A Temple of God. Paul was writing to the Christians
at Corinth. The Jews there who had become Christians may have been to the
Temple in Jerusalem which was still standing when this letter was written in
about 56 AD. The Temple, destroyed in 70 AD, was a magnificent gleaming white
and gold structure that would have been breathtaking to see. Another temple
that the Corinthians would have been familiar with was the sinful temple of
Aphrodite where there were reportedly 1000 prostitutes. In this letter Paul was
telling the Corinth Christians that their body (and the church body) is the
dwelling place—the Temple—of God the Holy Spirit. The Temple in Jerusalem was a
consecrated building with the Holy of Holies where God met with human priests
once a year. So he was telling them that their bodies should be consecrated and
holy for the Lord—not defiled like that of the Aphrodite temple. They—and we—were
to take care of their bodies, not destroy them. He repeats the message a couple
of chapters later. Don't you realize that
your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to
you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high
price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 NLT.
What are you doing to make your “temple”
honorable, holy and worthy of the Lord?
Prayer
~ Heavenly Father, I am Yours—I belong to You. You paid an exorbitant price for
me when Your Son Jesus died on the cross for my sin. Holy Spirit, please continue
to show me anything in my life that may not be pleasing—then cleanse and renew
my spirit. May You find my heart, soul and mind holy and acceptable—a worthy
place for you to dwell. Live within and through me.
© 2015 by Mickey
M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
All
scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise
noted.
Biblical
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