Tuesday, July 23, 2013

We Are God's Temple

The temples of this world will fade away but God's temple will last forever.



Ephesians 2:20-22  Together, we are His house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus Himself.  21  We are carefully joined together in Him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord.  22  Through Him you Gentiles are also being made part of this dwelling where God lives by His Spirit.

In the previous post we saw that God has drawn all mankind to himself from every nation, he doesn't have favorites, he never did. The nation of Israel was chosen as a tool to help us get to know God and what his will is for his people but God never gave Israel exclusive access to himself. God made it clear that he came to save us all and he wants us to be a part of his new temple.

God didn't throw away all of the Old Testament doctrine, they were the beginning of the foundation that would be completed with the apostles. The foundation that was laid by the prophets and the apostles was not composed of tradition, philosophy, or man made laws, this rock solid foundation is based on the great truths which God had revealed through the prophets and the apostles.

On this foundation God is building a new temple, that old temple in Jerusalem is gone, the Romans destroyed it. Jesus taught that Judaism was a thing of the past and that that old temple wasn't going to be needed anymore. Makes me wonder if God used the Romans to get rid of the old temple so that his people would quit using it.

The new temple in which God dwells is not a physical building like the old Jewish temple. It is a spiritual dwelling place that is to be purified and just as sacred as the physical temple was back when it was originally built. God's presence filled that first temple and it should fill us as the new temple.
This foundation is solid.
Isaiah 28:16  Therefore, this is what the Sovereign LORD says: "Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem, a firm and tested stone. It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on. Whoever believes need never be shaken.
This foundation is something that you don't need to worry about, it has been tested and found to be solid, there isn't any reason to doubt and suspect that it isn't stable. The foundation for this new temple is secure and will stand firm through any storm that may come.

When life comes at us like a hurricane there isn't any need to look for an evacuation route. I need to stand firm and put all doubts aside because my foundation has been fully tested and I know it is secure.

Thank you Lord for the assurance that I will weather the storms that this life throws my way. Thank you for making me a part of your temple where you choose to dwell.