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1 Corinthians 3:16-17
"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."
It was 33 AD, just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. The evening meal was in progress in the upper chamber, where Jesus spoke and told the disciples an important matter, (John 14:14-15)— “If you love me, keep my commands" —so that "You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it." It is a new promise, making the spoken word and the promise necessarily connected, hence the latter cannot be without the former.
The Lord Jesus Christ is not speaking merely to that little handful of men in the upper chamber, but to all generations and to all lands, to the end of time and round the world. What, then, are His commandments? Those which He spoke are plain and simple; Christ’s ‘commandments’ are Christ Himself. This is the originality and uniqueness of Christ as a moral Teacher, that He says, not to ‘Do this, that, or the other thing,’ but ‘Copy Me.’ Imitate him He says. ‘Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me, for I am meek and lowly in heart.’ His commandments are Himself, and the sum of them all is this-a character perfectly self-oblivious, and wholly penetrated and saturated with joyful, filial submission to the Father, and uttermost and entire giving Himself away to His brethren. That is Christ’s commandment which He bids us keep, and His law is to be found in His life. (Maclaren's Exposition)
After emphatically introducing, "If you love Me, you will keep My commandments" or what He had required of His disciples; next, he tells us what He on His part will do as the Mediator of the divine love, "And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth." (John 14:16-17) Thus Paul makes the foregoing his basis in writing the passage above, in 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.
Then further Jesus spoke of this again a third time, saying, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to Him and make Our home with him." (John 14:23) Now that's addressed to all of us; notice the need for obeying Christ—keep My word. The apostle Paul repeats the same principle in 2 Corinthians 6:16:
"And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For you [Christians] are the temple of the living God, As God has said: 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be my people.'"
But Paul goes on with a warning from God "Do not touch what is unclean, and I will receive you" (verse 17). God dwelling among a people or in the heart and mind of a person is conditional upon that people or person being submissive and obedient to His will. And just as the presence of an idol (Idolatrous practices) or unclean worship would, non-conformance will cause God to withdraw His presence. This is one of the most important lessons God relays to us in Ezekiel chapter 10 (Bible Passage) to teach us.
Holiness is required of us. Allow me to share a thing or two about scriptural holiness. Holy, as the original Hebrew word "Qodesh" means (set apart, dedicated, sacred) is of God (Exodus 19:10); or a designated ground in his presence (Exodus 3:5), animal offerings (Leviticus 1:1-17) grain offerings (Leviticus 2:1-14), a dedicated person (Judges 13:5), person or thing (Exodus 30:25-33), a dedicated temple of worship (1 King 8:62-64; 2 Chronicles7:1-3), people (Deuteronomy 7:6). These, require a spiritual act or rite to be holy. However, all can become unholy when the particularized acts required have been breached. (2 Chronicles 7:19-22) And so the first temple was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. However, holiness can be restored through an act of rededication, (Ezra 6:16-18) as the [2nd] temple was rebuilt through the decree of King Cyrus of Persia and rededicated. Now, under the second covenant, the body of Christ has been symbolically been put in place as the temple (1 Corinthians 12:12-28), made up of believers (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20). Likewise, as in the Old Testament, a breach or an act (sin) would cause the loss. Hence, an act of restoration would be required if so desired, which is repentance (as in Revelations 3:3-6). Please read all Biblical references by clicking on the highlighted text for proper understanding.
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