Your body may place much pressure upon your heart which makes it difficult to remain faithful to Jesus Christ; however, your body cannot make you unfaithful. Essentially, your heart responds to the influence or pressure from your body either for the glory of God or not. As such, your body does not have functional control over your heart; instead, it simply reflects the desires of the heart.

When I was in school, David Powlison taught us when considering any principle to not start with the exceptions or the hard case, but instead, start with what is normal or common. In light of today’s question, this is a great reminder. Is it possible that your body can make you sin? Can your body force you to sin? What biblical principles help answer this question? This week I have been with some friends who have been discussing this. Before the discussion, I wrote this piece. Now, I am publishing it. 🙂 My answer really didn’t change as a result – for which I am glad.

1. Your Body is Separate from Your Soul.

The Bible talks in a number of texts about the separation of the body and the soul. Sometimes, we refer to this division of body and soul under the terms outer man and inner man as well as material and immaterial. Further, we sometimes refer to this as embodied souls – a unified person of body and soul made in the image of God, yet the body and soul both refer to different aspects of being human. The following texts help establish this reality.

And do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. But rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. (Matthew 10:28)

Therefore we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. (2 Corinthians 4:16)

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also. (James 2:6)

Then the dust will return to the earth as it was,
And the spirit will return to God who gave it. (Ecclesiastes 12:7)

Therefore, having these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

2. The Desires in Your Heart Determine What You Do.

Jesus and James clearly and specifically teach that the desires in your heart determine what you do. Let’s begin with Jesus:

“Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure brings forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (Matthew 12:33-37)

Jesus teaches that the heart has operational control of the individual.

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