The term "bodily" in the context of the Bible often pertains to the physical aspect of human existence, as opposed to the spiritual or immaterial. The concept of the body is significant in Scripture, as it relates to creation, the incarnation of Christ, the resurrection, and the believer's life in Christ.

Creation and the Human Body

The Bible begins with the creation of the human body, as described in Genesis 2:7 : "Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being." This verse highlights the divine origin and the physical nature of humanity, emphasizing that the body is an integral part of God's creation.

The Incarnation of Christ

The bodily nature of Jesus Christ is a central tenet of Christian theology. The incarnation, where the Word became flesh, is described in John 1:14 : "The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the one and only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth." This passage underscores the reality that Jesus took on a human body, fully participating in the human experience while remaining fully divine.

The Resurrection and the Body

The resurrection of the body is a foundational belief in Christianity. 1 Corinthians 15:42-44 states: "So will it be with the resurrection of the dead: What is sown is perishable; it is raised imperishable. It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power. It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body." This passage affirms the transformation and glorification of the believer's body in the resurrection, highlighting the continuity and renewal of the physical form.

The Believer's Life in the Body

The New Testament frequently addresses how believers are to live in their bodies. Romans 12:1 exhorts: "Therefore I urge you, brothers, on account of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God, which is your spiritual service of worship." This verse calls Christians to dedicate their physical lives to God, using their bodies as instruments of righteousness.

Additionally, 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 reminds believers of the sanctity of their bodies: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body." This passage emphasizes the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the responsibility to honor God through bodily conduct.

Bodily Discipline and Self-Control

Scripture also speaks to the importance of bodily discipline. 1 Timothy 4:8 notes: "For physical exercise is of limited value, but godliness is valuable in every way, holding promise for the present life and for the one to come." While physical exercise is acknowledged, the emphasis is placed on spiritual growth and godliness, which have eternal significance.

In summary, the concept of "bodily" in the Bible encompasses the creation and sanctity of the human body, the incarnation and resurrection of Christ, and the call for believers to live holy lives in their physical forms. The body is seen as a vessel for worship, a temple of the Holy Spirit, and an integral part of the believer's identity in Christ.1. (a.) Physical; corporeal; having a body or material form; as, bodily functions; consisting of matter.

2. (a.) of or pertaining to the body, in distinction from the mind.

3. (a.) Real; actual; put in execution.

4. (adv.) Corporeally; in bodily form; united with a body or matter; in the body.

5. (adv.) In respect to, or so as to affect, the entire body or mass; entirely; all at once; completely; as, to carry away bodily. Leapt bodily below.

4985. somatikos -- bodily
... bodily. Part of Speech: Adverb Transliteration: somatikos Phonetic Spelling:
(so-mat-ee-koce') Short Definition: bodily Definition: bodily, corporeally ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4985.htm - 7k

4984. somatikos -- of the body
... of the body. Part of Speech: Adjective Transliteration: somatikos Phonetic Spelling:
(so-mat-ee-kos') Short Definition: bodily, corporeal Definition: bodily ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4984.htm - 6k

4561. sarx -- flesh
... word Definition flesh NASB Word Usage bodily (1), bodily condition (1), body (2),
earth (1), earthly (1), fellow countrymen (1), flesh (129), fleshly (4), life ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4561.htm - 8k

1129. gumnasia -- exercise
... Cognate: 1129 (from 1128 , "to , work out, exercise" and the root of the English
term, "gymnasium") -- properly, physical training ("bodily exercise"). ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/1129.htm - 7k

4647. skolops -- anything pointed, spec. a stake, thorn
... thorn. Perhaps from the base of skelos and optanomai; withered at the front, ie
A point or prickle (figuratively, a bodily annoyance or disability) -- thorn. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4647.htm - 7k

2872. kopiao -- to grow weary, toil
... kopiao Phonetic Spelling: (kop-ee-ah'-o) Short Definition: I grow weary, toil
Definition: (a) I grow weary, (b) I toil, work with effort (of bodily and mental ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2872.htm - 8k

4983. soma -- a body
... body. From sozo; the body (as a sound whole), used in a very wide application,
literally or figuratively -- bodily, body, slave. see GREEK sozo. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4983.htm - 7k

2237. hedone -- pleasure
... made an . That is, the satiation of bodily desires (lusts) other things.
[2237 is the root of the English terms, "," ". Word Origin ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/2237.htm - 7k

4559. sarkikos -- pertaining to the flesh, carnal
... carnal, fleshly. From sarx; pertaining to flesh, ie (by extension) bodily, temporal,
or (by implication) animal, unregenerate -- carnal, fleshly. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4559.htm - 7k

4599. sthenoo -- to strengthen
... From sthenos (bodily vigor; probably akin to the base of histemi); to strengthen,
ie (figuratively) confirm (in spiritual knowledge and power) -- strengthen. ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/4599.htm - 6k

6090. otseb -- a pain
... idol, sorrow, wicked A variation of etseb; an idol (as fashioned); also pain (bodily
or mental) -- idol, sorrow, X wicked. see HEBREW etseb. 6089b, 6090. ...
/hebrew/6090.htm - 5k

5315. nephesh -- a soul, living being, life, self, person, desire ...
... naphash; properly, a breathing creature, ie Animal of (abstractly) vitality; used
very widely in a literal, accommodated or figurative sense (bodily or mental ...
/hebrew/5315.htm - 7k

Whether Bodily Health is an Effect of this Sacrament?
... OF THE EFFECT OF THIS SACRAMENT (THREE ARTICLES) Whether bodily health
is an effect of this sacrament? Objection 1: It would seem ...
/.../christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether bodily health is an.htm

Of Bodily Patience.
... Chapter XIII."Of Bodily Patience. Thus far, finally, of patience simple
and uniform, and as it exists merely in the mind: though ...
/.../tertullian/of patience/chapter xiii of bodily patience.htm

This is He who Took a Bodily Form in the virgin
... Remains of the Second and Third Centuries. [Translated by the Rev. BP Pratten.]
V. This is He who took a bodily form in the Virgin. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/unknown/the decretals/v this is he who.htm

Whether Bodily and Sensible Pleasures are Greater than Spiritual ...
... OF DELIGHT CONSIDERED IN ITSELF [*Or, Pleasure] (EIGHT ARTICLES) Whether bodily
and sensible pleasures are greater than spiritual and intellectual pleasures? ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether bodily and sensible pleasures.htm

On the Perpetuity of Bodily Nature.
... Book II. Chapter II."On the Perpetuity of Bodily Nature. 1. On this topic
some are wont to inquire whether, as the Father generates ...
/.../origen/origen de principiis/chapter ii on the perpetuity of.htm

Whether Death and Other Bodily Defects are the Result of Sin?
... OF THE EFFECTS OF SIN, AND, FIRST, OF THE CORRUPTION OF THE GOOD OF NATURE (SIX
ARTICLES) Whether death and other bodily defects are the result of sin? ...
/.../aquinas/summa theologica/whether death and other bodily.htm

Whether Bodily Pain is the Greatest Evil?
... OF THE GOODNESS AND MALICE OF SORROW OR PAIN (FOUR ARTICLES) Whether bodily
pain is the greatest evil? Objection 1: It would seem ...
/...//christianbookshelf.org/aquinas/summa theologica/whether bodily pain is the.htm

The Details of Our Bodily Sex, and of the Functions of Our Various ...
... Chapter LXI."The Details of Our Bodily Sex, and of the Functions of Our Various
Members Apology for the Necessity Which Heresy Imposes of Hunting Up All Its ...
/.../tertullian/on the resurrection of the flesh/chapter lxi the details of our.htm

May the Seventeenth My Bodily Infirmities
... MAY The Seventeenth MY BODILY INFIRMITIES. JOHN ix.1-12. An infirmity becomes
doubly burdensome when we give it a false interpretation. ...
/.../my daily meditation for the circling year/may the seventeenth my bodily.htm

Even Bodily Death is from Sin.
... A Treatise on the Merits and Forgiveness of Sins, and on the Baptism of
Infants Chapter 4 [IV.]"Even Bodily Death is from Sin. ...
/.../augustine/anti-pelagian writings/chapter 4 iv even bodily death.htm

Bodily (17 Occurrences)
... Noah Webster's Dictionary 1. (a.) Physical; corporeal; having a body or material
form; as, bodily functions; consisting of matter. ... Leapt bodily below. ...
/b/bodily.htm - 12k

Pain (172 Occurrences)
... from slight uneasiness to extreme distress or torture, proceeding from a derangement
of functions, disease, or injury by violence; bodily distress; bodily...
/p/pain.htm - 43k

Shape (17 Occurrences)
... This is even the case where the word is joined with the adjective somatikos, "bodily"
as in the passage Luke 3:22, "The Holy Spirit descended in a bodily form ...
/s/shape.htm - 14k

Exercise (35 Occurrences)
... Easton's Bible Dictionary Exercise, bodily. (1 Timothy 4:8). An ascetic mortification
of the flesh and denial of personal gratification (Comp. ...
/e/exercise.htm - 22k

Weakness (25 Occurrences)
... the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the glad tidings
of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every bodily weakness among ...
/w/weakness.htm - 14k

Godhead (5 Occurrences)
... It is theotes which occurs in Colossians 2:9. Here Paul declares that "all the fullness
of the Godhead" dwells in Christ "bodily." The phrase "fullness of the ...
/g/godhead.htm - 22k

Fullness (31 Occurrences)
... of Christ." Colossians 1:19, "In him should all the fullness dwell." Colossians
2:9, "In him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (compare Luke 2:40 ...
/f/fullness.htm - 22k

Glad (421 Occurrences)
... the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the glad tidings
of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every bodily weakness among ...
/g/glad.htm - 37k

Fulness (76 Occurrences)
... filled. (3.) Of the Godhead bodily dwelling in Christ (Colossians 2:9),
ie, the whole nature and attributes of God are in Christ. ...
/f/fulness.htm - 30k

Tidings (169 Occurrences)
... the whole of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the glad tidings
of the kingdom, and healing every disease and every bodily weakness among ...
/t/tidings.htm - 38k

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