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Pursuing peace that is wholeness to see good days in your life, is what the apostle Peter describes in his letter, as grace takes you from where you are to where God wants you to be in life. The one who loves life and to see good days, let him keep his tongue from evil and his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil, to do what is good. Let him seek peace and pursue it. (1 Peter 3:10,11) It has been the path of our meditation; and to see the role of the Holy Spirit, in the process, for it is a mind that is governed by the Holy Spirit that leads to life and peace in you. (Romans 8:6)
And He governs in you, as He comes to dwell in you, when you receive Christ into your heart as your Lord and Saviour. For, He died on the Cross, for the remission of your sins. But, He arose from the dead, so that you and I may now be able to experience a new way of living, a newness of life, that leads to peace. In Christ you become a new creation, when you are saved. (2 Corinthians 5:17) But outwardly there may not be any change in your appearance; except for a small smile maybe that lingers at the corner of your mouth, maybe ! For, you still dwell in the same place, in the same physical body. The change happens though, in your inner being, transforming the way you used to live. It is what Paul describes in his letter to the Romans as, Therefore, just as we were buried with Him through baptism into death, that just as Christ was raised by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life.
Knowing this, that our old man was crucified with Him, that the body of sin, that we should no longer be slaves to sin. (Romans 6:4,6) Therefore, what should then happen in you ? Likewise you also reckon yourselves to be dead indeed to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus our Lord. Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in it’s lusts. (Romans 6:11,12)
Knowing – believing – calculating – offering:
They are the four things that need to take place in you, for you to operate in your new way of living. Knowing the truth is what sets you free; that truth is a person, the Lord Jesus Christ. And, it is when you believe and put your trust in Him, and His finished work on the Cross of Calvary, that all that is His becomes yours. It is the truth of the new covenant. Then, it is by reckoning and calculating the immense cost and the result of the divine transaction that took place on the Cross that you can apply it in your life, to enter into a new way of living. It is when you can follow the word of God that goes on to say, Therefore, do not let sin reign in your mortal body, that you should obey it in its lusts. (Romans 6:12)
And God never bids you to do, what He has not done for you already. Thus, though the sin principle is still there, to tempt you into what is ungodly and unholy, and what is not God’s will for you, hitherto, you had no option but to bow down to it, and be controlled by its vicious tentacles. But, now you have a way out, a solution ! It is the glory of it that Paul goes on to describe in the same epistle.
From wretchedness to blessedness:
‘I delight in the law in my inner man; But I see another law at work in the members of my body’. (Romans 7:23,24) It is how Paul describes the torment within him to say, O wretched man that I am ! Who will deliver me from this body of death ?’ (vs 24) And then he goes on to proclaim the majestic solution, that you and I now enjoy, saying, I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord ! (vs 25) There is a way out, for a dynamic change has taken place in you, after your salvation. For, the problem, the challenge that lies ahead, may still be there, but now you can say, ‘I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me’! You now have a newness of life in you; and you need not live like you used to live. And it can happen though, only if you can acknowledge the truth of the sin principle in you, and not live in denial of it. For the truth is as God’s word says, If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. (1 John 1:8)
And denying it will only see you deceiving yourself. Some people can though take it to the other extreme, as they try to achieve sinless perfection by their own self effort. Wrong ideas can tend to creep in, leading a person to think that since sin has been dealt with on the Cross, sanctification can be worked out by a person’s own self effort, like maintaining celibacy, by choosing not to wear jewels, or similar acts that are mere false humility which gratify the flesh. But our righteous acts are as filthy rags in His sight. Sanctification comes from God and through God. It has indeed been rightly said, that it takes a moment for God to justify, but a lifetime to sanctify you !
But, how then do you have the power to overcome and reign over sin ?
He who stands, let him take care, lest he falls, is the counsel of God, for it is by His grace and mercy that you and I are not consumed, as in the words of prophet Jeremiah. (Lamentations 3:22) But then again, it is not something that can be left to chance, a ‘que sera, sera’, philosophy, as some are then led to think. It is a choice that you have to make. Do not give sin a vote in your life, is how a version of the verse puts it across, and is particularly easy to relate to, in this the time of national elections. You need to vote for God in your life; and not just once in five years, but every day of your life, in every challenge that you face.
You now have a vote you can cast. And, you can vote for God to win over sin and temptation. And it is how, sin does not rule in you, but it is God who reigns and rules in every circumstance of your life, as you calculate rightly to make the right choice. For, grace teaches you to say ‘no’ to sin, and you now have the power and authority in you, in Christ in order to exercise it. And, it is where hearing from God through His word becomes so invaluable, especially in the house of God. It is not about how interesting you find it to be. Sometimes in life there are things that you need to commit to, no matter whether you find it outwardly pleasing to your senses or not.
But how does this become possible in your life ?
It is where the truth of offering yourself comes in. And, what Hannah did with Samuel as a baby boy is what you need to do too, to offer unto God what you have received from His hand. (1 Samuel 1:27,28) You offer your body as a token of your offering unto Him as a living sacrifice, to be used for His glory. For your body is valuable in God’s sight.
The importance of your body:
In God’s sight your entire being, consisting of your spirit, soul and body, is equally important. But running contrary to this truth, are many non Christian philosophies, that downplay the importance of the body, on the premise that it is meant to return to the dust, and is temporary. There were Greek philosophies that focused on the spirit and soul of a person alone, to the extent of considering that anything can be done with the body, even sexual immorality, as long as his spirit and soul remains untouched. And, it is why, Paul addresses the Corinthian church, who came from such an influence thus, Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own ? (2 Corinthians 6:19)
Again, stemming from Greek philosophy comes the secular and sacred divide; and it is not from God, for to Him, all of your life is sacred and special. There can be the other extreme too, when too much attention is given to the body; but the Bible brings a wonderful balance, when it says, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone..’ Body image may be the preoccupation of many, but both abusing your body, or focusing too much on your body, are both extremes that can lead you into error. And through Lord Jesus, the Eternal Christ, in His word as He came into the world, truth shines through. Sacrifice and offering You did not desire, but a body you have prepared for me. In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin You had no pleasure. Then I said, Behold I have come, In the volume of the Book it is written of Me, to do your will O God. (Hebrews 10:5–7) It makes it all, so very clear, even when it is about your life, for you too are a child of the Father, heir and co heir together with Christ. Your body is important to do God’s will in this world. And in order to do it, He gives you all the resources that you need.
Therefore, the question that is important is, ‘Do you want to do God’s will ?’ Your body is not just about living long, without being bed ridden, or being a burden to others, though of course, being healthy and bearing fruit even in old age is God’s will for your body. The children’s chorus that talks about what two little eyes, two little ears, two little hands ought to do, very well encapsulates the will of God for your body. And it ends with declaring the one little heart that needs to be offered unto Him, to be used for His glory, for how beautiful indeed are the feet of those who carry the good news of the gospel. It is also very true that when you do not know the right use of something, you will end up abusing it. And it is a truth that very well applies even when it comes to your physical body. For the world’s view when it comes to this very important aspect of your life, would be quite different. If you have it, flaunt it, could be the world’s view, but you are called not to be conformed to the pattern of the world. For, abundance of possessions is not wealth, and abundance of medication is not health. It is God who is the strength and the length of your days. And, you need your body, in order to do God’s will for your life.
Will of God for you is sanctification:
Holiness is His will for you. And what does it involve ? It is to be holy, separated unto God and set apart for a special and specific purpose. In the old testament, under the old covenant, there were vessels that were made along with every other vessel, but became holy, when they were brought into the temple of God. The cup of communion in the New covenant is very much like it. And in that sense, your body is sacred and becomes holy, for it is the dwelling place of God, the Holy Spirit, in order that you may carry out to His will for your life. And the opposite of holiness is commonness. But in God’s sight your body is holy. You belong to God; you are set apart for Him. Your body therefore is not akin to a public property where anyone can trespass. And having known this truth the apostle Paul says this – Present your bodies as a living sacrifice unto God, one that is holy and acceptable in His sight, to be used as an instrument for His glory. [Romans 12:1]
And it is not an once in a lifetime event, but one that you need to do every day of your life, to be a living sacrifice unto God. No matter what your past may have been, sin need not reign in you now, for your body now is the place where God dwells, in order to carry out His will for your life. Your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and you have been called to proclaim the excellencies of the One who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous Light. And safeguarding your health, the fitness of your body, is to do the will of God. The organs of your body, are given to be used for the reason, and in the manner that they are intended to be used. Two legs have been given for you to stand on, and not for being contorted into unnatural positions, all in the name of breathing exercises ! It applies even in the realm of fasting, or abstaining from food for a period of time.
Fasting- but not for the sake of fasting !
It is a spiritual and scriptural principle; but fasting too, needs to be done not in a legalistic manner, but as a reflection of your intimacy with God, that sees time with Him in prayer and meditation of the word of God fly, with you forgetting all about having your regular and routine intake of food. Your concept of fasting therefore, need not be influenced by the influence and experience of some one else. Do not get your story concerning this valuable truth, from some one’s experience, a person who lives in another end of the globe maybe, and try to duplicate it in your life, only to end up abusing your body, that has been given for you to do God’s will.
And how can you do God’s will ?
It is by offering your body as a living sacrifice unto God. And how can you make an offering such as that ? It is by using your body in the manner that is holy and right, and not by abusing it, which in many ways is what the world’s methods will ultimately lead you to. There is a very marked difference in the way that the word of God advocates, to experience discipline in your being, even in your physical body. I discipline my body and bring it unto subjection, lest having preached to others, I may become disqualified. [1 Corinthians 9:27] They are the words of Paul, and also define what needs to happen in every child of God. And a very interesting passage in the book of Colossians, throws light on the manner in which it can happen in you. It is where Paul establishes that the world’s ways of controlling your body are nothing but self abasement, and when taken to the other end of the spectrum can become self indulgence. And ultimately they are of no value in the sight of God. [Colossians 2:16-23] And then he goes on to show the higher way, one that is from God.
A renewing of your mind:
And do not be conformed to the pattern of the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. [Romans 12:2] Paul explains here what is involved in the offering of your body as a living sacrifice, one that he has mentioned in the earlier verse. It is by controlling and disciplining your mind through a renewing of it by the word of God, that your body is disciplined to be able to know and walk in the will of God for your life. Your mind needs to be controlled in order that your body may be disciplined. For otherwise, the case of the cattle that has a leg tied up, in order not to stray into the neighbor’s farm, managing to accomplish on three legs, what it was until then doing on all four legs, would be the picture of your life and mine too.
One knows very well what the Lord meant, when He taught the crowds that came to Him that if your eye causes you to sin, you need to pluck it out. He was referring to the sinful acts and thoughts that came in you, through the gate, the door of your eye. It was those that needed to be plucked out. In the same manner, Paul mentioning the beating of his body in order to make it his slave, is not about capital punishment, but a renewal of mind that results in your body coming under your control, to do actions that are in line with the will of God for you. You will with a renewed mind know when to lift up your hands in worship, when to say ‘Amen’, signifying, ‘Be it unto me Lord, according to your word’. Jesus knew when to speak, and when to be silent, irrespective of the gravity of the situation, that even Pontius Pilate was amazed. In you, your spirit is born again by the incorruptible word of God; and your mind too is renewed by the incorruptible word of God; and following from it, you can believe by faith that your body too will respond rightly to the incorruptible word of God. It is what happened at the tomb of Lazarus, to make a dead man come alive once again physically.
‘Lazarus, come out’:
They were the words of the Lord, to the man who had been already dead for four days. Therefore, where was the Lord putting His trust? Was it in Lazarus’s ability to hear, or in the power of His word, for it to come to pass? Responding rightly to this query, can make you be born again in your spirit! And when your mind is renewed by it, your body will very naturally respond rightly. ‘Get up, take up your mat and walk’, were the words of the Lord, to the man who had never walked, not for a year or so, but for thirty eight long years. And the lame man did so ! Moreover, when later on the Pharisees in legalistic indignation, questioned why he carried his mat and walked on a Sabbath, he had one simple answer, as he said, ‘The One who made me well, said so’. [John 5:11] And responding rightly in his body with a renewed mind, he arose to walk once more !
It is what can happen in you, as you hear the word of God, to make you arise, and get up, from where ever you may find yourself now, maybe beaten down by life’s overwhelming circumstances. And as you lift up your hands unto the Father, to offer your body as a living and willing sacrifice, its’ members as instruments of righteousness, to be used by Him, and Him alone, for His glory, and His holy purposes, as you lay it all upon His altar, with a desire to do His will in your life, may His strength be made perfect in all your weaknesses, as you surrender yourself to serve the King of kings. Give thanks unto the Father therefore, for filling you with His Spirit, His strength and His goodness, as you bow to Him in humble adoration, and may your prayer to Him be that He may be glorified, as the Lord of your entire being, in the temple of your body.
In the Name of Christ Jesus Amen.
