by Chadwick Brewer<\/p>\n
“If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple<\/em>” (I Corinthians 3:17).<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
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!<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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!<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27],"tags":[448,93],"class_list":["post-85339","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-article","tag-church","tag-temple"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":22959,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/is-paul-talking-about-destroying-the-body-with-food-or-sin-in-i-corinthians-316-17\/","url_meta":{"origin":85339,"position":0},"title":"Is Paul talking about destroying the body with food or sin in I Corinthians 3:16-17?","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"April 13, 2010","format":false,"excerpt":"Question: In I Corinthians 3:16,17, \"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye.\" Paul talks about the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Answer"","block_context":{"text":"Answer","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/answer\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":63543,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-temple-of-the-lord\/","url_meta":{"origin":85339,"position":1},"title":"The Temple of the Lord","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"May 15, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: II Corinthians 6:14-7:1 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0What is a temple? \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0In warning Christians not to bind themselves with unbelievers, Paul reminds us that we are the temple of God - II Corinthians 6:16 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a01.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It is the place where God dwells - I Corinthians 3:16 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a02.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Both on an\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":20985,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-church-is-still-the-church\/","url_meta":{"origin":85339,"position":2},"title":"The Church Is Still the Church","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"March 19, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"by Doy Moyer \u201cThus I have seen You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory\u201d (Psalms 63:2). David wrote that while on the run in the wilderness. While the temple had not been built, David would have thought of the tabernacle and perhaps imagined what a future\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/shelter-300x225.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":53833,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-dwelling-place-of-god\/","url_meta":{"origin":85339,"position":3},"title":"The Dwelling Place of God","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"August 12, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeffrey W. Hamilton Text: I Kings 8:22-30 \u00a0 I.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0When the world was first created, mankind had direct access to God, but then sin entered the picture - Genesis 3:8 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Sin becomes a barrier between us and God - Isaiah 59:1-3 II.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0God is everywhere - Psalms 139 \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0A.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There is no\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Audio"","block_context":{"text":"Audio","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/audio\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":88961,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/looking-to-his-holy-temple\/","url_meta":{"origin":85339,"position":4},"title":"Looking to His Holy Temple","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"July 26, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"by Seth Mauldin via\u00a0Biblical Insights, Vol. 15 No. 2, February 2015 For me, the book of Jonah has always been something of a depressing book. Of course, there are positives to be found; we'll always have the good example of the Ninevites who threw themselves into the task of repentance.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":36155,"url":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/the-pillars-of-the-temple\/","url_meta":{"origin":85339,"position":5},"title":"The Pillars of the Temple","author":"Jeffrey Hamilton","date":"June 25, 2021","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jefferson David Tant In giving Solomon instructions for building the temple, God gave a somewhat unusual command concerning two pillars at the entrance. \"And he set up the pillars at the porch of the temple: and he set up the right pillar, and called the name thereof Jachin; and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Article"","block_context":{"text":"Article","link":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/category\/article\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/06\/temple.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85339","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=85339"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/85339\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=85339"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=85339"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lavistachurchofchrist.org\/cms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=85339"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}