No 9

(The Present-day Temple)

Up till now we have seen that the God of the universe and the Creator of all things visible and invisible had dwelt in buildings made by man. The only visible sign of these buildings that is left today is the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem where devout Jews go to pray and to make supplication to God. Jesus changed the emphasis of the physical building to a spiritual one when He came to earth and preached the Gospel. As we know, His message was not welcomed by those who were in charge of spiritual things in those days in Israel – the Scribes, the Pharisees and the High Priests, so Jesus gave the new location of the temple of God to a woman of Samaria who had many husbands and was probably a prostitute. The Bible says in John 4: 21-24 “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” God’s new abode was to be the hearts of believers.

Paul, in his first letter to the Corinthians, scolded them because they were misusing their bodies in impure practices and rituals “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 are.” 1 Corinthians 3: 16, 17.

We sometimes forget that God indwells us and our conduct as His temples do not always reflect this reality. May we be as Paul who did realise this and said to the Corinthians “But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway.” (1 Cor 9:27)