What Paul Recorded
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Paul recorded the most about the New Testament Temple. He wrote this to the Corinthians: ;For we are laborers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s BUILDING” (I Cor. 3:9). Note this. Unlike today’s English, the King James translators carefully used ;ye” whenever the intent was plural and ;you” when it was singular. The ye here means all of the Corinthians, or thus the whole Church, collectively. It will become clearer as we proceed that individual members are not the Temple of God, but rather the entire Church as a whole comprises the Temple.
We will later come to understand how the Bible describes—the term that it uses for—individuals within that Temple.
A few verses later Paul added this: ;Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in ye? If any man defile the Temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the Temple of God is holy, which Temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17). Each time ;temple” appears, it is naos in the Greek, meaning the central or inner sanctuary.
Placed together, these verses reveal that God sees His people as both His Building and His Temple. God isbuilding a Temple—a House. I Corinthians 6:19 adds a little more. It also makes clear how serious it is if we treat lightly the incredible privilege it is to have God dwelling in us—if God’s people do not conduct themselves in a manner that reflects this.
But the second epistle to the Corinthians adds significantly more. Let’s notice: ;And what agreement has the Temple of God with idols? for ye [notice the plural pronoun is used throughout here] are the Temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people” (2 Corinthians 6:16).
The last part of this passage is a quote from Leviticus 26:12. Its use here demonstrates God has always planned that His Church, those in whom He would in the future personally dwell, would be the greatest—truly the most glorious—temple of all. Remember, Leviticus was recorded long before either Solomon’s or Zerubbabel’s temple was built.
Also, there is a powerful message for everyone in the splinters in the preceding verses leading up to the 2 Corinthians 6:16 quoted above. For those who desire to be in God’s Temple, there exists no room—NONE!—for doctrinal compromise with any of the false teachings of counterfeit Christianity—summarized as ;unrighteousness” and ;darkness”—now invading and infecting all the splinters. We are to ;touch not the unclean thing” (2 Corinthians 6:17)—anyunclean thing.
Pause to read 2 Corinthians 6:14 and 15. Then take the time to read each phrase in Ephesians 5:6-11, followed by Ephesians 5:23 and 30. The first group of verses condemn all compromise with every form of unrighteousness. (This issue will rear its head later when we examine the three things John was told to measure.) The latter two verses tie Christ as Head of ;the Church” to those in it being what He considers the individual ;members of His Body, of His flesh, and of His bones.”
Let this understanding of exactly what it means to be in the Body of Christ sober you!
Church, Body and Temple—Three Critical Verses
One final proof (there are several others) that the Church of God, the biblical Body of Christ, the House of Godand the Temple of God are the exact same thing is understood by carefully comparing three additional passages in Paul’s epistles. Follow very closely the incredible connection between these important passages.
Do not miss what they reveal!
Let’s begin by looking at I Timothy 3:15. This crucial but largely ignored bedrock passage provides the New Testament definition of the true Church of God. While most have forgotten it, this verse has always been there. The Church is there called ;the house of God, which is the Church of the living God, the pillar and ground of THE TRUTH.” (Take more than a passing interest in the fact that this verse directly ties the Church to where ;thetruth” is—not ;some of the truth” or ;much of the truth” or even ;most of the truth”—and certainly not ;truthmixed with error”—but rather simply ;THE TRUTH”!)
Then, get clear in your mind that the Church is called ;the HOUSE of God.” (It is also more than interesting that this is virtually the same term used from the beginning regarding Solomon’s Temple—which was generally referred to as the ;House of the Lord,” or ;God’s House,” as in I Kings 6:37-38.)
Next, recall that Mr. Armstrong in his statement referenced Ephesians 2:19-21. Also recall that Paul called the Temple of the Lord a ;BUILDING fitly framed together” in that passage. Later, in chapter 4 of Ephesians, he said the identical thing about the Body of Christ. Notice: ;From whom the whole BODY fitly joined together and compacted [I Corinthians 12:24 adds ;tempered together”] by that which every joint supplies, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part…” (Ephesians 4:16).
The phrases translated ;fitly framed together” and ;fitly joined together” derive from the very same Greek wordsunarmologeo. It means ;to render close-jointed together, i.e. organized compactly, be fitly framed (joined) together (in the sense of laying).” Paul obviously had the same thing in mind whether he was discussing the Church, the Temple (or House of God) or the Body of Christ.
Sunarmologeo offers truly fascinating meaning. The beginning and last portions of the definition—;render close-jointed” and ;together (in the sense of laying)”—carry the obvious meaning of laying individual bricks or stones that are mortared or put ;close-jointed” beside each other (;together”) as one would lay them in rows within a building.
Since we saw that the Temple is also called God’s ;building,” there is no possible way to read these passages and conclude that the true Church of God could be anything other than one undivided organization—A SINGLE BUILDING! Do not let anyone ever again tell you that God’s Temple is anything less than this! His Building cannot be ;spiritualized away”—as do Protestants with every doctrine in God’s Word—into a ;temple” that is ill-defined, disconnected, amorphous—and meaningless.
Now let’s look more closely at the ;bricks” or ;stones” used in building—exactly what or who it is that lies together ;close-jointed.” At this point the knowledge presented in this chapter becomes personal.
An Astonishing Passage in I Peter!
The apostle Peter put an exclamation point—a capstone if you will—on all that Paul wrote about the New Testament Temple.
This first of his general epistles declares this to what would include all true Christians through the ages: If so be ye [plural again] have tasted that the Lord is gracious. To Whom coming, as unto a LIVING STONE [referring to Christ], disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively [living] stones, are built up a SPIRITUAL HOUSE, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices [on God’s altar], acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Zion a CHIEF CORNER STONE, elect, precious: and he that believes on Him shall not be confounded” (1 Peter 2:3-6).
It is obvious the living stones (Christ being the Chief Corner Stone) are the individual Christians in the Temple lying ;close-jointed” or ;fitly framed” together. And note that it was only the priests who could enter and serve in Solomon’s Temple (II Chron. 23:6). Also, it is important to recognize that 1 Peter 2:5 should carry the stronger rendering of the POSITIVE COMMAND ;be ye [BE YE!] also living stones,” as is found in the margin of many Bibles.
This is absolutely incredible understanding, for those able to receive it—for what should be a second time! Get it firmly in mind before continuing. Everyone with God’s Spirit alive today should give much more than mere pause in determining whether they are fulfilling this meaning and purpose—what is a COMMAND!
Peter wrote more, and our understanding cannot be complete without it: ;Unto you therefore which believe He is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders disallowed [or ;rejected”], the same is made the head of the corner, and a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, aroyal priesthood, a holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should show forth the praises of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:7-9).
The world has never been willing to accept the true Jesus Christ! Neither will they accept the Church He built—and is still building. They ;stumble” at His doctrines, and reject—;disallow”—Him as the Head of the Church—any Church. In His place they have brought a cold, dead Jesus (called ;another Jesus”), who brings dead understanding (empty false doctrines), and who builds dead churches out of DEAD STONES!
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