What does the Bible say about clean bodies?

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The Bible teaches that our bodies belong to God and should be treated with holiness, gratitude, and self-control, not as instruments for sin or self-made identity. First Corinthians 6:19-20 calls believers to honor God with their bodies because they are temples of the Holy Spirit and have been bought by Christ. Leviticus 15:13 reflects Old Testament ceremonial cleansing, which taught Israel about the seriousness of impurity and their need to approach God according to his provision. Leviticus 19:28 forbids pagan mourning practices that marked the body, calling God's people to be distinct from surrounding idolatry. In Christ, outward purity points to the deeper cleansing of heart that God alone gives.

Top passages, ranked by readers

Rankings: OpenBible.info Topical Bible (CC BY) · Scripture: World English Bible

  • 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

    [19] Or don't you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit which is in you, which you have from God? You are not your own, [20] for you were bought with a price. Therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's.

  • Leviticus 15:13

    "'When he who has a discharge is cleansed of his discharge, then he shall count to himself seven days for his cleansing, and wash his clothes; and he shall bathe his flesh in running water, and shall be clean.

  • Leviticus 19:28

    "'You shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor tattoo any marks on you. I am Yahweh.

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