Read 1 Corinthians 3:16-23.

Introduction⤒🔗

Suppose there was an old dilapidated building in town, it had been around forever, but in the course of time it has become badly deteriorated. Someone appears before the town board and suggests that the old place be demolished and the land be cleared of debris. But then it is discovered that the old building is actually an historical landmark: the original town meeting hall.

Now a group of concerned citizens appears before the town board and urges that, rather than being demolished, the old building should be renovated. Accepting the documentation concerning the historical significance of the old building, the town board erects a committee to preserve the structure and restore it. Now the police are given instructions to patrol the neighborhood nightly to prevent kids from throwing any more rocks through the windows or further vandalizing the old building. Plans are set in motion to reconstruct the site according to its original design, even using materials and building methods prevalent in that historical period. The whole community becomes involved and gets behind the project because they have a common interest in this dear old building as part of their common heritage. Consequently, rather than being unceremoniously demolished, the old structure is renovated because of its unique historical and cultural significance.

Applying all this to the church of Jesus Christ: if we lose sight of our unique identity as the church of God, we may entertain attitudes or engage in conduct that is detrimental to the church’s spiritual welfare. Remembering that we as Christians are the church of God, we must do what is necessary to promote the spiritual welfare of the church. As we study 1 Corinthians 3:16-23 let us seriously consider How We May Promote the Church’s Spiritual Welfare.

Promote the Church’s Spiritual Welfare, by Respecting the Church as God’s Sanctuary←⤒🔗

In verse sixteen the Apostle Paul informs us that the church is “God’s sanctuary,” and that the Spirit of God is living in us.

During the Old Testament dispensation, the LORD’s presence dwelt in the Holy of holies (the sanctuary) of the tabernacle, and later in the Holy of holies of the temple. In the New Testament dispensation, the LORD, by His Holy Spirit, dwells in the midst of each congregation, as well as personally in the heart of each individual believer. Revelation 1:13,20 provides us with a picture of Christ dwelling in the midst of His church. The Apostle John reports the vision he received: “among the lamp stands was someone like the Son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and having a golden sash around his chest.” The angel then explains the meaning of the imagery: “The mystery...of the seven golden lamp stands is this: the seven lamp stands are the seven churches.” Here are represented the seven individual congregation located in the Roman province of Asia, with the Lord Jesus Christ Himself present among each one of them.

Paul is surprised that these Corinthian Christians appear to be ignorant of this awesome fact; or at least for all practical purposes they have lost sight of it. He incredulously asks, “Do you not know that you are God’s sanctuary, and that the Spirit of God is living in you? (vs. 16) As Christians, we need to remind ourselves of this awesome fact and not lose sight of it: we are a sanctuary of the living God. Note 2 Corinthians 6:16, “we are the sanctuary of the living God. As God has said, ‘I will live in them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be my people.’” Regretfully, there are many times we must identify ourselves with Jacob when he said, “Surely, the LORD is in this place; and I did not know it” (Gen. 28:16).

Verse seventeen confronts us with a solemn warning: “If any one desecrates the sanctuary of God, God will destroy him.” This solemn warning had very practical significance and application for the Corinthian congregation. They were plagued with factions, which were threatening to tear apart the body of Christ: “each one of you is saying, I belong to Paul; or, I belong to Apollos; or, I belong to Cephas; or, I belong to Christ” (1 Cor. 1:12). The church was also plagued by a spirit of divisiveness: “you are still worldly. Since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly and are you not [living] like men?” (1 Cor. 3:3) Furthermore, they were tolerating the practice of immorality, which was polluting the sanctuary of God:

...the body is not meant for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body... ¹⁸Flee from fornication. Every [other] sin that a man commits is without the body, but he who commits fornication is sinning against his own body. ¹⁹Do you not realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You do not belong to yourself; ²⁰you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body. 1 Cor. 6:13b, 18-20

Then, too, they were grossly abusing the sacrament of the Lord’s Supper and thereby insulting and even blaspheming the presence and the person of Christ: “when you are assembled together it is not possible to eat the Lord’s Supper; ²¹for each one goes ahead and eats his own meal. Consequently, one remains hungry, while another gets drunk” (1 Cor. 11:20-21).

We, too, as members of the church of the Lord Jesus Christ, must be conscious of our spiritual identity and take to heart these words of warning: “If anyone desecrates the sanctuary of God, God will destroy him.” If someone came into our house and began to exhibit obscene behavior or created conflict and turmoil or began to destroy the place, what would we do? We certainly would not tolerate such conduct. Scripture warns that the LORD will not tolerate the desecration of His holy sanctuary; note the warning the Lord Jesus gives to the church of Thyatira:

...I hold this against you: You are tolerating that woman Jezebel, the one who calls herself a prophetess. She teaches and seduces my servants to commit sexual immorality and to eat [food] sacrificed to idols. ²¹I have given her time so that she might repent; but she is unwilling to repent of her immorality. ²²Listen; I will throw her into a bed of great tribulation, and also those who are committing adultery with her, unless they repent of her practices. ²³I will strike her children dead; then all the churches will know that I am the one who searches the hearts and minds, and I will give to each one of you what your deeds deserve. Rev. 2:20-23

Let us promote the church’s spiritual welfare by respecting the church, and also ourselves individually, as God’s own sanctuary: “the sanctuary of God is holy, and this is what you are.” Also consider Titus 2:13-14, “our Savior Jesus Christ...gave himself for us, so that he might redeem us from all iniquity and purify for himself a people for his own possession, [a people] zealous for good works.”

Promote the Church’s Spiritual Welfare, by Renewing Our Thinking with the Wisdom of God←⤒🔗

In verse eighteen Paul cautions the church to be on guard against self-deception: “let no one deceive himself.” How were the Corinthians in danger of self-deception? The Corinthian congregation was greatly enamored by the wisdom of this world. Such wisdom makes man, rather than God, the beginning and the end of all meaning and significance. Contrast this view with the biblical view presented in Romans 11:36, referring to the Lord God, the Apostle Paul declares, “from him, and through him, and for him, are all things; to him be the glory forever. Amen.”

The wisdom of the world makes man’s reason and man’s ability the standard by which all things are judged. Contrast this view with the biblical view presented in Proverbs 3:5-7, Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not depend upon your own understanding; ⁶in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. ⁷Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the LORD and turn away from evil.

The wisdom of the world makes man’s ambitions and man’s dreams the supreme goal before which all else must be subordinated or sacrificed. Contrast this view with the biblical view presented in the Lord’s Prayer: “Our Father in heaven, may your name be hallowed. ¹⁰Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matt. 6:9-10).

What adverse effect does such worldly thinking have upon the doctrine and the life of the church and upon the life of the individual Christian? For one thing, it subordinates Scripture, which records the works of God and speaks the Word of God, to the standard of human reason. Because they made their own human reason and ability the standard by which they judged what was possible, the Corinthians were led to erroneously deny the future resurrection of the body:

¹²Now if it is preached that Christ has been raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead?... ³⁵But someone will say, How are the dead raised? And with what kind of body will they come? ³⁶O foolish one, that which you yourself sow does not come to life unless it [first] dies. 1 Cor. 15:12,35-36

To such reasoning the Apostle Paul was compelled to retort, “O foolish one;” or, “How foolish!”

Secondly, such worldly thinking dismisses the teaching of Scripture in favor of current social trends. Having dismissed the authority of Scripture in favor of the feminism of the day, the Corinthians were refuting the husband’s role of headship in marriage and the man’s role of leadership within the church. This is something Paul will address later in this epistle:

³Now I want you to realize that the head of every man is Christ, and the head of the woman is the man, and the head of Christ is God... ¹⁶If anyone wants to be contentious about this, we have no other practice, nor do the churches of God. 1 Cor. 11:3,16

Thirdly, such worldly thinking takes the liberty of re-interpreting Scripture in such a way as to allow for the indulgence of the sinful passions. The Corinthians wrongfully interpreted Christian liberty as including the “right” to engage in immoral conduct, as though the Christian were free from the demands of the holy law of God. In response to this misconception the Apostle Paul declares,

¹²Everything is permissible for me, but not everything is beneficial. Everything is permissible for me, but I will not be mastered by anything...¹³The body is not meant for fornication, but for the Lord, and the Lord is for the body. (1 Cor. 6:12-13)

The apostle’s counsel is that we exchange the wisdom of the world for the wisdom of God: “If anyone among you thinks that he is wise by [the standards of] this age, let him become a fool, so that he may become wise” (vs. 18b). We are to set aside the wisdom of this world with its pattern of man-centered thinking and start all over again, this time with the God-centered thinking that is the characteristic of true spiritual wisdom. Consider Proverbs 9:10, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding.”

The reason Paul gives this counsel is because “the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God” (vs. 19). The wisdom that seeks to make man the center and supreme purpose of life, thereby assigning to finite man the position and honor that rightfully belongs to the infinite God, is culpable foolishness. That is to say, a foolishness that shall finally be judged by God for what it is, the sinful effort of man to usurp for himself that which rightfully belongs to God. The Psalmist addresses this culpable foolishness in Psalm 2,

Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing? ²The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together; Against the LORD, and against his Anointed One, saying, ³Let us break their bonds in pieces, and cast away their cords from us. ⁴He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; the LORD shall hold them in derision. ⁵Then he shall speak to them in his wrath, and distress them in his deep displeasure: ⁶Yet have I set my King on my holy hill of Zion. Psl. 2:1-6

Let us promote the church’s spiritual welfare by renewing our thinking with the wisdom of God. The wisdom of God is a wisdom that starts with God, rather than with man: “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; and the knowledge of the Holy One is understanding” (Prov. 9:10). It is a wisdom that evaluates all things by the criterion of God’s Word. Consider the example of the noble Bereans, they evaluated any teaching, including that of the Apostle Paul, with the Scriptures they already possessed, namely, the Scriptures of the Old Testament: “Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true” (Acts 17:11).

The wisdom of God is a wisdom that subordinates all thought, (all cultural trends, human dreams and desires, etc.), to the Word of God, as Paul declares in 2 Corinthians 10:5, “We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”

With regard to this fundamental Christian truth, namely, that the Scriptures are the authoritative standard for doctrine and life, consider the concerns that Christian pastor and scholar, Voddie T. Baucham, Jr., expresses with regard to the church’s growing tendency to accept the Critical Race Theory perspective as its authoritative guide to the correct understanding of justice as it relates to racial issues. His remarks are derived from his book, Fault Lines, and are presented in the brief Appendix found at the conclusion of this present study.

Promote the Church’s Spiritual Welfare, by Recognizing Our Status in Christ←⤒🔗

In verse twenty-one the apostle exhorts us, “Let no one boast in men.” We are not to place our confidence in men; we are not to find our identity in our allegiance to any man or human organization; we are not to find our source of significance in man-centered enterprises. The great temptation of these Corinthian Christians was to identify themselves with a particular individual, placing their confidence in him and giving their devotion to him; rather than focusing on Christ, giving Him the pre-eminence and making Him the supreme object of their devotion.

The reason we as Christians are not to boast (or, glory) in men is because “all things are yours.” That is to say, all Christian leaders, including all of their teaching and ministry, is in service to the church of Christ: their ministry is to present Christ to us and bring us into an ever-deeper relationship with Christ. The focus of their ministry is to be Christ and His church, rather than causing the focus to be upon themselves because of their ability to minister.

Instead of becoming a disciple of any particular Christian leader, we must realize that all Christian leaders are ministers (servants) of Christ, appointed to minister His grace and truth to His people. Consider the Apostle Paul’s testimony concerning his own ministry and that of his fellow apostles and evangelists: “we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake” (2 Cor. 4:5). Note, too, the Apostle Paul’s testimony of his willingness to sacrifice himself in service to the Corinthian church: “So I will very gladly spend for you everything I have and expend myself as well” (2 Cor. 12:15a).

Having declared, “all things are yours,” Paul now expands that statement to the broadest possible dimension: “the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all things are yours” (vs. 22). First, we must realize that all things have been put in subjection to Christ; referring to Christ, Paul declares, “God placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything” (Eph. 1:22a). Secondly, we must realize that the church of Christ collectively, including each believer in Christ individually, has been joined to Christ to share in His inheritance, as Paul informs the Romans, “Now, if we are children, then we are heirs; heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17a). By way of illustration, when a woman marries a man she shares in all of his possessions and holdings.

In practical terms, what is the significance of this great truth, the truth that “all things are yours”? In the present, all things contribute to the furtherance of our salvation and nothing can defeat the saving work of God that operates on our behalf: “we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who have been called according to his purpose” (Rom. 8:28). In the future we shall share with Christ in the full enjoyment of the great inheritance granted to Him by God His Father; note, again, Romans 8:17a, “Now, if we are children, then we are heirs; heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.”

Although all things belong to us as believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we do not belong to ourselves; on the contrary, “you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God.” We belong to our faithful Savior who loved us and gave Himself up for us; and together with Him, we belong to God as His most beloved and treasured possession.

Let us promote the church’s spiritual welfare by recognizing our status in Christ. Rather than identifying ourselves with men, affiliating ourselves with them in an effort to gain a sense of identity, approval and acceptance, let us appreciate our identity in Christ and all that that entails for the present and for eternity.

Conclusion←⤒🔗

As Christians, we need to be diligent to always bear in mind these three things: 1) the need to respect the church as God’s own holy sanctuary; 2) the need to renew our thinking with the wisdom of God; and, 3) the need to recognize our status in Christ. As we consciously live accordingly, it will greatly promote the spiritual welfare of Christ’s church, as well as our own spiritual welfare as individuals who belong to Christ our Savior.

Discussion Questions←⤒🔗

1. What does the Apostle Paul inform the Corinthian Christians with regard to the church’s identity (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16a)? By what means does the LORD dwell in the midst of His people (cf. 1 Cor. 3:16b)? Paul inquires as to whether the Corinthian believers were aware of what the church truly is; as Christians, are we aware of the church’s sacred identity because of the Holy Spirit’s presence within us and among us? How must this knowledge affect our relationship to the Church and to fellow believers?

Do you not know that you are God’s sanctuary, and that the Spirit of God is living in you? 1 Cor. 3:16

2. What warning does the apostle give to the Corinthians, and to us? See 1 Cor. 3:17. How did the Lord Jesus treat the desecration of the Jerusalem temple? See Jn. 2:14-16. In what ways might we, as a congregation, desecrate the church of the Lord Jesus Christ? Note Isa. 29:13a; 1 Cor. 1:11-12; 1 Cor. 5:1/6:13b,

If anyone desecrates the sanctuary of God, God will destroy him; for the sanctuary of God is holy, and this is what you are. 1 Cor. 3:17

In the temple courts he found those who were selling oxen and sheep and doves, and the money changers sitting [at their tables]. ¹⁵He made a whip out of cords and drove all [the animals] from the temple courts, both the sheep and the oxen; and he poured out the money changers’ coins and overturned their tables. ¹⁶To those who were selling doves he said, Take these things out of here; do not make my Father’s house into a marketplace. Jn. 2:14-16

Then the Lord said, ...these people [only] approach me with their mouth and [only] honor me with their lips, but have removed their heart far from me, and their reverence for me is [nothing more than] a tradition they have learned by rote... Isa. 29:13

...my brothers, because I have been informed by those [who belong to the household] of Chloe, that there are quarrels among you. ¹²Now this is what I mean, each one of you is saying, I belong to Paul; or, I belong to Apollos; or, I belong to Cephas; or, I belong to Christ. 1 Cor. 1:11­-12

It is actually reported that there is fornication among you...1 Cor. 5:1a

Now the body is not intended for fornication, but for the Lord; and the Lord is for the body. 1 Cor. 6:13b

3. In chapter three, Paul is speaking about the church corporately; later, what will he say about each individual Christian? See 1 Cor. 6:19-20a. In the name of Christ, what does the Apostle Paul call us to do? See 1 Cor. 6:20b; note, also, 2 Cor. 7:1,

Do you not realize that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You do not belong to yourself; ²⁰you were bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God with your body. 1 Cor. 6:19-20

...beloved, let us cleanses ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Cor. 7:1

4. Is it easy to purge ourselves of all sinful defilement? Is this a “once and done” procedure; or an on-going process? Note 2 Cor. 7:1b. On whom must we rely (cf. 2 Cor. 3:18), and what assurance are we given (cf. 1 Cor. 1:8-9)?

...perfecting holiness in the fear of God. 2 Cor. 7:1b

The participle (“perfecting”) indicates that this is an on-going process, which the Scripture identifies as “sanctification.”

...we all...beholding...the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory...by the Spirit of the Lord. 2 Cor. 3:18

[God] will also confirm you to the end, so that you may be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. ⁹God is faithful, by whom you were called into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. 1 Cor. 1:8-9

5. What further exhortation does the Apostle Paul give the Corinthian church? See 1 Cor. 3:18. What does he mean? Note Prov. 3:5-6. In Isaiah’s day, what was occurring within the covenant community with regard to fundamental moral values? See Isa. 5:20. What accounted for this incredible state of affairs? See Isa. 5:21. Is there any point in your congregation, or in your own life, that your opinions are being formed by the media, rather than by the Word of God? Do we as Christians at times allow ourselves to adopt the view point of the secular society because we want to be accepted or thought to be sophisticated? What are we Christians, both corporately as well as personally, exhorted to do? See 1 Thess. 5:21-22,

Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise by [the standards of] this age, let him become a fool, so that he may become wise... 1 Cor. 3:18

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and do not depend upon your own understanding; ⁶in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths. Prov. 3:5-6

Woe to those who call evil good, and good evil, who substitute darkness for light and light for darkness, who substitute bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter! ²¹Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! Isa. 5:20-21

²¹Test all things; hold fast to what is good. ²²Abstain from every form of evil. 1 Thess. 5:21-22

When It Comes to Matters of Race and Justice, Is The Church Adopting a Standard Other than the Bible?←⤒🔗

Voddie T. Baucham, Jr., Fault Lines The Social Justice Movement and Evangelicalism’s Looming Catastrophe, (Washington, D.C.: Salem Books), 2021.

Christian pastor and scholar, Voddie T. Baucham, Jr., writes, “In the wake of George Floyd’s death and the riots that followed, there were more than protests going on: there was also a frenzy of research.” (p. 113) He goes on to reference an article that appeared in the June 19, 2020, edition of Christianity Today. The article was entitled, “The Antiracist Curriculum White Evangelicals Need;” it then proceeded to provide a list books, articles and other resources intended to help Evangelicals become “antiracist.” The list included all the popular writers who propound the Critical Race Theory perspective, but only such writers (pp. 114-115). In other words, the list presented the “official canon” of social justice from the CRT perspective, with the intention of enlightening and educating evangelicals on the subject of justice in the field of race relations.

Before voicing his concerns, and criticism of the publication of such a list, Voddie offers the following clarifications: “First, I am not taking issue with the idea of a list. I actually think it is a good idea to have a list of recommended resources for people to read... Second, I am not taking issue with the particular books on the list...I...am in favor of reading broadly.” (p. 124)

What then, is Voddie’s concern? He explains, “I am taking issue with what this list represents: what it means. I am taking issue with the presuppositions behind it.” His first and primary concern is in keeping with the fundamental Christian truth that the Scriptures are the authoritative standard for doctrine and life. Voddie’s concern is that the underlying assumption in providing such a list is that the Bible is not sufficient to address issues of race and/or justice (p. 124). To quote Voddie, “The general theme of the current CSJ movement within evangelicalism is a covert attack on the sufficiency of Scripture.” (p. 125)

Expanding his concern beyond Christianity Today’s recommended reading list, based on his observations and interactions with numerous evangelical leaders, Voddie goes on to say, “...the CRT crowd in evangelicalism are not men who have been challenged on their interpretation of Scripture­ they are proclaiming that sources outside of Scripture have brought them to a new, better, and more complete understanding of God’s truth on race.” (p. 126) In other words, these men are not saying that they have come to a better understanding of the Scriptures as it applies to race and justice; rather, they are testifying that sources other than Scripture have enlightened them with regard to the truth on the subject of race and justice, (even though those sources do not expound the Scriptures and present theories that conflict with the basic teaching of the Scriptures).

Voddie goes on to say, “...there is not a book in the world that is better suited to address men on the issue of race than the Bible. That is not to say that there is no help to be found in other books. It is, however, to say that they are not essential.” (p. 126) Referencing 2 Timothy 3:17, he asserts, “It is the Bible—not sociology, psychology, or political science—that offers sufficient answers not only on race, but on every ethical issue man has faced, or will ever face.” (p. 127)