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YOU YOURSELVES ARE GOD’S TEMPLE 1 Corinthians 3:16
At the start of a new year and with a new pastor arriving shortly.. I thought it would be helpful to focus for three Sundays on the church – on three ways the Bible pictures the church. Why helpful? Because the way we think about the church will shape our expectations and the way we behave. Today we consider these words.. 1 Corinthians 3:16.. You yourselves are God’s temple and.. God’s Spirit lives in you..
To appreciate what the Apostle Paul is saying, we need some background.. About 1,500 years before these words were written God rescued the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and led them to Mt Sinai. There He gave instructions to Moses to build a tabernacle of wooden poles and animal skins. It was built.. and then we read.. Exodus 40:34,35.. Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting because the cloud had settled upon it, and the glory of the LORD filled the tabernacle. Some 500 years after this the Israelites were living in peace and prosperity. Solomon was their king. He built a glorious temple of stone to replace the tabernacle. Then we read.. 2 Chronicles 5:13,14.. Then the temple of the LORD was filled with a cloud, and the priests could not perform their service because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled the temple of God. Almost a 1,000 years later.. Jesus was born. John writes.. John 1:14.. The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory.. He made His dwelling among us.. or tabernacled among us. The presence of God had been focussed in the tabernacle and then the temple.. Now His presence was focussed in Jesus! Jesus was God in human form. Those who saw Him, saw God. Those who heard Him, heard God. He died on a wooden cross to bear the sins of the whole human race.. was buried.. was raised.. ascended to the Father.. Then He sent the Holy Spirit. In Acts 2:1-4 we read.. When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them The Holy Spirit of God came to live among God’s people. The presence of God was now focused.. not in the tabernacle.. or the temple of stone.. or the person of Jesus.. but in believers.. in the Church. Now the Church is the temple! The body of each believer is His temple. The Apostle Paul writes.. 1 Corinthians 6:19,20.. 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 honor God with your body. The local church is His temple. The Apostle Paul writes.. 1 Corinthians 3:16,17.. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. And the worldwide, universal Church is His temple. The Apostle Paul writes to the believers in Ephesus.. Ephesians 2:21,22.. In him [Jesus] the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. We could spend hours on these three statements. Today.. let’s focus on this one amazing fact.. believers.. born again people.. are the dwelling place of God, His temple. The Apostle speaks of them not as the temple as a whole, but as the innermost part of the temple.. the place where God’s presence was focused. The presence of God is now focused in the believer’s body.. in the local church.. in the world-wide church of true believers! We are gathered here today as a group of believes. He is here today.. in His temple, in us! We are gathered in a building, but it would be just the same if we gathered down by the river!
Today.. let’s ponder this amazing truth. Paul puts it so powerfully. God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. When we take this in.. feel the enormity of it.. we will respond with..
King Solomon found it hard to comprehend that God would somehow dwell in the temple he had built. He says in.. 2 Chronicles 6:18.. But will God really dwell on earth with men? The heavens, even the highest heavens, cannot contain you. How much less this temple I have built! What a valid question that is! The Creator of the Universe.. the One the Universe cannot contain.. how can He dwell in a temple of stone. There is no way it can contain Him. Solomon is caught up in the wonder of it all.. When we ponder what God has now done.. we too will be filled with wonder. God came among us in the Person of Jesus.. and suffered and died for us.. to deal with our sin and guilt.. and now He has come among us in the Person of the Holy Spirit. He lives among us! Ponder that.. take it in.. and like Solomon will we ask, How can that be? Ponder the universe. Suppose we could travel at the speed of light.. How long would we take to reach the moon? Little more than a second.. and how long would we take to reach the far side of the universe? Billions of years!! How can God.. whom even the universe cannot contain.. live among us?
Solomon had seen the glory of the LORD fill the temple he had built.. he then addressed the huge crowd gathered there for the occasion.. and prayed. Then we read.. 2 Chronicles 7:1-3.. When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it. When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying, “He is good; his love endures forever.” All the Israelites fell on their faces.. in awe.. and gave thanks to God! The very first believers in Jesus responded in a similar way on the day of Pentecost.. when God the Holy Spirit came to live among them.. Acts 2:43,46,47.. Everyone was filled with awe.. Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God.. Ponder it.. take it in.. and we will respond like that, too!
King Solomon and his people had been part of something truly amazing that day when they dedicated the temple of stone. Eventually Solomon dismissed them. We read in.. 2 Chronicles 7:10.. He sent the people to their homes, joyful and glad in heart for the good things the LORD had done for David and Solomon and for his people Israel. Try to imagine how these people felt. They had seen such amazing things. As they headed home their minds will have been filled with this thought.. God is among us.. now we can face anything.. we have nothing to fear.. there are great days ahead. They headed home with joyful optimism! We can face life with even greater joy.. greater optimism. God lives among us.. in us! Listen to Paul again.. Ephesians 2:21,22.. In him [Jesus] the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit. A dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit! No wonder he says in.. Ephesians 3:20,21.. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Ponder it.. take it in.. and we also will respond with joyful optimism!
When Solomon had completed the temple of stone.. and it had been dedicated.. God gave him a warning and a promise.. 2 Chronicles 7:13,14.. When I shut up the heavens so that there is no rain, or command locusts to devour the land or send a plague among my people, if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land. The warning: When I shut up the heavens. When.. not if. He will do it.. because the people will drift away.. The promise: God will hear.. forgive.. and heal their land.. if they turn back. What does God expect? That they humble themselves.. and pray.. and seek Him.. and turn from their wicked ways.. God is asking for wholehearted devotion! That is what God expected of them. He expects the same of us! That is the only reasonable way for us to respond to the great and awesome God whom the Universe cannot contain.. who lives among us! Let’s consider again the words of the Apostle Paul.. 1 Corinthians 3:16,17.. Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is sacred, and you are that temple. The Corinthians had come close to destroying the church in Corinth by following worldly wisdom and splitting into various groups.. one saying.. I follow Paul.. another saying.. I follow Apollos.. another saying.. I follow Cephas.. and yet another saying.. I follow Christ! [1 Corinthians 1:12]. Paul calls on them to wake up to who they are. They are the temple of God! If they destroy the temple of God.. God will destroy them.. His temple is sacred.. and they are that temple. Wake up to who you are.. and live for God.. not yourselves. Reverence Him.. and respect His Church!
In his second letter to these people he has some more very challenging things to say.. 2 Corinthians 6:16, 7:1.. We are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will live with them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.” .. Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. We may not like to hear these words.. but we must hear them. We are the temple of God! Almighty God lives among us!
Let’s take it in and respond with wholehearted devotion to God. Ponder these things.. that our individual bodies are His temple.. that the local church.. this church.. is His temple.. that the church of true believers world-wide is His temple.. that Almighty God.. in the Person of the Holy Spirit.. lives among us.. and respond with.. wonder.. awe and thanksgiving.. joyful optimism.. and whole-hearted devotion to God. Respond now.. or go home and ponder these amazing things.. and let God move you!
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