Homiletic Monthly 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?… Taking the idea of the text and looking upon the "human form divine" as the "house beautiful," we would remark that — I. THE HOUSE SHOULD GIVE SIGNS OF ITS SUPERIOR OCCUPANT. We judge of the inmate by the residence. If everything around is disorderly, we attribute it to the character of the tenant. If the paths are clean and the flower-beds are trimmed, we know that there is taste and cultivation of the spirit of beauty on the part of the occupier. So we judge regarding the human house. Sin makes its marks upon the countenance. Care traces its wrinkles on the face. The house should be — 1. Kept clean. Sanctification is spiritual cleanliness. Christ will cleanse. And the soul made pure will manifest that purity in the outer life. The light of God in the soul will illumine the darkness around. 2. Well furnished. The Christian needs to be ready to account for his faith. He must be furnished for every good word and work. His mind should be stored only with remembrance-pictures upon which he can look with tranquility and delight. II. WE ARE NOT FREEHOLDERS OR ABSOLUTE POSSESSORS OF THAT HOUSE — WE ONLY HAVE IT ON LEASE. It is but a temporary temple. The beams and rafters will be taken down, and the tenant will depart. III. THE TENANT IS MORE PRECIOUS THAN THE HOUSE HE LIVES IN. The soul is of infinitely more worth than the body. Fair though the house may be, more beautiful still is the tenant, radiant with the love that God bestows. (Homiletic Monthly.) 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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