The Temple Of God - 3:16-17
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Introduction
Introduction
Have you ever walked on a freshly moped floor?
If you have, chances are two things happened.
1 - The floor was no longer clean.
2 - The person who cleaned it threatened your existence.
Why does tracking dirt across a freshly cleaned floor elicit such an extreme reaction?
Because work, time, and effort has gone into cleaning it and we carelessly defile the clean surface.
It is a disregard of the effort it took to clean it.
It is a disrespect for the person who cleaned it.
It is a lack of care for what has been done and given.
As children of God and members of the body of Christ, we have been cleansed.
As a corporate entity, as a local church, we have been washed in the blood of the lamb!
We have been set apart for the exclusive purpose and use of Jesus Christ.
We belong to Him.
Our cleansing and calling come with a responsibility for purity.
The church is to be protected and preserved.
That protection and preservation is accomplished on a personal level.
What do I mean?
How I behave in my personal life has an effect on the corporate body of Christ.
Here we encounter something similar to what we noted last week.
We have read these two verses but again we miss something in modern translations.
The first two words translated “you” in v. 16 and the last word translated “you” in v. 17 are plurals.
I want to read them in the KJV so we see what is going on here.
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
We collectively are the temple of God.
However, the end of the verse where it talks about indwelling is singular.
The church is a collection of people who are individually indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
We must also note that the beginning of v. 17 is addressing the actions of individuals as those actions affect the church (again you is plural).
Remember that our title for the book of 1 Corinthians is unity in the body of Christ.
What Paul is writing here fits with the whole point of his letter.
Division in the body of Christ is a defilement of the body!
Those who intentionally cause division in the body of Christ face the destruction of God.
Today we are going to deal with what it means to be the temple of God.
The body of Christ is responsible for the purity of the temple.
When purity is compromised there is destruction.
When purity is maintained there is effective ministry.
Effective ministry depends on two details Paul gives us here.
Detail #1…
1. You Are The Temple v. 16
1. You Are The Temple v. 16
Three containers.
1 - Has what it says in it.
2 - Doesn’t have what it says.
3 - Unlabeled.
Paul has just finished discussing how we have the foundation of Jesus Christ and we are building on that foundation with gold, silver, precious stones or wood, hay, and straw.
He has been using the illustration of a building. Now he takes that illustration a step further and describes the church as a temple.
Temple – ναός (naos) temple. A building considered as the house or dwelling place of a deity where the deity could be worshiped.
Temple – ναός (naos)
There are two primary points about a temple.
1 - A temple is only as important as what it contains.
2 - A temple should be a suitable container.
I have here three containers.
This container says it is Mayo. And it is. That is a suitable container.
This container says it is butter, but it’s dirt. It promises something it doesn’t deliver.
This container says nothing. Therefore we have no idea what to expect from it. However, if you are like me, an unlabeled container is suspicious.
What kind of container are we?
What you see is what you get. I say I am a follower of Jesus and my life backs it up? We say we are a loving and accepting church and we back it up?
What you see is not what you get. I say I am a follower of Jesus, but I really just do my own thing. We say we are a church that loves people, but really we don’t.
Unlabeled. I don’t know who or what I am. I am just existing. We don’t have a direction, vision or purpose, we just exist.
What kind of temple are we?
To answer that question, we must understand what the temple is.
To help us understand Paul gives us two truths about the temple.
Truth #1…
a. The temple is created v. 16a
a. The temple is created v. 16a
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
You are the temple of God.
Once again we note that the “you” is plural.
As a local body of believers, we are the temple of God.
Scripture also reveals that we are individually temples of God.
We can see this in several places but for now let’s just look at 1 Corinthians 6:19.
1 Corinthians 6:19
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?
The local church is a temple made up of temples.
We have an individual responsibility to keep our personal temples pure.
As we do that we will also be keeping our corporate temple pure.
We are the temple of God.
“Are” is a statement of being. It is an identity.
The believer and the local church are temples.
There are several things this means and Paul will describe some of them.
What I want to focus on here is that we are made or become the temple of God at salvation.
We just read 6:19. The very next verse gives us some important information.
1 Corinthians 6:20
20 For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.
We are made a temple when we place our faith in Jesus Christ.
Then, as believers gather together and form a local church, we become a larger temple.
We represent Christ on an individual and personal level.
However, we also represent Christ as a local church body.
Our actions as individual Christians impact how those around us view the local church.
Go to Romans 13:10-14.
Romans 13:10-14
10 Love does no harm to a neighbor; therefore love is the fulfillment of the law.
11 And do this, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep; for now our salvation is nearer than when we first believed.
12 The night is far spent, the day is at hand. Therefore let us cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light.
13 Let us walk properly, as in the day, not in revelry and drunkenness, not in lewdness and lust, not in strife and envy.
14 But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to fulfill its lusts.
There is a right way and a wrong way for the child of God to live.
We are to be salt and light.
Let me throw a few more verses up on the screen for us to consider.
Ephesians 5:8; Philippians 2:14-16; 1 Thessalonians 2:10-12; 1 Peter 3:15-17
8 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
14 Do all things without complaining and disputing,
15 that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
16 holding fast the word of life, so that I may rejoice in the day of Christ that I have not run in vain or labored in vain.
10 You are witnesses, and God also, how devoutly and justly and blamelessly we behaved ourselves among you who believe;
11 as you know how we exhorted, and comforted, and charged every one of you, as a father does his own children,
12 that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory.
15 But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts, and always be ready to give a defense to everyone who asks you a reason for the hope that is in you, with meekness and fear;
16 having a good conscience, that when they defame you as evildoers, those who revile your good conduct in Christ may be ashamed.
17 For it is better, if it is the will of God, to suffer for doing good than for doing evil.
Further consideration must also be given to the fact that our actions impact how people view God Himself.
Jesus addressed this in Matthew 5:16.
Matthew 5:16
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
We are the temple.
Our lives are ment to attract people to Christ!
You are the temple.
This brings us to an application question.
Am I an appropriate container for my God?
That question brings us to Truth #2.
Truth #1. You are the temple.
Truth #2…
b. The temple is where God dwells v. 16b
b. The temple is where God dwells v. 16b
16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Some might be tempted to ask, what’s the big deal?
Why do we need to worry about what kind of temple we are?
Paul addresses that line of thinking here.
This is a big deal because God the Holy Spirit indwells the child of God.
Therefore, how we treat His temple matters.
We become the temple of God when we place our faith in Jesus Christ.
At that moment we are indwelt by the Spirit.
Look at Galatians 3:2.
Galatians 3:2
2 This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?—
When we place our faith in Jesus Christ, we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
Because the Holy Spirit is God, we are now His dwelling place.
We need to make some distinctions here.
Indwelling is a permanent situation.
It is not the same as being filled with the Spirit.
Filling is a result of our submission to the Holy Spirit.
This makes it conditional.
Indwelling is not conditional.
Look at Ephesians 5:18.
Ephesians 5:18
18 And do not be drunk with wine, in which is dissipation; but be filled with the Spirit,
There is a continual action to this Greek verb. We are to continually be being filled with the Spirit.
The implication is that when we are controlled by anything else, we are not filled with the Spirit.
We are the temple of God because we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
He lives within us.
Our goal and desire is to be continually filled with the Holy Spirit.
Very quickly I want to note one other ministry of the Holy Spirit that sometimes gets mixed up in all of this.
The indwelling of the Spirit is often confused with the baptism of the Spirit.
Scripture treats these as simultaneous, yet different, events.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit places us into the body of Christ.
Look at 1 Corinthians 12:12-13.
1 Corinthians 12:12-13
12 For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
This is not something we seek or something we do, it is automatic and it is done for us.
All of this emphasizes the reality that the child of God is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
That indwelling makes us temples. However, the local church is also called a temple here.
We need to be clear that it is the local congregation of believers that is a temple, not the building.
There is nothing sacred about the building.
It is not a temple. It is not a sanctuary.
It is just a room. Just a building.
The local church, the body of believers that assembles, is a temple.
There is a work and ministry of the Holy Spirit that happens in a local church context that doesn’t happen anywhere else.
Those who forsake the local assembly, miss out on this.
The God of eternity dwells within us.
We are His temple.
Here’s our application question.
Am I living a Spirit-filled life?
Truth #1. The temple is created.
We become the temple of God at salvation.
Truth #2. The temples is where God dwells.
We are the dwellingplace of God!
That is our first detail. You are the temple.
Detail #2…
2. The Temple Is Holy v. 17
2. The Temple Is Holy v. 17
In my mom’s dining room is a hutch.
Inside that hutch is her fine china dishes.
Those dishes come out only a few times a year.
They are reserved for special occasions.
Jess has some dishes with special cases and everything that are also reserved for special occasions.
All of us have things that only come out at certain times of the year or for certain events.
Why?
Because they are special.
Things that are special or unique are treated with a different level of care.
It’s one thing to break a dish.
It’s a whole different thing to break one of mom’s china plates.
Right?
We are the temple of the living God.
That position comes with responsibility.
There is a care that should be evident in our life and actions because of who we are.
As Paul describes what it means to be the temple of God he invites us to contemplate three issues.
Issue #1…
a. Sin defiles the temple v. 17a
a. Sin defiles the temple v. 17a
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
How do we defile the temple of God?
When we look at the OT we discover that there were a lot of ways that people could defile themselves.
When we boil it all down it is clear that what defiles a temple is purity of the person entering it.
A lack of personal purity defiles the temple.
We are not simply speaking of sexual purity here.
That could be part of it, but there are other defilements as well.
Any sin defiles us and that, in turn, defiles the temple.
Remember, the temple here is referring to the church primarily, and to ourselves secondarily.
When sin is not addressed in the church, it defiles the church.
What sin? Any sin.
False doctrine. Gossip. Sexual immorality. Unforgiveness.
In fact, forget my list, consider what Paul writes to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:2-5.
Go there please.
2 Timothy 3:2-5
2 For men will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,
3 unloving, unforgiving, slanderers, without self-control, brutal, despisers of good,
4 traitors, headstrong, haughty, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God,
5 having a form of godliness but denying its power. And from such people turn away!
This is crazy because this list reads like a newspaper from yesterday.
Self love. Love of money. Boasting. Proud. Speaking against the things of God. Disobeying parents. Lying. Hedonistic. Spiritual without being Biblical.
These things defile our personal temples which in turn defiles the local church.
This is why we practice church disciple.
Because it is a serious thing to defile the temple of God.
Please understand that the list we just read is not exhaustive, it is illustrative.
To put this verse in its context we would conclude the following.
Division in the body of Christ is a defilement of the body.
That is what was happening in the Corinthian church.
They were divided. That division was caused by the personal defilement of their temples.
They were proud, they were unforgiving, they did not have grace for one another.
They defiled the temple of God.
Here’s our application question.
Does my behavior defile the church?
If there is unconfessed sin in our lives, we could be defiling the temple of God.
We must deal with areas of sin in our lives.
This is not an optional thing.
This is not something to put off or excuse.
Paul makes that very clear in his next statement.
Issue #1. Sin defiles the temple.
Issue #2…
b. Sin must be punished v. 17b
b. Sin must be punished v. 17b
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
God will destroy him.
This is the exact same Greek word translated “defile” here.
When we defile the temple of God, we face defilement ourselves.
Those who intentionally cause division in the body of Christ face the destruction of God.
This leads us to ask some questions.
What form does this destruction take?
Does a single instance of defilement lead to destruction? Is there an arbitrary limit?
Let’s deal with the second question first.
How much defilement is allowed before God disciplines?
First off, that’s the wrong question to ask.
It’s a very human question.
We always want to know how close to the line we can get. How near the edge of the cliff can we come before we fall off?
In reality we should be staying far away from the line.
Scripture seems to indicate a couple of things here.
The discipline of God seems to depend on the nature of the offense.
Sometimes discipline is held until there is a pattern of sin.
Sometimes, when the offense is severe, discipline comes immediately.
Let’s look at a couple of examples.
Probably the most famous is Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5:1-11.
Acts 5:1-11
1 But a certain man named Ananias, with Sapphira his wife, sold a possession.
2 And he kept back part of the proceeds, his wife also being aware of it, and brought a certain part and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
3 But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back part of the price of the land for yourself?
4 While it remained, was it not your own? And after it was sold, was it not in your own control? Why have you conceived this thing in your heart? You have not lied to men but to God.”
5 Then Ananias, hearing these words, fell down and breathed his last. So great fear came upon all those who heard these things.
6 And the young men arose and wrapped him up, carried him out, and buried him.
7 Now it was about three hours later when his wife came in, not knowing what had happened.
8 And Peter answered her, “Tell me whether you sold the land for so much?” She said, “Yes, for so much.”
9 Then Peter said to her, “How is it that you have agreed together to test the Spirit of the Lord? Look, the feet of those who have buried your husband are at the door, and they will carry you out.”
10 Then immediately she fell down at his feet and breathed her last. And the young men came in and found her dead, and carrying her out, buried her by her husband.
11 So great fear came upon all the church and upon all who heard these things.
This is somewhat of a special case because the church was just getting established.
However, The nature of the offense, lying, hypocrisy, and self-promotion, led to immediate discipline.
Sapphira had a chance to repent and she rejected that.
Another example is Diotrephes in 3 John 9-10. Look at that with me.
3 John 9-10
9 I wrote to the church, but Diotrephes, who loves to have the preeminence among them, does not receive us.
10 Therefore, if I come, I will call to mind his deeds which he does, prating against us with malicious words. And not content with that, he himself does not receive the brethren, and forbids those who wish to, putting them out of the church.
This is an instance where the discipline is not immediate. There seems to be a desire to see this man change his behavior. Time is given for that to occur.
These passages also answer the question, what form does the discipline take?
In Acts 5 the discipline was death. Here in 3 John the discipline is a public rebuke and promise of further action.
When we get to chapter 11 of 1 Corinthians we will see the use of weakness and sickness as well.
Here’s the bottom line.
God uses whatever discipline will achieve the desired result.
Initially the desired result is always the repentance and reconciliation of the person disciplined.
When repentance is refused and reconciliation rejected, the severity of the discipline increases.
Why does God discipline?
We are the temple of God. This means we have been set apart for His use.
As believers in Jesus Christ our role and function is to bring God glory.
We cannot actively do that with sin in our lives.
Here’s our application question.
Have I confessed all known sin?
Again, Our personal holiness affects the entire body of Christ.
The church cannot equip the saints if it is constantly putting out fires!
God takes this very very seriously.
Why?
That’s where Paul goes next.
Issue #1. Sin defiles the temple.
Issue #2. Sin must be punished.
Issue #3…
c. Sin conflicts with holiness v. 17c
c. Sin conflicts with holiness v. 17c
17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
We are the temple of God. As such we are holy.
What is holiness? - being set apart.
As temples of the living God we have been dedicate for His exclusive use.
This goes for us individually as well as the local church corporately.
When someone comes into a church and makes it all about them.
When we build on the foundation of Jesus Christ with selfishness and pride, God takes that seriously!
That kind of behavior earns destruction!
That kind of behavior is wood, hay, and straw and in the day of judgment it will go up in smoke!
Sin is dealt with because you cannot be set apart for the use of Christ and simultaneously be used for that which is opposed to Christ.
There are no spiritual double agents.
Jesus made that clear as Matthew records in Matthew 6:24.
Matthew 6:24
24 “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.
James, the half brother of Jesus, put it this way in James 1:5-8. Go there with me please.
James 1:5-8
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
6 But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind.
7 For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord;
8 he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.
You are either working for Christ or working against Him.
You cannot serve two masters.
You cannot walk in faith and live in doubt at the same time.
As the saying goes, if you straddle a fence it only makes you sore.
We have a choice to make.
On top of Mount Carmel the prophet Elijah put a choice before the nation of Israel. 1 Kings 18:21 records the event.
1 Kings 18:21
21 And Elijah came to all the people, and said, “How long will you falter between two opinions? If the Lord is God, follow Him; but if Baal, follow him.” But the people answered him not a word.
I love the answer Joshua gives when faced with a similar choice. Joshua 24:14-15.
Joshua 24:14-15
14 “Now therefore, fear the Lord, serve Him in sincerity and in truth, and put away the gods which your fathers served on the other side of the River and in Egypt. Serve the Lord!
15 And if it seems evil to you to serve the Lord, choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you dwell. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Who are we going to serve?
Will we work for Christ in obedience and holiness?
Will we work against Him in unconfessed sin and defilement?
If you are a believer and you are working against Christ, He may prematurely end your life.
We just talked about that.
This is serious business.
Here’s our application question.
How will I pursue holiness today?
The temple of God is holy.
We are the temple.
Sin defiles the temple, therefore sin must be punished.
We have been called to live holy lives.
Will we?
Conclusion
Conclusion
We are the temple. We are holy.
Does our behavior match our position?
Every week we talk about four areas of application.
Today I want to emphasize that this idea of being holy affects every area.
Personal: The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When we lack joy, it’s because we are not walking in the Spirit. When we lack peace, we’re not walking in the Spirit. The blessings we have in Christ demand that we walk in holiness. Commitment: What do I need to remove from or add to my life in order to live in holiness?
Relationships: I need to be the best friend, sibling, child that I can be. The only way to accomplish that is to live a life of holiness. I cannot be a good friend if I am not obedient to Christ. I cannot be a good brother or sister if there is sin in my life. Commitment: Develop a stronger and deeper relationship with Christ.
Parenting: It is impossible to lovingly train our children if we are not who we need to be. Disobedience in my life will have a negative impact on my children. Commitment: Model the obedience we want our children to have.
Marriage: A marriage that honors and glorifies God is one that exalts Christ, and elevates our spouse. I can have a fantastic marriage only when Christ is the center of it. Christ can only be the center of my marriage when He is the center of my personal life. Commitment: Spend more time with Jesus this week. If you have been spending none, spend 1 minute a day. If you’ve been doing that, increase it.
COMMITMENT: ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
This church, this local body of believers is the temple of God.
That temple is made up of individual temples.
The health of this local body depends on our personal health.
Spiritual healthiness requires personal holiness.
What actions will we take to have our behavior match our position?