God’s Temple

July 23rd, 2007 by

In the New Testament, we are presented as God’s new Temple – where his spirit dwells.  In the Old Testament God dwelt among his people in the the Tabernacle/Temple.  This was a big deal for Israel.  It meant that God was close to them, involved with them, and identified with them.  It also meant that God saw what was going on intimately.  God punished clearly and quickly when offense was made towards Him or His Temple.  Think about Eli’s sons who offered strange fire, the earth swallowing up the families who stood against Moses in front of the Tabernacle.  Think about Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the Temple – it will be destroyed because of the unholiness present in it.  God is angry when his Temple is defiled with unholiness and sin.

Do you think this carries over to us as God’s Temple in the New Testament?  How so?  More than the OT, less?

5 Comments »

5 Responses to “God’s Temple”

  1. on 23 Jul 2007 at 12:02 pm1 Wolfgang

    Hi John O.,

    is the NT presentation of the believers as being “the habitation of God” a reference to the believers in their physical lives on earth or is it in reference to a spiritual reality which is the fulfillment of the previous earthly “fore-shadow” which the tabernacle and temple made of stones were? Does Heb provide insights for us in this matter? Heb compares the earthly foreshadowed tabernacle with the true spiritual tabernacle which is in heaven … does it not? where did Jesus enter the true tabernacle … on earth or in heaven?

    Therefore, are the believers God’s temple in regards to their physical bodies or corporate earthly existence as a group while they live on earth? or are they God’s temple in regards to something heavenly?

  2. on 24 Jul 2007 at 8:10 pm2 Rich

    I Cor. 6:19 – 20
    “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own?
    For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.”

  3. on 24 Jul 2007 at 8:44 pm3 Karl

    Rich,

    Is Paul talking about an individual’s physical body? Or is he referring to the church body? I think this is what Wolgang is getting at.

    Keep in mind that when Paul says “you” and “your” in the passage you quoted above that he is using the second person plural.

    God bless you

  4. on 26 Jul 2007 at 3:39 am4 Wolfgang

    Hello,

    I am getting at wanting to understand that

    (1) there was an earthly tabernacle, temple made of stones which was temporary and with its services served as the foreshadow of the true tabernacle in heaven (cp. various scriptures in Heb)

    (2) NT scriptures speak of the church (the believers) as being the temple and habitation of God, a temple not made with hands and literal stones, but in the spirit.

    It seems to me that scripture does not speak of the church (the believers) as another earthly tabernacle, but rather as a spiritual habitation of God.

    Cheers,
    Wolfgang

  5. on 26 Jul 2007 at 8:41 pm5 Rich

    It seems likely that the illustration of the temple is used in different scriptures to refer either to the individual’s body, or to the church as a corporate body, depending on the context.

    I Cor 6 is clearly talking about sins which an individual can commit in his body (such as adultery and fornication), so it seems logical that the temple spoken of in verse 19 is referring to the individual’s body as the temple of the Holy Spirit.

    In Ephesians 3:19-21 the context seems to imply that this “temple” is referring to the church.

    “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household,
    having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus being the corner stone,
    in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord”

    Rich

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