The Physical Temple & The Spiritual Temple

As we learned in Concept 1, God’s perspective of our bodies is that we are temples.  Accordingly, the temple mentioned in the Old Testament Book of Haggai points to the modern-day temples of the Holy Spirit.  Each Believer’s body is simultaneously a temple on earth built to house the Holy Spirit and “a living stone” which is part of a spiritual house (or temple) constantly under construction as new Believers are continuously added to the kingdom of God (1 Peter 2:4-5).
 
The temple in Haggai was a fixed, physical location of worship for the Children of Israel.  Consequently, people from all over Israel and Judah had to travel to it just as we drive to local churches.  However, aspects of the spiritual realm are also indicative in the worship and sacrificial services held there.  The best example of the spiritual realm seen in the physical temple is when the presence of the Lord visibly filled it once construction of the temple was completed by King Solomon and the temple was dedicated to God (2 Chronicles 7:1-3). 
                                                                                                                                        
Conversely, our physical bodies are spiritual temples which have the capability to house God’s Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19), but this privilege is only given to those who believe in Christ.  This is similar to the fact that not everyone alive during Old Testament Temple times worshiped the One True God at His temple in Jerusalem, if at all.  In other words, Unbelievers existed in both the Old and New Testament temple times.
 
In contrast to the physical temple in Haggai, once the Holy Spirit fills a believer in Christ, His presence (or glory) never leaves the Believer (1 Corinthians 6:17).  The Holy Spirit is a constant Companion and Comforter Who seals us and acts as a Guarantee of our faith until the Believer transitions from this life into the next (John 14:16-18; 2 Corinthians 1:21-22, 2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:12-14).
 
Although we are still commanded to physically attend church services at a fixed location as the Israelites did in order to worship God collectively (Hebrews 10:25), fellowship with other Christians, and equip one another as God has provided spiritual gifts to each member of the Body of Christ in order to edify or bless the whole Body of Christ (Ephesians 4:11-13), we are also mobile temples of the Holy Spirit as you may recall from an earlier lesson.
 
In addition to being mobile temples the Holy Spirit can work through as we fulfill the Great Commission instituted by Christ (Matthew 28:16-20), the temple of your body is not limited to a fixed location for sacrificial worship because Jesus was the perfect sacrifice for all of humanity’s sins.  Instead, we are all called to follow Jesus, the First-born Temple of the Holy Ghost’s, example of delivering our bodies up as “living sacrifices” which honor God even unto death (Romans 12:1 and 1 Corinthians 6:19) & of making disciples for the Kingdom of Heaven.