Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them. Now the body is not for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord for the body.
—1 Corinthians 6:13
One theologian has said that the redemption and glorification of the body is the end of the ways of God. It is this that makes the inhabitants of heaven awestruck when they contemplate the glory of the Son. Clothed with a glorified human body, Jesus has taken His place on the throne of God. It shall be recognized in that day when regenerated humanity, forming the body of Christ, shall be truly and visibly the temple of the living God. (See 1 Corinthians 6:19.) The material body will then be wholly sanctified and glorified by the Spirit and will be the highest glory of the Lord Jesus Christ.
In anticipation of this new condition of things, the Lord attaches great importance to the indwelling of our bodies here on earth by His Spirit. This truth is so little understood by believers. Many of them, believing that this body belongs to them, use it as it pleases them. Not understanding how much the sanctification of the soul and spirit depends on the body, they do not grasp the meaning of the words, “The body is…for the Lord.”
What does this mean? The apostle had just said, “Meats for the belly, and the belly for meats: but God shall destroy both it and them.” Eating and drinking afford the Christian an opportunity of carrying out this truth. By eating, sin and the fall came about. It was also through eating that the Devil tempted our Lord. Thus Jesus sanctified His body in eating only according to the will of His Father. (See Matthew 4:4.) Many believers fail to watch over their bodies, to observe a holy sobriety through the fear of rendering it unfit for the service of God.
The apostle spoke also of fornication, this sin that defiles the body, in opposition to the words, “The body is…for the Lord.” It is not simply sexual promiscuity outside the married state, but all lack of sobriety regarding sensual pleasure is condemned in these words: “your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost” (1 Corinthians 6:19). In the same way, all that goes to maintain the body—to clothe it, strengthen it, give it rest or enjoyment—should be under the control of the Holy Spirit. Just as the temple was constructed solely for God and for His service, even so our bodies have been created for the Lord and for Him alone.