Freedom in Christ

I've often thought about, read and taught a passage in 1 Corinthians that I read again this week. It's a passage that always makes me stop and dwell on it....it's a very challenging passage. Here it is:

1Co 6:19 Or 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?
1Co 6:20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.

In these verses, which are part of a whole chapter of Paul's thoughts on our freedom in Christ, Paul asks a question that should stop every Christian in his steps to read it again,

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you,

This is a new thought to the early Christian and to us. When we think of the temple of God we think of Solomon's temple or the temple of Herod during Jesus' day...something made of brick and mortar, but since the cross God no longer uses one place, one building, as his residence on planet earth. Now, instead of dwelling in buildings, he lives in the lives of his children...flesh and blood. Now we are his temple! Now, right now, we are the living temple of God on planet earth! Isn't that amazing? And from that amazing revelation he makes three statements that outline our freedom in our Christian life. Here they are:

1. you are not your own

2. you have been bought with a price

3. Therefore glorify God in your body.

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Because of 1 & 2 we have a decision to make. Because we have been purchased by another, Christ himself, we belong to him. We are his, we are his dwelling place, his temple. We don't "own" our lives any longer. We are now the possession of another, therefore to glorify God in your body is the logical response to all that he has done in and for us. The application is our response to all that Christ has done, but it does demand a response. A "thank you" is not what he wants....he wants your life.

So, how does this describe our freedom in Christ? It's rather simple- I can do anything in my life (understanding that I belong to someone else) that will glorify God in my body. What simple, clear and liberating guidelines. What amazing freedom!

Some would say, "how restricting, I can't do anything!" But the opposite is true. You can do anything as long as you realize that you are dealing with someone else's property, and he expects you to make HIM look good, to bring glory to him. It changes how we look at life, how we view ourselves, how we deal with others, how we take care of ourselves. What's it like to be a living temple of God? It's an amazing blessing and challenge for you see that YOU are the one place that those of the world will look to see what God is like...how are you doing?

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