Taking care of your body is a lifelong commitment, and many Christians suffer from poor health because they are not being disciplined about taking care of their bodies. Paul also believed in the health-gospel connection and wanted his readers to see how God’s law was written on their hearts so they would recognize the sin of eating foods sacrificed to idols, including meat that had been offered on their altars.
Our bodies are so important that the Lord calls them temples of God (see 1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 6:19–20). Our bodies are holy. Because our bodies are important, our Father in Heaven wants us to take good care of them. He knows that we can be happier, better people if we are healthy.
Our bodies are so important that the Lord calls them temples of God (see 1 Corinthians 3:16–17; 6:19–20). Our bodies are holy. Because our bodies are important, our Father in Heaven wants us to take good care of them.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV / 748 helpful votes
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.
Bible Verses About Taking Care Of Your Physical Body
1 Timothy 4:8 ESV / 224 helpful votes
For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.
3 John 1:2 ESV / 210 helpful votes
Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul.
Luke 21:34 ESV / 174 helpful votes
“But watch yourselves lest your hearts be weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and cares of this life, and that day come upon you suddenly like a trap.
1 Corinthians 10:31 ESV / 157 helpful votes
So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God.
Romans 12:2 ESV / 150 helpful votes
Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV / 129 helpful votes
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Luke 12:22 ESV / 112 helpful votes
And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat, nor about your body, what you will put on.
Romans 12:1 ESV / 107 helpful votes
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Philippians 4:6-7 ESV / 100 helpful votes
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Colossians 3:17 ESV / 95 helpful votes
And whatever you do, in word or deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.
Genesis 1:27 ESV / 93 helpful votes
Psalm 34:17-20 ESV / 208 helpful votes
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
Philippians 4:19 ESV / 119 helpful votes
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Jeremiah 17:9 ESV / 84 helpful votes
The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick; who can understand it?
Romans 12:19 ESV / 82 helpful votes
Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.”
Romans 8:26 ESV / 68 helpful votes
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.
1 John 4:18 ESV / 63 helpful votes
There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.
Psalm 37:4 ESV / 58 helpful votes
Delight yourself in the Lord, and he will give you the desires of your heart.
Romans 8:1 ESV / 56 helpful votes
There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:13 ESV / 52 helpful votes
I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Jeremiah 17:10 ESV / 50 helpful votes
“I the Lord search the heart and test the mind, to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.”
Matthew 5:1-48 ESV / 47 helpful votes
Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. …
Luke 18:1 ESV / 44 helpful votes
And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 ESV / 37 helpful votes
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 10:13 ESV / 35 helpful votes
No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it.
Romans 3:23 ESV / 35 helpful votes
For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
2 Timothy 1:7 ESV / 34 helpful votes
For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
2 Corinthians 12:10 ESV / 34 helpful votes
For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Mark 3:28-29 ESV / 34 helpful votes
“Truly, I say to you, all sins will be forgiven the children of man, and whatever blasphemies they utter, but whoever blasphemes against the Holy Spirit never has forgiveness, but is guilty of an eternal sin”—
Deuteronomy 28:1-68 ESV / 32 helpful votes
“And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. And all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you, if you obey the voice of the Lord your God. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your womb and the fruit of your ground and the fruit of your cattle, the increase of your herds and the young of your flock. Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. …
2 Timothy 2:22 ESV / 25 helpful votes
So flee youthful passions and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord from a pure heart.
1 Corinthians 9:22 ESV / 25 helpful votes
To the weak I became weak, that I might win the weak. I have become all things to all people, that by all means I might save some.
Acts 2:38 ESV / 24 helpful votes
And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
Hebrews 4:14-16 ESV / 22 helpful votes
Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Zechariah 13:9 ESV / 22 helpful votes
And I will put this third into the fire, and refine them as one refines silver, and test them as gold is tested. They will call upon my name, and I will answer them. I will say, ‘They are my people’; and they will say, ‘The Lord is my God.’”
Luke 10:30-37 ESV / 19 helpful votes
Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. …
Romans 11:33 ESV / 17 helpful votes
Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
Matthew 7:1-2 ESV / 17 helpful votes
“Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
Isaiah 65:17 ESV / 17 helpful votes
“For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth, and the former things shall not be remembered or come into mind.
Psalm 82:4 ESV / 17 helpful votes
Rescue the weak and the needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
1 Corinthians 1:27 ESV / 15 helpful votes
But God chose what is foolish in the world to shame the wise; God chose what is weak in the world to shame the strong;
Isaiah 40:29 ESV / 15 helpful votes
He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength.
Psalm 73:26 ESV / 15 helpful votes
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Bible Verses About Keeping Your Body Pure
Job 27:2-8 ESV / 15 helpful votes
“As God lives, who has taken away my right, and the Almighty, who has made my soul bitter, as long as my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils, my lips will not speak falsehood, and my tongue will not utter deceit. Far be it from me to say that you are right; till I die I will not put away my integrity from me. I hold fast my righteousness and will not let it go; my heart does not reproach me for any of my days. …
Judges 9:53-54 ESV / 14 helpful votes
And a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech’s head and crushed his skull. Then he called quickly to the young man his armor-bearer and said to him, “Draw your sword and kill me, lest they say of me, ‘A woman killed him.’” And his young man thrust him through, and he died.
Isaiah 41:10 ESV / 13 helpful votes
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.
Hebrews 4:15 ESV / 12 helpful votes
For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
1 Thessalonians 5:14 ESV / 12 helpful votes
And we urge you, brothers, admonish the idle, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with them all.
1 Peter 3:7 ESV / 11 helpful votes
Likewise, husbands, live with your wives in an understanding way, showing honor to the woman as the weaker vessel, since they are heirs with you of the grace of life, so that your prayers may not be hindered.
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.
Philippians 4:19 ESV / 86 helpful votes
And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.
Philippians 4:6 ESV / 83 helpful votes
Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Mark 11:24 ESV / 76 helpful votes
Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.
1 Timothy 5:8 ESV / 70 helpful votes
But if anyone does not provide for his relatives, and especially for members of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.
Romans 12:1-2 ESV / 64 helpful votes
I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Colossians 3:5 ESV / 61 helpful votes
Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.
Ephesians 5:29 ESV / 60 helpful votes
For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ does the church,
1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV / 58 helpful votes
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
1 Timothy 5:23 ESV / 57 helpful votes
(No longer drink only water, but use a little wine for the sake of your stomach and your frequent ailments.)
1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV / 55 helpful votes
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,
1 Peter 3:4 ESV / 54 helpful votes
But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious.
Ephesians 2:10 ESV / 51 helpful votes
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.
Psalm 34:17-20 ESV / 50 helpful votes
When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. The Lord is near to the brokenhearted and saves the crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones; not one of them is broken.
1 Peter 5:7 ESV / 49 helpful votes
Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.
1 Corinthians 6:18 ESV / 49 helpful votes
Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.
Isaiah 58:11 ESV / 48 helpful votes
And the Lord will guide you continually and satisfy your desire in scorched places and make your bones strong; and you shall be like a watered garden, like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.
John 15:1-27 ESV / 47 helpful votes
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. …
2 Corinthians 6:14 ESV / 45 helpful votes
Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
1 Corinthians 15:44 ESV / 45 helpful votes
It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. If there is a natural body, there is also a spiritual body.
1 Corinthians 9:27 ESV / 44 helpful votes
But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.
Acts 1:8 ESV / 44 helpful votes
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
John 3:16 ESV / 43 helpful votes
“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
Philippians 1:20 ESV / 40 helpful votes
As it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed, but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body, whether by life or by death.
1 Corinthians 12:27 ESV / 40 helpful votes
Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.
Matthew 6:25 ESV / 40 helpful votes
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing?
How Does God Want Us To Take Care of Your Body
First Corinthians 6:19-20 “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.”
I have heard so many Christians slam others over their drinking, their smoking, their overeating, their lack of exercise, and so on and then to back it up, they quote the verse above as to justify their judgmental attitude, but what is the context of this verse? Clearly Paul is telling the church that sexual immorality defiles our body and since we have the Holy Spirit, we’re essentially a temple of the Holy Spirit. These other things (drinking, smoking, etc.) do hurt the body but do they really think about the context of this verse before berating others over their habits? Text out of context can make a pretext and usually a false one.
Romans 12:1 “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.”
The word used for “spiritual” is a poor translation. It would be more accurate to use the Greek word “logikos” for what it means; reasonable, or logical, agreeable so we are to present out bodies to God as a living sacrifice that is “holy and acceptable to God” because this is our reasonable worship. That is what God expects of us; however the problem with being a living sacrifice is that I keep crawling off the altar because I haven’t slain the old man yet.
First Corinthians 9:27 “But I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.”
Paul is telling the Corinthians, and us, that it takes a very concerted effort to keep our bodies under control. Jesus said that we are to “Strive to enter through the narrow door. For many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able” (Luke 13:24). The word for “strive” is stronger in the Greek (“agōnizomai”) as it means “to contend with, to agonize over” so Paul is saying it’s very difficult to keep our bodies under control. Amen? When Paul wrote that he didn’t want to become disqualified, I don’t believe he was talking about losing his salvation but perhaps of being disqualified to be as minister of the gospel as they are required to live a holy life and one above reproach (Titus 1:5-16; 1st Tim 3:1-13).
First Timothy 4:8 “For while bodily training is of some value, godliness is of value in every way, as it holds promise for the present life and also for the life to come.”
Paul is actually telling us that bodily training does have some value and few would debate that but if you were to rank godliness and bodily training, it would be no contest because bodily training is only good for this temporary life which is like a vapor compared to eternity. That’s because godliness holds the promise of this present life but “also for the life to come,” while bodily exercise is no good in the grave, so how can that even be compared to this finite life?
First Corinthians 3:16-17 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.”
Back to the first verse idea (1st Cor 6:19-20) where Paul was talking about the body being the temple of the Holy Spirit and here, in these two verses, he is saying nearly the same thing with one exception; God will destroy those who destroy God’s temple. This could well mean that we are commanded to take care of our body (the temple) and that God will hold us accountable on the day after our death when we’ll be judged (Heb 9:27).
First Corinthians 6:18 “Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body.”
This is as clear as it can possible be without God speaking audibly to us. We are all sinners but most of our sins are done outside of the body, however sexual immorality is sinning against one’s own body. How so? Because whoever is “joined to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, “The two will become one flesh” (1st Cor 6:16). Does anyone really want to become one flesh with a prostitute, male or female?
Romans 6:13 “Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness.”
Finally, Paul again tells us to present our bodies or instruments for righteousness for God’s service. We can easily present our members as instruments of sin but the fact is, we’ve been bought with a price and brought from life to death, and our bodies are not our own anymore (1st Cor 6:19-20). Why not yield our members up to God for things that are pleasing to Him and not in pleasing ourselves?
