God is Building His Temple
1 Corinthians 3:16-23
Truth Taught- We are God’s Temple being built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ.
Last time was saw together that God’s Building from 3:9 is, in fact the local Church in Corinth. This building was not made with bricks and mortar but, as Peter told us, living stones. This building was being built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
We saw how important it is that Church Leaders build on that foundation and no other. It is impossible to build a true Church on any other foundation.
We further saw how the works of the Church Leadership would be tried with fire and whatever remained would be rewarded and whatever was burned away would result in the Leaders suffering loss.
The Apostle Paul is going further now with his illustration of God’s building to describe what type of building he is referring to. He is out to correct their understanding of the nature of the Church itself. He’s about to tell them that God is building a temple in Corinth for His glory, while they are seeking to destroy it with man’s wisdom and practices.
It is a very dangerous place to be working against God…you will always loose.
God was seeking to bring people together on the foundation of Jesus Christ and the Corinthians were seeking to divide people through human wisdom, jealousy, and taking sides. Division within the Church is a very serious matter.
Here’s Paul’s warning to everyone who would seek to divide the Church or to those who take Church lightly by seeking to add to it with various modes of human wisdom.
Please Stand
1 Corinthians 3:16–23 (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.
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
1. The Warning to Those Who Would Destroy God’s Temple (3:16-17)
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.
The Apostle uses rhetoric to capture their attention. Ten times in this Letter he writes…
16 Do you not know
When he uses this, the impact is significant and his meaning is literally, here is something you should already know.
Here is something they should have already known probably because for the year and a half Paul was with them, he taught this to them. For some reason they had forgotten or simply decided to not emphasize it any longer. They were guilty of building on another foundation and taking what God was doing lightly.
The building that belongs to God and that is being built up with living stones is the Church and here Paul tells us it is the God’s Temple.
There are two other times when Paul uses this phrase while describing the Church…
2 Corinthians 6:16 (ESV)
16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said,
“I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them,
and I will be their God,
and they shall be my people.
Here in 2 Corinthians 6, the focus of Paul is to remind the Corinthians that the Church is the Temple of God and made up of believers who are indwelt with the Holy Spirit. His focus here is that the Church or Temple of God made up of Living Stones must come out from idolatry and the world to be separate and a peculiar people. Not seeking to bring the world into the Church.
In the OT Temple God made His dwelling there with His people. Now, in the New Covenant, God dwells with His people via the Holy Spirit and corporately we form the Temple of God.
The other place Paul uses the phrase Temple of God to refer to the Church is…
Ephesians 2:17–22 (ESV)
17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 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.
Here we see the same imagery…we are God’s holy Temple being built upon the foundation with Christ as the cornerstone. We are becoming that special dwelling place for God by the Holy Spirit.
So, in every case the Church has become the Temple of God made up of Holy Spirit indwelt born again people. When God’s people are gathered there, He is in our midst as our God and we as His people.
This Temple is built upon the foundation of Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
Here is the warning for those in Corinth and anywhere else as far as that goes who would seek to destroy God’s Temple founded on Jesus…
17 If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
Those leaders within the Church were warned. Be careful how you build because your works will be tried by fire. When the old earth is burned and then the new heavens and new earth appear those works that of this present age will also be burned and destroyed. Church Leaders be careful how you build.
When Paul writes to the Church and tells them that they are God’s Temple, this has end times implications. The Church is the fulfillment of OT prophecies referring to the New Temple or the restored Temple in the Last Days.
The Church is the corporate place of God’s dwelling. All who are in Christ are given the Holy Spirit the presence of God. So, beloved, we are God’s new people and new Temple in which the Spirit dwells.
In the Church, God has made and is making in every true local Church an alternative to this world. It is vital that the Church of Corinth become different than the world around them and also be God’s Temple where all around them in Corinth were pagan temples.
By Grace what does God intend the Local Church to be? A strong holy place where His people join together for corporate worship while the world is doing what it does.
That’s why we must not take the Church too lightly or see it as an option or something to do when there is nothing better going on. The Church is God’s genuine alternative to the pagan world in which it sits. This is why God is telling the Corinthians that He will destroy any who would destroy His Local Church in Corinth.
What a privilege we have to be included into God’s holy Temple that is the Church. The lost world will never know the wonder of being in Christ and being a part of God’s family.
This is why God is telling the Corinthians to never insert things of the world into the Church. Human wisdom has no place in God’s Temple because His ways are not our ways neither are His thoughts our thoughts.
They did not realize the vital nature of the Church. They did not understand how important the Church is. They had a superficial attitude when it came to the Church. They thought they could add whatever they thought was best to make it more appealing to the world. When they did this, they were destroying the Church not building it up.
What is your commitment to this Local Church, to this New Temple that God is forming as an alternative to the world around us? Are you cutting ties to the world? Are you severing worldly lusts and worldly thinking? Do you see how vital your commitment and your weekly attendance are?
2. Do Not Deceive Yourself by Thinking You are Wise (3:18-23)
18 Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. 19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” 21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, 23 and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
Do not deceive or delude yourself. How were these Church Leaders deceiving themselves? They were deceiving themselves…
They were thinking that he is wise in this age.
Paul was commanding these Church Leaders to absolutely let go of the wisdom of this age because it is self-deceptive. Everywhere you look there is wisdom of this age Sophia as Paul calls it. However, wisdom of this age was destroying the Church and it will destroy the Church today. The way of thinking that’s from a human perspective often makes clear logical sense is not God’s way of thinking. It’s not His wisdom but man’s wisdom.
How do you make life decisions? Who do you consult? How do you process information and come to a decision? If you use your reasoning alone then you are not coming to godly decisions.
If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise.
The Leaders of Corinth were making very sound human decisions. They were very intelligent and no doubt had a good standing in the community. They made a lot of sense. Their thinking and rationale made sense to anyone except God and the Apostle Paul.
Here is something we must learn if we are going to live a life that pleases God. God’s Wisdom turns human wisdom on its head.
Look with me a some examples…
The pinnacle of God’s Wisdom is the cross and resurrection of Jesus Christ. This event did not make sense to anyone. No one knew what God was doing.
1 Corinthians 1:18–19 (ESV)
18 For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written,
“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise,
and the discernment of the discerning I will thwart.”
Notice how God shakes things up and we must catch this if we are to have life.
Wisdom is Folly and Folly is Wisdom.
19 For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” 20 and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.”
With God Power is Weakness and Weakness is Power
2 Corinthians 12:8–10 (ESV)
8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me. 10 For the sake of Christ, then, I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities. For when I am weak, then I am strong.
Leaders are to be servants. Those believers who possess nothing possess everything.
The call for the Church Leaders in Corinth and our calling is to abandon confidence in the logic and security of this current age and seek God’s wisdom. Become a fool for Jesus. Trust God’s folly and become truly wise.
What is the thing you think God is calling you to and yet it makes no sense to you? What is it that has been ongoing in your thinking but you have put it off because it makes no sense?
Do not make decisions based on the wisdom of this world. Don’t do the math. With God two loaves and three fish can feed a multitude.
I pray we as your Church Leaders make very foolish worldly decisions but very wise decisions where God is concerned. I pray we are just so foolish as to think all we need is Jesus Christ and nothing else.
The cross was not very cleaver from the world’s point of view. How could anyone ever think that a dead King would make a very efficient Savior. Never forget when you make choices based on God’s Wisdom and not human wisdom there is the resurrection principle involved. The thing no one ever thought of before but that God had planned from eternity past. You will only experience the wonder of God’s work if you step out in worldly foolishness and trust Him.
Here is the wealth and blessings we have in Christ…
21 So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, 22 whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours,
Beloved, in Christ all things are ours. All things. This present age is ours. The future is ours. Everything belongs to us as God’s people. So, obey God even when it does not make sense because one day it will and you will be so glad you did.
Conclusion:
God is full of surprises. Trust God’s Wisdom and not your own nor any other human. When you have a choice to make throw out the financial report, all the advice, and your preconceived ideas and ask yourself…What does God want me to do? Beloved, then do it. Do it with every fiber of your being and don’t look back.
Based on the principle that God’s wisdom seems foolish to man, what changes would our Lord have you make? Where have you been leaning on human wisdom rather than God’s wisdom?
These Church leaders were and they were destroying the Church.
Are you destroying anything by relying on merely human wisdom.
When you know for sure God wants you to do something do it. It probably won’t make sense because we are far too worldly at times to think like God does. Don’t listen to man read God’s Word and pray and listen to God.
Benediction
To you who are indwelt with the Holy Spirit and being built up into God’s Temple, may you never build on human wisdom but seek God’s wisdom. May you be a fool for Christ. To you who belong the present and the future and all God’s blessing in Christ rejoice with wonderous joy.
Father, may You receive all the glory and the praise as we discover that Your foolishness is really true and eternal wisdom.
AMEN!
Resources Used:
1 Corinthians by Theselton from the NIGNT
1 Corinthians by Steven T. Um
1 Corinthians by Gordon Fee
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