The life I now live in the body …
Summary: Paul is acutely aware of how his life has changed after encountering Jesus. In today’s passage he begins to describe the difference.
There are a lot of ways that Paul could finish this sentence.
The life I now live in the body … is different than my life before I met Jesus.
The life I now live in the body … has been changed by the presence of the Holy Spirit.
The life I now live in the body … is less about this world and more about the next.
Instead, Paul writes, “The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.”
We will look at what it means to live by faith in future meditations, but for now, let’s examine what it means to “live in the body.”
Each creature made by God lives in a body. Every body type is different, but the same living goes on inside. Birds and rhinoceroses both have bodies, but their bodies are very different. Paul, being a tentmaker by trade (Acts 18:3), associates the body with a tent (2 Corinthians 5:4).
Inside the body is an animating spirit (Genesis 2:7). Like a hand inside a glove, or more accurately, like the hand of a puppeteer inside a puppet, the spirit causes the arms to move, the head to turn, and the voice to speak.
The life we live in the body depends on the spirit within.
God is spirit (John 4:24). The Holy Spirit is, by definition, spirit. When we turn away from rebelling against God and turn to Jesus, he sends us his Spirit, the Holy Spirit, who comes and lives with us.
Jesus describes our bodies as a house (Luke 11: 21-26). Our spirit is the “person” who lives in the house. If we are strong and healthy, we guard our house, and it is safe. If we are not strong, other spirits might enter and overpower us. Jesus calls such spirits “impure,”
When the Holy Spirit comes to live with us, the impure spirits begin to leave. No impure spirit is strong enough to overpower the Holy Spirit. Instead, the Holy Spirit provides the power and knowledge to clean our house and use it to advance the kingdom of God.
The life Paul lives in the body is no longer defined by his own will or other impure influences. Freed from evil thoughts, Paul lives for Jesus.
Application: Listen to the Holy Spirit.
Food for Thought: How does knowing Jesus change our view of life in the body?
02-27-2024, How does knowing Jesus change our view of life in the body?
We have been woken up, given life by God and begin to understand we are spiritual beings temporarily confined to these physical bodies. Chasing after the desires of our flesh becomes an increasingly low priority as we seek God and His glory in all areas of our life.
1 John 2:15-17
We have peace and stability as we are separated from the worlds values. We begin living for God, our true Father, rather than according to the current values of men. We no longer fear the future as we look forward to each day as another opportunity to serve God rather than men.
Romans 8:14-15
We become aware we have been created to reflect the glory of God and will never find lasting fulfillment apart from Him, because without Jesus, our main goal is to bring glory to ourselves as we seek an identity built upon our works. We have no need to judge or compare ourselves to others when we seek to please Christ alone, in whom our identity is hidden.
Romans 14:5-8
In time we become accustomed to times of suffering for our beliefs and should not be surprised when trials come. We can be confident that they will produce things of eternal value as we quietly endure in faith.
Romans 8:16-17
Ron,
Thank you! Those are good words for today! All of them!
And you are right, knowing Jesus is like waking up and realizing everything else has been a dream.
Thanks R2T2.
I also think that if we know the Lord – then that means we make Him Lord of everything, including our bodies.
1 Corinthians 6: 19 – 20: Do you not know that your body is a temple 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 glorify God with your body.
Great point, Rich!
Submitting our bodies to someone besides ourselves is an alien concept unless we know the King. Then it makes total sense.