1 Corinthians 3:16-17 (NKJV) "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."
The one thing that the Lord will accomplish isn't just to dwell among His people but to live in people. The whole purpose of being born again is to wash, regenerate, and renew the spirit of man from the guilt and power of sin to be inhabited by the Lord.
So much of the "praise and worship" today is geared towards experiencing the presence of God externally to drive the emotions (nothing wrong with righteously singing Biblically Christ centered songs unless specific songs are sensual, and unScriptural), that we forget that God is within man.
For God to dwell within man, it came with a great cost.
The Lord Jesus was sent by the Father to pay the penalty of sin because man broke the moral law of God.
Remember Romans 3:23, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God..."
Romans 5:12 (NKJV) "Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned—"
The Lord Jesus was sent to satisfy a specific demand of the Lord God.
John 5:36-38 (NKJV) "But I have a greater witness than John’s; for the works which the Father has given Me to finish—the very works that I do—bear witness of Me,
that the Father has sent Me. And the Father Himself, who sent Me, has testified of Me. You have neither heard His voice at any time, nor seen His form.
But you do not have His word abiding in you, because whom He sent, Him you do not believe."
And.....
John 12:49-50 (NKJV) "For I have not spoken on My own authority; but the Father who sent Me gave Me a command, what I should say and what I should speak. And I know that His command is everlasting life. Therefore, whatever I speak, just as the Father has told Me, so I speak.”
So the Lord Jesus was sent by the Father to fulfill a specific purpose.
John 12:27-33 (NKJV) “Now My soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save Me from this hour’?
But for this purpose I came to this hour.
Father, glorify Your name.”
Then a voice came from heaven, saying, “I have both glorified it and will glorify it again.”
Therefore the people who stood by and heard it said that it had thundered. Others said, “An angel has spoken to Him.”
Jesus answered and said, “This voice did not come because of Me, but for your sake.
Now is the judgment of this world; now the ruler of this world will be cast out.
And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself.” This He said, signifying by what death He would die."
The Lord God created Adam and Eve perfectly, but they've sinned against God. Therefore, God demanded that sin be paid for by sinless blood. To do this it would require sending His Son.
Romans 5:18-19 (NKJV) "Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation,
even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.
For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous."
It required God to prepare a body for the Lord Jesus that would be sacrificed for our sins.
Hebrews 10:5-7 (NKJV) "Therefore, when He came into the world, He said:
“Sacrifice and offering You did not desire,
But a body You have prepared for Me.
In burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin
You had no pleasure.
Then I said, ‘Behold, I have come—
In the volume of the book it is written of Me—
To do Your will, O God.’”
This passage is a direct quote from a Psalm of David in Psalm 40:6-8.
When John the Baptist came and preached repentance, the Lord Jesus approached the river Jordan to be baptized. John described the Lord Jesus as the Lamb of God.
John 1:29 (NKJV) "The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!"
There's only one thing that you do with a lamb in Israel.
It must be sacrificed.
Exodus 12:1-11 is the requirement of the Lord for the Passover. The death angel would go through Egypt as God's judgment on Egypt's firstborn.
Why?
Because Egypt worshipped their firstborn as gods.
The blood of this lamb would be applied on the door posts and lintel, and when the death angel sees the blood on the door posts and lintel, he would "Pass Over" that house and not kill the firstborn in that house.
The death that the Lord would die would satisfy the righteous requirement of the just and holy God, to appease God.
Hence, the word "propitiation" (see Romans 3:25-26, Hebrews 2:17-18 and 1 John 2:2).
We have to reiterate this because if we don't, we can't fully grasp to what great lengths the Lord went to to dwell in man.
"If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are."
Now what does it mean to defile the temple of God?
Look at the word "defile."
g5351. φθείρω phtheirō; probably strengthened from φθίω phthiō (to pine or waste); properly, to shrivel or wither, i.e. to spoil (by any process) or (generally) to ruin (especially figuratively, by moral influences, to deprave): — corrupt (self), defile, destroy.
But notice specifically "to ruin (especially figuratively, by moral influences, to deprave).
Sin or immorality defiles the temple. So Paul said that if anyone defiles the temple, him shall God destroy.
Sin defiles the temple of God.
Could anyone destroy the temple of God?
All we have to do is look at Revelation chapters 2 and 3.
5 of the 7 churches were defiled with "doctrines of devils and seducing spirits."
The messengers or "stars" allowed people to bring in "damnable heresies."
2 Peter 2:1 (KJV) "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction."
So how will the Lord destroy the one that defiles His temple?
Mark 16:16 "He that believes and is baptized shall be saved. He that believes not shall be damned."
Mind you that anyone that brings in destructive heresies aren't saved.
2 Corinthians 6:14 - 7:1 (NKJV)
"Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers.
For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness?
And what communion has light with darkness?
And what accord has Christ with Belial?
Or what part has a believer with an unbeliever?
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols?
For you are the temple of the living God.
As God has said:
“I will dwell in them
And walk among them.
I will be their God,
And they shall be My people.”
Therefore
“Come out from among them
And be separate, says the Lord.
Do not touch what is unclean,
And I will receive you.”
“I will be a Father to you,
And you shall be My sons and daughters,
Says the LORD Almighty.”
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