Well of course I live there - ? – but - ?
God began (PHLP.1:6) a good work in you and He will complete it. WHY? Christ in you (COL.1:27 your hope of realizing His glory in you. HOW COME?
BECAUSE –
- your body (1COR.6:19) is the temple of the Holy Spirit.
- your body (2COR.6:16) is the temple of the Living God.
Do I have responsibilities in the temple? Yes, many including:
- 1TIM. 2:9 - adorn the temple with modest apparel.
- PRV.23:2, 1COR.10:31 – do not abuse the temple by over-feeding or under-feeding – eat and drink for the glory of God. Eat wisely with enjoyment.
- 3JN.2 – be watchful over the health of body and soul.
- COL.3:17 – Be thankful and no matter what you do, do all in the Name of Jesus giving praise to the Father.
- EPH.2:10 – Be obedient and enter into the good works prepared for you.
- 2COR.9:7 – Be generous – the Lord loves a cheerful giver – freely received (MT.10:8) freely give.
- 1JN.3:17 – Have compassion for the needs of others.
- PRV.22:11, 2COR.6:6-7 – Be pure – pure heart – by pureness and knowledge – if you watch – listen – indulge in EPH.5:1-7 your mind will be programmed by empty promises with no power to deliver.
I was freshly impacted in connection with the temple/body when these verses came with a jolt and then formed a harmonious trio.
2COR.6:16 – my body is the temple of the Living God.
1PTR.2:5 – I am part of a holy priesthood.
REV.1:6 – I have been made a priest unto God.
ROM.6:12 – Let not sin reign in God’s temple.
ROM.6:13 – Do not use the members and the faculties of the temple to offer - - -
Then I began to think about offerings. Where are offerings made – in the temple. What is needed in the temple to make an offering – a priest. Do I find it too easy to forget that my body is God’s temple and I am the priest? Is it too hard to grasp or so easy to miss that my aged body with its aches and pains and serious physical difficulties is truly the temple of the Most High God. Let’s look back. Leviticus gives the laws and instructions for sacrificial offerings. We know that when the Jews chose to obey God they offered sacrifices to Him. But many times they chose to offer sacrifices (1KI.18:21) to false gods. Every offering involves a choice.
Because of disobedience God punished the Israelites (NUM.21:5-6) by sending poisonous snakes among them and many died. Moses made (vs.9) a brass serpent and put it on a pole. This was a symbol of the death of what had caused death. It is also a symbol of One Who would come thousands of years later and (1COR.15:54-57) put death to death (REV.20:14).
The brass serpent was a symbol of what had brought death but they carried that hunk of brass through the years – all the way from Egypt – and burned incense to it (2KI.18:4) and worshipped it and other gods of Egypt until King Hezekiah destroyed them. Jeremiah was right on (JER.17:9) about our deceitful wicked hearts.
O.K. – God’s temple – God’s priest – but where is the altar? I believe the altar is my will because every offering involves a choice.
I can choose to use the members and faculties of the temple as instruments of righteousness and offer sacrifices of love – worship – faith – obedience to God in His temple. OR - - and this is where I got the jolt. But first – TAKE NOTE - I am not talking about a caught off-guard hasty word or an unexpected thought intrusion. These can be dealt with immediately. I’m talking about a deliberate choice to do or say something in opposition to the Holy Spirit - - - to use the members and faculties of the temple to make an offering to sin and thereby to Satan - - right in God’s temple!!! On the far side of this choice I put Gethsemane and Calvary. How horrible! This penetrated me like a two-edged sword.
I am nowhere near sinless perfection and won’t be until I see Jesus but I know one thing for sure – I have absolutely no desire to sin.
This seems a bit strange – the temple is God’s but the altar is mine. In the O.T. the priests (LEV.1:5) put blood on the altar. I plead the Blood of Christ over the altar of my will and sacrifice my very altar of sacrifice so that it becomes God’s altar in His temple. As a priest unto God I want to continually be in subjection to (HEB.8:1) our great High Priest.
I’m glad I am not alone in the temple. Jesus is Victor (1COR.15:57) and in Him we overcome. Faith (1JN.5:4) is the victory that overcomes so believe God (JAS.4:7) and defy the devil. Never forget Who is in the temple with us for (PHLP.2:13) it is God Himself Who works in us to will and to do of His good pleasure.
God’s temple – God’s priest – God’s altar. All three are needed to form the harmonizing trio. My will – a dedicated altar – sanctified – set apart for only those offerings which are a sweet fragrance to the Lord (LEV.1:9).
Around 4:30 a.m. a prayer request dropped into my mind and I have made it mine. I am praying that the Holy Spirit will guide me deep into the joy of self-renunciation with Jesus (COL.1:18) pre-eminently supreme.
We know that God created us for fellowship but I think it goes much deeper than that. This is what the Lord said to me about the temple as I walked along the hall to go to the dining room for lunch.
My body was chosen and destined to be the temple of God before the foundation of the world – because – He created me with (TITUS 3:4-5) the kind intention to indwell me and share HIS VERY OWN LIFE with me.