1 Corinthians 6:19-20: The Holy Spirit's Temple

Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God’s.

1 Corinthians 6:19-20

When I think of a temple, I think of a very silent, still, beautifully arranged space that allows people of faith to enter and contemplate the things of God along with prayer and worship, their experience enhanced by their surroundings. I've been in some old cathedrals and beautifully built churches, but the closest I've ever felt to a "temple" sort of feeling, at least as far as the building is concerned, was inside of the Library of Congress, where the beauty of the art and architecture instilled a deep awe (at least for this book nerd) of the things inside the library.

The temple built by Solomon in Old Testament times was a magnificent feat to behold - the finest materials, the most intricate and costly architecture, and all the elements God desired to be symbols of the heavenly temple and of the price Jesus would pay for our redemption (Hebrews 9). This temple had to have been awe-inspiring in many ways, but the part that is amazing is that it was designed by God not merely to be beautiful but also for specific purposes - present and future.

To call a believer's body a temple of the Holy Spirit is not just an abstract or poetic statement. At the moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit enters each believer to stay, reside, make that body His dwelling place. The Holy Spirit is not a vague force; He is a member of the divine Trinity. To try to wrap my mind around the idea that a part of the Godhead lives in me is intimidating at times.

This passage is referring to believers keeping their bodies holy by fleeing from sexual immorality. Verse 13 in the same chapter also refers to "foods for the stomach and the stomach for foods" as an attitude that a person shouldn't take toward sexual appetites. I believe this also includes a lifestyle of health in addition to remaining sexually pure.

True, the bodies we believers currently have are "weak" and "mortal" and will be changed into "glorious bodies" (Philippians 3:21), but we're talking about the fact that right now they still serve the function of literal temples of the for-real Holy Spirit. 

This makes a difference in regards to how we should be treating our bodies as Christians. What kind of toxic, artificial substances are we consuming on a daily basis when God, at Creation, created all types of foods to nourish and heal us? What kind of self-destructive behaviors are we engaging in on a daily basis? There are battles that Christians who really love the Lord struggle with on a daily basis: alcohol, drug, and food addictions; eating disorders; exercise addictions; self-harm; sexual addictions.

The ways we are destructive to ourselves and, in consequence, the Holy Spirit's temple, are endless.

The struggle is real.

But the fight is necessary.

Since we have been bought with a price, we belong to God - body, soul, and spirit. We are called to glorify Him in our bodies. In our own human strength, treating our bodies like temples in a God-glorifying manner is, frankly, straight up impossible. But we can allow the Holy Spirit to help us to walk in freedom and to understand the ways we are being led to make our temples beautiful, inside and out.

For me, that is going to involve a focus on spiritual and physical health in the upcoming year. Not for a diet. Not to look beautifully impressive by the world's standards. I want my body functioning in the best way possible so that I can use my body to serve others and not be held back by my own lack of physical health. I want my temple to be as God-glorifying as possible, even the "architecture" of my body. 

Part of Isaiah 61:3, one of my life verses, reads:

In their righteousness, they will be like great oaks that the LORD has planted for his own glory.

I want that to describe me - body, soul, and spirit.