We are the temple of God!
In 1 Corinthians 3:16–17, the apostle Paul hit on the true nature of the church as the body of Christ when he asked, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are” (NKJV).
We are the temple of God means that we—Christians, believers in Jesus Christ—who are joined together in one family as “the church” are a holy dwelling place for God’s presence.
The Greek word translated as “you” in verses 16 and 17 is plural. So when Paul said, “You are the temple of God,” he was referring to the believers as a group—the local church. The temple in Jerusalem was a sacred building dedicated to the worship of God. According to Paul, the church was the equivalent of the temple. God’s presence resided in the church, and the church was to maintain holiness.
This passage is part of a more extensive teaching on maintaining unity and not letting the church become divided over loyalties to human leadership (1 Corinthians 3:1–23). The sacredness of God’s house requires extreme care from church leaders. The Corinthian leaders needed to safeguard the unity of God’s temple, and the believers needed to avoid any moral corruption that would “defile” the sacredness of “the temple of God.”
From humanity’s beginning, God has desired to live among and commune with His people. In the Garden of Eden, God walked and talked with Adam in Eve in the cool of the day (Genesis 3:8). When He made His covenant with Israel, the Lord promised, “I will put my dwelling place among you. . . . I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people” (Leviticus 26:11–12).
As the Israelites wandered in the desert, God wanted to inhabit a place with His people (Exodus 25:8). At that time, the people lived in portable tents, so the presence of God dwelled in the tent of the wilderness tabernacle (Exodus 27:21; 40:34–38). His presence was the guiding force that told the people when to stay put and when to pull up stakes and continue on their journey (Exodus 40:34–38). Later, after the Hebrew people entered the Promised Land and lived in fixed dwellings, God affixed His name to a place, sanctifying Solomon’s temple as the Lord’s holy dwelling place (1 Kings 8:10–11).
In the New Testament, God’s presence was manifested in a new way: in the person of Jesus Christ—the Logos, who is the living, incarnate, eternal Word of God (John 1:1–4, 14–18). The Logos took on human flesh and made His home among us. Through the life and ministry of Jesus Christ, God lived among His people. His name is Immanuel, meaning “God with us” (Isaiah 7:14; Matthew 1:21–23).
Jesus Christ became the new earthly temple of God (John 2:21). “For in Christ lives all the fullness of God in a human body,” says Colossians 2:9 (NLT; see also Colossians 1:19). The complete image of the invisible God is revealed in Jesus our Savior (Colossians 1:15). Yet Christ is only the initial installment of God’s indwelling presence.
Today, the New Testament church—the body of believers who gather in the name of Jesus—constitutes the temple of God’s Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16). Jesus said, “Anyone who loves me will obey my teaching. My Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our home with them” (John 14:23).
Paul also taught the Ephesians that, as members of God’s household, the church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him 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” (Ephesians 2:20–22).
The church of Jesus Christ is a spiritual temple made of “living stones . . . being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 2:5). Not only is the church as a whole or as the local body the dwelling place of God’s presence, but individual believers are also to consider themselves the temple of God’s Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19; cf. 2 Corinthians 6:16, NLT).
- Inner Purity: David recognizes that sin corrupts the inner self, not just actions, and asks God to create a pure heart, which is beyond his own power.
- Spiritual Renewal: He seeks a “right spirit” or “steadfast spirit” (depending on translation) to replace his brokenness, desiring a spirit that aligns with God’s will.
- Divine Transformation: This prayer highlights dependence on God’s grace and power for true, lasting change, a theme echoed in other scriptures like Ezekiel 36:26.
Context:
- This verse is part of Psalm 51, a psalm of repentance written by David after the prophet Nathan confronted him about his adultery with Bathsheba and murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11-12).
Significance:
- It serves as a powerful model for confession, acknowledging sin, and seeking God’s restorative work in one’s life, a universal human experience.
THE TRUMPET OF LIFE!
It is time to start sorting out Year 2025 ‘stuff’. Do you have anything to discard? Be led by the Spirit of God!
Sure! These things that need to be cleaned out are the evil and outdated ‘stuff’ that have either slowed down our pace or hindered us entirely as sampled by the image of throwing things out in the trash.
The Bible teaches that sin and impurity come from the heart, not just external things, with Jesus saying, “out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies” (Matthew 15:19). To deal with “throwing things out of our hearts,” the Bible calls for guarding the heart (Proverbs 4:23), changing our inner desires through God’s work (Ezekiel 36:26), and taking radical action against sin, like “cutting off” a sinful hand or eye (Matthew 5:30).
Key Scriptures on the Heart’s Contents:
- Matthew 15:18-19: Explains that what defiles a person comes from the heart, including evil thoughts and actions.
- Proverbs 4:23: Urges, “Guard your heart with all diligence, for from it flow the springs of life” (from Bible Hub).
- Luke 6:45: Contrasts a good person bringing good from good treasure and an evil person bringing evil from evil treasure.
Biblical Principles for Cleansing the Heart:
- Focus on the Source: Recognize that sin is a heart condition, requiring inner transformation, not just behavioral change.
- Radical Sacrifice: Jesus’ teaching about cutting off a hand or plucking out an eye (Matthew 5:30) is a metaphor for making extreme sacrifices to remove sin from your life.
- God’s Renewal: The promise in Ezekiel 36:26 is that God will give a new heart and remove the heart of stone, a work only He can do.
- Putting Off Sin: Ephesians 4:29 and Colossians 3:8 call believers to “put aside” anger, malice, and filthy language.
In essence, the Bible teaches that true cleansing involves guarding your inner self, acknowledging the heart as the source of actions, and seeking God’s power for deep, internal transformation to “throw out” sinful desires and thoughts.
It’s great to be ambitious for greater things and a better life in the coming year, but not without considering Paul’s admonition here:
Every change must begin from the heart to effect the methods, lifestyles and one’s story. Only God has the best principles that contrast the world standards to enjoy an abundant life.
The truth? With God; your doing things differently as guided by His Word; will not allow repition of past evils/patterns, not without price though but it pays well… So open to Christ for better stories in the upcoming New Year – 2026 shall be a year of/for Christ we decree in Jesus’ Name, Amen!
God bless us with spirits of prosperity, Amen!🙌🙏🔥