YOU ARE THE TEMPLE
2 CORINTHIANS 6:16-18 NKJV
16 And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? 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."
17 Therefore
"Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you."
18 "I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty."
Happy Birthday, America! Even with all her imperfections, I would not want to live anywhere else!
In our verses for today, Paul is summing up a theme. He is distinguishing the difference between those who have made Jesus their Lord and unbelievers. Notice Paul is not disrespectful of those without Christ. He simply calls them unbelievers, not hell-bound heathen.
But there is a spiritual difference between a believer and an unbeliever. As Paul spells out these differences, he encourages the church to not be unequally connected to those without Christ. He is not advocating isolation, just not being too connected. Marriage is the first connection that comes to mind.
So Paul contrasts righteousness with unrighteousness. Light with darkness. Christ with Belial. And the temple of God with idols. And Paul is not simply using a metaphorical phrase. He states you are the temple of the living God.
What a powerful truth! I have heard people say my body is my temple. But as a believer, we can say that with all confidence. Our bodies not only house our spirit, but the Holy Spirit also lives in us. We actually are the temple of the living God. Paul quotes the Old Testament promise of God promising to live and walk in us and be our God.
Therefore because we are the temple of the living God, we are different from the world around us that has never received Jesus as Lord. And because there is a significant difference, our lifestyle should reflect our new relationship as the temple of God.
God encourages His people to come out from the world and be separate. And not to touch what is unclean. He then promises to receive us and be a Father to us. And we can live as His sons and daughters. What amazing promises!
APPLICATION:
This relationship with God, our being His temple, is an amazing reality. When Jesus died on the cross, the veil in the physical temple at Jerusalem was torn in two. No longer would the presence of God be limited to a physical temple. Now we can be the temple of God. That's big.
And just as we don't want our physical houses or our church filled with trash and dirt, the same applies to our spiritual temple. We want our temples to be clean and pure. And we live in a world where to live pure will take a conscious, consistent decision. Every day we choose not only what we put in our mouths but what we put in our minds and in our hearts. We choose our connections. We choose what we touch and get involved with.
So each day, we can choose to live as the world that does not know or acknowledge God. Or we can choose to live separate. This separation does not make us weird, but it does make us different. It's such a good difference where God becomes increasingly real to us, and His peace and blessings overflow.
PRAYER:
Heavenly Father, thank You for making me Your temple. Please teach me how to reach people who don't know you and yet stay clean in a world filled with darkness and corruption.