Temple Of The Living God

1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NKJV)
 

¹⁶ Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

¹⁷ If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.
 

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 (NKJV)
 

¹⁹ Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?

²⁰ For you were bought at a price; therefore glorify God in your body^[a] and in your spirit, which are God’s.
 

Paul couldn`t get more clear than this to elucidate for us where God dwells and abides. It is clear that once we get saved, God lives in one`s heart and it becomes His Temple! The reason why this piece of scripture is so crucial to understand is because of the nature of our carnality and fleshly drive that each one of us experience even more so after being saved. It is a constant battle between selfish drive and what`s pleasing to God; between spiritual and carnal. Despite this battle though, we must realize that our body doesn`t belong to us, but it is a Temple of the Living God! When I got saved, I pledged my life to Christ and asked Him to live in my heart; I gave Him my permission to build His temple in me.
 

I`ve done so much to destroy His temple by damaging my body through heavy drinking, smoking, cutting myself,  suicide, etc., and as I read this scripture it serves as a strong reminder for me to abandon the acts of my flesh and focus on what`s pleasing to Him. Don`t be deceived thinking that you can continue to live for yourself after you got saved because it`s a lie from satan. Jesus shed His precious blood for you and me, so we could give our lives to Him in return and serve Him with all our hearts. I`ve lived for too long trying to build my life on this earth where I am only a pilgrim, passing through; my real home is in heaven with my Father.
 

As I go through my trials, I can see the mighty hand of God orchestrating everything for the better even before I see the final result and a breakthrough because of what He`s been doing in my heart. I`ve done so many things to defile His Temple that to this day I can`t stop thanking Him for His patience with me. God clearly said that one`s body doesn`t belong to one anymore because of the cost paid for it, for it was “bought at a price”- heavy price of the blood of Jesus. I cannot allow myself to temper with sin knowing that I don`t belong to myself anymore.

Both letters to Corinthians were written by Paul after he was made aware of what was happening at the church there: people were getting drunk, combining idolatry with coming to the church and practicing this very liberal teachings which were contradicting what God`s truth is. It is so easy to find justifications to the carnal drives in churches nowadays because we are so much like Corinth- we attempt to live a selfish life combining “business with pleasure”; we try to claim salvation through the grace of God believing in Christ dying for us and shedding His blood, yet we cling to our fleshly drives to live for ourselves. It doesn`t work that way, and I tried it for too many times.
 

This is what Jesus said with His own words regarding this kind of a lifestyle:
 

²⁴ “No one can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. (Matthew 6:24 NKJV)
 

Jesus said that it is impossible to serve God and to this world at the same time (riches of this world) because our carnal sinful nature would tug us to please ourselves instead of God. Our nature is permeated with sin, and the only way to deal with it is by pledging oneself to God completely. Paul warned us in his letter also saying:
 

¹⁴ Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? (2 Corinthians 6:14 NKJV)
 

The reason is the same as what Jesus said—we cannot resist the temptations when we temper with this world and the desires it brings. The lust of the flesh, the pride, the wealth, and all the other things the world beckons us with could not possibly allow us to serve our Lord and build His temple of our bodies unless our lives were completely consecrated to Him once and for all.
 

I tried to live a life of the liberal Christian foolishly attempting to convince myself that I could serve both: God and mammon, and I miserably failed. I had to end up in the worst circumstances in my life in order to realize that I was bought by the steep price, and I don`t belong to myself anymore. My body became the Temple of the Living God who cannot share His presence with anything unholy, marred, sinful, unrighteous, and so I repented, and I begged my Lord to rebuild His temple from scratch, so He could dwell there forever. My life has a different meaning now, and it`s much deeper and meaningful compare to what I was. I am greatful to my Lord for His grace, and mercy, and His patience, and His love that He scooped me up from all that dirt, and turned my life around to serve Him instead.
 

Ask yourself this simple question: do you allow God to build His temple in you, and do you live a life allowing Him to dwell in you? If you live a life of a liberal Christian, I challenge you today to examine your ways and see for yourself if you bring forth fruit to glorify God`s name because if not, God warned us of the consequences. He warned us anyone who defiles His temple would be destroyed. I`ve done my share of damage to His temple, and I promised to do no more of that. I live for His glory, and so can you.
 

Jesus said:
 

¹³ “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

¹⁴ Because^[a] narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it. (Matthew 7:13-14 NKJV)
 

I want to walk the narrow way that leads to life, and I already experience the fullness of it in my life. It is a difficult going, but it`s worth all the effort because the reward is the everlasting life with God in heaven.