Bought with a Price

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Scripture: 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV)

19 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; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore, honor God with your bodies.

Devotion:

            While the original context of these words of Paul are sexual immorality, I believe considering today’s culture there may be other applications as well. Apparently, the 1st century church in Corinth was ignorant of the fact that they had the Holy Spirit dwelling within them. In the same way there are some in the church of the 21st century (and many outside of it) that are also in need of these words. Today’s culture claims that each person's body belongs to no outside entity. The individual is free to do with their body whatever the individual decides is good. This leads to great confusion in their lives.

            For the Christian, the body is a sacred place. The Holy Spirit dwells within each believer from the time of conversion to the time of death and beyond into eternal life with God. Therefore, our bodies must be treated as holy ground. This applies to everything we take into our bodies, both physical like food and non-physical like ideas. We as Christians must be careful about how we use these temples we have been given. Our spiritual and physical well-being are at stake. We should always remember that Jesus died and was raised to life in order to pay the price for our bodies as well as our souls. We belong to God body, mind, and spirit.

            Perhaps the best source for understanding this truth is found in the words of the Heidelberg Catechism from the very 1st question:

Question 1: What is my only comfort in life and death?

Answer: That I with body and soul, both in life and death, know that 1 am not my own, but belong unto my faithful Savior Jesus Christ; who, with His precious blood, hath fully satisfied all my sins, and delivered me from all the power of the devil; and so preserves me that without the will of my heavenly Father, not a hair can fall from my head; yea, that all things must be subservient to my salvation, and therefore, by His Holy Spirit, He also assures me of eternal life, and makes me sincerely willing and ready, henceforth, to live unto Him.

            The words of our scripture and this interpretation of the words of scripture can ease our confusion as we seek to live in today’s culture. We can depend on the Holy Spirit that is placed within each believer to guide us into the truth about our physical, mental, and spiritual health. Let us praise God who loves us so much.

Prayer:

            Dear Lord, we praise you for caring so much for us that we are made into temples of your own creation. You establish for us the way in which we are to live in this world. Lord save us from confusion and anxiety about how we are to live in this world. Let us trust in your word completely, so that we are truly salt and light to our watching world. May we find comfort in you both as we live and as we die knowing that we are your beloved children. Help us be as faithful as Jesus was in living and proclaiming the goodness of our God. Amen.

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