What Does it Mean
to be God's Temple?
By Jonathan Mitchell
"For you see, we ourselves are a living God's Temple (or: a Temple of God, Who is a Living One) [with other MSS: It follows that you folks, yourselves, continuously exist being an inner sanctuary (i.e., a home) of a continuously living God], just as God said: "I will proceed to make My home and will continue walking about within and among them (or: I will habitually reside {dwell}, as in a house, and live My life within, among, and in the sphere of them), and I will continue existing being their God, and they will continue existing being My people." (2 Cor. 6:16; cf Lev. 26:12; Rev. 21:3]) "Or, have you folks not seen so as to know that your body (or: the body of you folks) is a temple of the set-apart Spirit (or: a sanctuary belonging to the Holy Spirit; a holy place and a holy of holies which pertains to the Sacred Breath; or: that the body, which is you folks, exists being a divine habitation which has the qualities and characteristics of the Holy Attitude) - within the midst of you (or: in union with you folks; or: among you people) - which you people constantly hold and progressively possess from God?" (1 Cor. 6:19)
How are we to understand this? What do these verses mean for us?
The word "temple" meant "the home of a deity." Therefore, Paul's use of this term would have carried that meaning. His citing Lev. 26:12 shows that he was referencing that context of Yahweh instructing Israel. In Lev. 26:11a, He told them,
"I will set my tent among you..."
That meant that He would be present among them and live with them. When Moses needed to confer with Yahweh, he entered that tent (aka, tabernacle - the dwelling place of God, which would later become the temple), then proceeded into the holy of holies, and spoke with God there. We read in Ex. 25:20-22,
"And the cherubim shall stretch forth their wings on high, covering the mercy seat.... And I will meet with you, and I will commune with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which [are] upon the ark of the testimony..."
It is from this OT type that Paul was presenting the new reality in Christ.
Looking to another OT setting, let us observe the description of God forming Adam (figure of humanity, as used in Paul's writings), in Gen. 2:7. After, forming the human of moist soil, He then blew into him the Breath of life, and Adam became a living soul (or: person). This Breath remained in Adam through the dynamic of breathing. God would continue coming into him, and then going as he exhaled. Keep in mind that God is Spirit (Breath-effect - Jn. 4:24). In the Gospel of John, we read a curious, yet important, statement:
"And after saying this, He suddenly blows on, and says to, them (or: He breathes within [them], so as to inflate them [note: same verb as used in Gen. 2:7, LXX], and is saying to them), 'Receive a set-apart spirit! (or: Get [the] Holy Spirit!; take the Sacred Breath-effect!; or: Receive a sacred attitude)'" (Jn. 20:22).
Now we interpret Jesus' action of "breathing on them" as being a symbolic act, for the filling of them by the Holy Spirit became a reality on the Day of Pentecost, accompanied by,
"a roaring noise (or: sound) as of a continued rushing and driving of a violent wind (or: exactly like a continual carrying of a forcible breath)" (Acts 2:2, 4).
There we can observe the symbolic (though actual) birth, or coming into being, of the Second Humanity (1 Cor. 15:47), which was a lived-out parable of God taking up residence within His heavenly Temple (1 Cor. 15:48) - US!
2 Cor. 4:7 gives us another picture of our being God's Temple:
"Now we presently and continuously hold (have and possess) this Treasure within containers (jars; pots; vessels; equipment) made of baked clay [e.g., pottery; bone ware] so that the transcendence of the inherent Power and means of Influence may habitually originate its existence in God - and not from out of us (or: the over-cast of ability can, and would, be that which is God - and not of us; or: the overwhelming, which comes from the Power and Potentiality, would exist with the character and quality of God - and not from what characterizes us)!"
Now if we can accept the reality that we are God's heavenly Temple, let us consider what was involved in the pattern and type of this temple, so that we can better understand our present experiences and the significance of our BEING God's Temple. One of the key features of both the tabernacle, and later, the temple, was its lampstand which was situated within the holy place - the first chamber of the sanctuary. The imagery in the vision shown to John, in Rev. 1:20, informs us that the lampstands represented the called-out, covenant communities. This shed "light" on Jesus' words in Mat. 5:14,
"You folks, yourselves, exist being (are) the Light of the ordered System (the world of culture, religion, politics, government, and secular society; = the human sociological realm; or: the aggregate of humanity). A city located up on a mountain (or: situated on top of a mountain range; [cf Heb. 12:22-24; Rev. 21:9-10, 24]) continues unable to be hidden or concealed."
We are God's lampstand, shining forth His Light into the midst of the world.
Other furniture of the temple was the altar of incense, which Rev. 5:8b identifies as symbolizing
"the prayers of the set-apart folks (the sacred people; the saints)."
The third piece of furniture within the holy place (first chamber) was the table of the bread of the Presence. Where, under the old arrangement, there were twelve loaves of bread - representing the twelve tribes of Israel - now that there is "one, new humanity" (Eph. 2:15), Paul instructs us that,
"we, The Many [cf 1 Cor. 10:33; Rom. 5:15, 19], are (exist being) One Bread (one loaf of bread), One Body" (1 Cor. 10:17).
The "boards and the bars," which formed the walls of the tabernacle, were made of wood (from trees - a symbol of humans, in the OT; cf Ps. 1:3, et al), which was covered with gold (a symbol for deity - God). Likewise, the box of the ark (or: coffin) of the covenant was composed of wood which was overlaid with gold. From all of this, we conclude that the OT type of the tabernacle (His tent) was a symbol of humans being the Temple of God. It follows that we are God's home, in this new arrangement. This is what it means to be filled with the Spirit of God (God's Breath-effect - Eph. 5:18, et al). Really ponder this.
We are given a symbolic picture of who we are, in Rev. 22:
2. Within the midst of her broad place (plaza; square; street), and on each side of the river, [is] a tree (a wood; timber; a log; same word used in Gen. 2:9, LXX; figure for "the cross" in the NT) of, and which is, life periodically producing twelve fruits, continually yielding (or: giving away) according to each month, and the leaves of the tree (wood; timber) [are given] for (or: into) service (nurture, care; healing, cure or medical service; a body of household attendants) of the multitudes (nations; Gentiles; non-Jews; ethnic groups), [cf Ezk. 47:1-12]
3. and every result of [something] having been placed or put down, or every effect of [something] laid down, deposited or established, will no longer exist. And God's throne - even the Little Lamb's - will continue being (or: existing) within Her [i.e., the City], and His slaves will continue rendering sacred service to Him,
4. and will constantly see His face, and His Name [is; or: will be] upon their foreheads. [cf Rev. 14:1]
5. And night will no longer continue existing. And so they continuously have no need of the light of a lamp, or even the light of the sun, because [the] Lord [= Yahweh] God will continue giving light upon (or: will constantly illuminate) them, and they will continue reigning (performing as kings; having sovereign influence) on into the ages of the ages (or: the indefinite time periods of the eons).
This is our identity, and our function, here and now. Rev. 14:1 presents our location as being "on Mount Zion." Heb. 12 informs us that,
23. [that is] in (or: to) an assembly of an entire people (or: a festal gathering of all, in a universal convocation) and in (or: to) a summoning forth (or: a called-out and gathered community) of firstborn folks having been copied (from-written, as from a pattern; or: enrolled; registered in a list) within [the; or: various] atmospheres (or: in the sphere of heavens), and in (or: to; with) God, a Judge (an Evaluator and Decider) of all people, even (or: that is; also) among (or: to; with) spirits of just folks (or: centered in the sphere of breath-effects from people who are rightwised, fair and in right relationship within the Way pointed out) having been made complete and brought to the destined goal (perfected; finished; matured),[cf Rev. 3:12; Eph. 2:6; Phil. 3:20; Rev. 14:1-5; Ex. 4:22]
24. and in (or: to) Jesus, a Medium (or: an agency; an intervening substance; a middle state; one in a middle position; a go-between; an Umpire; a Mediator) of a new and fresh (young; recently-born) arrangement (covenant; settlement; a deposit throughout, in every direction; a placing through the midst; or: a will and testament), and to and in blood of sprinkling, and to One continuously speaking something superior to (or: stronger and better than) Abel. [cf 10:22, above; Mat. 17:1-5; Rev. 21:9b-22:5; Jn. 4:21; Ps. 46:4; 132:13; Isa. 28:16; 33:5]
So, what does it mean to be God's Temple? We give Light to the aggregate of humanity. We pray for the aggregate of humanity. We give the bread of Life to the aggregate of humanity. We sit with Christ, in His throne (Eph. 2:6; Rev. 2:27) and shepherd the aggregate of humanity (Jn. 21:15, 16, 17).
"All the wild animals of the forests are Mine - beasts on the mountains and cattle [and sheep]. I know all the birds of the air, and a field's beauty is with Me" (Ps. 50:10-11; in the LXX, Ps. 49)
In vs. 14 of this Psalm, we see that God's concern was about praise and keeping one's vows to God. Paul affirms this use of animals to speak metaphorically about people, in 1 Cor. 9:9,
"For you see, within the Law of Moses it has been written: 'You will not continue muzzling an ox (bull; cow) [that] is progressively treading in threshing.' [Deut. 25:4]
Is the attention and concern to (or: by; for) God [here perhaps] not about the oxen? (or: It is not a care with God that has reference to bulls!)"
The concept of a Temple is a metaphor, but the metaphors in Scripture depict for us, in symbolic terms, the reality of God's Realm - and thus the reality of our inner being, within which is God's Realm, Presence and Kingdom. We both individually and corporately house the Lord. And it is here, sitting with Him on His mercy seat, that we commune with Him and learn from Him and find rest (Mat. 11:29). We cannot be His "yoke-fellows" if He is not with us.
Jonathan
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