MY BODY – HIS TEMPLE

By Pastor Max Solbrekken, D.D.

“What, know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit which are God's.” (1 Cor. 6: 19, 20);

“If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are Above where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things Above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ Who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with Him in Glory.” (Col. 3: 2-4)

“For in Him we live, and move, and have our being...” (Acts 17: 27); “According as His divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him that hath called us unto glory and virtue: Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature having escaped the corruption that is in the world by lust.” (2 Peter 1: 3,4)

My body is the temple of the Living God. He lives in me and I live in Him. I am hid with Christ in God and therefore I am secure! No weapon that is formed against me shall prosper, every tongue that will rise against me in judgement, I shall condemn. According to God's Word, that is the heritage of the children of God!

How all this could happen to me, a lost and condemned sinner is unbelievable. It is the story of the 'Prodigal Son' which is a picture of us all – rebellious, self-willed and determined to do his own thing until until he came to the himself and in brokenness headed home – and found forgiveness, mercy and grace!

I can identify one hundred per cent with JOHN NEWTON who wrote, “Amazing grace how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost but now am found. Was blind but now I see!”

The nearer I draw to Him in prayer and worship, and the closer I get to the moment when time dissolves into eternity and I kneel before that LIGHT (1 Tim. 6:14-16), I marvel beyond measure in His Goodness, Patience and Love for our fallen race! 

 

The KEY to being ready for that moment is two-fold: Being washed in His precious Life-Giving Blood on a daily basis and being filled with the Holy Spirit by inviting Him to ABIDE within us continually! 

 

The Bible states: “But if we walk in the light as He is in the Light, we have fellowship one with another and the Blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1: 7) 

 

“And if Christ be in you, the body is dead, because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by the Spirit that dwelleth in you. 

 

“Therefore, brethren,we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh. For if ye live after the flesh ye shall die; but if ye through the Spirit do mortify the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God.” (Rom. 8: 10-14)

WITHOUT JESUS WE ARE ALL FAILURES!

While we work and wait for that moment, there is much yet to be done for the Kingdom of God. The truth which most of us have ignored for much of our lives is that we can't do it alone. In fact, we can't do anything by ourselves! Jesus said: “Without Me ye can do Nothing.” (John 15: 5)

Another truth is that He looks after His own, if we have the faith to believe His promise and lay everything in His nail - scarred hands and the tenacity to leave it there! Too often, we are like the Disciples who either forgot that Jesus was asleep in the hinder part of the ship or thought they could handle the situation themselves UNTIL they were beginning to sink. 

 

They awakened Him and said, Master carest Thou not that we perish? And He arose and rebuked the wind and said unto the sea, Peace be still and the wind ceased and there was a great calm. And He said unto them: “Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?” (Mark 4:38-40)

God's Word promises Believers deliverance from plagues and other evils because we have made the Lord our REFUGE, and because we trust Him completely He has promised to deliver us and seat us in Heavenly Places with Him! (Psalm 91:10). 

 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ: According as He hath chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love;

“Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will. To the praise of the glory of His grace, wherein He hath made us ACCEPTED IN THE BELOVED. In Whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the richness of His grace.” (Eph, 1: 3-7)

You may say: “ This is unbelievable and outrageous!” And in the natural realm your assessment is correct, but we are now dealing with the realm of the Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of God. 

 

ACCEPTED IN JESUS THE BELOVED!

St. Paul wrote: “But we speak the wisdom of God in a Mystery, even the hidden WISDOM, which God ordained before the world unto our glory. Which none of the princes of the world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of Glory.

But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor the ear heard, neither hath entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.” (1 Cor. 2: 7-10)

Many theologians believe that the great and wondrous things St. Paul speaks about here will only be given to us only after our entrance into that Heavenly Kingdom. The problem with that thinking is that, the moment we received Christ as our personal Saviour we were automatically in that Kingdom. 

 

The Holy Bible says, “Among whom also we all had our conversation (lifestyle) in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. BUT GOD, Who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, Even when we were dead in sin, hath quickened us together with Christ; by grace are ye saved. And hath raised us up together, and made us sit TOGETHER in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.” (Eph. 2:4-6)

St. Paul goes on to clarify the greatness of God's Redemptive work for us and in us, through our Lord Jesus Christ's vicarious, propitious death (satisfaction, covering) as God's pascal Lamb: 

 

“That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are ye saved by grace; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works lest any man should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.” (Eph. 2:7-10)

Again the great Apostle to the Gentiles explains how God included us in the outpouring of His love, even though we were seemingly eternal outcasts:

 

GOD'S WORD IS ETERNALLY SETTLED IN HEAVEN!

“That at that time ye were WITHOUT CHRIST, being aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having NO HOPE, and WITHOUT GOD in this world. But NOW in Christ Jesus ye who were sometimes were far off are made nigh by the BLOOD of Christ. For He is our PEACE, Who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us.” (Eph. 2: 12-14) 

 

“Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: Old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. And all things are of God Who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. That is, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.

“Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him (Christ) to be sin (sin offering) for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.” (2 Cor. 5:17-21)

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me and gave Himself for me.” (Gal.2: 20);

“Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because Greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.” (1 John 4: 4)

“If ye love Me keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of Truth: Whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him;for He dwelleth with you and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.

“At that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in you. He that hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth Me: and he that loveth Me shall be loved of My Father, and I will l will love him and manifest Myself to Him. Jesus answered and said, If a man love Me he will keep My Words: and My Father will love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our abode with him.” (John 14: 14-23)

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in Me. I am the Vine, ye are the branches. He that abideth in Me and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without Me ye can do nothing. If ye abide in Me and My Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.” (John 15: 4-7)

“And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He that hath the Son hath life and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life. And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know Him that is True, and we are IN HIM that is True, even in His Son Jesus Christ. This us True God and Eternal Life.” (1 John 5: 11, 12, 20)

THERE IS ONLY ONE SAVIOUR AND ONE LORD JESUS CHRIST WHO IS ABOVE ALL! GLORY TO THE FATHER, SON AND HOLY SPIRIT. ONE TRUE GOD: WORLD WITHOUT END. AMEN.