In his First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter 6, the Apostle Paul delivers a stern yet vital warning that remains as relevant today as it was to the early churches of his time. He cautions believers against a spiritual misstep that often masquerades as wisdom: the denial of corporeality. This Gnostic deviation, which seeks to reject the physical body in the name of spiritual elevation, is not only misguided—it is spiritually dangerous.
There is no doubt that the Christian journey is one of ascent toward the spirit. Yet in our zeal to rise above the world, we must not despise the vessel God has given us for that journey. The human body, far from being a mere hindrance, is a necessary component in developing the soul. To reject it outright is akin to imagining a seed can bear fruit without ever being planted or watered. The notion may seem alluring, but it collapses upon contact with reality.
Scripture does not call us to flee the body but to sanctify it. The Apostle reminds us that our bodies are temples of the Spirit. If the soul is most precious within us, the body must be kept in a state worthy of housing such treasure. To neglect the body is to undermine the very framework through which we live, think, speak, and act.
Moreover, the relationship between body and soul is reciprocal. As we tend to the soul, we must also attend to the body, not for vanity but function. We must be able to walk to seek the truth, to stand to testify, and to speak to bear witness. A degraded body diminishes the effectiveness of the spirit’s work.
Yet there is another error we must avoid. We see the opposite extreme in the modern world, especially in 2025. The cult of the body has overtaken the cult of the soul. Today’s culture—obsessed with image, saturated with selfies, and addicted to digital mirrors—has replaced spiritual aspiration with narcissistic exhibition. We are warned not only against neglecting the body but also against worshiping it.
Here lies the delicate balance: to honor the body without idolizing it, to refine it without obsessing over it, and to use it as the sacred instrument of our spiritual purpose rather than a monument to personal vanity.
In this context, Paul’s exhortation rings with renewed power:
“For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.” (1 Corinthians 6:20)
This brief yet profound verse encapsulates the entire lesson. It bridges heaven and earth, reminding us that we are not divided beings but unified creations—body and soul, flesh and spirit, time-bound and eternal. Our calling is to glorify God with the totality of our being.
This principle, if followed, forms the bedrock of a healthy civilization. A society that understands the sanctity of the body and the supremacy of the spirit cannot fall into the trap of either hedonism or asceticism. It walks the middle path—the path of truth, discipline, and divine purpose.
Let us then take this message to heart. Let us resist both the ancient error of Gnostic disdain for the body and the modern descent into bodily idolatry. Instead, let us reaffirm the dignity of the human person as a living temple, and glorify God in all that we are. Amen.
