Week 27: June 29-July 5, 2025: About Your Body

This week’s daily readings:

June 29-July 5, 2025

This week’s devotional:

About Your Body

by Rev. Justin Elerath

Scripture:

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. 

— 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NIV) 

Reflection:

The temple is the dwelling place for God. Paul is describing our bodies as such: temples of the Holy Spirit, quite literally the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Which is why Paul follows with, “who is in you, whom you have received from God.” This is called being indwelt with the Holy Spirit, which is different from what Paul describes as being filled with the Holy Spirit. Being indwelt by the Holy Spirit is what happens once, when you become a believer, and is once and done. This verse uses the fact that we were bought at a price to explain why we don’t get to do what we want with our bodies. We are not our own. 

This statement is counter-cultural, as culture today says that our bodies are our own. We are called to honor God with our bodies, since the Holy Spirit has made our bodies his temple. This verse is used specifically in the context of sexual sin. In the verses leading up to this verse, Paul explains that sexual sin is different from all other sin as it is a sin against the body. Therefore, if we participate in sexual sin, we desecrate the temple of the Holy Spirit. 

The implicit truth in this verse is that the Holy Spirit is with us at all times. Even when we are not engaged in sexual sin, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a reality that reminds us we cannot sin in secret. In the same way that Jonah couldn’t hide from the Father, neither can we hide from the Father, but we have an added benefit and that is the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is present when we sin, yes, but even more, the Holy Spirit enables us to resist that same temptation (Galatians 5:16).

Do you recognize the difference between sexual sin and other sin, in that it is a sin against the body, the temple of the Holy Spirit?

Do you run from God to enable sin of any sort, or do you leverage the indwelling power of the Holy Spirit to resist temptation? 

Prayer:

Heavenly Father, I ask that you let me feel the presence of your Holy Spirit inside of me. As a member of the family of believers, I’m so grateful for that miraculous gift that is always present, a witness to my sin, and yet an encouragement to resist sin altogether! My body is a temple for your Spirit and should always be treated that way. Forgive me when I forget that it is not my own, and when I try to ignore his promptings, meant for my benefit. Help me to honor my body always, and through that same Spirit, to feel the great sacrificial love of my Savior, Christ Jesus, in whose name I pray. Amen