My Body: The Lord’s Temple

“However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: ‘Heaven is My throne, and earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, or what is the place of My rest? Has My hand not made all these things?’” (Acts 7:48–50)

God dwells in a temple made not by hands but by divine workmanship, according to divine purpose. That temple is the body of the believer, redeemed by the blood of Jesus Christ. As Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 6:13:

“Foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods, but God will destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.”

This verse talks about food for the stomach and the stomach for food. In Proverbs, it says:

“The righteous eats to the satisfying of his soul” (Proverbs 13:25)

We who are righteous do not overeat. Why? Because our bodies are the Lord’s temple, and we are not to defile them by gluttony, drunkenness, immorality, or any other form of misuse. The body is for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. When I present my body to the Lord, then I have the rights of the Lord for my body.

Let’s use this analogy: If I purchase a piece of property, I become responsible for its maintenance; but if I live in a rented property, the landlord is responsible. If we just let Jesus have a temporary right over our bodies, He does not accept responsibility for their maintenance. But if He owns them, He is responsible to maintain them. That is the relationship He desires.