The truth? Our bodies were made to be something far more glorious than sexy, hot or gorgeous.
Our bodies were made to be holy!
But maybe you read that and think, “Meh. I’d rather be sexy.”
I get it.
That’s because there’s a critical change in perspective necessary before we can view holiness as superior to hotness.
You see, usually when we want to be handsome or beautiful (and every time we want to be hot or sexy) it’s for two reasons:
- The admiration of others (We want them to notice. Duh!)
- Our own glory (We want to derive pleasure and significance from that attention.)
But when we want to be holy, it’s for an audience of one. It’s for God’s glory.
In short, if we’re ever going to desire holiness it’s going to require a little something called humility; something that’s never come naturally to me. (Perhaps it hasn’t for you either.) So what can help us change our perspective?
Well, first we have to understand how valuable holiness is to God, and then we have to allow his appraisal of holiness to trump our preference for hotness.
The Value of Holiness
How much does God value holiness? So much so that He paid an unthinkable amount to make us holy.
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 Cor 6:19-20
Note in this verse, God isn’t interested in our holiness, like some demanding parental deity (“Because I AM said so!”). NO! God did something on our behalf worthy of asking us to glorify Him in our bodies (something that even makes it possible for us to glorify Him with our bodies).
We bought us with a price!
Could your body pass for a GQ or VS model?
You were bought with a price!
Is your body carrying more weight than it should?
You were bought with a price!
Do you hate your nose? Your ears? Your hair? You’re losing your hair?
You were bought with a price!
Do you suffer from a physical disability like paralysis or down syndrome?
You were bought with a price!
Blind? Deaf? Mute?
You were bought with a price!
And what was that price?
The broken body of Jesus, the value of which wasn’t found in its “hotness.” Instead, the prophet Isaiah described Him like this:
He had no form or majesty that we should look at him, and no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. – Is 53:2b-3
Isaiah goes on to describe Christ’s sacrifice in excruciating detail (hundreds of years before He actually made it, by the way) and I encourage you to read the whole passage, but the point I want us to face square on is this:
The price paid for the redemption of our souls was an incalculable amount, even though we may “despise” his sacrifice and “esteem Him not.”
Holiness vs. Hotness
We “esteem Him not.”
That’s precisely what we do every time we use our bodies to draw the attention and praise of man to ourselves, instead of directing their worship to God. Though we were made in the image of a Holy God, a God worthy of all our honor, we chose to honor ourselves. And subsequently chose death.
But our defiance of God’s authority, cannot not stop His love for us. And so in return for our choice of death, Jesus gave His life. He died, so we could live. And not merely survive, but thrive. Which means not merely living, but living our lives in a certain way: the way of holiness, set apart for His work. A work that will endure.
What is hotness compared to that?
What is the value of sex appeal which fades with age even as our culture’s definition of the ideal “look” varies across cultures and time? How can the admiration of man, who can only approve or judge us, be held up to the love of a God who was able to save us?
We were bought with a price! Jesus does not condemn us. Instead He was condemned on our behalf and lives again, so that we might go and sin no more! So that we might be holy!
There’s one final post I feel compelled to write on this topic; a final word picture I pray will help you grasp the naked truth about your body. In the meantime, don’t miss any of the previous posts in this series:
- The Naked Truth about Your Body
- Your body is VERY GOOD
- Your body is NOTHING to be ashamed Of
- Your body is HOLY
Date Night Advice (DNA) series: The Naked Truth about Your Body
Episode 5: Your Body was BOUGHT with a Price
Click here for the next post in the series.
DNA: It’s What’s For Dating
Dug this weekend’s DNA? Be a good friend and share with your friends on the social media platform of choice: Instagram, Youtube, Facebook, or Twitter.
The LoveEd discipleship series, Beyond Sex & Salvation, will empower you to prepare for relational success when it counts: BEFORE you fall in love!
It’s NOT for couples, but for any wise individual who thinks they might want to get married sometime before they die. And would like to learn how to better build healthy relationships in the meantime.
Check out all three study guides in our store. You can walk through them on your own, but it’s more fun with friends (that and it kinda makes sense to grow in relational success in actual relationships with others), so consider putting together an FMU LoveEd small group study.
Even better? And ask a rock star married couple you respect to lead it!
