Untitled Sermon (4)

1 Corinthians 3:16–17 (NLT)

16 Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 17 God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

First we have the temple defined: “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” (3:16). “Know ye not?” Much of our failure to live the Christian life stems from ignorance. Paul uses the expression here and in 5:6; 6:2, 9, 15; 9:13–24; Romans 6:16 and 11:2. The challenge is directed to matters that were acknowledged by the Corinthians, or which, at least, should have been obvious to them1

1 Phillips, J. (2009). Exploring 1 Corinthians: An Expository Commentary (1 Co 1:10–4:21). Kregel Publications; WORDsearch Corp.

Exploring 1 Corinthians: An Expository Commentary Part 2: Divisions in the Church (1 Corinthians 1:10–4:21)

Although God has no need of temples made of marble and gold, He condescends to live in the body of the believer! Indeed, this is the only way the Christ-life can become real in our experience. It is the indwelling Spirit of God who enables us to live the life of the Son of God. As the Son of God lived, and now lives forever, in a human body, so the Holy Spirit now lives in the believer’s body. He, the third Person of the Godhead, omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent, holy and righteous, loving and wise, now lives in me! It is a thought beyond all thought!