1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Ye Are the Temple of God

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 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.

Believers are to live holy lives because they been made clean of all their sins by Jesus Christ’s atoning sacrifice on the cross through faith. The Holy Spirit indwells all believers. They are the temple of God. But if believers having been freed from the bondage of sin chooses to go back to the filth of sin, defiling themselves, God will deal with such ones.

He explains well in Ephesians 2:2-5 “Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)” We have been saved by the mercy of God. Let us not take for granted this great privilege we have in Christ.

More specifically, Hendricksen observed, “Paul is saying that the factors that can destroy God’s temple are present when he is writing his epistle to the Corinthians. Without identifying them by name, he points to those who are devoid of God’s Spirit. They are purposely ruining, corrupting, and destroying the church. They influence the members as they model their worldly way of life.”

May the Lord sanctify and bless His people with the desire to seek holiness in their lives giving honour and glory to God. Amen.