Lesson 470: 1 Corinthians 3:16
The Blueprint — The Verse
Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple, and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?
Memorization Practice
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The Context — The History
PaulAlso known as the Apostle Paul or Saul of Tarsus, he is the most influential missionary and writer of the New Testament. Originally a Pharisee who persecuted Christians, Paul experienced a dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus and became a devoted messenger of the gospel. He traveled widely, planted churches across the Roman world, and wrote letters that form a... More wrote 1 Corinthians to a gifted but divided church in a prosperous, immoral Greek city. Corinth's culture prized wisdom, status, and freedom — pressures that distorted church life.
The Narrative — The Lead-Up
PaulAlso known as the Apostle Paul or Saul of Tarsus, he is the most influential missionary and writer of the New Testament. Originally a Pharisee who persecuted Christians, Paul experienced a dramatic encounter with the risen Jesus and became a devoted messenger of the gospel. He traveled widely, planted churches across the Roman world, and wrote letters that form a... More addressed quarrels over leaders and the folly of worldly wisdom. He reminded believers that God's Spirit dwells among them communally — they together are God's temple where His Spirit lives.
The Echo — Follow-on Verses
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If any man’s work is burned, he will suffer loss, but he himself will be saved, but as through fire.
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Read the verse immediately before this lesson () to hear the lead-in to the passage.
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If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him; for God’s temple is holy, which you are.
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Read the verse immediately after this lesson () to continue the passage.
Discussion
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What does it mean that the church community is God's temple?
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How should that truth affect how you treat other believers?
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Where does division damage God's dwelling place among His people?