we are god’s sacred temple

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

Paul has laid a foundation and others are building. But what is this building? Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in your midst?

We are building God’s temple – his church. And his temple, his church, is us. We are building us into God’s temple or church. We, collectively, are God’s temple, singular. We are not individual temples. Together we are one temple.

Have you ever thought about yourself as part of God’s temple? What does it mean that we are his temple? If a temple is where God is most present, what does that mean for us? If a temple is where outsiders can experience God, what does that mean for us?

If we are building God’s temple (verses 9-15), and God’s temple is us, what does that say about our building? We are both the builders and the building – perhaps even the building material as well. How do you see yourself in God’s worksite?

If anyone destroys God’s temple … What is included in this destruction? Are the faulty building materials from verse 12 included? Is it the quarreling and jealousy from verse 3? What happens to that person?

For God’s temple is sacred … We are God’s temple. We are building God’s temple. We are sacred or holy. How does this make you feel? Do you think of yourself as holy or sacred? Do you think of your church as sacred or holy?

Talk to Jesus about your feelings about being his sacred temple as well as his builder of his temple.