Caring for the body is a responsibility many overlook, especially when young, who take it for granted as though it will last forever without trouble. Paul uses the word body 42 times in I Corinthians, seven of them in 6:13-20, so the subject is significant. God's command to Adam and Eve to dress and keep His creation includes keeping themselves, and that duty falls on all their children. It weighs more heavily on the called, who were bought with a price, are justified by faith in Christ's blood, and owe God far more than others do. Sexual immorality (porneia) sins against one's own body, both spiritually and physically, since it risks physical and mental health. The ultimate reason for caring for the body is that it is the temple of the Holy Spirit, the first deposit on eternal life. Collectively the church is God's temple, and each individual is also a temple. Christian liberty is not license to do as one pleases, so even the effects on the body must be weighed. Believers must therefore glorify God in body and spirit, educate themselves about what they eat, and avoid carelessly making themselves sick, including by avoiding genetically modified foods, which are potentially destructive to health.

God gave us life and the body, and we are accountable to Him to dress and keep it, a duty that never ends because all creation steadily deteriorates. The Christian bears special accountability because his body is a temple of God's Spirit. When the body breaks down, God's promise to heal does not relieve us of working to remove the cause and restore health, just as His promise of spiritual healing does not excuse us from overcoming and growing. To do nothing is like suicide, breaking the Sixth Commandment. Trust in God does not exclude using man's skills. Balm, the fig poultice for Hezekiah, and physicians are all spoken of without condemnation, and Jesus said the sick need a physician. Assigning spiritual rankings to physical remedies, such as herbs over pharmaceuticals or naturopaths over medical doctors, adds to Scripture. The differences are physical, not spiritual. Yet God must never be left out, as Asa and Ahaziah did. Physicians are not God, some are of no value, and every treatment carries risk, so one should seek a multitude of counselors and study ahead. The pattern is to seek God first, work on the solution with wise counsel, and repent of whatever adds to the problem. Health and healing are tied to obedience, since sin underlies most sickness. Faith and patience are active, not passive, and God is creating problem-solvers.