1 Corinthians 3:16-23 Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?… Let us look at man as — I. A DIVINE TEMPLE. A temple is a special — 1. Residence of God. God is in all material objects, but especially in moral minds. 2. Manifestation of God. God is seen everywhere, but never so fully as in the mind of man. "We are all His offspring." 3. Meeting place with God. The temple at Jerusalem was specially such. "There will I commune with thee." Man can meet God in nature, but not so fully and consciously as in mind, II. As a Divine temple THAT MIGHT BE DESTROYED. The destruction of a temple does not mean the destruction of all its parts, but the destruction of its use. Man might live for ever and yet be destroyed as the special residence, manifestation, and meeting-place of God. But this destruction is not by God. "If any man." Alas! men are destroying this temple — their natures. An awful work this! III. AS THE DESTROYER OF THAT WHICH WILL BE DESTROYED BY GOD HIMSELF. Destroy, if not his existence, all that makes existence worth having, or even tolerable. (D. Thomas, D. D.) Parallel Verses KJV: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?WEB: Don't you know that you are a temple of God, and that God's Spirit lives in you? |
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