The Temple of the Living God

Over the years prior posts have often been on New Jerusalem being a living composition of the Triune God and His people. Second Corinthians 6:16 is a verse rarely used in these posts. The center of it is, “we are the temple of the living God.”

The Old Testament tabernacle and temple were God’s building, but they were only shadows of the New Testament reality. Here are multiple posts about the shadow and the reality.

When God became incarnated in the man Jesus, John 1 presents Him as life and light with grace and reality. In John 14:6 He is “the way, the truth (reality), and the life.” To have the reality of God’s NT building, the NT temple, we must have Christ as our life.

The Corinthians were believers in Christ; they had Christ as their life. Hence Paul considered them part of the living temple. Although he was not physically with them, he used the word “we” because the divine life and reality are not limited by space nor by time.

New Jerusalem is the consummation of the NT temple. Revelation 21:22’s description of New Jerusalem is “the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its temple.” This does not contradict 2 Corinthians 6:16 because God and the Lamb are in all the believers and all of them are in the Triune God. He is the reality; we are the container for His expression.

New Jerusalem as the temple is the blending together of the Triune God and His people.

Posted by Don on July 30, 2025

https://newjerusalem12.wordpress.com/2025/07/30/the-temple-of-the-living-god/