Stewardship: The Body

The Image of God and the Body

Bodily Form

Gen 1:26.

Genesis 1:26 ESV

26 Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness…

What does it mean that people are created in the image of God?

humans were made by God with inherent qualities of "knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness," reflecting God's own character, not necessarily physical likeness, and signifying the special dignity and value of human life

Were our bodies created in the image of God?

Part of what it means to be created in the image of God is the fact that we were created with physical form.

Consider the fact that God the Son came to us in body

Phil 2:7.

Philippians 2:5–7 ESV

5 Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.

Jesus came in the likeness of men. He was born… He had a body.

Heb 10:5.

Hebrews 10:5 ESV

5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, “Sacrifices and offerings you have not desired, but a body have you prepared for me;

Jesus came in bodily form so He could be pierced for our transgressions. (Isa. 53:5)

So Jesus’s body was sacrificed so His people could live.

Bodily Glory

So, our bodies have been affected by the Fall. Our bodies are decaying. That’s not difficult to see… disease, deformities, disabilities, death.

But there is also shame connected to our bodies.

Gen 2:25.

Genesis 2:25 ESV

25 And the man and his wife were both naked and were not ashamed.

This is pre-fall.

Gen 3:7-11.

Genesis 3:7–11 ESV

7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked. And they sewed fig leaves together and made themselves loincloths. 8 And they heard the sound of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the man and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden. 9 But the Lord God called to the man and said to him, “Where are you?” 10 And he said, “I heard the sound of you in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.” 11 He said, “Who told you that you were naked? Have you eaten of the tree of which I commanded you not to eat?”

Post-fall.

The consequence of disobeying God is that they became aware of their nakedness.

The foundation of covenant-keeping love between a man and a woman is the unbroken covenant between them and God—God governing them for their good and they enjoying him in that security and relying on him. When they ate from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, that covenant was broken and the foundation of their own covenant-keeping collapsed.

In the first case, the one viewing my nakedness is no longer trustworthy, so I am afraid I will be shamed.

In the second, I myself am no longer at peace with God, but I feel guilty and defiled and unworthy—I deserve to be shamed.

But consider 1 Cor 15.

1 Cor. 15:39-41.

1 Corinthians 15:39–41 ESV

39 For not all flesh is the same, but there is one kind for humans, another for animals, another for birds, and another for fish. 40 There are heavenly bodies and earthly bodies, but the glory of the heavenly is of one kind, and the glory of the earthly is of another. 41 There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the stars; for star differs from star in glory.

1 Corinthians 5. The Nature of the Resurrection Body (15:35–49)

A

We are told that not all flesh is flesh. (reference to earthly bodies)

People have one kind of flesh, animals another, birds another, fish another

There are heavenly bodies

The splendor of the heavenly bodies is of one kind and the splendor of the earthly bodies is of another.

So the sun had one kind of splendor, the moon another and the starts another.

A star’s splendor differs from another star’s

So what’s the point?

There were different kinds of flesh and bodies in the original creation, and all of these had some kind of glory.

Earthly flesh is not like heavenly bodies, but each has its own distinct glory according to God’s creative purposes.

While the glory differs between flesh and other aspect of creation, the human body is considered glorious in its own right. God made our bodies with glory.

Temples of the Holy Spirit

1 Cor 6:12-19.

1 Corinthians 6:12–19 ESV

12 “All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be dominated by anything. 13 “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food”—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by his power. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! 16 Or do you not know that he who is joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh.” 17 But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. 18 Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. 19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own,

It doesn’t matter

Corinthian culture marginalized the value of the physical body.

Paul reflects a Corinthian slogan in verse 13.

What’s behind this is that the body does not matter, so we can use to our gratification. Eating whatever we want, and how much we want is no problem.

Sexual activity was a mere bodily function like eating food, so no reason to hold back.

But it does matter

Paul counters the slogan by stating that they body is not meant for sexual immorality

sexual immorality is the greek word porneia which refers to all sexual sin.

But the body is meant for the Lord and the Lord for the body

Christ lived and died to redeem the body… the body will not be destroyed but is destined for resurrection.

Back to where we were in 1 Cor. 15.

1 Corinthians 15:42–44 ESV

42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.

So, the body does matter.

Notice what verse 15 says: our bodies are members of Christ. There are physical implications to being in Christ… united to Christ.

This is why it was unthinkable to Paul that the body should be united to a prostitute… Union with a harlot robs Christ of one of His members.

Sinning against the body

verses 18-20

sexual sin is a sin against one’s body.

That our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit points to God’s ownership of us, including our bodies. We are not our own.

So, God does care about our bodies. Our bodies have connection to the eternal realities about us.

Our Responsibilities and Limitations

Responsibilities

1 Cor 9:24-27.

1 Corinthians 9:24–27 ESV

24 Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one receives the prize? So run that you may obtain it. 25 Every athlete exercises self-control in all things. They do it to receive a perishable wreath, but we an imperishable. 26 So I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. 27 But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.

Now, to be clear, Paul’s primary concerns is how one runs the race.

The concern is to maximize our effectiveness for the ministry of the gospel.

This requires self-discipline.

The context is concerned with abstaining from sacrificial meals tainted by idolatry, which brings judgement from God.

Paul submitted his physical self to the ministry of the gospel.

Our limitations

Technology and information

information is power….. but there allot of conflicting information and misinformation.

Guard against sinful fear

Matt 6:25-34.

Matthew 6:25–34 ESV

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26 Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? 27 And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? 28 And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin, 29 yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 30 But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31 Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. 33 But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 34 “Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.

Not being anxious about our bodies means that whatever we may assess about disease, food, medication etc., our assessment must not lead to sinful fear.

Guard against indulgences