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Chapter 26: Our Bodies Are the Members of Christ
First Corinthians 12:27 says, “Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.”
Another reference says, “Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?” (1
Corinthians 6:15)
Reason number 26 we are sure that it is God’s will for all of us to be
healed is because our bodies are the members of Christ.
This is not widely believed. A lot of people say, “Your spirit is part of the body of Christ, but not
this old body. This old body has been affected by sin, and it’s corrupted. But thank God, we’re
going to get rid of this old thing and get us a new body.” Some of the latter part of that is right,
but the first part of what they’re saying is wrong. What did the last verse we read say? “Know
you not,” that your spirit, your soul, and what else? “Your bodies.” It is unmistakable what he’s
talking about if you back up just a couple of verses, when he’s talking about committing
fornication with your body. There’s no question. He’s talking about this physical body that you
have right now. Is this body part of Christ?
Well, whether you understand it or not, can you believe the Bible? What did he say? “Know ye
not that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and
make them the members of an harlot?” If you were to do that, it would be with the body you
have right now.
Our bodies are a permanent part of the body of Christ. That sounds strange, but Jesus has bought
and paid for this body for eternity. You might say, “Oh, no, I don’t like this body. I don’t want
this body. I want my new body.” No, it’s going to be this body, changed, this body glorified, and
I assure you, once it’s glorified, you will have no complaints about it. But it’s going to be this
one.
The Lord thinks highly of this body that He has created. The Psalmist said, “We are fearfully and
wonderfully made.” (Psalm 139:14) People despise their bodies, they treat them terribly, they
abuse them, they sin with them, and they destroy them, but we ought not, because this body is a
one-of-a-kind original, made by the Master. It has been affected by the curse in the earth and sin,
but even in its fallen state, it’s a marvel. Don’t despise your body. Thank God for your body. If
there are some things you don’t like about it, believe God to get them changed and get them
fixed. If you can’t do anything with it to suit you, know that very soon it’s going to be fixed
anyhow. So don’t get upset about it.
The scripture says that the trumpet is going to sound, and the dead in Christ are going to rise. (1
Corinthians 15:52) What does that mean? It’s talking about the bodies that were put in the
ground, or put in a cave, or lost at sea—there were Christians who died in the sea, and the sharks
got them. Where is their body? There are Christians who died out in the desert. Their bones were
bleached, dissolved, and scattered by the winds to the four corners. Where is their body? Well,
it’s still here.
God knows where every molecule is. It will be interesting if you are still alive and remaining
when the trumpet sounds and the Lord comes back. You will see believers’ bodies from the four
corners of the planet go back together, and then the glory of the Lord will flow over them, and