MY PERSPECTIVE, Gary Damron

Many of us focus more on our physical body, which only houses the inner life, than on the deeper parts of who we are. The apostle Paul wrote, "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body (I Corinthians 6:19-20).” While the body is important because it can be the dwelling for the Holy Spirit, we must learn to care for the entire person God created. The dwelling is only truly significant when God abides in it.

A body gives us mobility to work and play. It allows us to touch, see, hear, taste, and smell, and most of the experiences enjoyed in life are tied to the physical body. At the same time, our bodies can become the source of aches, disease, and eventual decline, so they can affect attitudes and how we cope. Paul added, "Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day" (2 Corinthians 4:16). Even as we age, God is able to breathe new life into our inner self through His presence.

We are not just physical beings. Within the body, our soul is made of thoughts, emotions, and will; and the deepest part is our spirit, which has the capacity to know and respond to God. If all our focus is on the physical, we neglect the inner life. Yet it is our deeper part which communicates who we truly are. The Holy Spirit is available to live within, so that every part - body, soul, and spirit - can be brought under His direction.

Paul called on believers to glorify God with their bodies, not simply by doing good works, but by avoiding anything that degrades or dishonors what God has made. Jesus demonstrated what human life was meant to be, before the fall occurred in the Garden of Eden. John wrote of Jesus, whom he described as the Word becoming flesh (John 1:14). Jesus shared our humanity and died sacrificially so that we might receive eternal life, forgiveness, and a restored relationship with the Father. Jesus continues to be the clear example of what God can do in a life fully yielded to Him.

In Philippians 2:5, Paul urged, "Have this attitude in yourselves which was also in Christ Jesus...". This happens only when we allow the deeper part, that which connects with God, to direct our daily lives. Then Jesus can continue to make a difference in human life. Romans 8:16 reads, “The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.” Through this inner connection God assures us we belong to Him.

Paul wrote also, “The first man, Adam, became a living soul. The last Adam [Christ] became a life-giving spirit" (1 Corinthians 15:45). Human life was damaged by sin, so what we received from Adam was real, but broken. Now, what we're offered by Jesus is living, powerful, and transformative.

Jesus explained to the disciples in the upper room (John chapters 14 through 16) how the Holy Spirit within operates. He brings God's Word to mind, enables us to understand truth, and prompts wise choices. He convicts our conscience, produces the fruit of love, joy, peace, and self-control; gives strength to withstand temptation; and points us to Jesus, rather than a focus on ourselves.

When Jesus came to earth, He lived as we do with a body, soul, and spirit. He experienced hunger, thirst, fatigue, and death. He also experienced the deep emotions of sorrow, distress, and grief. When He saw people grieving at Lazarus' tomb, He was deeply moved and wept (John 11:33). He wept over Jerusalem (Luke 19:41). In Gethsemane, He prayed, "'Not my will, but yours be done” (Luke 22:42), and His sweat became like drops of blood (Luke 22:44).

Even on the cross, when the weight of our sins caused Him to cry out that God had forsaken Him (Mark 15:34), He did not pray for angels to deliver Him (Matthew 26:53). He endured physical death for God’s higher purpose. As Jesus did, we can put in proper perspective the physical, emotional, and spiritual parts of life.

Jesus "the second Adam" offers more than the life we inherited from "the first Adam". As we allow the Holy Spirit to live in us, every part can be brought under God's direction, and we can live out the calling of God. We no longer have to be dominated by physical limitations and desires, and we needn't be controlled by shifting emotions or self-centered thinking. Our body becomes a temple. Our thoughts and choices reflect the mind of Christ. Inside our deepest self, God assures us we are His children and brings forth a transformed life.

May we treat our body with respect, as a temple of the Holy Spirit. Let Him shape our thoughts after the humility of Jesus. And let us stay attentive to the quiet work of God within. The death and resurrection of Jesus made way for the Holy Spirit, who gives direction and abundant life.