“God’s Temple Is Holy”

I Corinthians 3:16-21

16) Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?

17) If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

18) Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise.

19) For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.

20) And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain

21) Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are your's;

T

he great deception, under which too many with the Holy Ghost are living, is believing that though they are not themselves living saved, it is all right to find fault with others who are saved.

This is particularly a problem as others look at the members of this congregation. Because of the way we are taught, we are accused of trying to be “holier than-thou.” However, it does not seem as if this would be the forthcoming reaction were it not for the fact that some conviction is being felt somewhere.

Like it or not, God has a definite standard. The reason it is often not followed is because most do not want to give up control of their lives. This is despite the fact that once one accepts salvation, he has automatically made a choice of what do with his life.

Many seem not to understand this fundamental fact: that we, who know the truth, know that one not committed to God and displaying improper conduct faces eternal judgment. It’s as simple as that.

We must face the fact that once we made the decision to be saved, the Lord was given the “power-of-attorney” to make our choices for us. We have given Him the right to handle all of our affairs, so that all that is done, is done in our best interest.

Here is a question to be considered: if, indeed, we have made the choice to give our life to the Lord, what grants us the right to then give only part of that life to Him? Indeed, if coming to the Lord is to benefit us we must change both our actions, way of thinking and way of looking at things.

No matter how we may choose to handle this life we now live, reality is that there responsibilities we must meet if we are to affect others. The Lord never wants us to forget that all who are saved are saved to bring others to the knowledge of salvation.

What must always be uppermost in the mind of the saint of God is that “I am the temple of God and therefore, I must be holy.” As difficult to attain as the lives of most would make this appear, a simple desire to please God in all things makes holiness one of the easiest things we could ever accomplish.

Of course, today, holiness almost seems to be a thing of the past. There is, largely, no standard, no understanding of God’s direction. Ironically, all that is happening as a result of the breakdown of the Church proves that without an unilateral standard, there is absolutely no unity in the body of Christ. This, of course is hardly His intent.

At this time the Lord is desperately trying to reach outside of the Apostolic Church to get others won to the Lord. Contrary to what many believe, however, He is not necessarily reaching out in the way others may think. Simply because one is preaching on television or over the radio does not mean that God has sanctioned them. It should be obvious, but only to those enlightened by the Holy Ghost, that most today, are not preaching the truth.

Despite the fact that too many with the power of the Holy Ghost conduct themselves as if “power-less,” it is possible for us to cause others to glory in the name of the Lord.

If we esteem (respect) the Lord, we will be eager to be a good representative for Him. This will assure that we conduct ourselves in a worthy fashion; a fashion that will bring Him honor and not shame.

Too many come to the Lord not because they intend to serve Him because He deserves it, but simply because they are looking for “something better.” This is a mistake, for all by Himself, Jesus is better. Accepting this enables one to be at peace and content.

A holy people must be holy, not “play” holy. Salvation has become a game and poorly played one, at that. God is calling for and will accept nothing less than the life lived consecrated and committed unto Him.