Christians are quick to tell someone who drinks, smokes, or does drugs that they should not defile the temple; the temple being their bodies, because God does not dwell in no unclean thing. In fact, Christians use this theory in this respect only, not entirely understanding what they are saying, nor what the Bible really means by defiling the temple. True, the body is the temple, but the body of who, the individual person or the church body of Christ. Most would say both, but let's look at the scriptures and search for the truth.

Two scriptures address defiling the temple and we will interpret both. The first is in 1 Corinthians 3:16, 17, which reads, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple is holy, which temple ye are."

At first glance, anyone could interpret this to mean the believer's body itself, and many preachers and Christians interpret it thus way. However, the scripture is speaking of the entire body of Christ and not an individual body. How does one know this?

The believer must always read the verses before and after the selected text to get full understanding of the concept because if taken in part, anyone could misinterpret the Bibles meaning. The actual meaning of the temple begins in verse nine which reads, "For we are laborers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building."

The word "building" in verse nine refer to the church body or temple, as in all, and not one body, or individual. Then the scripture goes on in verse 10 to explain how every man should take heed how they build upon the foundation of God's building: the foundation being Jesus Christ (vv. 11). Verses 12-15 warn believers how they should build unto God's church and how their works will be tried by fire and if any man's work were destroyed, they will suffer lost.

Then, back to the original text of verse 16, which reveals that we are the temple of God, as in the church of believers together. Though each has his or her distinct ministry in God and they should build carefully, we are all building the temple of God. Therefore, if any one uses any substance to build the temple of God that does not stand through the fire, or they attempt to bring something into the body of Christ that God would not approve of, they have defiled the temple; not the temple of their own body, but of the body of Christ.

The next scripture that address the body as the temple, to all intents and purposes, does refer to the individual body. Yet, again, Preachers and Christians misinterpret this scripture and apply it to more than what it actually refers. The scripture is in I Corinthians 6:19, 20, which reads, "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."

Indeed, the scripture distinctly says that the individual body of the believer is the temple of the Holy Ghost, but in what way does the previous scriptures refer to ways that a believer defiles the temple? First, the fifth and sixth chapter of 1 Corinthians discusses the behavior of the saints in the church of Corinth. The beginning of chapter five talks about fornication and how a church member laid with his father's wife. Then it talks about all who commit sins of the flesh, such as covetousness, extortion, idolatry, drunkenness, and more, and warns believers not to keep company with such people.

Then chapter six talks about taking your brother to court and believers exercising the spirit of judgment, God deemed it a sin to have bad judgment of menial matters in the church. Then in verse 12 the scripture says that "All things are lawful unto me, but all things are not expedient," meaning, a person can do whatever they want but everything they want may destroy them and capture them in sin. Then God compares someone who has been captured by some evil force to that of a harlot, implying that they have committed spiritual fornication.

Finally, verse 18 says, "Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body." Pay close attention to what the scripture says. It says that every sin that a man does is done without the body, except fornication, which is done with the body. All other sins are committed with the mind. If a person commits idolatry, drunkenness, covetousness, adultery, backbiting, spitefulness, or any other type sin, they commit it using the mind; even anger is deemed equal to murder. But the only sin that a man can do with the body is fornication. To further prove this, Jesus says in St. Mark 7:18-23,

"And he sayeth unto them, Are ye so without understanding also? Do ye not perceive; that whatsoever thing from without entereth into the man, it cannot defile him; Because it entereth not into his heart, but into the belly, and goeth out into the draught, purging all meats? [meats for the belly and the belly for meats].

And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, [which when conceived in the flesh defiles the body] murders, Thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: All these evil things come from within, and defile the man."

Therefore, sin and evil originates from the heart and mind. Nothing from the outside is considered sinful, such as alcohol, tobacco, or even cocaine, and even if these things enter into a person, they do not defile the temple because what defiles the temple, as the scripture says, comes from within a person. As radical as this interpretation may seem, it is biblically justifiable and supported by reason. The only reason people believe otherwise, is because this is what preachers have taught without regard to what the scriptures actually says. Thus, spiritual discretion and judgment is needed to correctly apply this concept but remember, bad judgment is a sin.

© 2003 by C.R. Hamilton