Monday 6 May 2019

You are God's temple

Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are. – 1 Corinthians 3.16-17

Here we have the first of two uses of ‘the temple of God’ in the letter to Corinth. This first usage speaks of the church as a whole being a temple and the latter use will speak of our bodies and temples of God.

Why is the church called the ‘temple of God?’

We have been teaching a Netflix series based on the early church. While not a video Bible it has been thought provoking. The other night Saul is with the still suspicious disicples talking to them about the Temple. They are still clinging on to the importance of being able to go to the Temple when Saul speaks to them. He says ‘we don’t need the Temple anymore. The Temple is right here. We are all the Temple we need now.

Indeed that is what Paul writes here. We are the Temple of God. Here is where God dwells, in His church. He dwells in the hearts of His people. We are the Temple – we ought to act like it. All of our actions as the church ought to reflect that God is among us. Sadly, a lot of the church is more concerned with all kinds of worldy dealings and not acting like God’s temple.

Are you and I as part of the church glorifying God in His Holy Temple?

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