Destroying God’s Temple

by Chadwick Brewer

“If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple” (I Corinthians 3:17).

The church (the people, not the building) is holy. It is a place designed by God to be a dwelling fit for Him. This is something we should understand and hold dear to our hearts. Our brethren and our assembly (again, not the building) should be held in high regard. We are God’s temple – what an amazing fact!

We must beware of destroying such a holy place! There are several ways to do this. Our personal unholiness, infighting and quarrels, factions and divisions, selfishness and self-promoting behaviors, and the unholiness of others are just a few.

What a wretched thing it is to allow unholiness, whether our own or that of others, to leaven and spread like gangrene among God’s sanctified people. What a grievous thing to allow gossip, mudslinging, quarreling, and infighting to mar the beauty of God’s dwelling place. Far be it from us to let our personal feelings and desires take a more central role in our minds and hearts than God’s glory and purpose!

It is woeful to allow selfishness and self-indulgence to elevate ourselves above others, to their harm and destruction. We are called to esteem others more highly than ourselves. There is no place for self-glorification in a structure built for the only One to whom glory and honor belong.

Woe to us if we destroy God’s glorious temple! May we strive to live godly and upright lives in this present age, encouraging one another to greater and greater righteousness. May we strive for peace and the mutual upbuilding of the body, and may we strive to live in a manner worthy of the gospel.