Calvary Road Baptist Church
“THE CHURCH IS WHAT?”
First Corinthians 3.16-17
Picture this scene in your mind. Dad wakes up with a start as Mom nudges him. It’s still dark outside, and he notices that Mom has already been up for some time and has dressed. As she moves into the other room, Dad wakes up the boys. They want to sleep more, but Dad’s nudges are more than suggestions for getting up.
In the darkness, Dad and his two teenage sons dress quickly, splash the cold water on their faces, and join Mom at the door. She hands them a large piece of bread as they step out into the cool, moist fog, eating as they go.
Out in the courtyard, they are cautious to watch their step. They don’t want to wake anyone else up. Quietly, they open the front gate, step out into the cobblestone street, look both ways in the darkness, and head out into the country.
The year is 75 AD, by our reckoning. The Lord Jesus Christ has been at His Father’s right hand in glory for about 40 years.[1] The great Apostle Paul, who first brought the Gospel to this small Greek village by the sea, was beheaded eight years earlier. Dad, Mom, and the boys never knew Paul personally, though they had heard much about him. But they do know the Master he served personally.
This family is a family of slaves. Slaves who know Jesus Christ as their personal Savior. And since they have become Christians, they have begun to thank God for the wealthy man who owns them, even though he is unsaved.
They are grateful that he allows them to rise early on Sunday to go and worship out in the country, so long as they do not disturb him and so long as they continue to discharge all of their duties faithfully. They also pray fervently that their owner will someday be converted and that he won’t sell them off individually, thereby breaking up their family so they will never see each other again, this side of eternity.
By the way ... the congregation with whom this family will worship is the only congregation of Christians for miles around. If they want to join together in fellowship, worship, instruction, and exhortation, they must do it here.
Now let us take note of another scene. It’s about 8:30 when Mom finally gets Dad out of bed. The sun was high in the sky, and the dew was long gone before Mom got out of bed. It’s the third try when she calls the boys to get up, but they stay in bed, knowing they have until try number six or seven before she gets angry and enforces her will. Dad ignores the whole scene down the hall. He got up because he couldn’t wait any longer to go to the bathroom.
All morning long, the family takes their time. Mom at her vanity. Dad is at the mirror, shaving. The boys take forever in the shower, at the breakfast table, and getting fully dressed. It’s Sunday, and Mom wants to go to Church. And after some persuasion, Dad reluctantly orders the boys to get ready. They want to stay home, hoping Mom and Dad will take in some television religion, but Mom says, “No!” Strangely, Dad backs her up and tells the boys, “Get moving.”
Though the family goes to Church, they arrive late, not even attempting to make Sunday School. They are oblivious to the disruption of the song service and sit as far back in the auditorium as they can so they will be able to get out quickly at the end of the service or so they will be able to get up in the middle of the pastor’s message and go to the rest room, or to meander to the water fountain and get a drink of water, lest they die of thirst with their water bottles in the car.
What are the differences between the two families? 1900 years? That’s one difference. Slavery and obstacles to attending Church conveniently? That’s another. Self-discipline? That’s perhaps a third difference. But the one I want to focus on this evening is understanding. The modern family all too often does not behave as though they have any understanding of the importance of their Church.
The ancient family realized that their Church was the lighthouse of truth during the stormy night of paganism. It was the place of instruction amid gross spiritual ignorance. It was the haven of love and sacrificial giving in a world of selfishness and materialism. I suppose you might say that their world was conducive to their understanding of the vital place their Church had in their spiritual lives.
Someone once said that familiarity breeds contempt. But if modern Christians are not contemptuous of their Churches, they have at least lost their reverence for Church. But in our time, Church does not appear to be as unique to us as it did to them in their time. Why? There are several reasons:
First, there are numerous substitutes for the Church, which is spoken of in the Bible. Competing for the Christian’s attention, prayers, money, and loyalty are television “ministries” such as the 700 Club, Trinity Broadcast Network, Joel Osteen, Benny Hinn, and at one time, the Old Time Gospel Hour, Jack Van Impe, Robert Schuller, Frederick K. Price, Billy Graham, and Kenneth Copeland. There is also a myriad of radio ministries and podcasts.
In the local community, there are women’s Christian clubs, Bible studies, parachurch organizations such as Child Evangelism Fellowship, what used to be known as Campus Crusade For Christ, and so on. No such competition existed in 75 AD because such diversions are not found in the Bible, as I have just mentioned. Only the local Church is found in Scripture.
Second, so-called Christians have begun to believe that believers are supposed to be perfect like they are. I say that facetiously because we like to be around people like us. But friends, Churches are repositories of many different kinds of people; rich, poor, literate, illiterate, handsome, unhandsome, cultured, and crude. So, for one reason or another, with all her lack of perfections the Church has lost her attractiveness to many who only want to be around folks similar to them.
Do you want to know something? You need to understand the importance of this Church! As important as the Church was to those people in 75 AD, as vital as the ministry of the Church was in their lives, as exalted as was her position in the plan and purpose of God then, the same is true today! And you will if you allow God to order your priorities, order your ways, and direct your actions as a consequence of personal Bible reading and study.
Consider First Corinthians 3.16-17:
16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
Three pieces of information in these two short verses will help us to understand the importance of this Church, this congregation of born-again, scripturally baptized believers in the Lord Jesus Christ.
INFORMATION PIECE NUMBER ONE. IDENTITY INFORMATION
What was the problem in Paul’s day? As I have illustrated in my opening remarks, early Christians had no difficulty understanding the uniqueness of the Church, but they did have a problem with their Church’s spiritual identity. Why else would Paul have needed to inform them of such? You see, people in those days grew up in very religious cultures. People are religious even when they are ungodly. But in their cultural orientation, religious life was necessarily focused around a religious building or temple.
Paul solved their problem by insisting that buildings are unnecessary for true religion. The people with which you worship the true and living God in a rightly constituted Church are a temple. Paul’s exact words were, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?” And the word “ye” means you all. He was talking about their assembly. The elaborate buildings on their surrounding hills were not temples. They were spiritual brothels. Their Church, on the other hand, that congregation of born-again, Scripturally baptized people, was, in all reality, the temple of God in that town. So, their identity problem was quickly solved. They had been informed about the true identity of their Church.
What, then, is the problem in our day? Do you mean, in addition to the language problem of those who do not grasp the implications of the Greek use of the word ἐkklhsίa, usually translated as Church in the New Testament, which never to Greeks refers to a gathering that cannot be seen?[2] Sure, some people think that cathedrals and the like are “holy” buildings. But folks usually abandon such notions soon after they trust Christ as their Savior. By and large, the concept of “holy” geography is outmoded in our society. Our problem relates to the uniqueness of the Church. In our day of fellowships, conventions, clubs, seminars, armies, associations, brotherhoods, crusades, ad infinitum, and ad nauseam, this passage singles out the Church as the unique temple of God.
The Salvation Army is not the temple of God! Child Evangelism Fellowship is not the temple of God! The Women’s Bible Fellowship is not the temple of God! The Gideon’s is not the temple of God! The formerly named Campus Crusade For Christ is not the temple of God! Neither is The Institute For Basic Life Principles nor the Navigators! I’m not being cruel, and I’m not attacking anyone. I desire that every one of you knows, in no uncertain terms, that the Gospel preaching, Christ-exalting, Bible-believing, independent, fundamental Church, like this one, is the temple of God! “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?” And his remarks were directed to the Church of God, which was at Corinth, First Corinthians 1.2.
INFORMATION PIECE NUMBER TWO. SANCTITY INFORMATION
Notice, if you will, in verse 16, the cause of their sanctity. Paul writes, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” Pay attention to the word “dwelleth,” oἰkέw. It means to inhabit as one’s abode.[3] And there are several things that we notice from this word:
#1 Ownership. Although we know that the Church is Christ’s, authentically, the Church also belongs to the Holy Spirit. It is His; therefore, He will do as He pleases.
#2 Permanency. The Holy Spirit is here amid His people. He plans on staying, and He will not leave.
#3 Presence. This is perhaps the most important thing that we ought to note. The Holy Spirit of God is here in a way that He is not in any other kind of assembly or group that is not a Church of Jesus Christ.
Don’t be confused by this statement like many Christians are. They think that Paul is talking about their bodies because they have often been told that their bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. While true, a believer’s body is the temple of the Holy Spirit, which is the subject of First Corinthians 6.19, not First Corinthians 3.16. The verse we are dealing with, which uses the phrase “temple of God,” refers not to individuals, which are “temples of the Holy Spirit,” but to the entire congregation of the Church, the “temple of God.” Again let me say the Holy Spirit of God inhabits this congregation like He inhabits no other kind of gathering of human beings, saved or lost. And His very presence amongst you causes something to happen.
In verse 17, the consequence of the cause:
“for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
Again, we see the word “ye,” which lets us know that Paul is still dealing with the Church as a membership, not with particular individuals. When you begin to realize, from verse 16, that just as the Shekinah glory of God dwelt between the cherubim above the mercy seat in the Tabernacle, so also the Holy Spirit of God dwells in this Church, then you will realize the certainty of the consequence. What is the consequence of the Holy Spirit’s presence? Holiness.
This doesn’t mean that a congregation is necessarily less sinful than other groups of people, that you are less sinful than a Gideon’s group. Still, it does mean that a duly constituted congregation is set apart unto God as a Church like they are not were they a parachurch organization. You see, only God is “holy” so far as being pure and without defilement is concerned. When the word “holy” is applied to God’s children or any created thing, like the Church, “holy” refers to being set aside for God’s use and purpose. That’s where the word sanctity comes in ... sacred ... set ... apart ... special.
As supposedly wonderful as Bible studies are, as supposedly wonderful as clubs, seminars, and Christian colleges are, they are not termed in the Word of God as something sacred unto God. They have no designated sanctity. They are not, in the same sense, “holy.” While every Church has, at times, in the past, had hypocrisy and wickedness and sin of all sorts, just as can creep into any congregation ... at the same time, Churches are has been holy. Why? Because the Holy Spirit of God has always been there. And though she may not be highly esteemed by the untaught and the unregenerate, those who know the Word of God realize that such congregations are vital to the Spirit of the living God. He cares for them. He lives in their midst. He gives them sanctity. And He wants their position to become their practice.
INFORMATION PIECE NUMBER THREE. ACTIVITY INFORMATION
There are two activities that we shall note. There is the activity of defiling and the activity of destroying verse 17:
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.”
There are enemies of the Church who would defile her. The word “defile,” fqeίrw, means to corrupt and to bring to a worse state.[4] It’s a broad term that would conceivably apply to anyone who says or does anything to harm a Church. How would that be done? It could be done by badmouthing a Church to interfere with her efforts to bring the lost to Christ. It could be done by opposing her efforts to conduct the various ministries God has called her to undertake. It can even be done by spiritual lethargy and lack of commitment to the ministry of the Church. Doing nothing when something should be and could be done. Or, it could be done by members bringing open sin into her midst. In short, the defilement of a Church can take place from within or from without, by members who are saved, as well as by pretenders who are lost.
When a Church member commits sexual sin, they defile the congregation by harming her testimony. Should a believer saved from drugs and booze slip and fall back into that for a short time, he harms his Church and her ability to win folks to Christ. When someone disagrees over vital doctrines that are taught in God’s Word, that person who refuses to heed the instruction of the Bible and who influences others to do likewise brings harm to Christ’s Church.
“But, pastor, how can my personal sin harm this Church? How can it harm the Church if no one finds out?” Because the Bible says that when one member suffers, all the members suffer, First Corinthians 12.26. And brother, when you sin, you defile yourself. Therefore, when you defile yourself, you defile the Church body that you are a part of. Yes, beloved, there are those who harm Churches.
But thanks be to God, there is a Protector who would destroy them. You might have noticed that the first two phrases of verse 17 form a first-class conditional sentence, the familiar “if this is true, then this is the consequence,” with the first part, what is called the protasis, assumed to be true:
“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy.”
There will be those who defile the temple of God. That part is assumed to be true in a first-class conditional sentence, as seen here. That being the case, there is no doubt that “him shall God destroy.” Understand, however, that this word “destroy” does not mean to annihilate or to burn in Hellfire. It translates the same Greek word that the word “defile” translates to damage or harm in some way. Mess with the congregation and God will mess with you.
Here, the law of sowing and reaping apply to the Church. If someone harms or tries to harm the Church, it will come back on him even if someone harms the Church by not trying. Maybe not right away. Maybe not soon. But someday, the chickens will come home to roost. It will show up in your personal life, in your marriage, or your kids’ lives. For every damaging activity against the Church of Jesus Christ congregation, there will be an opposite reaction against that person, certainly of a much more damaging nature, because the response will come from God.
Therefore, whatever your activities in this life happen to be, do not be so reckless as to allow them to be activities that harm the Church. Do you enjoy a sport? Good. Enjoy your sport some other time than Sundays or during Church ministry time. Do you like quality family time? Good. The best quality time you can ever have is worshiping God as a family at Church. Do you like to rest when you’re tired? Good. Rest when it doesn’t conflict with Church. Do your kids like their sports? Great. Teach them young that sports must always come second to Church attendance.
Do not ever openly wage war against Christ’s Church. If you do, God will openly violate you in a public way. And don’t wage a quiet war against Christ’s Church by undermining the mission of the Church, either. If you do, God will undermine your life. Understand that you call it by the way you live. Support your Church’s ministry openly and publicly. Get behind her mission and support her ministries, and Christ will openly bless your life, marriage, and children.
We live in an age of diversion. One of Satan’s most significant accomplishments has been to use so-called Christians and Christian “ministries” to divert other so-called Christians, and even real Christians, from the true significance of the institution of the Church congregation. Satan’s goal, you see, has always been to divide and conquer. Split Christians into small groups that will be much less effective than a single large and powerfully dynamic Church. The same tactic is used by feminists with the men foolish enough to pair up with them, as the Megan Markles of the world work to divide their Prince Harry men from their friends, from their families, from their neighborhoods, from their hobbies, and everything else that might render them less manageable.
Get Christians so busy doing good things that they lose sight of that essential thing Christ has commanded of them who say they love Him, obedience. I may not know what your particular cultural background happens to be. Still, I am confident that the institution of the New Testament Church is the single and unique instrumentality, according to the Bible, which is God’s tool for our day.
You ought to be convinced of this in your heart and mind. Convinced by information relating to identity. Only the Church is God’s temple. Convinced by information relating to sanctity. Only the Church is a holy assembly. Convinced by information relating to activity. Only the Church of the groups I have mentioned will be avenged by God.
But what about our marriage? What about our family? Families were the first of the institutions God formed. And how effectively did that first marriage protect against sin and the Fall. Families are excellent, but Churches improve marriage, strengthen families, and guide one and all.
That is why wise husbands want their wives exposed to the godly women in our Church so that they will become better women, better wives, and better mothers. It is why women who are not manipulative shrews pray that their husbands will participate in activities for men and boys in the Church. Much of manhood is caught rather than taught, with regular discipleship playing a vital role.
Christian, how has the direction of your life reflected this truth concerning the Church? Are you investing your time in your Church, or are you too busy? I ask because I believe one can harm the Church by not doing what you should do just as much as doing what you should not do. Or how about you, who may be lost? Will you respond to the message that this holy assembly preaches and receive the Savior on which this congregation is founded? I hope at some point that you will.
__________
[1] Psalm 16.11; 110.1; Matthew 26.64; Mark 12.36; 14.62; 16.19; Luke 20.42; 22.69; John 3.13; 13.1; 14.2-4; Acts 1.9-11; 2.33, 34-35; 7.56; Romans 8.34; Ephesians 1.20; 6.9; Colossians 3.1; Second Thessalonians 1.7; Hebrews 1.3, 13; 8.1; 9.24; 10.12-13; 12.2; 1 Peter 3.22; Revelation 19.11
[2] An assertion made to me in August 2021 by a Greek Orthodox Seminary trained Greek national in response to my direct question.
[3] Bauer, Danker, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and other Early Christian Literature, (Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press, 2000), page 694.
[4] Rogers, Jr., Cleon L. and Rogers III, Cleon L., The New Linguistic and Exegetical Key To The Greek New Testament, (Grand Rapids, MI: ZondervanPublishingHouse, 1998), page 353.
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