1 Corinthians 3:16-23 Don’t destroy God’s temple!
Format for Your Devotions
Instructions: Do not read my example devotion until you have completed your own devotional time in the scriptures. Reading my thoughts first may limit your own understanding. Let the Holy Spirit speak to you alone before looking to see what anyone else has to say, whether it is me, a Bible commentary, or a friend. Let God speak to you before you let another person speak to you. I have provided a format, but modify it to fit your needs. For example, I usually combine my application and prayer together talking to God about the application to my own life. You can go through this devotion process mentally, speaking out loud, or in writing as you wish. Don’t worry if you are not following this process exactly. Sometimes, I add extra information and sometimes I emphasize one part more than others. However, you should always think about what you learn about God from this passage.
Step 1: Pray–Ask for the Holy Spirit’s guidance first of all and that God may reveal the lessons that He wants you to have that day. Request that God protect you from Satan’s distractions (and the devil will try to distract you whether it is pinching the baby or putting you to sleep). Ask to see God more clearly as you read and think about the passage.
Step 2: Read the passage–Read to get an overview of the information first. Then start looking at specific parts after the first reading. You may read a larger or smaller section than I have here because you do not have to follow my organization at all.
Step 3: Understand the passage–You can summarize, ask and answer your own questions about the passage, visualize the story, analyze the characters, and relate this passage to other scriptures and personal experiences.
Step 4: What does this reveal about God?–What do you learn about the Father, Son, and/or Holy Spirit from this passage?
Step 5: Apply this to your own life.
Step 6: Prayer
My Example Devotion: January 31, 2020 1 Corinthians 3:16-23
Note: In the devotion examples, I leave my questions and thought processes in the text because I am trying to demonstrate that a devotional time is a dialogue with God about what you are reading from His word. As such, any questions or ideas that you have should be explored by talking it out with God. These example devotions are not my attempts to teach you what the meaning of a particular scripture is. They are an attempt to teach you the process of devotions, which is a combination of prayer and Bible study where you explore ideas with God as you read His word.
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. Let no one deceive himself. If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that he may become wise. For the wisdom of this world is folly with God. For it is written, “He catches the wise in their craftiness,” and again, “The Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are futile.” So let no one boast in men. For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours, and you are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.
(Revelation of God) As Christians, God lives in us through His Holy Spirit. We become a dwelling place for God, just as the original tabernacle was. There were times when the presence of God was so strong that it drove out the priests and other times when they could easily enter in. Is that true also with us? Are there times when the presence of God in us is stronger than others?
(Understanding the Text) We usually apply destroying the temple to hurting our bodies, but in this context, I think destroying the temple might be tearing it down mentally through indulging in quarreling, judgment, and striving to be top. Is Paul speaking of grieving the Holy Spirit? The SDA commentary says “Paul turns his attention to those who constitute the spiritual building. Collectively they make up the spiritual temple of God in which resides the Spirit of God. Paul is here speaking primarily of the church and is warning his successors at Corinth against bringing injury to the church in any way (1 Cor. 3:17). It is true, of course, that the individual Christian is also the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, but this thought is given primary emphasis in ch. 6:19, 20.”
Paul says that using the world’s wisdom and logic will not work with God. He says trusting in human ideas is wrong. Human wisdom is craftiness to get ahead and futile goals. Paul says that putting one man above another is futile, and to remember that all of the laborers for God belong to the group of believers in Corinth, no matter where they came from or who they spoke to originally. As long as the message leads to Jesus, it doesn’t matter who said the words even if the words come from worldly sources. Christians have control of their own destiny by choosing Jesus as their Lord; thus, even death and especially living are no problem. They have no need to worry and argue about the present or the future because they belong to Jesus, and through Jesus, they can be in the presence of God and survive, more than survive; they can live well.
“For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world or life or death or the present or the future—all are yours.” I’m not sure that I understand what Paul is saying here. The SDA commentary says “All apostles, prophets, ministers, or any other type of messenger whom He [God] uses, serves the entire church, not merely one section of it. Therefore, it is wrong to claim allegiance to any particular leader or agent such as Paul or Apollos. They are only the instruments whom God uses to accomplish His purposes on earth. The attention of believers must be fixed upon God and upon Jesus, from whom, as God, all wisdom comes (see Col. 2:2, 3).” The Message paraphrases it like this: “I don’t want to hear any of you bragging about yourself or anyone else. Everything is already yours as a gift— Paul, Apollos, Peter, the world, life, death, the present, the future—all of it is yours, and you are privileged to be in union with Christ, who is in union with God” (1 Corinthians 3:21-23).
(Application) Sometimes, I find myself feeling superior over fellow church members in my choice of preachers. I tend to think that other church members are settling for less intelligence or less focus on Jesus, but the truth is that all of the preachers are sincerely trying to serve God. (This does not include the ones who are downright wrong. It includes the ones where I simply do not care for their style or the emphasis of their messages.) I need to be humble in giving credit to these various preachers and not feeling that my choices are superior. God is leading each of us in unique ways tailor-made for our characters and personalities and past experiences. Each of these preachers has a valid place in God’s plans.
(Prayer) I pray to trust You that I am in You and to live like I know that. I pray to reflect Your glory to those around me. I pray for my city. Help us to give Your love and salvation to people here. Help us grow.