Do you realize how important the church is to God? It is not an afterthought as Premillennialists seem to think. The church is a part of the eternal purpose of our Creator.
Ephesians 3:9–11 (ESV)
9and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord,
These words from the inspired pen of Paul put into perspective just how important the church is in God’s overall scheme of things. In ver. 9, Paul speaks of the plan that was hidden in God. That plan is God’s scheme of redemption for mankind. It is realized in, and made known by, the church (ver. 10), all of which is a part of God’s eternal purpose (ver. 11).
When we understand the importance of the church in God’s overall scheme, we are not surprised by how protective He is of it. Anyone who harms the church will answer to God.
1 Corinthians 3:16–17 (ESV)
16Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? 17If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.
When thinking of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we usually think of individual Christians because of what Paul taught in 1 Corinthians 6:19 – “… your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own.” However, in 1 Corinthians 3, Paul is referring to the church being the temple of God, and just like we are not our own as Christians, since we have been bought with the price of our Lord’s blood (1 Corinthians 6:20), the church is not its own either. The church is God’s temple, and it, too, is viewed in scripture as being bought by the blood of Christ (Acts 20:28).
Seeing the significance of the church, and what it cost God to bring her into existence, we can understand why Paul warns us about harming her. The temple of God is holy, set apart by Him to accomplish His will in this world. Anyone who interferes with God’s will by attacking the church in any way, will, sooner or later, be destroyed by God.
Are you a help or harm to the church? Since we know that the universal church cannot be destroyed, Paul is referring here to the church in a local sense. Many local churches have been destroyed over the years and woe unto those who have been the cause of their destruction. How about you? Do you behave in any way that might bring about the destruction of the local church?
How might we destroy the local church? Gossip can do it. James says that the tongue is a world of iniquity (James 3:6), and compares the damage it can do to a forest fire (James 3:5-6). Immoral living can do it. Paul compares sin to leaven that leavens the whole lump (1 Corinthians 5:6). It can quickly spread throughout a local church. Other things can destroy the temple of God as well (grudge holding, indifferent members, unauthorized practices, etc.). We should despise all of these things. There are some things that we should not love, and anything that destroys the temple of God falls into that category.
As you wind down for the night, think about these things.