I still remember one of my first times teaching students about the nature of Jesus. I explained that he is one person with two natures, 100% human and 100% divine. A 7th-grade student was sitting in the front row and she immediately raised her hand and, without waiting to be called on, yelled out for the whole group to hear, “But wait, that’s 200%!?” She was right to see a mystery there. God’s participation in and with humanity represents a host of mysteries, and one of those is the way that the spiritual and the physical collide.
This mystery happens in a similar manner in our bodies too. Paul asks in 1 Cor 6:15 “Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself?” Our bodies may not feel very spiritual, but Paul emphasizes this point when he asks in verses 19-20, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
The spiritual is a part of the physical. Some imagine that our souls are the only part that is united to Christ, but our bodies are united to Christ too. The way we treat our bodies reflects the honor we give to or withhold from God. In 1 Corinthians chapter 6, this is especially emphasized with regard to sexual behavior.
Only Jesus is 100% human and 100% divine, but believers participate simultaneously in the natural and in the spiritual in ways that are intertwined and interconnected. It is easy to feel autonomous, but a proper perspective is one that lives in order to honor God, honor the Spirit of God who lives in us and honors Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection on our behalf. Therefore, let’s live so that our bodies (our lives) honor God!
John Riley
Jr. High Pastor