Easy Reading Edition August 20-26

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READ FOR THIS WEEK’S STUDY: John 1:1-4; Colossians 1:15-17;Galatians 3:13; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20; 1 Corinthians 10:31.

MEMORY VERSE: “Don’t [do] you [not] know that your bodies are templesof the Holy Spirit? The Spirit is in you. You have received him from God.You do not belong to yourselves. Christ has paid the price for you. So useyour bodies in a way that honors God” (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20, NIrV).

IMPORTANT THOUGHT: We cannot use and abuse our body, then throw itaway when it wears out. We are examples of God’s grace. We are saved byJesus’ blood. For this reason, we should honor God with our body. Thequestion is, How do we do that?

YOU ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD. Paul talked about the word tem-ple with the people of Corinth. At first, they did not think of their body as a tem-ple. Instead, they thought of the temple of Aphrodite.1 This temple was a placewhere worshipers were involved with temple prostitutes.2 That is probably why inhis letters to the Corinthians, Paul worked very hard to teach the new believersabout the temple where God lives. This temple is in the hearts of people whoaccept Jesus as their Savior and Lord. Paul says, “You are the temple of the liv-ing God” (2 Corinthians 6:16, NKJV). He also says, “Your body is the temple ofthe Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19, NKJV). The best reason for taking care ofour bodies is not just so we live longer or enjoy better health. The best reasonfor taking care of our bodies is to honor God. Our bodies are His gift to us.

Study this week’s lesson to prepare for Sabbath, August 27.

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SABBATH—AUGUST 20

Lord of Our Body Temples

1Aphrodite—a sex goddess of the Greeks.2prostitute—men and women who earn money by having sex. In Aphrodite’s temple, the prostitutes were women.

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Lesson 9 Lord of Our Body Temples

ALL THINGS WERE MADE BYJESUS (John 1:1-4).

The New Testament writers boldlypreach that Jesus is both the Messiahand the Creator of the world. Thou-sands of years before the Son of Godentered into the world as Jesus ofNazareth, He spoke the world into life.

John makes these claims aboutthe Word who became a man. Whatare these claims?

John 1:1, 2 _______________________

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John 1:3 _________________________

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John 1:4 _________________________

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Paul also points to the greatness ofJesus as the Creator of all things. Weowe even our life to Him. Speaking ofJesus, Paul writes, “All things werecreated by him [Jesus]. He createdeverything in heaven and earth. Hecreated everything that can be seenand everything that can’t [cannot] beseen. He created kings, powers,rulers and authorities [powers]. Every-thing was created by him and for him.

Before anything was created, he wasalready there. He holds everythingtogether” (Colossians 1:16, 17, NIrV).

Compare3 John 1:1-4 with Colos-sians 1:15-17. What is the impor-tant message of both?

During His ministry (work) on earth,Jesus never claimed to be the Creatorof all things. But as we study His lifeand teachings, we find many exam-ples that point to His power asCreator. For example, when Jesuscalmed down the storm on the Sea ofGalilee, the surprised disciples asked,“ ‘Who is this? Even the wind and thewaves obey him!’ ” (Mark 4:41, NIV).

Now read Genesis 1:26, 27 andGenesis 2:7, the story of God mak-

SUNDAY—AUGUST 21

3compare—show how things are the same.

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ing humanity.4 Contrast5 how hu-manity was created with howeverything else was created. Whatdoes this contrast (difference) tellus about the basic meaning of ourown personal life? About who weare? About why we are here? Whatvery different opinions can wemake about the meaning of ourlives in contrast with people whobelieve we are alive because ofevolution?6

SAVED BY HIS BLOOD(Galatians 3:13).

In yesterday’s study, we saw thatthe Bible clearly shows Jesus as theCreator. He is the One who createdall things. He is the One who spokethe world into life. He is the One whobreathed “the breath of life” into thefirst human. In this way, we are notour own. We did not somehow createourselves or put ourselves here byour own will. Therefore, we have noclaim over ourselves. As parts of Hiscreation, we belong to God. His claimover us is greater than our claim overourselves.

Read the last two sentences ofthe above paragraph. What do

these sentences suggest to us?How should these sentences influ-ence how we live and the decisionswe make? When was the last timeyou made a decision based on thefact that you belong to God?

We belong to God because He isour Creator. But according to the Bible,that is not His only claim over us.

Why else do we belong to God?Acts 20:28; Galatians 3:13; Gala-tians 4:4, 5; 1 Peter 1:18, 19; Colos-sians 1:14; Hebrews 9:12.

Being redeemed7 is to be boughtback, to be recovered, to be rescued,or to be set free. Jesus has done allthese things for us. This means Hisclaims over us are even greater thanbefore. Now we are His, by both cre-ation and redemption.8 And redemp-tion might even be a greater claim.This is because being created doesnot need to mean something good.For example, some people mightcurse their own life and wish they had never been born. But Jesus re-deemed us by dying for us. His deathfor us promises us a new life in aworld without sin. By His death, Hehas done something wonderful for usthat nothing can destroy (read Daniel2:44).

MONDAY—AUGUST 22

4humanity—people in general.5contrast—show how things are different.6evolution—the belief that we became humans by slowly changing from a lower form of life to a higher form

of life.7redeemed—saved. Jesus saved us by buying us back with the sacrifice of His death on the cross. Jesus did

not just save us. He paid the full price for our sins.8redemption—the process (method) of Jesus saving us by buying us back through His death on the cross.

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Lesson 9 Lord of Our Body Temples

Write a prayer thanking Jesusfor what He has done for you as your Creator and Redeemer(Savior). What do you want to dobecause of what He has done foryou? What responsibilities do youfeel toward Him? What encouragesyou to accept those responsibil-ities?

THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20).

In 1 Corinthians 6:19, 20, Paul point-ed out that it was important to honorGod with our bodies. The Corinthianbelievers were facing several seriouschallenges. They lived in a city wherepeople were encouraged to have im-proper sex. Satan was spoiling God’simage in both unbelievers and believ-ers. Improper sex was like a sicknessin the culture, and it was a problem inthe church, too.

What two reasons does he givefor honoring God with our bodies?1 Corinthians 6:19, 20.

Summarize what you believePaul is telling us in 1 Corinthians6:19, 20. How should these truthsinfluence our life in a useful dailyway?

As followers of Jesus, we mustcare about how we use our bodies.

Too often, people say, “This is my life.I can do what I want.” But the Biblechallenges that self-centered think-ing. When Christians are involved inharmful behavior, they hurt them-selves personally and dishonor Godpublicly.

What are some harmful actionsthat are not good for people to do?Proverbs 20:1, 25; Deuteronomy21:20; 1 Corinthians 10:32.

Honoring God with our bodiesinvolves more than keeping awayfrom improper sex. We recognize thatour bodies are temples of the HolySpirit. They are redeemed by Jesus’blood. Knowing this will influenceevery part of our lives. We will try toavoid polluting our body temple withharmful drugs, food, or sex. We willtry to care for our body temple andinvolve ourselves in activities thathonor God.

TUESDAY—AUGUST 23

Use your body well. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit.

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A person may argue, “What isimportant for the Christian is onlythe spiritual, not the physical.”How would you answer this argu-ment from the Bible? How do youunderstand the strong connectionbetween our physical side and ourspiritual side?

DO ALL TO GOD’S GLORY (1 Corinthians 10:31).

Paul has asked the believers inCorinth to avoid polluting their bodytemples through illegal sex. Now heshares a principle9 that can guideevery part of life: “so eat and drinkand do everything else for the glory ofGod” (2 Corinthians 10:31, NIrV). TheGreek noun translated “glory” is thesame word used in 1 Corinthians6:19: “Honor God with your body.” Theconnection between these two versesis clear.Your body is the temple of theHoly Spirit. For this reason, every-thing you do (including what you eatand drink) should be done to thehonor of God.

How does one “honor God” withone’s body? How does one eat anddrink “to the glory of God”? Howdo 1 Corinthians 10:31 and 1 Corin-thians 6:19 show that God doescare about what we eat and drink?Why would He care?

We have a physical body. In thenew heaven and the new earth, wewill still have a physical body(Revelation 21:4, 14). The idea thatwe are temples shows even morehow holy and important our bodiesare. So it is no surprise that theBible urges us to take care of ourbodies. We need to use our bodiesin ways that glorify the God whomade them. Any sin or abuse of ourbody pollutes what God has createdand given us.

If God loves and cares about us, itshould be no surprise that He wantsus to take care of our bodies. Ourbody can cause much joy or somuch suffering. It often dependsupon how we take care of our bod-ies.

What do the following verses sayabout God’s attitude toward ourhealth? Exodus 15:26; Jeremiah30:17; Mark 5:25-34; 3 John 1, 2.

WEDNESDAY—AUGUST 24

9principle—a basic rule of life.

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Lesson 9 Lord of Our Body Temples

“The laws of nature are the lawsof God. So it is our duty to givethese laws careful study.We shouldstudy their requirements about ourown body and follow these require-ments.”—Adapted from Ellen G.White, Testimonies for the Church,vol. 6, p. 369. What is Ellen Whitetelling us? How do these wordsshow the principle Paul gave us in1 Corinthians 10:31?

SHALOM (Psalm 119:165)!

Many people have heard of theHebrew word shalom. This wordmeans “peace.” It is sometimes used as a greeting from one Jew to another.

What do you think of when youthink of the word peace? In whatdifferent ways do you use thatword in your language?

The word shalom itself has a veryrich and deep meaning in the OldTestament. In the Old Testament, theword shows up in one form or anotherhundreds of times. It carries the idea ofcompleteness (fullness), plenty, whole-ness, soundness, good health, andpeace. The word itself includes everypart of life—physical, mental, and spiritual.

For example, in one of the earliestuses of the word shalom, Jacob asksabout the wellness (shalom) of Laban(Genesis 29:6). The word translated“well” both times in the verse isshalom. But, in Jeremiah 29:7,Jeremiah tells the Jewish prisoners inBabylon to pray for the shalom(peace) “of the city I have sent you to”(NIrV). This is because, the Lordsays, in the shalom of the city will bethe shalom of the Jewish prisoners.

Look up the following verseswhere the word shalom was usedbefore the Bible was translated intoother languages. How do theseverses help us understand themeaning of shalom when it comesto our physical and spiritual well-ness? Genesis 43:28; Proverbs 3:2;Jeremiah 33:6; Psalm 38:3; Psalm119:165; Isaiah 48:22.

The Bible calls Jesus Sar-Shalom,“the Prince of Peace.” This makessense because, through faith in Himand through obedience to His law, wecan find shalom—wholeness, com-pleteness, and wellness.

God wants us to be healthy.

THURSDAY—AUGUST 25

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As Adventists, we have beengreatly blessed with a health mes-sage. How seriously do you acceptthis light on health? What changesmight you need to make to havemore shalom in your life?

ADDITIONAL STUDY: The healthmessage—honoring God with ourbodies—has always been importantfor Seventh-day Adventist Christians.God gave much guidance on healththrough the ministry (work) of EllenWhite. It is our honor and pleasure toshare this message of honoring Godwith our bodies with the world.

“It is not possible to work for thesalvation of men and women withoutexplaining to them the need of break-ing away from unhealthful sins thatdestroy the health, soul, and mind.. . . Let the poor have the gospel ofhealth preached to them so they mayknow how to care for the body prop-erly. This is because the body is thetemple of the Holy Spirit.”—Adaptedfrom Ellen G. White, Testimonies forthe Church, vol. 7, p. 137.

Read also Education, pp. 99, 100;Health Reformer, October 1866;

Christ’s [Jesus’] Object Lessons, pp. 347, 348; Counsels on Diet andFoods, p. 17.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS:1. We are saved by God’s grace

through faith and not by our ownworks. Then why is it really impor-tant for us to care for our bodytemples?

2. Describe the connection betweenholiness and healthful living. Is thisconnection found anywhere in theBible? If so, where?

3. As a class, talk about what youmight be able to do to help yourown church members be moreaware of taking good care of theirbodies.

4. What dangers do we face in focus-ing on how important health is tofaith and growth in Jesus? How dowe do so without making peoplewho are sick feel as if they weresomehow facing God’s judgment?

5. What part do dress and jewelryhave in the matter of our bodytemple? Give proof for youranswer from the Bible.

FRIDAY—AUGUST 26