2 Corinthians 6:16 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… From this analogy between the Christian's soul and the old Jewish temple we learn concerning Christians that — I. THEY ARE THE OBJECTS OF SPECIAL DIVINE REGARD. At the beginning of the promises which God made concerning the old temple, He said, "Mine eyes and Mine heart shall be there perpetually," I will gild its glories with My smile, scathe its defilers with My frown, "Mine heart" too, shall be there, as a proprietor with his most treasured possession, a king with his most valued province, a father with the home of his family. So with good men. "With that man will I dwell," etc. "Lo, I am with you always," etc. II. THEY ARE THE SCENE OF SPECIAL DIVINE MANIFESTATION. It was not the magnificence of the building, nor the fragrance of the incense, nor the solemn order of the services, that revealed God's presence. It was the Shekinah. And so with men. It is not the gold or intellect that tells us God is with men, but it is Christ's Spirit in the heart. III. THEY ARE THE SUBJECTS OF ENTIRE DIVINE CONSECRATION. Solomon's prayer shows to what perfect devotedness to God the temple was dedicated, and Christ's expulsion of the traders from its sacred precincts, at the beginning and at the close of His ministry, proves how thoroughly He recognised that consecration, and suggests, moreover, how it was the grand purpose of His incarnation to purify and hallow the living temple of men's souls, of which that temple was but a type. In our hearts, then — 1. There must be no worldly merchandise, lest we make it "a den of thieves" instead of a "house of prayer." 2. There must be no idol; it is the temple of the living God. 3. There must be an altar. And yet, how many of us are there in whose hearts an altar for self-sacrifice is a strange thing! Conclusion: Let us beware lest the doom of the old temple should be ours. Our souls through sin must incur a still more terrible ruin. (U. R. Thomas.) Parallel Verses KJV: And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. |
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