[Kiwi Christian]

Originally Posted by BrianT

Yes, we have individual bodies, but we are all one body

Bro. Brian, do you believe that each individual Christian has the Holy Spirit dwelling inside his/her literal body at all times?

Bro. Brian, do you believe that each individual Christian has the Holy Spirit dwelling inside his/her literal body at all times?

Absolutely.

[Harley]

Originally Posted by Luke

1Co 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
1Co 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.

Are these verses referring to the individual believers body as the temple of God, or the church (invisible) as the temple of God?

Whichever one it is, what do these verses mean for someone who has defiled the temple of God after salvation?

Hi Luke,
Great question. I'm a simple guy so for me what Paul is telling the Corithians is the same thing he told the Romans:

Ro 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

The wages of sin or defiling of the temple is going to result in the destruction and death of that temple. The temple is my physical body and so the destruction and death is physical, not spiritual. One application I have always been taught relates to longevity. Why is it some live longer than others? The Corithians, because of the way they chose to live were jeopardizing their own lives. Paul told them in the first verse he was going to talk to them as children:

1Co 3:1 ¶ And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.

I would think for the "eat, drink, and be merry" Corinthians (Americans? ) the message of eternal life combined with grace was misinterpreted as a life long party and Paul was bringing the cold harsh reality of the Christian life back home:

Ro 8:13 For if ye live after the flesh, ye shall die: but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live.

Peace,
Harley

[stephanos]

On this issue I agree with Brian T. To me the passages here that address the body are refering to the Church as a Body. I guess there is some application to the individual, but what doesn't sit right with me is how a man might defile himself by indoctrinating himself with heresy, which seems to be the context of these passages when they speak of defile.

Just mytwocents(tm). Oh and I did look into a couple commentaries (Albert Barnes, Gill, Wesley, Adam Clarke's) and this seems to be their view as well.

Peace and Love,
Stephen