“If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are” (1 Corinthians 3:17).
In our day, when the local church is designed by cultural gurus who exalt tertiary aspects to primary status, and is often evaluated by whether she is relevant to the world rather than faithful to God, or is corrupted by carnal Christians under the banner of love, which is really narcissism or legalism called righteousness, this warning from 1 Corinthians deserves pondering.
It serves as a solemn word of warning to all unbelievers and believers alike. The local church building is not a temple, but the local church body is. As a temple she has priests 1 Peter 2:9, a High Priest Hebrews 3:1, an altar Hebrews 13:11, and sacrifices Romans 12:1, Hebrews 10:12, and 13:15.
The carnal are unmasked when they place promoting their desires, rights or opinions above God’s scriptural plan for the local church, by which they seek to replace her pastor’s leadership, fellowship, testimony and ministry of the gospel with a perspective that emanates from their carnal flesh (Rom 16:17-18); of course, always under an ersatz–imitation–veil of spirituality.
Such debased carnality is most glaring in free association churches like Baptist churches because all one has to do if he dislikes the way the church is structured or ministers, is to leave peaceably; as people regularly do throughout Christianity. But the spiritual adulterator will even sacrifice the church in his Pharisaist arrogance, which is evident to all who walk in biblical humility (1 Cor. 11:18-19).
As believers who seek to faithfully love our Lord and His church, we must never be a part of corrupting, disrupting, or destroying a local church, nor sit idly by while others seek her destruction under a corrupted banner of truth. Risk everything to see that she continues to reflect the love, holiness, and fidelity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
