"The Temple of God on Earth" 7/1/25

Dear brothers & sisters,

Asaph, the psalm writer, reflects on the prosperity of the wicked in Psalm 73. The turning point in the psalm comes in verses 16-17.

[16] But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, [17] until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end (ESV)

Asaph struggled with the wicked in his day, how they prospered (see Psalm 73:1-16). 

But His whole attitude, his entire outlook on life changed when he went into the sanctuary of God. When he entered the temple of God, he discerned the truth of the matter that troubled him.

Brothers and sisters, under the new covenant in Jesus where do we enter the sanctuary of God? Where is the temple of God today on earth? 

Answer: The Body of Christ gathered together is the Temple of God on earth.

Ephesians 2:19-22 ESV

[19] So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, [20] built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, [21] in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. [22] In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Again we read,

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 ESV

16 Do you not know that you* are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him. For God's temple is holy, and you* are that temple.

(Note: the you in vv.16-17 is plural, referring to all the believers in Corinth collectively) 

Through faith in Christ whose body is the Temple of God incarnate, we are joined and built together into a dwelling place for God.

You may ask, "But, isn't the temple of God each of us as individuals?" (See 1 Corinthians 6:18-20). Yes, if your faith is in Jesus Christ alone your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and we are granted access to his throne of grace by the Spirit.  However, we must (indeed we cannot) divorce our personal relationship with Jesus from the rest of His Body, His Temple. 

So then, brothers, if you would guard your soul from the deceitfulness of sin, seek the Lord in His Holy Temple. This means entering His presence in private devotion, daily attending to the Scriptures and to prayer, but it does not mean less than gathering together with the saints (sanctified by the Holy Spirit). 

When are you tempted to neglect gathering together with the saints? How will you prioritize gathering together as the Temple of God on earth? What blessings do we enjoy when we meet together?

Grace & Peace,

Matt