What is the natural, normal thing a person does for his own body according to Scripture?
Scripture teaches that a person naturally nourishes and cherishes his own body, just as the Lord cherishes the church. If normal and rightly minded, he takes care of his physical body, feeds it right, rests it right, and does not abuse it, because it is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
Les explains that the basic fundamental premise is that no man ever hated his own flesh; instead, the normal thing is to nourish and cherish it, even as the Lord cherishes the church. He says that if you are normal and have the right attitude toward life, you will take care of your physical body. Then the spiritual admonition coming back to 1 Corinthians 3 is that the body is not just physical—it is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, the temple of God on this earth. Therefore we are to treat it accordingly: take care of it, feed it right, rest it right, and not abuse it.
For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
More Questions
Where does Paul teach that we are responsible for taking care of our physical bodies?
Paul teaches the believer's responsibility to care for his physical body in Ephesians 5, where he says men ought to love their wives as their own bodies, since he who loves his wife loves himself and no man ever hated his own flesh.