Topical Bible: Temple of the Ekklesia (Body of Christ)

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Topical Encyclopedia

The concept of the "Temple of the Ekklesia" refers to the spiritual understanding of the Church as the Body of Christ, a central theme in New Testament theology. This metaphorical temple is not a physical structure but a spiritual edifice composed of believers united in Christ. The term "ekklesia" is derived from the Greek word for "assembly" or "congregation," and it is used in the New Testament to describe the collective body of Christian believers.

Biblical Foundation

The Apostle Paul articulates the idea of the Church as the Body of Christ in several of his epistles. In 1 Corinthians 12:27, Paul writes, "Now you are the body of Christ, and each of you is a member of it." This passage emphasizes the unity and diversity within the Church, where each believer plays a unique role, contributing to the overall function and health of the body.

Furthermore, in Ephesians 2:19-22, Paul expands on this metaphor by describing believers as being "built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit." He writes, "So then you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord."

Theological Significance

The imagery of the Church as a temple underscores the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit among believers. In 1 Corinthians 3:16-17, Paul reminds the Corinthians, "Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple." This passage highlights the sanctity and divine nature of the Church, calling believers to live in holiness and unity.

The metaphor also conveys the idea of Christ as the cornerstone, the essential foundation upon which the Church is built. As the cornerstone, Christ ensures the stability and alignment of the entire structure, symbolizing His preeminence and authority over the Church.

Practical Implications

Understanding the Church as the Temple of the Ekklesia has profound implications for Christian life and community. It calls believers to recognize their interconnectedness and interdependence, fostering a spirit of cooperation and mutual edification. As members of this spiritual temple, Christians are encouraged to exercise their spiritual gifts for the common good, as outlined in Romans 12:4-8 and 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

Moreover, this understanding challenges believers to maintain the purity and holiness of the Church, both individually and collectively. As the dwelling place of God, the Church is called to reflect His character and to be a light to the world, as Jesus instructed in Matthew 5:14-16.

Conclusion

The Temple of the Ekklesia, as the Body of Christ, is a profound biblical metaphor that encapsulates the unity, diversity, and spiritual vitality of the Church. Rooted in the teachings of the New Testament, it serves as a reminder of the Church's divine purpose and calling, urging believers to live in harmony, holiness, and service to one another and to the world.

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Ephesians 2:21
In whom all the building fitly framed together grows to an holy temple in the Lord:
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2 Thessalonians 2:4
Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.
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Revelation 3:12
Him that overcomes will I make a pillar in the temple of my God, and he shall go no more out: and I will write on him the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God, which is new Jerusalem, which comes down out of heaven from my God: and I will write on him my new name.
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Library

Touching the First Subject of all the Forementioned Power of the ...
... God gave to David the pattern of Solomons Temple, 1 Chron ... ous men etheto ho theos
en te ekklesia, and which ... congregation, being a bodie, even a body of Christ ...
/.../chap vii touching the first.htm

Concerning the Ministry.
... into one place; [566] for the substantive ekklesia comes from ... Lord, the temple of
the Lord, the temple of the ... It is called the body of Christ, which, from him ...
/.../proposition x concerning the ministry.htm

The Psalter of Solomon.
... despised by land and sea, and his body was left ... of his city, the pollution of the
temple, the reign ... hoti ou dei idiotikous psalmous legesthai en te ekklesia. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/deane/pseudepigrapha/the psalter of solomon.htm

Additional Note. A New Installment Has Now Appeared of the ...
... 22) for the worship to the Temple: ouch hos endees on ... 59 ff.) he ex ethnon klesis
is found several times, and more than once ekklesia occurs as ... 222] Or "body.". ...
/.../additional note a new installment.htm

John and the Gospel of Love.
... more important intellectual and spiritual part as well as the body. ... holy of holies
of the tabernacle (skene) and the temple. ... [860] The word ekklesia occurs in ...
/.../history of the christian church volume i/section72 john and the gospel.htm

On the Words, and in one Holy Catholic Church, and in the ...
... enshrine his reliques in the Sun's Bright temple to ??gyptian ... no one should remove
any dead body that was ... as a fluctuating epithet of ekklesia, catholic' means ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture xviii on the words.htm

A Compendious view of the Christian Life.
... embracing silence, possessing unfeigned love, pure in body, pure in ... allusion to the
cleansing of the temple (John 2 ... I cannot say that the word ekklesia is used ...
/.../clement/the instructor paedagogus/chapter xi a compendious view of.htm

Acts ix. 26, 27
... and those for the priests, and for the whole body? ... to him when in a trance in the
temple, warning him ... they being edified" etc., in apposition with 'Ekklesia. ...
/.../chrysostom/homilies on acts and romans/homily xxi acts ix 26.htm

On the Clause, and Shall Come in Glory to Judge the Quick and the ...
... the winged soul clothing itself with the body [1912] ,) and ... Jerusalem), and shall
sit in the Temple of God ... the Scriptures has kai en 'Ekklesia meta parresias ...
/.../cyril/lectures of s cyril of jerusalem/lecture xv on the clause.htm

Interpretation of Holy Scripture. --Inspired Interpretation. --The ...
... Redemption for us [467] .""The Veil of the Temple, (he says ... in a very remarkable
place,)"the mortal body which Satan ... [444] All' he ekklesia, o hagiotate ...
/.../burgon/inspiration and interpretation/sermon v interpretation of holy.htm