“What know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
For ye are bought with a price; therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”
I Corinthians 6: 19
Most of us take our bodies for granted. We complain about how short or tall we are, about how much or little we weigh, about how we wish we were more like so and so, or not. With all this wishing your body was different in some way, how often do you think of your body as a temple? And what exactly might that mean?
Why Do I Need A Body Anyway?
A key to learning about the temple of our body is that we are not just physical beings. We are spiritual beings who have been given the gift of a physical body. We existed as spirit children of God before we came to this earth to receive a physical body and prove ourselves — whether we would choose to use our bodies to learn to become like our Heavenly Father and Mother, or not. That means that our physical bodies house an eternal spirit, a being birthed by heavenly parents.
According to the creation story found in the Bible, our physical bodies are created of the elements of the earth. In a sense, our bodies are a place where heaven and earth come together.
The Prophet, Joseph Smith taught:
“We came to this part [the earth] that we might have a body and present it pure before God in the celestial kingdom. The great principle of happiness consists in having a body. The devil has no body, and herein is his punishment. He is pleased when he can obtain the tabernacle of man, and when cast out by the Savior he asked to go into a herd of swine, showing that he would prefer a swine’s body to having none.
“All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him. The moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, sel. Joseph Field Smith [1976], 181)
What Is A Temple?
Temples are generally considered places of worship – sacred, holy buildings that are regarded as set apart from the world. In the Bible the word “temple” has reference to a specific place and purpose.
According to this definition found on Bible Hub (biblehub.com/topical/t/temple.htm):
“The term ‘Temple’ in the Bible primarily refers to the sacred structure in Jerusalem that served as the central place of worship for the Israelites. It was the focal point of Jewish religious life, where sacrifices were offered, and festivals were celebrated. The Temple is a significant symbol of God’s presence among His people and plays a crucial role in biblical history and prophecy.”
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints defines a temple as “literally a house of the Lord– a holy place set apart from the rest of the world.”
“For members of the Church, a temple is the most sacred place of worship on the earth.” [https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/families-and-temples/what-is-the-purpose-of-the-temple?lang=eng]
The temple is the focal point of their worship, centered on the Savior, Jesus Christ. The sacrifice made before holy altars by those who enter these temples is a broken heart and a contrite spirit. In order to enter one of these latter-day temples, certain requirements or standards must be met. We will discuss these requirements in the next post in this series.
How Can My Body Be A Temple?
Let’s consider the idea that: “The Temple is a significant symbol of God’s presence among His people…” and …is considered the house of the Lord.” Does your body reflect God’s presence in your life? Do you treat your body as a house of the Lord?
Elder David A. Bednar sheds some light on this idea. He said:
“I would like for us to dig a bit deeper into this eternally important question about why a body is so important. Ultimately the answer affects everything we do: what we think, how we act, where we go, what we eat, what we drink, and what we wear and how we look.”
Based on Elder Bednar’s teaching, we might conclude that if we truly regard our bodies as temples of God –sacred, holy spaces, we must pay attention to how we choose to treat them in all aspects of our lives.
Conclusions
Considering the previous ideas, we can conclude that our bodies are temples for our spirits. Learning to treat our bodies well and use them wisely brings happiness, now and in the next life. Because of Christ’s Resurrection, we will have a body eternally, not just for the time we live on this earth. The amount of light energy our bodies have when we are resurrected will be determined by the choices we make in how we treat our bodies now — physically, mentally, emotionally and spiritually.
Consider This
Take a moment to reflect and honestly consider these questions.
• Does this information change how you think about your body?
• What are some things you are currently doing to treat your body as a temple?
• Are there changes you might make in order to treat your body as a temple?
If you would like some assistance making changes in how you view and treat your body, book a session below.
