Wednesday, October 16, 2013

If Any Man Defile The Temple... Him Shall God Destroy

I'm having trouble blogging today. I can't think of anything I want to blog about. There's a new Mormon Messages video, but it talks about the unity of the body and the spirit, and I already blogged about that recently. I suppose I could blog about it again anyway.

I guess a good point to make on this topic is that our bodies are sacred gifts from God, to be nourished and protected, and certainly not to be defiled with tattoos or excessive piercings.

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? 
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. 
1 Corinthians 3: 16-17

As I said in my last post, I believe that many of God's "punishments" are actually just the natural consequences of certain actions, and God commands us to avoid those actions, not to boss us around, but to help us avoid the consequences. I don't think God would angrily destroy someone for defiling their body; I think people would accidently destroy themselves by defiling their bodies.

On the other hand, I can also see why God might get angry at someone who defiles their body. Our bodies are sacred gifts from God. He didn't give us bodies so we could defile them, but so that He could glorify us. These matchless gifts that have been given to us to make us more like God are being used by some to make themselves as ungodly as possible. That would definitely sadden Him and perhaps even anger Him. I can see why He might destroy such a person. 'If that's how you're going to treat your body, I'll separate you from it!' How many parents have done something similar when a child misuses a toy they've been given? The confiscation is usually temporary, but it is totally just and understandable.

God is our loving Heavenly Father, and like any good father, His greatest desire is for us to grow up to be like Him. To this end, He has given us wonderful blessings and opportunities, but it's up to us to use them correctly. If we follow His counsel and His plan for us, He will use those gifts He has given us and many more gifts yet to be given to help us reach a glorious and divine potential. Or we can disrespect and misuse our heavenly gifts, and we may end up losing them.

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