Dillon Sluss
In the West, there’s a disconnect between the body and the soul. Many people view the soul as the eternal essence of a person while the body is seen as temporary, burdensome—a disposable shell that will one day be left behind. This dualist mentality of a separate body and soul, was popularized by Greek philosophers and often conflicts with biblical teaching. The Bible presents a far more holistic vision: the body and soul are not separate, competing parts of our being, and they are not different entities set apart for different times or places. Instead, the biblical picture is that of one person with a soul and body, deeply intertwined, each playing a role in our lives and in our relationship with God.
Modern language often longs for the coming of the next age as a time where we will be free from our earthly flesh. In fact, this type of language is not so different from the view the Gnostics held. Plato taught that salvation comes from liberation of the “prison-body” and the mastery of the mind leads to happiness. Similar thoughts are present today even if they are not stated. The bulk of Christian teaching places an emphasis on the need for wisdom, and studying scripture while little teaching is given about training the physical body to glorify God. Thoughts that see the material world as corrupt and the soul as the only thing that matters are perhaps why some of the biggest societal issues in the last century revolve around a person’s body. Dualism leads to unhealthy attitudes toward the body, ranging from excessive body hatred to careless indulgence. Some traditions promote a detachment from the body, treating physical desires as something to suppress, while others swing to the opposite extreme, indulging the body while neglecting its role in spiritual discipline. In consumer-driven cultures, comfort and ease take precedence over discipline and submission to God. Both extremes misunderstand the biblical call to bring the body into submission (1 Corinthians 9:27). Paul writes, “I discipline my body and keep it under control, lest after preaching to others I myself should be disqualified.” The goal is not to reject the body but to train it so that it glorifies God.
From the beginning it is clear that we are unified beings, a body formed from the dust with a spirit breathed into us (Genesis 2:7), made in the image of God (Genesis 1:27). The Old Testament does not separate the physical from the spiritual. Life itself is a whole—body, mind, and spirit working together. In the New Testament Paul does not tell believers to discard or reject their bodies but to honor them: “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). The body is not a cage for the soul but a sacred vessel for God’s presence. Christian hope is not in the escape of the soul from the body. Jesus did not rise as a disembodied spirit; He rose physically, demonstrating the value of the body in God’s redemptive plan.
The early Church was taught the importance of bodily discipline. James, Paul, and Peter all write on the importance of bodily discipline. Among such training includes fasting, marriage, celibacy, and feasting. Marriage and celibacy, equally worthy callings, are often discussed practices that are rooted in the imitation of Jesus. Yet often our imitation of Jesus in our relationship with food is not a discussed topic. For many in the early church fasting was not an optional practice; it was central to their walk with God. Fasting was about more than just abstaining from food. It was a means uniting one’s body with Jesus in suffering. A fast on Wednesday and Friday is commonly found in first century writings. A fast was utilized to suffer with Jesus on the day of His betrayal and the day of His death. The food that was normally eaten was given to the poor and afflicted while Sundays served as feast days to join their bodies in the joy of the resurrection.
Imitating Jesus means rejecting the false idea that our physical body and how we treat it has no impact on our spiritual health. The body must once again be seen as an instrument of worship, a vessel to be disciplined, honored, and resurrected. Embodied worship, whether through kneeling, lifting hands, or prostration, should be recognized as expressions of surrender to God. Fasting should not be viewed as an unnecessary or ancient practice but as a means to train the body and cultivate a connection with our Savior. What we eat, what we watch, and who we spend our time with should be purpose filled choices made based on disciplining our body as a temple of God. We must reject the idea that salvation is about escaping the body.
How do you treat your body? Are you controlled by its desire for entertainment, food, and sex? We do not grow spiritually by ignoring the body or indulging it but by submitting it to Christ in devotion. As Paul reminds us, “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1).
