TEMPLES

"Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person; for God’s temple is sacred, and you together are that temple" (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)

Read: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Visitors to the city of Corinth see immediately that, like other cities in the Roman Empire, this city is very religious. Apollo, Zeus, Athena and (most prominently) Aphrodite are worshipped by those who call Corinth home. Every god and goddess had their own building, called a temple. When someone worships a god/goddess in Corinth, they go to their temple.

But Christians in Corinth don’t go to a temple. Their God, Jesus, doesn’t reside in a building that his followers go to worship him. Amazingly, God resides in people who’ve placed their trust in him for the forgiveness of sin. The Apostle Paul tells them that God’s Holy Spirit resides in them, both individually and in the gathered Jesus' community. His dwelling place is in his people—not in a building.

This truth has significant implications for us. When you become Jesus-follower, and he becomes your Saviour, his Holy Spirit takes residence in you. Like the wind powers a sailboat, so the Holy Spirit will take us where we need to go if we listen and obey.

ON THE COUCH WITH GOD TODAY

Pray a prayer, like this one, for openness to the power of the Holy Spirit in your life. “Father, thank you for your Spirit, who lives in me. Help me remember his residence in me as I face my challenges today. Help grow in me the fruit of your Spirit. I want to be open to your work in and through me. Amen.”