S17P13 – When Jesus walked in: the new temple

1 Cor. 6:19-20

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Jesus foreshadowed for us the coming of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit when he said, “destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” [John 2:19]  Those who heard this were confused as they thought He was speaking of the building in which they were standing. They understood the temple to be what it had always been to them, the place that was to house the presence of God. When Jesus made this statement, He was referring to himself and alluding to that fact that God’s Holy Spirit, God’s presence, resided in him. It is the very thing that we now can claim as followers of Jesus Christ.

I am not sure that the human mind can properly appreciate the magnitude of what today’s passage describes for us. God lives inside us. The one true God, the one who made all things, who has no beginning and no end, who is all-powerful and all-knowing, dwells inside the imperfect vessels of those He created. We carry his Spirit, and He has found a home within us. We are living, breathing, walking temples built for his honor and glory and reverence. We are houses of worship. We need not look outside ourselves to find the Lord, for He now lives within us.

This is a privilege and also a great responsibility to be called a temple of God’s.  Let us honor the home of the Lord. Let us hold these temples in reverence, pure and undefiled. Let us care for these temples as we would care for the Lord’s house. Father, continually remind us that we are no longer our own but are yours, bought by the sacrifice and resurrection of your Son, now your holy dwelling place, deserving of honor and reverence.