THURSDAY, MAY 11
1 Corinthians 3:16-17
2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1

"…the Spirit of God
dwelleth in you."

YE ARE THE TEMPLE OF GOD

The expression "ye are the temple of God" (1 Cor 3:16) appears twice in the epistle of 1 Corinthians. The second appearance is found in 1 Corinthians 6:19, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" In that context, the temple of God refers to the physical body of the Christian.

In 1 Corinthians 3:16, the temple of God refers to the spiritual building, which is the body of believers. The word used for "temple" is naos in contrast to hieron. While hieron is often used with respect to the entire temple complex, the focus of naos is on the actual temple, with emphasis on the sanctuary. Paul was thus reminding the Corinthian Christians that the church of God is the dwelling place of God. God is in the midst of the congregation when they gather to worship Him, because the Holy Spirit indwells the hearts of the worshippers. The temple of God is thus made holy before Him.

Note that the temple belongs to God and not to anyone else. It is not Paul’s temple. Neither does it belong to Apollos or Peter. Therefore, no man should form a personality cult because he is not the Head of the Church. Christ is the only Head and the chief cornerstone. He walks in the midst of the church and judges the thoughts and intentions of every man (see Rev 1). Dare any man conduct himself loosely before the Lord of the temple?

Alas, in the day of Christ, men turned the temple of God into a den of thieves (Matt 21:13). Today, many churches resemble the citadels of Satan rather than the temple of the living God. Herein is a warning: "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy" (1 Cor 3:17a). No man can oppose the work of the Lord and stand. Therefore, the Corinthian Christians must stop their divisions and abhor all carnality. Nobody is to defile the temple of God!

THOUGHT: The Lord is in our midst as we worship Him.
PRAYER: Lord, help me not to defile Thy temple.