Paul had left behind his cloak with a man named Carpus at Troas (2 Timothy 4:13). It is likely that Paul was arrested at Troas and had to leave behind several of his possessions with trusted brothers and sisters. Now in prison, as winter approached, he requested for the cloak when the weather turned cold and the nights were particularly chilly. He needed to keep warm.

Paul was not an ascetic who enjoyed physical deprivation and suffering. Those who had gone that route would have found that deliberately choosing severe austerity does not necessarily produce holiness nor is it the will of God. Yes, we may suffer physically and experience severe physical deprivations for the sake of Christ. If that comes, we can trust Christ who allows our sufferings to strengthen us. But to choose severe austerity as a method of pursuing holiness is not a biblical discipline. Why be cold when you can be warm? Why sleep on the cold floor when you have a decent bed to sleep on? As Bible commentator Gary Demarest reflects, “How comforting to know that this spiritual giant didn’t find any virtue in needless shivering!”

The body is important in Paul’s teaching that we are embodied human beings.It is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), an instrument of holiness. We must, therefore, take care of the body, make sure that it is used to glorify God, and co-operate with Him in our quest for holiness. Because we are embodied beings, the physical and non-physical parts of our lives interact and have mutual influence. A diseased body can affect the mind and the soul of a person in more ways than are imagined. A severely malfunctioning brain, such as in dementia, can affect one’s memory or cognitive functions, or even affect one’s moral sense. At the same time, a healthy soul can contribute to a healthy mind and body. Research continues to show such associations.

However, we must not go away with the faulty reasoning that the mutual effects of the body and the soul are completely correlated. A person without limbs can have profound spiritual depth. A person with cognitive problems due to brain dysfunction may still have a deep sense of God’s love. Likewise, a mature Christian may be afflicted with many physical ailments while a person who has the glow of physical health may have a shrunken and sick soul.

The point is that in our spiritual lives, one cannot ignore the physical dimension. The body is important in our spiritual formation. For one thing, we must ensure that we are not slaves to our bodily appetites. The body must therefore be subject to discipline. Paul wrote about how he practised this: “I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize” (1 Corinthians 9:27).

In asking for his clock to be brought to him, Paul was not thinking of indulging his body with a luxurious pampering treatment. He was hoping to meet the simple physical need of keeping warm on a freezing night.

John Wesley is a good example of someone with a healthy holistic perspective of the Christian life. He was a deeply committed and highly effective evangelist and church planter in the 18th century. While his Methodist movement grew rapidly and he preached salvation and holiness, Wesley also cared for the poor. He established schools for the children of poor miners so that they may receive a proper education rather than work as child labourers in factories. He also wrote in 1747 Primitive Physic: An Easy and Natural Method of Healing Most Diseases, which was a book on the latest medical remedies of his day. He wanted people to live clean and healthy lives as they pursued holiness in Christ.

Being curious about the latest medical and scientific ideas, Wesley was also a fan of electricity, which he believed was a cure for many human ailments. He had in his possession Leiden jars, which were used to store static electricity and tried electrifying himself and others to treat various medical conditions. He found that electrification made some depressed people better. It is interesting that it took almost 200 years for modern medicine to find a way to use electricity in a different form to treat depression.

Wesley saw that the body and the spirit have mutual effects on each other. He also had a biblical sense to keep the body subject to the will so that one does not become an addict to bodily desires and urges. For instance, Wesley was dead set against alcoholism—a rampant problem in his day that ruined individuals, their families and society at large.

To summarise, the body is not to be neglected in Christian living. Its needs should be legitimately met. One must know the difference between its needs and sinful desires, between proper necessities and addictions.

Consider this:

• How has the body been wrongly understood, used, or treated in church history. How is the situation today?
• How can we “take care of the body, make sure that it is used to glorify God, and co-operate with Him in our quest for holiness”?

Excerpt and adapted from Faithful to the End by Robert Solomon. © 2014 by Robert Solomon. Used by permission of Discovery House. All rights reserved.