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Sunday School Special : 1 Corinthians – Lesson 18

Text: 1 Corinthians 3:16-17
9 November 2025

Senior Sunday School 9 November 2025

Text: 1 Corinthians 3

Subject: “You are the temple of God” 1 Corinthians 3:10

Lesson #18

16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?

17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

1 Corinthians 3:16-17

THE IMAGERY OF THE TEMPLE OF GOD

1. The Tabernacle (Exodus 25)

2. The Temple of Solomon (2 Chronicles 6-7)

3. The Temple of God

a) As a reference to the Church in this context (1 Cor 3:16)
b) As a reference to the human body (1 Cor 6:19)

THE TEMPLE AS THE DWELLING PLACE OF GOD

1. God’s sanctuary (Exodus 25:8)

2. God sanctified the Temple (2 Chronicles 7:15)

3. The Spirit of God dwells in the Temple (church)

THE DANGER OF DEFILING THE TEMPLE

1. Abominations in the Temple (Ezekiel 8)

2. People were worshipping idols in the Temple of God (Ezekiel 8)

3. The Temple was considered defiled

GOD’S RESPONSE

1. God planned to depart from the Temple (Ezekiel 8-10)

2. His glory departed from the Temple

3. It returned to God in heaven

A SOLEMN WORD OF WARNING

1. If anyone dares to defile the Temple of God

2. God will destroy him

3. The Temple of God was meant to be holy

4. The believers of the Church form the Temple of God

OUR CHALLENGE

1. To have a high regard of the Church

2. The Biblical perspective is to be borne in mind

a) The Church as the Body of Christ (Ephesians 1:22)
b) The household of God (Ephesians 2:19)
c) The temple of the Lord (Ephesians 2:20)
d) The dwelling place of God (Ephesians 2:21)
e) The Bride of Christ the Lord (Revelation 19:7)

3. May we ever guard the oneness of the Church!