The New Templeنموونە

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. —1 Corinthians 6:19-20

Once we are saved by Christ, God sends the Holy Spirit to be a helper for us, to help us live more like God, and to be closer to Him. Because of this, Paul says that we ourselves are actual Temples of God.

In the Old Testament, the Temple is where God’s presence dwelt. In order to be close to God or to experience God’s forgiveness, they would go to the Temple and make actual sacrifices on the altar. A priest would come to you, you would give the priest your sacrifice (maybe some grain, maybe some incense, maybe even an animal), and the priest would give your sacrifice to God. You can read all through the Old Testament how people would do this.

When Christ died on the cross, he became our permanent sacrifice for us. He died so that the animals or the other sacrifices would not have to be destroyed. Christ died, paying the price of our sins once and for all. Because of this, sacrifices in the physical temple are no longer necessary. In fact, the actual temple has long been destroyed. But we are still close to God.

When Christ died, it changed everything. We now have instant access to God, without the need for any of the rituals or processes of the Old Temple. We have the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. We ARE the Temple.

When Paul is describing this to the Corinthians in 1 Corinthians 6, Paul is encouraging them to stop sinning precisely because of this “new temple truth.” If we are united with Christ, why would we want sin mixed in? If Christ died to get rid of our sin, it is foolish to keep returning to it. Part of being God’s dwelling place is that we are called into holiness with God.

Reflection:

How can the Holy Spirit help you when you are tempted to sin? When you do sin, how does Jesus’s sacrifice on the cross help you? What are some ways you can live out being a “temple?”

Other Verses to Consider:

-2 Corinthians 6:16-18

-Ephesians 4