THE PICTURE OF THE TEMPLE NOT MADE BY HANDS

2 Cor. 6:16

1 Corinthians 6:16

Or do you not know that the one who joins himself to a prostitute is one body with her? For He says, “THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH.”

(a) Do you not know? See entry for 1 Cor. 3:16.

(b) One flesh. One body. There joining together of a man and a woman into one body has both a physical aspect, as Paul alludes to here, and a spiritual aspect (see next verse).

(c) They are no longer two, but one. When a man and a woman come together in marriage, they create something new – a marital union (Gen. 2:24). This union symbolizes the unity the believers have with the Lord (Eph. 5:32).

1 Corinthians 3:16

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

You are a temple of God. The Most High does not dwell in a temple made with human hands (Acts 7:48), but he dwells in the body of believers. The word “you” is plural signifying that God dwells in the church (2 Cor. 6:16). Later Paul will say that God dwells in individual believers (1 Cor. 6:19).

As members in particular each member has the potential of Christ in them. And this same spirit in each member assembles them to work together as organs in one body when they follow this spirit in each one. Christ dwells in us as individuals and leads us to build this body or temple for God to live in while in this world.

1 Corinthians 3:17

If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

(a) The temple of God in this context is the body of Christ (see 1 Cor. 3:16). It can also be interpreted as the individual believer (1 Cor. 6:19).

(b) If any man destroys. The original word for destroy means defile. Under the old covenant, defiling the temple was a serious sin. If you brought something unclean into the temple, you could get in trouble. Paul had some experience of this when he was falsely accused of bringing Gentiles into the temple (Acts 21:27-29). The Jews nearly killed him.

The old law was a shadow of a new covenant reality. God takes a dim view of those who defile his temple (the body of Christ) by promoting dead works and unbelief in Jesus. (or any other heresy not taught by the Spirit of Christ)

Historically it was chiefly those of the Jewish religion who attacked the teaching of Christ and persecuted the Christians as recorded in Acts.

1Ti 1:19

Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:

Jesus came to cleanse the Temple of His Father.. He cleansed the one made by Herods hands and build a new one as His own body. A temple was where God lives.

Mal 3:1

Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me: and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.

Mat 21:12

And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves,

Mat 26:61

And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.

Mar 14:58

We heard him say, I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and within three days I will build another made without hands.

Jhn 2:19

Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.

Jesus did not say that He would destroy any temple but build a new one by His resurrection from death.

Jhn 2:21

But he spake of the temple of his body.

And He created a new body made of all who believe on Him

Eph 2:19

Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

We are of the same family and house. Why? Because we are all sharing the Father God our Creator by way of His spirit He gave us.

Eph 2:20

And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

Jesus is our foundation, our starting point and our Rock upon which we must build our house.

Eph 2:21

In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord:

There are two factors here: Construction and growth. One is physical the other biological.

And building project must have the plans to build by. IF there are none the building will not fit together precisely.

But first it must be built on the Corner stone who is Jesus Christ.

The corner stone is the first stone set in a building project. It can be thought of as the foundation which supports all the weight and force of the rest of the members. Like you and me.

All the stone are set in reference to this stone and in agreement.

It is interesting to note that in ancient pagan belief, as in Greece, the cournstone was laid with a blood sacrifice.  Even there where human sacrifices made and people buried under the cornerstone to give the building strength and security.  Jesus provided the sacrifice once and for all time with His own blood. He is our Foundation!

We are all likened to precious stones building a whole.