CONTRIBUTOR/S:
ADOPTED ON:
Mark D. Roberts
January 24, 2013
Must Our Bodies Always Oppose God?
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed
the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those
who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our flesh
and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature deserving of wrath.
Ephesians 2:
So far in Ephesians 2, we've heard plenty of bad news. We used to be dead in our trespasses and sins.
We were in bondage to the evil ways of the world and to Satan.
Yet the doleful tidings aren't over. Verse 3 reveals that we were "gratifying the cravings of our flesh
and following its desires and thoughts." It appears that our bodies are also involved in the conspiracy to
oppose God and the life he seeks for us. This seems to support the view, common among many
Christians, that our bodies are necessarily evil and the only true good is spiritual (that is, non-physical).
But this understanding of our bodies does not take into account the full revelation of Scripture. To be
sure, our sinful, human flesh is the source of "cravings" and "desires" that lead us away from God. Yet,
we must not forget that God created human bodies to be good, part of the original goodness of creation.
In the end, God will raise us and our bodies will be restored, though in an imperishable form (see 1 Cor.
15:35-57).
In the meanwhile, we take seriously the power of our sinful flesh to lead us away from God's life. Yet,
this does not mean our bodies are necessarily opposed to God. Consider Paul's teaching in 1
Corinthians 6, for example. There, he instructs those who were having sex with prostitutes to stop. Why
should they not sin with their bodies? Because their bodies are "temples of the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor.
6:19). Therefore, the Corinthians should "honor God with [their] bodies" (1 Cor. 6:20).
There is something inherent in our bodies that resists God, to be sure. But God is in the redemption
business. He is redeeming, not just our spirits, but also our bodies, that we might use them for his
purposes and glory.
QUESTIONS FOR FURTHER REFLECTION: What "cravings" and "desires" of the flesh do you
struggle with in your life? In what ways do you glorify God with your body?
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PRAYER: Gracious God, even though I have been saved by your grace, I can still feel the cravings of
my sinful flesh luring me to turn away from your life. Help me, I pray, to desire you more than anything
else I might want. Give me the strength to resist when my flesh tempts me to sin.
May I live each day with the understanding that my body is a temple of your Spirit. May I honor you,
not just with my mind and heart, but also with my body. Amen.
This material is provided under a Creative Commons 3.0 License by the Theology of Work Project, Inc.
You are free to share (to copy, distribute and transmit the work), to remix (to adapt the work) and to
make commercial use of the work, under the condition that you must attribute the work to the Theology
of Work Project, Inc., but not in any way that suggests that it endorses you or your use of the work.
WWW.THEOLOGYOFWORK.ORG
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