The Body, God’s Temple

“Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” - 1 Corinthians 6:19-20a

In Old Testament Jewish culture, the Temple was more than just a place of worship – it was where the very presence of God dwelt. Within the innermost part of Solomon’s Temple was the Most Holy Place, which was separated by a thick curtain called the veil. Behind the veil is where the glory of God dwelt above the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant. Only the High Priest was permitted to enter the Most Holy Place – and only one day each year. Every year on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur), the High Priest would pass through the veil with a blood offering for his own sins, and then for the sins of God’s people. The Temple was more than just a building. It was a sacred and holy place…a place of honor and worship and sacrifice. Most importantly, it was the dwelling place of the Most High God.

When most of us look at our bodies, we see flesh and bones, hair and teeth, eyes and ears, or feet and hands. But according to 1 Corinthians 6:19, this is not all that God sees when He looks at us. If you have surrendered your life to Christ and accepted His gift of salvation then you are a child of God. And when God looks at His children, He sees a temple – a temple where His Spirit resides. This means that if you are a follower of Jesus, your body is a place of worship. Just as Solomon’s Temple in the Bible was a place sacred and set apart by God, so is your physical body. The body of every believer is to be a place where God is worshipped and honored at all times.

It is not just a temple. It is not your temple. It is God’s temple. The Apostle Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20, “You are not your own, for you were bought with a price.” As a Christian, God holds the title deed to your body. At the same time that God gives forgiveness for your sins, He takes the title deed to every part of you – soul, spirit, and body. This means that you can no longer say, “It’s my body so I’ll do what I want to with it.” Your body no longer belongs to you.

Since my body is a temple where the Holy Spirit lives, it stands to reason that I am to do whatever is holy with my body. As Christians, it is wise to decide whether it is in a physical way, a spiritual way, or an emotional way we never subject our bodies to anything that might be unholy.

Father, Help me to see my body as You do – as a holy dwelling place for Your Spirit. May I keep myself pure and set apart for Your use and Your glory. In Jesus’ name, amen.