The New Testament uses the language of “temple” to describe this, primarily because this is what the people of God were familiar with in those days. In ancient Israel, God came to dwell with His people, to meet with them and receive their offerings, and to send them out with His blessing, from the confines of a temple constructed according to God’s own plans.

Similarly, among the Gentile peoples of the Roman world, temples – like the temple of Diana in Ephesus – served as a kind of meeting place with the gods, their “home away from home” when they weren’t lolling around as usual on Mt. Olympus.

So it doesn’t surprise us when we see the New Testament freely using the language of “temple” and “dwelling-place” to describe local churches.

We are the temple of the Lord

But, unlike pagan temples and the temple of the Old Testament, the temple which is the Church of our Lord Jesus Christ is not made with hands – it is not a constructed site, at least, not in the first instance. The temple of the Lord is realized in the members of the Body of Christ, in whom Jesus dwells by His Spirit. We who believe are the temple of the Lord (1 Cor. 6.19), both individually and together.

Now this has tremendous significance, in the first place, because it should turn us away from thinking of our churches – of that which Christ would build through us – as physical and material facilities. The bricks and mortar and all the furnishings may be useful when the temple of the Lord assembles, but these are not the temple of the Lord in themselves. We should be very careful about attaching the idea of “church” to buildings and real estate. The church and temple of the Lord are the people in whom the Lord dwells by His Spirit. If they think of the buildings that accommodate them rather than themselves as the church and temple of the Lord, this can have serious negative ramifications.

Nevertheless, large portions of the budgets and time of any local congregation go to caring for, keeping up, and using a physical facility. That’s not bad in itself; it can be, though, if when we think of “church” we think, in the first instance, of the buildings in which we gather as the temple of the Lord.

The temple of the Lord is His own body, which He is raising up, adorning, beautifying, strengthening, and commissioning to the task of advancing the Kingdom of God on earth as it is in heaven. It is His people, the Church, who are being sanctified in the truth of God and fitted for the work of ministry and seeking the Kingdom of the Lord.

Under construction

The Apostle Paul tells us that a temple of God, properly adorned and maintained, grows in unity and maturity in the Lord Jesus, as pastors and teachers equip church members to do the work of ministry (Eph. 4.11-16). A building and other facilities can aid in this process, but they are not essential. Indeed, in many ways they can actually distract us from our task by so defining and confining what we do in the name of ministry that our endeavors consistently look more like the ways of the world than the work of the Lord, more like maintaining and maximizing an institution than seeking and advancing a Kingdom not of this world.

Jesus is building Himself a dwelling-place of beauty and joy, one that so reflects His presence and power that it can seem, at times, to be almost indistinguishable from Him (Ps. 48.1-3, 12-14).

As we build our churches let us not lose sight of the fact that what matters most to the Lord is not the number, shape, and usability of the buildings we erect, but the health, growth, and ministries of the people in whom He has come to dwell.

For the people who believe in Jesus are His temple, the centerpiece of Christ’s vision for the Church.

Next steps

What does it mean for you as a church member to be the “temple” of the Lord? And what about all of you together as church members? How should you expect to experience what it means to be the “temple” of the Lord? Talk with some of your fellow church members about these questions.

Additional Resources

Download this week’s study, Christ’s Vision for the Church.

Sign up for ViewPoint Leaders Training and start your own ViewPoint discussion group.

The Church is the flash point for revival, but only if we prepare for it as we should. Order a copy of T. M.’s book, Preparing Your Church for Revival, from our online store.

And men, download our free brief paper, “Men of the Church: A Solemn Warning,” by clicking here.

Except as indicated, Scripture taken from the New King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.