As a believer, Is your body really yours? And if it’s not, then what does that have to do with how we handle temptation?
Every believer struggles with temptation. Yet I think we oftentimes forget whose ownership we’re under when it comes to how we think about temptation. We look at it as a scenario of whether ‘my’ body is going to give in to ‘X’ temptation.
But really, isn’t the question whether ‘God’s’ body is going to give in to ‘X’ temptation?
Yes, the struggle for victory in temptation is real. But it becomes a little easier to navigate through the temptation when we have a good, Biblical understanding of how God looks at us in temptation. And we need to understand how our current status before God should impact how we think about sin and temptation. If we can think correctly about sin and our status before God, it will allow us to act differently.
I read an article about an NFL quarterback who was given one of the largest contracts in NFL history. He became a multi (X10) millionaire overnight. He would never lack any type of possession for the rest of his life (presuming he uses his money wisely).
However, with the signing of that contract came some boundaries. He somewhat became the ‘property’ of the NFL team he signed with. They had a contract on his athletic life. He could play for no one but that team that signed him. But there were other restrictions also, restrictions that dictated many other areas of life: what types of sports he could play in his free time, what types of workouts he could participate in, and even some places he could go or not go. That NFL team was paying a lot of money to this young quarterback, so they needed to make sure they protected their investment. He was under the ownership of that NFL team.
The true story of this NFL quarterback is not too far removed from us as Christians. Did you know that as a Christian you are under ownership also?
“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, for you were bought with a price. So, glorify God in your body.” 1 Corinthians 6:19,20
“…knowing that you were ransomed from the futile ways inherited from your forefathers, not with perishable things such as silver or gold, 19 but with the precious blood of Christ, like that of a lamb without blemish or spot.” 1 Peter 1:18,19.
Did You Know You’re Not Yours?
Here is my reality as a child of God: my body (which includes my choices, my possession, my future, etc.) is not mine. Like the above Bible verses indicate, my body belongs to God. When I trusted Christ as my Savior, He purchased me out of the slave market of sin. It was a necessary, redemptive transaction. I would not be ‘his’ unless that transaction took place.
But with that transaction comes certain boundaries. I am no longer ‘mine’. I am His. I am his property. He is my Master. He is the authority of my life. He calls the shots on my life. He gets to say what happens in every corner of my life. It is an unavoidable, unchangeable effect of my salvation. You cannot have salvation without it: the one whom Christ purchases, He owns. If you are a Christian, your Lord and Master is now Jesus.
This is a truth worthy of some serious meditation. It’s not just a cavalier, ho-hum Bible fact. The reality that we as believers were bought with the blood of Christ should have an impact on how we think, especially before we participate in that next sin. Not driven by guilt, but a soberness that my life is now under the authority of the One who bought me, and that One paid a very significant price to secure me.
Take some time this week to meditate on that truth. Think about the sin that you struggle with the most. How would the reality of your Master and ownership impact the carelessness that you often go into that sin, with? As you continue to meditate on that truth and allow it to sink into your life, the Holy Spirit will more and more bring that truth to memory. And over time, you will find yourself less enthralled with that sin and more desiring to please the Master who bought you.
Excerpts from this post were taken from Scott’s book ‘Planning for Temptation’, a resource written for teens but applicable for all ages. This resource is available on Amazon as a digital download.
Scott D. Foreman is the Executive Pastor of Fellowship Bible Church in Mullica Hill, New Jersey. He and his wife Rachel have the joy of active participation in church ministry, but also to their four teenage sons.