our sin,
Controlled by evil ways;
But then the Savior set us free
To serve Him all our days. —Sper

To gain true freedom,
give your life to Christ.
Take my life and let it be
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee;
Take my hands and let them move
At the impulse of Thy love.

Take my feet and let them be
Swift and beautiful for Thee;
Take my voice and let me sing,
Always, only for my King.

Take my lips and let them be
Filled with messages from Thee;
Take my silver and my gold,
Not a mite would I withhold.

Take my moments and my days,
Let them flow in endless praise;
Take my intellect and use
Every pow’r as Thou shalt choose.

Take my will and make it Thine,
It shall be no longer mine;
Take my heart, it is Thine own,
It shall be Thy royal throne.

Take my love, my Lord, I pour
At Thy feet its treasure store;
Take myself and I will be
Ever, only, all for Thee.

Don't just pray for hands to heal the hurting. Pray with hands that are healing the hurting. Don't just pray for arms to help the helpless. Pray with arms that are helping the helpless. Don't just pray for feet to respond to need. Pray on feet that are responding to need. Don't just pray for someone to do something. Be someone who does something. Don't just pray for answers. Be the answer.”
― L.R. Knost