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"The Temple of the Holy Spirit" 12/5/06 |
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. . only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you —Genesis 41:40 |
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| I am
accountable to God for the way I control my body under His authority. Paul
said he did not "set aside the grace of God"— make it ineffective (
Galatians 2:21 ). The grace of God is absolute and limitless, and the work
of salvation through Jesus is complete and finished forever. I am not being
saved— I am saved. Salvation is as eternal as God’s throne, but I must put
to work or use what God has placed within me. To "work out [my] own
salvation" ( Philippians 2:12 ) means that I am responsible for using what
He has given me. It also means that I must exhibit in my own body the life
of the Lord Jesus, not mysteriously or secretly, but openly and boldly. "I
discipline my body and bring it into subjection . . ." ( 1 Corinthians 9:27
). Every Christian can have his body under absolute control for God. God has
given us the responsibility to rule over all "the temple of the Holy
Spirit," including our thoughts and desires ( 1 Corinthians 6:19 ). We are
responsible for these, and we must never give way to improper ones. But most
of us are much more severe in our judgment of others than we are in judging
ourselves. We make excuses for things in ourselves, while we condemn things
in the lives of others simply because we are not naturally inclined to do
them. Paul said, "I beseech you . . . that you present your bodies a living sacrifice . . ." ( Romans 12:1 ). What I must decide is whether or not I will agree with my Lord and Master that my body will indeed be His temple. Once I agree, all the rules, regulations, and requirements of the law concerning the body are summed up for me in this revealed truth-my body is "the temple of the Holy Spirit." |