Are You Your Body?
This article is an excerpt from Jennifer M. Kvamme’s new book, “More to the Story.” Click the image to order your copy.
The first two chapters of Genesis tell us how God created the world—a brilliant masterpiece of his creativity, wisdom, and love. But the crown of his creation is clearly humanity. Unlike pandas (though they’re adorable), mountains lakes (though they’re majestic), or cocoa beans (though they’re delightful), God declared that people were made in his image (Genesis 1:27).
In God’s design, humanity bears a unique likeness to our Creator—and thus, a unique purpose and calling. We are like God— certainly not fully, as none of us can create worlds from nothing or know the thoughts of everyone before they think them. But somehow, in a compelling way, we are like him. We are meant to reflect elements of who he is and to be his representatives in the world.
Not Just Spiritual
Like God (and unlike the rest of creation), we are spiritual beings as well as physical. We can love intimately, design creative technology, choose good over evil, use language, and write books. But that’s not all we are. When God created and defined us as people, he declared us not only to be made in his image but to be made male and female. He was talking about our physical design.
We are not people “stuck in” bodies, as if the “real us” is spiritual and the body is just some kind of tool we use or home we live in. No, listen to the description of God creating Adam:
“Then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”
(Genesis 2:7)
God formed a man from dust, which is impressive—but don’t miss the fact that what he formed was a body. Then into this body he breathed the breath of life, and the first human came to life. God didn’t create a spirit human and then think up something to put it in. He formed a body, Adam, and gave him life.
Your body is you, made incredibly in the image of God, who gives it life. Even when God makes all things new in eternity, every believer will still have a body. It will be transformed (Philippians 3:21) and redeemed (Romans 8:23)—no more limping or wincing or puking or dying— but it will be their body. So how we treat and use our bodies really does matter.
God’s Human Body
There’s another piece of evidence that God really does care about our bodies: as Christians, we believe that our redemption came when God himself took on a human body.
This is such a familiar teaching for most of us that we’ve lost sight of how incredible it is. Why would the God of infinite, uncontained power and glory choose to become a human? Jesus left heaven for a body that could experience pain, weakness, and even death. And he didn’t choose to come as the most handsome man ever, clothed as a glorious king or some kind of divine Superman. No, he came as an embryo in the womb of a peasant girl.
He knew hunger, pain, rejection, and weariness. His body bled and was broken so ours could be healed and made whole. “He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed” (1 Peter 2:24, emphasis added). Sinners can be saved because our God took on a body.
Even after his resurrection, Jesus remains embodied. His body could still be seen and touched by his friends (John 20:27). It was new, remade, and indestructible—but still very much a body. Jesus’ incarnation and resurrection dignify the God-made wonder of the human body.
If you ever find yourself hating your body, remember that Jesus died to save it. Your body is integral to who you are, and it’s more precious to God than you can imagine.
This article is an excerpt from More to the Story by Jennifer M. Kvamme. In this book intended for a teenage audience, Jennifer explores biblical answers to questions about identity, attraction, and relationships. She has served in youth ministry at Centennial Church in Forest Lake, MN, for 20 years, and is also on the director team for the Challenge youth conference.