Shine Spirit Shine

 

DEVOTION

THE 1^ST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS

SHINE SPIRIT SHINE

1 Cor 3:16-17

16 Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? 17 If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple.

NIV

There is no question that we are God’s temple. Jesus was very clear that he had to leave earth and ascend back to heaven, or wherever God resides, if he is actually contained in a place, so that Jesus could send the Holy Spirit to be with or dwell within man. The evidence of the Spirit's arrival was on that day of Pentecost when He came in such power. He has remained here and displays His power in whosoever receives Him. However, the point Paul is making here, is that we need to be careful not to wither or spoil the Temple of God. The Greek word translated as destroy, does carry this meaning of withering or spoiling, such or defiling, to ruin it. If we took that at a surface value that would have to mean any sin, any form of sin whatsoever would be defiling the temple of the Spirit. We then would be so very guilty as being helmed in this flesh, being confined in our humanity, we simply cannot be absolutely perfect and free from all sin. It is not that we try to find ways to sin, it simply happens, sometimes without even thinking about it, other times because we simply make a mistake, and then there are times we know better, but we say or respond or do something just because we want to. What this has to mean, is there is something else that causes the temple to be destroyed, or withered or spoiled, other than sin. Well, it may still be a sin, but we think that this withering or spoiling has more to do with not allowing the power of the Spirit to have His way in our lives. That is we refuse or ignore His power trying to do everything in our own abilities or power. If we are looking to ourselves, in some sense, we are defiling the temple of God. When we consider the purpose of any temple, we would think of it as a place to worship whatever deity it was built for. It does not matter what religion it stands for, it simply is the place that particular deity is supposed to reside in. In Corinth, the largest temple was that one for Aphrodite, which is supposed to have many temple prostitutes, a form of worship to this god. This is where we get the word aphrodisiac, foods or drugs that induce or that arouses sexual instinct. Nevertheless, it was a temple for the purpose of giving reverence to the god Aphrodite. Here, Paul tells us that we have the purpose to be the place the Spirit resides and we are to stand as a place in the city, as a temple displaying the power of God, showing the power of God. If we wither away, if we spoil, it would be because we are not connected to the vine. Once a fruit is taken off the vine it begins the process of spoiling, or withering, or soon is defiled and is in the process of being destroyed and thus unfit to eat. This is how we become if we lose our connection to Christ through the power of the Spirit. We are His temple as so we remain the shining city on the hill, giving light to the world. We remain the temple of God because we are filled with His Spirit, and it causes the Light within us. We have no light in and of ourselves, so without the power of the Spirit, we are spoiled, withered, decaying and, defiled. Therefore, we should live in a manner where we allow the Spirit to shine.