PARENTHOOD
a divine stewardship

Educating Our Children Concerning The Biblical View of Our Physical Bodies

"Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I then, taking the members of Christ, make them members of a prostitute? Certainly not!"
1 Corinthians 6:15

In the previous issue of parenthood we saw that as parents in the Lord's recovery, we must get involved in the development of the proper view in our children concerning their sexuality. Specifically, in that issue we reviewed the matter of dealing with the lusts of the flesh. We need to help our young people to develop as proper human beings by teaching them to know what is the living of a normal human life before God. We should train them to flee youthful lusts in order to preserve their human vessels for serving the Lord.

In this issue, we will continue to consider the vitally important factor in the education of our children—the preserving of our human vessels to serve the Lord. We must provide our children with the proper view of their human bodies as vessels for the Lord. May we lead them to resolve to present their bodies as a living sacrifice, a sacrifice which is holy and well pleasing to God, that they would not be fashioned according to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of the mind that they may prove what the will of God is (Romans 12:1-2).

Our children need to be given something to be "for" and not only something to be "against". The Bible presents the view that our human body is created for God's economic purpose for man: to gain a universal incorporation of the union and mingling of divinity with humanity.

Commenting on the apostle Paul's declaration in First Corinthians quoted above, Bro. Lee states, "Paul says clearly that our bodies are members of Christ. This is not an illustration, a metaphor, or a parable. On the contrary, it is a statement of fact. Our bodies are actually members of Christ. How marvelous!" If our children are trained to realize that our bodies are the very members of Christ, they will have an appreciation and reverence for their bodies. This training will give them the motivation and strength to live a holy life for the church life.

In 1 Corinthians Paul deals with matters in a particular sequence.

First he deals with soulish desires and aspirations; second, with the fleshly lusts; and third, with the claiming of rights. As we have pointed out, this sequence is very meaningful. In this message we come to Paul's dealing with the abuse of freedom in foods and in the body, the fourth matter covered in this Epistle.

Foods for man to exist and marriage for man to propagate himself are both necessary and ordained by God. Man has the right to use them. However, he should not abuse them, nor should he be under their power, controlled and enslaved by them. Abusive eating, like the eating of sacrifices to idols, causes the weak brothers to stumble (8:9-13; 10:28-30, 32), and excessive eating damages our body. Both foods and our belly will be done away with; God will bring both to nothing (6:13). The abuse of sex is fornication. It is not only condemned by God; it also destroys our body (v. 18), which is for the Lord.

Both eating and marriage have been ordained by God and are necessary for the existence of mankind. If mankind is to continue on earth for the fulfillment of God's purpose, there is the need for eating and for marriage. Food is not only created by God, but also ordained by Him for our existence. Marriage is for the propagation of mankind. Because eating and marriage are both ordained by God, both are legal. In each case we have freedom, the freedom to eat and the freedom to marry. However, fallen man has abused his freedom in these matters. For this reason, after dealing with soulish aspirations, fleshly lusts, and the claiming of rights, Paul turns to the matter of the abuse of freedom….

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