God's Temple

A Closer Look at the Corinthian Temples

February 7, 2017

Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in your midst?
I Corinthians 3:16

This week's memory verse is 1 Corinthians 3:16. Why was it important for the believers living in Corinth to grasp the concept of their bodies being God's temple?

Are you familiar with the temples found in Corinth in that day?

In Corinth you could find the cults of the gods of Egypt, Rome and Greece. The temple of Aphrodite, the goddess of love, stood atop the Acrocorinth.

Of equal fame in Corinth was the temple of Poseidon, ruler of the sea (on which Corinth's commercial life depended) and maker of earthquakes (a frequent danger in the area). 

Numerous other temples in Corinth include ones to Apollo, Hermes, Venus-Fortuna, Isis, and one dedicated to "All The Gods" (Pantheon). On the slopes of the Acrocorinth was the sanctuary of Demeter, which dates from the 6th and 7th centuries B.C.

http://www.padfield.com/2005/corinth.html  

All of these temples were dedicated to false gods. Unlike churches of today, nobody really did anything inside these temples. All of the sacrifices and temple practices occurred outside of the columnar walls. 

The ancient temples served one purpose: they were the dwelling places of the gods. Only their statues stood inside protected from the elements. 

Are you beginning to see why this verse had such an impact on the Corinthian Christians? Our body is the dwelling-place of the one true God!

I think that is so cool. 

Lord, thank you for making your dwelling place in my heart. That means that wherever I am, you are. But it also means that if I do something to harm myself, I also hurt you. Help me to show my body the respect that your temple deserves.