"The body is...for the Lord" means that the body belongs to the Lord. Nevertheless, it is in the hand of man for him to keep for the Lord. Today, however, few know about this or practice this! The reason many of God's children suffer weaknesses, diseases, and afflictions is that God is chastening them and calling them to offer their bodies completely to Him. After they do this, He will heal them. He wants them to know that their bodies are not their own, but the Lord's. If they still live according to their own will, they will see that God's chastisement will not leave them. If there are some among us now who are sick, they should pay attention to this word.

"The Lord [is also] for the body." This is a marvelous word. Ordinarily we think that the Lord came to save the soul. But this verse tells us that "the Lord [is also] for the body." Many believers despise the body too much. They believe that the Lord only cares to save souls and that the body does not have any use. They consider the body worthless in the realm of spiritual life and that there is no provision of grace for it in God's salvation. But this verse tells us that "the Lord [is also] for the body." God says that the Lord is also for the body that man despises.

Since believers despise the body in this way, they think the Lord Jesus only takes care of the sins of the spirit and soul and does not take care of the illness of the body. Therefore, when they suffer from weaknesses and illnesses, they resort to human ways for remedy. Although they know that the Lord healed the body more than He saved souls in the four Gospels, they interpret these acts spiritually. They believe the ailments only pointed to their spiritual condition. They acknowledge that when the Lord was on earth, He healed diseases of the body, yet they believe the Lord only heals their spiritual sicknesses today. They are willing to commit their spiritual illnesses to the Lord for His healing, but they think the Lord has no concern about their bodily illness and that they should find their own treatment. They forget, however, that "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today, yes, even forever" (Heb. 13:8). They think that the Lord Jesus healed the sicknesses of the body when He was on the earth but that He is only healing the sicknesses of the spirit today.

Among most believers, the body is put aside. It seems as if God has not provided anything for their body, that all of Christ's salvation is limited to the spirit and soul, and that the body has no share whatsoever in it. They do not pay any attention to the fact that the Lord Jesus healed the sick when He was on the earth, and the apostles continued to experience the power of healing. The only reason for this is unbelief. The Word of God, however, indicates that the Lord is also for the body. The Lord is for the body. All that the Lord is, is for the body.

In the context that our body is for the Lord, the Lord is also for our body. Here we see the relationship between God and man. God gave Himself entirely to us because He expects us to give ourselves entirely to Him. After we have given ourselves to Him, according to the thoroughness of our giving, He will give Himself to us. God wants us to know that He has already given up His body for us. He also wants us to know that if our body is truly for Him, we will surely experience that He is for our body. The significance of "the body is...for the Lord" is that we offer our own body completely to the Lord, to live for the Lord. The significance of "the Lord for the body" is that the Lord has already accepted our offering with pleasure. The Lord will give His life and power to our body. He will guard, keep, and nourish our body.