Preserving Our Body in Sanctification

 

Preserving Our Body in Sanctification

Romans 12:1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your reasonable worship.

Romans 12:2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind. Then you will be able to discern what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

 

Aspect	Preserving Our Body in Sanctification
Meaning	- Our fallen body is the “body of sin,” a meeting place of Satan, sin, and death (Rom. 6:6). - Through Christ’s redemption and regeneration, our body has become members of Christ and the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:15,19). - To preserve the body is to glorify God in it (1 Cor. 6:20) and to magnify Christ (Phil. 1:20). - God’s will is to sanctify our whole being—spirit, soul, and body (1 Thes. 5:23).
Methods	1. Present the body as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God (Rom. 12:1). 2. Not live according to the old man—that the body of sin might be unemployed (Rom. 6:6,11). 3. Do not yield members to sin, but present them to righteousness (Rom. 6:13,18-19,22). 4. Abstain from fornication, keeping the vessel in sanctification and honor (1 Thes. 4:3-4). 5. Avoid defilement: guard eyes, ears, and body from unclean things (Psa. 101:3). 6. Cooperate with God: rejoice always, pray unceasingly, give thanks in everything, do not quench the Spirit (1 Thes. 5:16-19).
Examples	- Joseph: Fled from Potiphar’s wife, keeping his body in holiness (Gen. 39:7-12). - Daniel: Refused the king’s food to avoid defilement (Dan. 1:8). - Paul: Even in prison testified, “Christ shall be magnified in my body” (Phil. 1:20).
Application	- Personal life: live a pure life, separated from lust and corruption, consecrate the body to God. - Family: parents train children to avoid defilement, not to play with temptation. - Church life: live a sanctified body life, fulfilling God’s will (Rom. 12:2). - Spiritual practice: rejoice, pray, and give thanks, so that spirit, soul, and body are wholly preserved (1 Thes. 5:16-24).
Related  Scriptures	- Matthew 24:36: "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but the Father only." - Acts 1:7: "It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has set by his own authority." - John 5:19: "The Son can do nothing on his own; he can do only what he sees the Father doing." - Philippians 2:6-8: "Who, being in the form of God, emptied himself, taking the form of a servant... and death on a cross." - Luke 2:52: "And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and man."  - Colossians 2:3: "In him are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge."

 

Core Point:

Preserving the body in sanctification is not self-discipline but a life of consecration, rejecting sin, and cooperating with the Holy Spirit.

Conclusion:

Our body, once the body of sin, can now be kept holy for God’s purpose, becoming a living sacrifice for the church life and the fulfillment of God’s will.

 

*Please refer to the June 2025 Summer Training, General Topic: Experiencing, Enjoying, and Manifesting Christ (III), Chapter 5: The Reason for Our Being Blameless in Holiness and the Reason for Our Perfect Sanctification of Our Spirit, Soul, and Body