Our Body – His Holy Temple

“Your body is the temple of God.” Apostle Paul used this affirmation thrice in the Epistles he wrote. We see that all those three times, he stated those words in order to recollect, along with either a warning or with advices. 1 Corin 3:16,17; 1 Corin 6:15-20; 2 Corin 6:14-18, if you read these chapters you can understand that.

What we get to know from this is, the truth “your body is the temple of God” was already taught to the Church very clearly. For the Gentiles who came from various sects, this truth could have been a fascinating fact when they heard it for the very first time. Because for the Gentiles as well as Jews, temple is a fearful yet, Holy place which deserves much honour.

When the new sect affirmed them “hereafter, your body is the temple of God,” they would have appalled and awed, they would have debated about it and meditated, they would have seen their reflection in the mirror with joy and praised God for this honour. They would have respected their brethren and sisters after knowing this, for their minds would have been filled only with this thought. Eventually, this truth must have caused a revival among them.

New souls continued to join the church as it kept progressing rapidly. Paul must have used this statement to recall the truth to warn the ones (who allied the church newly) who kept struggling with their old sins. 1 Corin 5 confirms this issue that had occurred in the Corinthian church. We read the verses that Paul used to invoke them. We also preach those verses.

Word of God is food for our soul. We have to taste it and chew it properly before swallowing it. It should get digested inside us. The knowledge of the truth should become an emotion in us and it should spread all over our soul and body, just like the food we eat becomes energy. Only after that, the Word of God will yield its beneficence inside us. But today, the Word of God is not taken as food. Instead it is thrown as information from one brain to another. That is why it does not benefit the ones who listen, and the ones who preach cannot bear fruits.

If you preach a modern Christian who knows the truth, “your body is the temple of God,” only as an information, “If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person,” it will only evoke guilt and fear in him. Nothing will change.

First of all we have to know ‘who am I in Christ, what had the salvation given to me by Christ’s crucifixion on the Cross done in me?’ with the aid of Holy Ghost. Then we have to digest the Word of God. As a consequence of it, our minds will transform and we will begin to live as New Creations. Only this will give its goodness in us, only this help us to grow spiritually. Shouting and warning in the altar, frightening people with Hellfire and Judgement will change nothing.