Instruments God Uses

The Bible teaches that the physical body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, and that when Jesus died on the cross and shed His blood, He redeemed our bodies in addition to our spirits and souls. We belong to Him entirely — spirit, soul, and body.

God has a sincere interest in, and a specific purpose for, our bodies. The body is to be the temple of the Holy Spirit (see 1 Corinthians 6:19). It is to be the place in man where the Holy Spirit dwells. The Bible tells us that God does not dwell in temples made by hands (see Acts 7:48). We can build Him as many churches, synagogues, or tabernacles as we like, but God will not dwell there. God has chosen to dwell in the physical bodies of those who believe in Him. Thus, the believer’s body has an important function as a residence of the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, Paul explained this about our physical members:

“Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God” (Romans 6:13, KJV)

The various members of the physical body are intended to be instruments (or weapons) that God can use. They do not belong to us; they belong to God. We are to yield them to God.

It is logical and obvious that God wants His “weapons” in good condition, not feeble or broken-down. He wants our bodies to be healthy and our members to be strong, effective, and active, because they are the members of Christ. In a certain sense, Christ has no body on the earth except ours. Our bodies are the instruments God uses to enact His will on the earth. I have become convinced that God expects us to keep our bodies as strong and as healthy as we can.