How often have you heard something like this? Your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, so you shouldn’t:
- Get a tattoo
- Smoke tobacco
- Eat that diet
- Drink alcohol
On the surface, this makes a sort of weird, backward sense (like the plots of most Christopher Nolan movies).
If my body is a temple, then I guess I should take care of it. After all, the people of Israel took care of the physical temple, so I guess that means I should take care of the temple of my body.
And speaking personally, I think it’s pretty obvious that I’m a hardcore bodybuilder who spends hours developing his tritoid and bipec muscles (that’s what they’re called, right?).
But here’s thing: when Scripture talks about our bodies being temples, it has almost nothing to do with health or tattoos or piercings or anything else that gets lumped in. When the Bible says that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, it’s not talking about exterior things, like whether you get a nose piercing.
It’s so much more glorious and profound than that.
The Temple As God’s Dwelling Place
Throughout the Old Testament, God manifested his presence primarily in the temple and the tabernacle. While it was certainly true that God was omnipresent, in all places at all times, his presence was uniquely and specifically located in the temple.
When God instructed the people of Israel to build the tabernacle and the temple, it was so that his presence could dwell in their midst. There’s a reason that the temple was referred to as the “house of the Lord.”
This is why the High Priest feared to enter the Most Holy Place on the Day of Atonement. There was the distinct chance that he would come face-to-face with the real, immediate presence of God. That he would encounter the Holy One, the maker and sustainer of all things. The one who keeps the planets in orbit and atoms from splitting apart and creating a nuclear holocaust.
The High Priest might see God when he entered into the Most Holy Place.
And that was a death sentence.
Why?
Because a sinful High Priest could not encounter the unmediated presence of God without being destroyed. The holiness of God is no joke. It is consuming, glorious, brilliant, undoing, crushing, overwhelming, and terrifying. Truly understanding the holiness of God produces a deep fear of the Lord and awe-filled reverence.
When Isaiah saw the just the train of God’s robe in Isaiah 6, he immediately began calling divine curses upon himself. In essence, he called for God’s wrath to be poured out on him because he was a sinful man. He knew that the moment God encountered sin, he was morally obligated to obliterate it.
And so Isaiah cried out:
Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!
Commenting on this, Martin Luther said:
When Moses asked God to show him his glory, God put Moses in a mountain cleft and then only gave him a glimpse of his backside. Why? Because if God allowed Moses any closer, Moses would die.
And let’s not forget Uzzah and Ahio. When the people of Israel moved from place to place, they transported the Ark of the Covenant. When the ark rested in the tabernacle and temple, God’s presence manifested between the cherubim atop the ark.
In Exodus 25:22, God says this about the ark:
There I will meet with you, and from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim that are on the ark of the testimony, I will speak with you about all that I will give you in commandment for the people of Israel.
In 2 Samuel 6, when the ark was being transported, the oxen pulling the cart stumbled. In what, on the surface, seems like a noble gesture, Uzzah reached out and kept the ark from falling to the ground.
Big mistake.
God immediately struck Uzzah dead for defiling the presence of God.
Are you getting the picture? The temple and the Ark of the Covenant that sat within it were where God himself dwelled. The temple was a way God could be among his people without destroying them.
Your Body Is A Temple Of The Holy Spirit
Given all the Old Testament says about the sacredness of the temple, the words of 1 Corinthians 6:19 absolutely breathtaking:
Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?
This is one of those scriptural spit-take moments. Wait, hang on a minute.
My body…
…is a temple of the Holy Spirit?
This is the staggering reality of the New Covenant in Christ.
On our own, we don’t dare approach God. Our profound sinfulness and wickedness make any attempts to draw near to God a suicide mission. If we attempted to enter the presence of God in our natural, sinful state, we would be utterly consumed by the wrath of God.
But now that God has united us to Christ clothed us in the righteousness of Christ…
…HE APPROACHES US!
God tabernacles within us. He doesn’t meet us above the Ark of the Covenant, he is truly and literally in us.
Whereas once the Spirit of God only dwelled within the Most Holy Place in the temple, now the Holy Spirit has taken up residence in us! Now we are the temple of God. Your body is a temple where the Most Holy One dwells. You and I are both temples of the Holy Spirit, which is simply unfathomable.
Frankly, even as I write these words, I find myself freshly amazed at what God has accomplished on our behalf. It is beyond comprehension. If I tried to explain these realities to Old Testament saints, I would be driven away as a heretic.
And yet it’s true.
If Your Body Is A Temple, Don’t Pollute It
If our bodies are temples, this means that we shouldn’t pollute them with sin.
This is what Paul is really getting at in 1 Corinthians 6. He’s not talking about eating healthy or not smoking tobacco or tattoos.
He says:
But he who is joined to the Lord becomes one spirit with him. Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. (1 Corinthians 6:17–18).
Sex is both a physical and a spiritual act. It’s the mysterious union of a man and woman.
To have sex with a prostitute is to, in a sense, join the Holy Spirit to that prostitute. The very thought of that is absolutely abhorrent.
The Holy Spirit has made my body a temple for his presence. How dare I commit adultery or watch porn or engage in ANY sin within the temple? How dare I pollute God’s glorious, holy presence with something so repulsive to him?
When scripture says our bodies are temples, it’s not forbidding activities that may be detrimental to our health, although we should obviously use wisdom in how much we eat, what we drink, how much we smoke, etc.
There’s something much more profound, glorious, and serious at stake.
God now dwells within us. Each of us is a temple of the living God.
Is there any greater motivation to holiness?
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Stephen,
Thanks for properly breaking down an oft misused passage. I’m thankful for your writing and I have to say this one got me right between the eyes. If ever there was a call to purity – THIS WAS IT! Thank you and thank God.
Wow. Just. WOW. Revelatory…WOW!
This needs to be preached in every pulpit!! We need to be reminded of this !!
I marvel at the verses in Scripture where people are flattened by God’s and yet, He comes to us, covers us, and dwells with and within us. Wow! That will preach! Thank you for doing just that!! Blessings!
Wonderful article Sir ! God bless .
One of the links on your blog connects to what appears to be a cult. (newchurch.org) Do you have any control over the advertising links? Please check this one out.
Amen! I was brought up in a church were legalism; which focuses on the outward works of man not in Christ of the inner man. My dad’s simple arm tatoo which said, “love to mother” spoke clearly to Paul’s words in 1 Cor 6:19-20.
Roger
Did you never read that the Lord has spoken and does not detract that tax collectors and prostitutes will enter the kingdom of God before you. You know neither the Scriptures nor indicate any desire in this matter. If you knew you would know cigars are in because of the joy for the prostitutes and tax collectors
Robert, you completely misread this article. I wasn’t at all saying that tax collectors and prostitutes can’t enter the kingdom of God. I was saying that in relation to the fact that our bodies are temples, sexual immorality is sinful but smoking cigars (or eating unhealthy, or whatever) is not.
Why in the world would you say I have no desire to know the scriptures? It’s like you came into this article with some random preconceived notion, didn’t even read what I said, and then informed me that I was completely ignorant of scripture and have no desire to know it.
Is this how you treat other Christians?
There has always got to be one in the crowd! Robert, I don’t know how you missed the boat on this one. Great job Stephen! I was just thinking about this passage this morning.
People start quoting scripture because someone else did and never look at the context or study it out for themselves. Next thing you know you get a bunch of legalistic mumbo jumbo coming from the pulpit and a bunch of mind numb Christians nodding their heads in agreement. STUDY THE SCRIPTURES, SEE IF WHAT IS BEING SAID IS TRUE!
God bless you
Thanks for this wonderful message.
May God help us to see ourselves as His Temple.
I agree that none of those things are going to damn you. I disagree that Christ doesn’t frown upon those things polluting where he dwells. You’re only eating milk and not meat. All things are lawful but not all things are expedient.. just because it doesn’t exspressly say that those things aren’t of Christ doesnt mean they aren’t. Spiritual discernment is needed.
Wow. Thank you so much for this.
Careful, old friend. Read the Greek. The Bible never says our bodies (plural) are temples. It says our Body (singular) is the temple. There’s a world of difference between the two, which is sadly lost in modern English, obfuscating the collective, communal nature of the original text. I am adding to Scripture if I say my body is a temple.
Jesus is the only one in Scripture to call an individual body a temple, and He was referring to His own body.
Paul *explicitly* says that “your body” (the individual Corinthians) is a temple of the Holy Spirit. He’s not referring to Jesus. He’s talking about people having sex with prostitutes. The reason to not join your body to a prostitute is because the Holy Spirit dwells within you.
I am amazed how you came up with this teaching! If your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, how can you pollute it with things that defile? How is it okay to use worldly things that would cause our body to quickly decay? Just as God was specific in Old testament about the temple practices and use, He is the same today, yesterday and forever more. Our body is His dwelling place, and we should not allow any and everything to happen to it! Temple is a sacred place and required sacred practices; eating right, exercising, no misuse or abuse of anything!
We find too many excuses to accommodate what we want to do, instead of dying to our flesh and become alive to our spiritual nature. Walk in the Spirit and you will not fulfill the lust of the flesh! Galatians 5:16
Amen Debra!
Great!
Amen! I was baffled when I read this myself. Are these the things that people are really out here telling themselves to justify or excuse their behavior? The Bible says when you know right from wrong and still do it, you are responsible. Say what you please but the Holy Spirit cannot dwell in an unclean temple; putting different pollution in your body, smoking, drugs and alcohol, etc., your temple is unclean. Period!
I loved it??
THANX
I won’t judge others about how they look or use their body. But I’m surely responsible & accountable to GOD with the body the LORD blessed me with. I can only remain in the beauty of the LORD by the HOLY SPIRIT within me. Blessings & Peace be with you all… Aloha!
Very well said. Thank you.
When scripture says our bodies are temples, it’s not forbidding activities that may be detrimental to our health, although we should obviously use wisdom in how much we eat, what we drink, how much we smoke, etc.
Are you trying to say that God is least bothered about our eating, drinking and smoking habits? Also, do you think drinking alcohol or smoking cigars in moderate quantity is fine in God’s sight???
Cigar and drinking alcohol is different. There are many passages about drinking in old and new testaments. Even apostle paul said that church leader should not drink too much in 1 timothy 3, which means early christians drinks even the church leaders. However, it is best not to drink to avoid commiting act of sin when you took too much. While cigar can be found in the scripture. Wine or alcoholic wine has health benefits while cigar dont
Thanks Steve for this insight,i can see we are not all in 1 accord with what you have posted here but but I can tell all those who think that you are mistaken that may God give more wisdom unto you guys…
Remember we can’t all have the same understanding as some are still ‘milk eaters’ others ‘meat eaters’ and I understand it’s very hard to fathom things of the solid food if you are still a liquid consumer,but all the best guys…
Nobody,i repeat nobody in this earth can be as perfect as not to do any of the things that we know we shouldn’t do in the flesh,hence this verse is not speaking about trying to be perfect in the flesh,,,it is more spiritual that what you thinking guys
Again Steven thanks,you got it my brother?
Very graphic and very much appreciated. May the Lord increase you in this wisdom, for the bible tells us that no one can say Jesus is the Messiah except through the Spirit of God. The Spirit of Abba Father gives us messages according to our way of understanding, obedience and level of spirituality.
Thank you
And how would Jews respond to graffiti on the outside walls of the temple? Tattoos, on ones body may or may not have been, to say, “Look at me!” However, once saved, the tattoo remains, but the heart says, let me live in Christ! Let us not judge by the ink. Leave judgement to Him who knows our heart! Praise God!
Listen, man, intentionally putting things into your body which are harmful to your health is not pleasing to God. We have been given new life in Christ, and we need to live new and free of things that could damage our testimony for the Lord…period. Saying things to make ourselves feel better about marginal behavior…that we may or may not engage in… like getting tatoos, smoking, drinking, whatever…may give people the wrong idea about sinful behavior.
Cool, popular, politically correct…whatever… totally unimportant. The only thing that matters is glorifying God in all that we do.
When I see a tatoo, I am reminded that that we are all inclined to to make mistakes.
That is it.
God is not pleased when we do stuff like that. Tatoos are just one of many examples. It is easy to say don’t judge. 2 Timothy 2:15 tells me that I do need to formulate an understanding of the Bible, and the Bible indicates to me that we should avoid worldly compromises. Not accepting things that people do as being okay with God, when I know that it is not, is “standing firm” for what is obviously true.
Call me intolerant. I do not really care. Maybe we should be. God does not “wink”at sin. I’ve learned that the hard way in my own life. I especially like Romans 12:1-2. We have to ask God to help us not to be legalistic, but, at the same time, to recognize and “call out” things we know to be right or wrong.
Exactly
Well, I believe this scripture too is referring to sexual immorality. That said, I love all the pop-poo people that bash others over a glass of wine or a cigar. Yet they will eat a handful of Oreos or Duncan Donuts. I’m waiting for the second person in history that doesn’t fall short somewhere. so far, no go. We have more self righteous, Pharisees now than ever before.
1 Corinthians 6:20 tells us that we are bought with a price and that we are therefore to glorify God in our BODY and in our Spirit which are God’s.
It is NOT glorifying God when we abuse our body in any form, whether by ingestion or by outward cuttings and piercings. Stop trying to justify ungodly behaviors. Stop leading souls astray. Study the entire Word of God.
Amen Kathryn. No where does God teach that only prostitution is a sin… Jesus specifically rebukes the Pharisees for eating camel. Smoking most certainly is a sin according to God. Smoking slowly kills people. That is a selfish work of evil, NOT good.
God teaches that people will have itchy ears and heap up for themselves false teachers and forsake His ways. This article is definitely what He is talking about.
1 Corinthians 3:17
If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
According to God, there are many ways to be defiled. Study what God says being “defiled” means, not what man says. Turn to God, not man.
Well written, thanks for shining a new light on a misused scripture!
God bless you! Keep glorifying God
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 3:17
Jesus teaches that what you desire to do can defile you. It’s not what actually enters your body that defiles you, it’s what comes out of your heart, your thoughts and desires.
Do you desire to eat unclean food? Jesus says that is sinful. Do you desire to smoke? Jesus says that is sinful. Do you desire tattoos? Jesus teaches that is sinful.
No where does Jesus teach that eating unhealthy, smoking, and tattoos are good or acceptable, just don’t have sex with a prostitute, that’s a no no. That is absurd. This article is blatantly false and all who read it should ask God to teach them if it is true or not!
We all need to turn to God for His truth, not to man.
Really useful & enlightening article! Thanks for sharing your brightness in the form of your precious message. God bless you!
Great! I feel good I read through this! I discovered that I can do such a great deal more! Much thanks to you for the greater part of your precious guidance.