The Body Is for the Lord

The Body Is for the Lord

“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. And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power.” 1 Cor. 6:13-14.

We do not belong to ourselves but to the Lord. Rom. 14:8. We must give Him our body. When He becomes Lord of our body He also takes responsibility for it. Jesus gave His body to God and He raised Him from the dead; therefore God will also raise us from the dead. Now we can see the future we have if we give our body to the Lord.

Not only is the body for the Lord, but the Lord is also for the body. Jesus has to have a body if He is to be Lord; otherwise He is not Lord. The church is His body, and each one of us are His members individually.

There are many people who accept Jesus as an atoning sacrifice for their sins, as a physician for their sicknesses, and as a refuge in times of need; but they do not want to accept Him as Lord. There are very few people who give themselves to God in this way. They would rather make their own decisions, and then they ask for help when they come into need. To say, “Lord, Lord!” without giving Him our bodies is blasphemy. What is food without a stomach, and what is a stomach without food? Food is for the stomach, and the stomach is for food. So is also the body for the Lord and the Lord for the body.

“As you have therefore received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him.” Col. 2:6. We never meet with opposition when we preach Jesus as the atoning sacrifice, as the physician, or as a refuge in need. Opposition arises when we preach Jesus as Lord, and people object immediately by saying, “We are not supposed to earn our way to heaven, are we; it is not our works that save us,” etc. It becomes obvious that people who love Jesus who died for them on Calvary, hate Him who arose to be Lord. However, we cannot partake of sanctification unless we sanctify Christ as Lord in our hearts. 1 Pet. 3:15; Rom. 6:22. For without sanctification no one will see the Lord. Heb. 12:14.

“I appeared to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, as God Almighty, but by My name Lord I was not known to them.” Ex. 6:3.

Only after He had given them the law did He become known by His name Lord. “Then the Lord descended in the cloud and stood with him there, and proclaimed the name of the Lord.” Ex. 34:5. It is as Lord that He can show us His goodness. We can see that from His dealings with the people of Israel. When they were obedient and had God as their Lord there was no end to the blessings He poured out over them; but when they were disobedient, they experienced the curse. Israel did not want to be obedient, but they did want God as a refuge in their need just as God’s people do in our days.

“I will make all My goodness pass before you, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before you.” Ex. 33:19. The people who do not learn to know Jesus Christ as Lord do not learn to know His goodness either. Therefore it is important to lead those who have received Jesus as the atonement to receive Him as their Lord also. Otherwise they will not come to a new life, but rather apostasy and only nominal Christianity.

“Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all.” 1 Cor. 12:4-6.

The Spirit distributes the gifts, but the Lord distributes the ministries. Bodies are required to perform ministries. If we receive Him as Lord, He will give us ministries. Only then can we be rich in God and gather treasures in heaven. The Lord is for the body.

We cannot perform powerful works with our body, but we can call on the Almighty God, and He can perform signs and wonders.

“No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.” The apostles had to be endued with power from on high—be baptized in the Holy Spirit—before they could be Jesus’ witnesses. Acts 1:8. We, too, cannot present our bodies and say that Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit. We will only be a complete sacrifice after we have given our body to Jesus and have received Him as Lord. He baptizes us with the Holy Spirit and fire if we are a complete sacrifice on His altar. Then we no longer belong to ourselves, for we have received Jesus as Lord. Then—in the ages to come—He will show us the exceeding riches of His goodness. Eph. 2:7.