Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16
If, come Christmas morning, I was to say to Cara, “I’m your present!” I’m sure she would roll her eyes and despair of my rubbish banter, or failure to actually buy a gift. On the other hand, some folks might be delighted if a close friend or loved one turned up unannounced as a beautiful Christmas surprise.
What if the other people in your church were a gift from God to you?
After Jesus defeated death and rose to life, he appeared a number of times to his friends and followers. After commissioning them to go to the whole world and make disciples, he ascended to heaven, then sent his promised Spirit to live in his people. This reality for believers is seen as Paul writes to the church in Corinth. They’d had some issues, pretty significant issues, and part of it was that they were divided in allegiances.
For whenever someone says, “I belong to Paul,” and another, “I belong to Apollos,” are you not acting like mere humans?
1 Corinthians 3:4
This church, which was probably only a few years old at this point, were split into camps depending on their favourite leaders. Some loved Paul, who had first planted the church when he visited and preached the Gospel there, and some loved Apollos, one of their leaders.
Paul tackles this issue of favouritism by taking the focus off himself and Apollos, and onto Jesus, using two images. Firstly, he likens their roles to gardeners, that Paul planted, and Apollos watered, but it was God who ultimately grew the seed to fruition.
Then he switches to the image of a building which has a firm foundation.
For no one can lay any other foundation than what has been laid down. That foundation is Jesus Christ.
1 Corinthians 3:11
The Gospel of Jesus is the solid ground on which any church is built. Like any building, time will tell the quality of the structure, and only those structures which are solid and true will stand against testing. Each church will face tests of endurance in hardship and faithfulness to truth, but will also face the ultimate eternal test of judgement when Jesus returns.
With all this in mind, Paul interjects with a piercing and enlightening question:
Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s temple and that the Spirit of God lives in you?
1 Corinthians 3:16
Faithful churches find unity as they live together with the Spirit of God within them.
“Don’t you know that?” Paul asks Hope Community Church Corinth.
The theme of temple can be traced through the Bible, from Eden, to the tabernacle, to Solomon’s temple… and fast forward to Jesus… and now on to the church. The temple was to be the place where God and his people met and lived together, where God’s people could approach him and worship him, and where God could bless and lead his people.
“Don’t you know that you’re the temple?” asks Paul.
The church, filled with God’s presence living within each believer, was to be united in that reality. The Spirit wasn’t an occasional, emotional or sensational feeling or movement. The Spirit wasn't in one person more than another. The Spirit is given to each and every single person who puts their faith and trust in Jesus.
I wonder if we appreciate, or even think about the fact that God lives in us believers by his Spirit?
I wonder what would change in our day to day lives if we truly believed he was in us?
I wonder what would be different about our relationships as a church if we trusted that the Spirit was in each other?
As you read this, think for a moment about other members in our wee church. They are a gift to you, because you are united with them by the Spirit of God in you. Yeah, I can’t get my head round that either, but that’s the point. God dwells in his people!
We’ll not be sinlessly in God’s presence until Jesus comes again, but until then, there is a unique blessing in being united with others who are filled with God’s presence.
Rejoice!
Written by Pete Bell
A thought to remember: Emmanuel lives in his people.
A bit more to read: 1 Corinthians 3
A question to ask: How does our unity in the Spirit change how you see other church members?
A song to sing: Joy Has Dawned