I AM THE TEMPLE OF GOD

“Do you not know that you are the TEMPLE of GOD and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” – 1 Corinthians 3:16

In Christ, I am THE TEMPLE of GOD: “Do you not know that you are the TEMPLE of GOD and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1Cor.3:16). I am God’s tabernacle; and the Psalmist says: “How lovely is Your tabernacle, O LORD of hosts!” (Psa.84:1). This psalm reminds us of our need for a home with God: “Even the sparrow has found a HOME, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young – even Your altars, O Lord of hosts, My King and my God. Blessed are those who dwell in Your house; they will still be praising You” (Psa.84:3-4). In ancient Israel, the tabernacle or temple was God’s dwelling place among His people. But God no longer lives in physical temple buildings!

On a certain occasion, Jesus drove out  those who were merchandising in the temple at Jerusalem. He then referred to His own body as God’s temple: “…Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the TEMPLE of HIS BODY” (Jh.2:19-21). The temple out of which Jesus chased out money changers and vendors no longer exists. It was destroyed by the Romans in A.D. 70. Other Scriptures declare Jesus to be: “Immanuel…God with us” (Mt.1:23).

The moment Jesus finished His sacrifice on the cross, “the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom” (Mk.15:38). Our ultimate High Priest atoned for sins with His own body, represented by the veil (Heb.10:20). When the veil tore, the Most Holy Place in the temple – God’s dwelling place among His people – became open to all peoples. By His death and resurrection, Jesus set up a new Temple, His body of believers throughout the whole earth. After ascending to heaven, God poured the Holy Spirit on believers in the Upper Room, and we became His temple: “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? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your BODY and in your SPIRIT, which are God’s.”

In reality, the totality of our being, is meant to be God’s temple! His eternal Will is to make His home with and in us:

• “For you are the TEMPLE of the LIVING GOD. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2Cor.6:16b).

• “Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me” (Rev.3:20).

• “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God” (Rev.21:3).

Beloved, we are in the temple-building business. Our mission is to be God’s Dwelling Place! His temple is found in the hearts and lives of His transformed people. And on the solid rock of Jesus, we are partners with God in building lives, homes, and the Church, to which anyone can come to find God. So, by His Spirit, we’ve empowered to draw others to Him, that they may become His temples too.

Believers – individually and collectively – are the temple of God. He lives in the hearts of all who love and follow Him – in the lives of people who give evidence of the fruit of the Spirit (Gal.5:22-23). He is “of purer eyes than to behold iniquity” (Hab.1:13). By His Grace therefore, my heart is God’s Home, and I am His HOLY TEMPLE. I am God’s Dwelling Place and the Habitation of His Glory, as the totality of my life perpetually manifests His indwelling Presence, Purity, and Power!