The Body

 

The body is a wonderful superb formation which bears witness for God's omnipotence…

 

Just look at the brain and how it works, its relation with all other organs; if the brain is damaged, no physician can fix it no matter how genius he is!! If we observe the heart and how it works, its relation with the brain, and the relation of each the heart and the brain with life! Or if we watch the precise performance of kidneys or liver, of the nerve system in the human body as well as the organs of digestion, metabolism, blood and the relation of each with the body! we are amazed by the wonders which we observe, and hence we glorify the creator who created the body in such an extraordinary accuracy…

For this reason, medicine was taught during the

old days in theology seminars. because how every

organ operates and the whole science of organs'

function do show the glory of the creator…

􀀿 􀀿 􀀿

In spite what is being said that the body is related

to sin, we do reassure that the body is not a sin in

itself…

􀂙 This is clearly evident. Because if the body was a

sin in itself; God would never found it at the first

place, as God doesn't create in. On the contrary,

when God completed the creation of man "Then God

saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was

very good" (Gn 1:31). Adam and Eve were so simple

and pure when God created them; they are an

example of how God created the very first body…

􀂙 If the body was in itself a sin; Jesus Christ would

not take a body for Himself, and we would not

venerate the Saints' bodies and build churches on

their remains treating even one of their bones as a

great blessing…

􀂙 If the body was a sin, the apostle wouldn't say

"Do you not know that your bodies are members of

Christ …Or do you not know that your body is the

temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you" (1 Co 6:15,

19) (1 Co 3:16).

􀂙 If the body was a sin; it wouldn't be born in

baptism free from sin and sanctified! And the Bible

wouldn't say that "For as many of you as were

baptized into Christ have put on Christ" (Ga 3:27). If

the body was a sin; we wouldn't be able to partake

from the Holy Communion!

􀂙 If the body was a sin; God wouldn't permit the

resurrection of the body after its death…!

􀀿 􀀿 􀀿

So, why then harsh things were said about

the body?

Why did the bible attack the way of living according

to the flesh? It was said "There is therefore now no

condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who

do not walk according to the flesh, but according to

the Spirit" (Ro 8:1)…and why was it said "For to be

carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded

is life and peace. Because the carnal mind is enmity

against God" (Ro 8:6, 7).

And why was it also said "So then, those who are

in the flesh cannot please God" (Ro 8:8), and: "For if

you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by

the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you

will live" (Ro 8:13).

St. John the apostle also in his epistle said: "Do

not love the world or the things in the world. If

anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not

in him. For all that is in the world—the lust of the

flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life" (1 Jn

2:15, 16).

What is it about these expressions attacking the

body: the lust of the flesh, deeds of the body, the

carnal mind, living according to the flesh…?

􀀿 􀀿 􀀿

The body is considered to be sinful if it

resists the spirit…

Or if it commits psychologically deviated

kinds of manner…

When the apostle said: "Walk in the Spirit, and

you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh

lusts against the Spirit and the Spirit against the

flesh; and these are contrary to one another" (Ga

5:16, 17), he is speaking here about the body only if

it resists the spirit and commits sin…

Not every body goes wrong and not all

bodies are resisting the spirits.

The saints had bodies which didn't go wrong, and

didn't resist their spirits. And un-doubtfully there is

bodies which are pure, pious and holy, bodies which

repent and bodies which serve. There are bodies

which were for saints who lived at the optimum

elevated level by sacrificing their own selves.

Jesus Christ said in His mount sermon: "The lamp

of the body is the eye. If therefore your eye is good,

your whole body will be full of light" (Mt 6:22). There

are therefore bodies which are full of light, or could

be full of light…

􀀿 􀀿 􀀿

The problem of the body is its relation with

the material, as the body was made of dust

(Gn2:7).

But the spirit is the breath of life which God

breathed it into that dust…

For that reason, the body has its materialistic

conflicts in which if it wins, God then will glorify it…

And despite that the body is related to the material,

yet it is not necessary that the body is also

materialistic because it can be elevated above the

level of the material if it follows the advice of the

apostle which says" but I discipline my body and

bring it into subjection". That's the point where a

body enters into conflict; if it wins, it will be glorified…

At that point the body is living according to the spirit.

 

 

 

The body has its instincts too, but those instincts

are not in themselves a sin. How easy and how nice is

it when those instincts are utilized in good deeds, but

if they go wrong then the body sins… The body's

instincts are not themselves wrong; only if those

instincts go wrong…

The lust of the flesh means the lust if it deviates

towards materials , but if this lust is moving according

to the leadership of the spirit then those lusts would

become spiritual leading to spiritual deeds…

􀀿 􀀿 􀀿

The body may go wrong. And so does the

spirit…

The spirit could go wrong alone, and it can

also go wrong drawing the body to follow it.

􀂙 The spirit do goes wrong, and as an evidence for

that we see that in the absolution of the third hour

prayer we say "purify us from all defilement of body

and spirit", and in the Divine Liturgy prayer we say

"purify our souls, bodies and spirits…", so the spirit

could be defiled and hence it will need to be purified…

􀂙 The very first sin in the world was a sin of spirit (I

mean Satan). And that's when he said in his heart

"will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above

the stars of God; I will also sit on the mount of the

congregation" (Is 14:13, 14).

􀂙 And so, pride was a sin of spirit, because Satan is

a spirit and has no body. And so, Satan had fell- as a

spirit- into a sin of a body. As we always say in the

Divine Liturgy Prayer "and death, which entered into

the world through the envy of the devil, You have

destroyed". Satan, as a spirit, fell into the sin of lying

and deceiving when he said to mother Eve "you will

not die…" (Gn 3:4). And God said about Satan that he

is "for he is a liar and the father of it" (Jn 8:44).

􀂙 The spirits fall into sin alone, and another proof

for that point is the saying of the bible about devils

that they are "evil spirits", "unclean spirits".

􀀿 􀀿 􀀿

When the spirit falls into sin, it usually

draws the body with it into sin.

􀂙 The soul may commence feeling pride, and then

the spirit draws the body to participate with it, so the

body starts moving or walking with pride or starts

talking with pride and then pride starts to appear in

the features and in the voice.

􀂙 Do any of us consider that the sin of our very first

fathers was just a sin of the body which was eating

from the forbidden tree?! No, it started as a sin of the

spirit according to the temptation of the serpent

through the lust of divinity and the lust of knowledge

when it said"… For God knows that in the day you eat

of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like

God, knowing good and evil", and then when this

temptation entered into the spirit "So when the

woman saw that the tree was good for food, that it

was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree desirable to

make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate".

􀂙 The same goes for Cain, as the sin first started in

his spirit before it drew to it his body as he murdered

his brother Abel (Gn 4).

􀂙 And the same thing happened when Josef's

brothers envied him and then they threw him into the

well and sold him (Gn 37).

But despite all that; the body could be as

well utilized in making good things:

As when the hands are raised for praying, or

 

when the knees bend down in bowing, and hence the

body is participating with the spirit in worshipping

God.

The body is sometimes torn of making good

deeds, in visiting others as when Paul the apostle was

doing "in journeys often" "in labors more abundant,

in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequently"

(2 Co 11:26,23). In addition to what his body exerted

of efforts in the service testifying for the Lord as he

said "From the Jews five times I received forty stripes

minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods; once

I was stoned…" (2 Co 11:24, 25).

The body carries out good deeds also by

sacrificing and giving own life, by donating blood or

may be by donating one of the body's organs in a

surgical operation to save someone's life…

In general, body shows the virtues of the soul,

and participates with the soul as well in its virtues…

How beautiful is the phrase said by Paul the

apostle: "glorify God in your body and in your

spirit, which are God’s" (1 Co 6:20).

Let us think practically on how we can glorify God

in our bodies which are God's…with pure bodies which

follows God's will in life.

And if bodies glorify God; then God will glorify it

as well. So how would that be?

􀀿 􀀿 􀀿

Transfiguration of Bodies:

God cares so much for the body that He

made the body transfigures here and in Eternity.

Here, on earth, as what happened with Elijah who

went up into heaven in a chariot of fire, and the three

young men in the furnace of fire whom the fire had

no effect on their bodies.

As for Eternity, bodies will be raised in glory (1 Co

15:43) "conformed to His glorious body" (Phil 4:21) it

is raised a spiritual body not a natural body (1 Co

15:44). If the body is raised this means that it will

enjoy Eternity.

If the body was an evil thing; it would be just

enough to get rid of it.

Rather, the body rises from the dead and enjoys

Eternity in Heavenly Jerusalem where "tabernacle of

God is with men" (Rv 21:3), so that is an evidence for

how precious the body is to the extent that it is

glorified.