The Church is described throughout the bible in a myriad of colourful metaphors, each designed to reveal a different aspect of the multi-faceted Church of God. The Church is said to be a family, and also a bride. It is also branches on a vine, an olive tree, a field of crops, a harvest, and a group of priests... Shall I go on?
Recently, I have been thinking about the verses that talk about the Church as the Temple of God. We often hear about the Church described as a body because we all have bodies, and we can all relate to that picture. Same goes with the bride metaphor – it is easily understood.
But a Temple? Last I checked, a visit to a temple wasn't on my calendar. So, just what is this metaphor getting at? Paul writes in his letter to Ephesians:
Ephesians 2 verse 21 – In Jesus the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.
Now, I am no Greek scholar, and usually am more than satisfied to read my Bible in plain old English. But the Greek word for Temple here is really interesting. The normal word for temple is the word hieron, which means the whole of the temple. But here we have the word naos. It doesn't describe the whole temple but rather describes the Holy of Holies where God would meet and fellowship with man.
In the Old Testament, God came down to dwell with the Israelites in the Tabernacle, which literally means 'the dwelling of God.' Wherever they went, they would fold up that Tabernacle and carry it with them. Inside it were two rooms, with one open to all the priests and the other a very special room called the Holy of Holies, where God dwelt. The High Priest alone could go into it, and even He only once a year, bringing a sacrifice to God.
The Tabernacle was eventually replaced with a permanent Temple in Jerusalem, which again had that special room called the naos, the Holy of Holies. The High Priest would go through extensive cleansing rituals before entering this room, because the presence of God was so tangible and pure that He risked death just by entering.
When Jesus Christ came, He transformed the whole temple system. The thick, ornate curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple was torn in two when Jesus died on the cross. There was now nothing to separate man from meeting with God through the mediator Jesus Christ.
And now we read in Ephesians that the Church is now the Temple of God, the Holy of Holies, where God dwells and meets and fellowships with man. If God dwells in the Church, and it is Christians that make up the Church, I'm drawn to conclude that God dwells in Christians.
To take it to a personal level, as a Christian I am a dwelling place of God! Today, God does not dwell in a building. In fact, for the first three hundred years the Church didn't even have a building!
I recognise that this is only one aspect of the meaning of this metaphor, but it has an application that makes immediate impact. I might not know a lot about Temples, but I can understand that the Holy of Holies was quite something. Just going to the Temple was a big deal. To be a priest was a great honour. To be the High Priest, the only one allowed to enter the inner sanctum, was an incredible privilege.
But now, through Jesus Christ, that privilege is open to all. Even to me.
Thomas Devenish lives in Hobart, Tasmania. One of nine children, He works as a motion graphics editor and enjoys photography and the creative arts.
Thomas Devenish's previous articles may be viewed at www.pressserviceinternational.org/thomas-devenish.html