Yes, Paul directly links physical health to spiritual responsibility, teaching that the believer's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and must be honored.
In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, Paul states that the believer's body is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and that we are bought with a price, so we must glorify God in our bodies. In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, he warns that defiling this temple brings physical consequences. Les Feldick emphasizes that abusing the body through drugs, alcohol, or other means leads to physical harm, reflecting God's discipline.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17 — Directly states that believers are God's temple and that defiling it invites God's destruction (physical harm).
The apostle Paul teaches that the believer's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, he writes, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." This indicates a sacredness and ownership that calls for responsible care. In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Paul reiterates, "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." This warns that defiling the body brings serious consequences, often physical in nature. Additionally, Paul connects bodily care to love in Ephesians 5:28-29, where he instructs husbands to love their wives as their own bodies, noting that no one hates his own flesh but nourishes and cherishes it.
Les Feldick teaches that because the believer's body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, we have a spiritual obligation to care for it and avoid knowingly damaging it. He uses Paul's warnings in 1 Corinthians to show that abusing the body through excess—such as drug addiction, alcoholism, or smoking—brings real physical consequences. He explains that "God's destruction" in 1 Corinthians 3:17 refers to God allowing these physical ravages to take their toll, not to losing salvation. Les emphasizes that this is practical: many hospital beds are filled with people suffering from the effects of such abuse. He also notes that while spiritual relationship with Christ is unaffected, physical life can be cut short, as seen in 1 Corinthians 11 where some were sickly and some slept because of their excesses.
Les Feldick points out that drug addicts may think they can handle their problem, but unless they are broken of it, their physical health will be utterly destroyed. Alcoholism, unless overcome, eventually destroys the liver and overall well-being. Cigarettes are medically shown to cause harm, and such abuses bring real consequences. Paul's teaching in 1 Corinthians 3:17 is that God will "destroy" the one who defiles the temple of God, which Les interprets as God permitting the physical ravages of sin to take their toll on the body.
Les Feldick teaches that every action in the body should glorify God. In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul condemns sexual immorality because it sins against one's own body. Since the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, unrighteous behavior brings reproach and fails to glorify God. This applies to all areas of life, not just sexual conduct, but also physical health practices.
Les uses the analogy that just as hurting your toe makes the whole body feel pain, the body of Christ is interconnected. Believers are members of Christ's body, and their actions affect the whole. Thus, caring for one's physical health is not selfish but part of serving the body of Christ effectively.
Consequences of Physical Abuse
Les explains that abusing the body through drugs, alcohol, or other excesses leads to physical harm and even death, while not affecting spiritual salvation.
Body as Temple
Les emphasizes that the believer's body is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and that we are bought with a price, so we must glorify God in our bodies.
Consequences of Abuse
Les reiterates that abusing the body has dues to pay, as seen in the world around us.
Your Body Is the Temple of the Holy Spirit — 1 Corinthians 6:19
We are now in union with Christ, then we are to be just as careful about our fidelity to Him as the husband or the wife should be to each other. This is the whole moral principle of biblical teaching, and here it is in II Corinthians I Corinthians 6. Ephesians 6. "...and every sin that a man doeth is without, or outside, the body. But he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
Glorifying God in the Body
Les explains that our actions, including bodily conduct, should redound to the glory of God, and immoral behavior brings reproach.
What 1 Corinthians 6:9-11 Really Says About Who Goes to Heaven
Now remember he's talking to believers, even these carnal people at the Church of Corinth, but they were believers. And he says, don't you know that your bodies are the members of Christ? Shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of a prostitute? God forbid! Now you see we think this is horrible language.
Defiling the Temple
Les quotes 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 to show that defiling the temple of God (the body) brings God's dealing, i.e., physical consequences.
Body as Interconnected
Les uses the analogy of the body to show how interconnected members are, emphasizing that caring for the body is part of serving the whole.
1 Corinthians 3:16-17: 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.
This verse directly relates physical health to spiritual responsibility by warning that defiling the body brings God's destruction (physical harm).
1 Corinthians 6:19-20: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
This verse establishes the believer's body as sacred and commands glorifying God in it, implying responsible care.
1 Corinthians 11:30: For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep.
Paul links physical illness and death among believers to their abuse at the Lord's Supper, showing physical consequences of spiritual irresponsibility.
Ephesians 5:28-29: So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:
Paul uses the care of one's own body as a standard for love, reinforcing that self-care is normal and expected.
Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:17 that if any man defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. Les Feldick interprets this as God allowing physical harm to come to the body as a consequence of abuse, not as losing salvation. He clarifies that the spiritual relationship remains intact, but physical life may be shortened.
No. Les Feldick teaches that physical abuse can result in physical harm or death, but it does not affect the believer's spiritual standing with Christ. In 1 Corinthians 11, those who were sickly or slept were still believers, but their physical life was taken.
Watch the Teaching: Your Body Is God's Temple — What 1 Corinthians 3 Really Means