Today’s Reading: 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:17; Proverbs 12

And what union can there be between God’s temple and idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God said:
“I will live in them and walk among them.
I will be their God, and they will be my people.
Therefore, come out from among unbelievers,
And separate yourselves from them, says the Lord.
Don’t touch their filthy things,
And I will welcome you.
And I will be your Father,
And you will be my sons and daughters,
Says the Lord Almighty.” – 2 Corinthians 6:16-18

WE ARE THE TEMPLE OF THE LIVING GOD.

These verses reflect the message Paul gave the Corinthians in his first letter to them. The Spirit of God lives within us and dwells among us. What a blessing to experience the holy presence of God!

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? God will destroy anyone who destroys this temple. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. – 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

When we first read Paul’s words in 2 Corinthians 6:14-16, it can be easy to interpret scripture to say that we should have nothing to do with those who live in sin. After all, how can righteousness team up with wickedness? How can light live with darkness? What harmony could Jesus Christ and the devil ever have? How could a believer team up with or partner with an unbeliever? But we have also been commissioned by God to take His message of salvation to the lost. Jesus taught us to love God by loving others. So what is Paul teaching the church and what wisdom can we gain from his letter today?

Because we have these promises, dear friends, let us cleanse ourselves from everything that can defile our body or spirit. And let us work toward complete holiness because we fear God. – 2 Corinthians 7:1

Paul is calling the believers to a life of holiness. We are God’s temple; the Spirit of God is living within us. We cannot embrace the righteousness of God while also embracing the sins of this world. We are called by God for a purpose, and we must not let the temporary pleasures of this world distract us from the eternal calling God has placed on our lives.

You are coming to Christ, who is the living cornerstone of God’s temple. He was rejected by people, but he was chosen by God for great honor. And you are the living stones that God is building into his spiritual temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. – 1 Peter 2:4-5

WE ARE THE LIVING STONES OF GOD’S SPIRITUAL TEMPLE. WE ARE HIS HOLY PRIESTS.

We have been called to something much greater than what this world has to offer us. Jesus died to set us free from our sins; we no longer live in bondage to our sinful nature. So why would we seek joy in what the world defines as happiness? If God is dwelling within us, we have access to His righteousness. We do not have to produce Christian perfection of our own strength. God is building us into his spiritual temple, daily making us into who He is calling us to be. So let us cooperate with our builder and seek first His kingdom and His righteousness.

Paul referred again to the harsh letter that he had sent the church between what we know as 1 Corinthians and 2 Corinthians. It was a painful letter to receive, and Paul recognized the pain that it had caused. Yet he took time in this last letter to the church in Corinth to explain how the pain caused by confrontation can be productive because it restores us to the place God wants us to be.

I am not sorry that I sent that severe letter to you, though I was sorry at first, for I know it was painful to you for a little while. Now I am glad I sent it, not because it hurt you, but because the pain caused you to repent and change your ways. It was the kind of sorrow God wants his people to have, so you were not harmed by us in any way. For the kind of sorrow God wants us to experience leads us away from sin and results in salvation. There’s no regret for that kind of sorrow. But worldly sorrow, which lacks repentance, results in spiritual death. – 2 Corinthians 7:8-10

I am not the only living stone that God is using to build His spiritual temple. It matters what is happening in the lives of the “stones” around me. At times God calls me into a healing conversation for the sake of helping someone else, and sometimes I am the one who experiences the pain of someone else’s tough love or honest words. I recognize that this godly sorrow is often what begins the healing process in my life; the Holy Spirit either confirms what is true or helps me decipher what is false. Little by little, I am becoming what the Lord created me to be.

Lord, my heart is grateful for the experience of your Spirit living within me, every day guiding me and teaching me. I surrender to the work you are doing in my life. Produce in me a righteousness that reflects who YOU are, and help me to recognize the ways in which you want to use me in someone else’s life today. Give me the courage to step into difficult conversations, both giving and receiving what your Spirit has for me today. I am your temple and you are the One who is daily building me for your glory and for your purposes. What an honor to be a child of God. I love you with all that I am and all that I will be. Amen.

To learn, you must love discipline;
it is stupid to hate correction.
The Lord approves of those who are good,
but he condemns those who plan wickedness.
Wickedness never brings stability,
but the godly have deep roots. – Proverbs 12:1-3