Don The Armour

The world would have us believe that the deepest, most difficult question is, “What is the meaning of life?” However, this is an easy question for the Christian. The Westminster Shorter Catechism answers it in just a few short words:

Q: 1. What is the chief end of man?

A: Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

God has given us many gifts to use towards this end. He gives us our time on earth and supplies our material needs like food, water, shelter, and money. But at the most basic level, he gives us our bodies.

The human body is the most amazing and perfect object in God’s creation. We can observe the wonders of the Lord’s creative mind in the stars and galaxies, mountains and oceans, but none of these compares to the human body. Our bodies are sophisticated organisms in which every electron, cell, muscle, tendon, organ, and bone works in perfect harmony to one single end: to glorify God. We are the only creatures that can know and worship our creator. The rest of creation is incapable of this and can only glorify God indirectly by serving man. In this truth, we can find our entire purpose for existing.

Many religions like to separate the soul and the body, as though the body is just an unimportant shell. This is not a Christian belief, though. We know that our bodies are so important that God himself had to come down and occupy one. And we read that on the final day, we will all be reunited with our bodies (1 Thess. 3:15-17).

When we consider all of this, we can see that the things we do with and to our bodies matter.

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Make sure that the second to last sentence sinks in: “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” It’s not your body; it’s God’s body, and he’s letting you use it.

The things you eat and drink matter. The way you adorn and present yourself matters. What you do with your body matters. It is a precious gift, and in everything you do with and to it, ask yourself: “Does this bring honor and glory to God Almighty, who gave me this body?”