Building or a body? Or both?

The church is not a building. For some, this might be a shocking statement. Most Christians use the term to speak of the place where they worship God, but the Bible does not use church that way. Instead, the New Testament dubs the people of God who believe in Jesus Christ as the church.

This confusion about it being the building may have originated in the history of the temple, a building in Jerusalem in which the religious life of the Jews was centered. In the time of Christ, it was called Herod’s Temple. As the temples before it, this building was a symbol of religious hope. People from near and far came to worship, offer sacrifices, and observe the religious festivals of Judaism.

My Bible dictionary identifies “temple” as a building or place where God is to be worshipped. The NT speaks of a building called a temple, but also calls Christian believers God’s temple.

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. (1 Corinthians 3:16–17)

Before that designation was given to the Body of Christ, it was about the building. It’s function as a place of worship was marred by the activity of money-changers. They were supposed to help people buy appropriate sacrifices but had moved from outside into the building. Jesus “entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a den of robbers.” (Luke 19:45–46) He made a whip of cords and drove them all out of the temple, with the sheep and oxen. And he poured out the coins of the money-changers and overturned their tables. (John 2:15)

Jesus knew that the building was temporary. As His disciples spoke of its beauty, He said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come when there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Luke 21:5–6) The temple building would be destroyed, but not the temple that was replacing it.

At first, He transferred the designation of temple to His own physical body. He said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” But he was speaking about the temple of his body. When therefore he was raised from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this, and they believed the Scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken. (John 2:19–22)

As Jesus was crucified, the temple was changed. It had contained a curtain to separate the people from the holy place of God, but on that day, “It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.” (Luke 23:44–45)

This signified that the holiest of holy places was now open to everyone. But that was just the beginning of God’s change in the designation of ‘temple’ — He had something more to teach His people. Paul’s words indicate that they may have already known this amazing truth . . .

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body. (1 Corinthians 6:19–20)

His reasoning was based on the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and words from the Old Testament . . .

. . . For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, “I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people. (2 Corinthians 6:16)

This is incredible — His Body and our bodies are a temple of the Lord. God is not only near — He lives in His people. He is our God who dwells in us, Emmanuel.

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Lord Jesus, we so easily speak of ‘going to church’ yet the truth is that we ‘go to worship together as Your church body in a building we call a church.’ Yet if church buildings did not exist, the church would still be a reality. Wherever we are, You are here with us. You fill us with confidence in prayer, confidence to face challenges, confidence in all things. You are as close as You can be, giving Your Body all we need no matter what happens.