1 Corinthians 3:16 NIV

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

The temple of God. Paul again takes up the idea of a building and gives it a new direction. The noblest of all edifices is a temple in which architecture finds its highest and worthiest employment. Under this figure the apostle sets forth sometimes the collective Church of Christ, sometimes the individual believer ( 1 Corinthians 6:19 ; Ephesians 2:21 ). Man was created to be a sanctuary of God, but this sanctuary was overturned by sin. It lay in ruins till the Lord Jesus came as the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

The New Testament temple. Under the Old Testament, the temple of God was a house made with hands, a worldly sanctuary. The New Testament or dispensation reckons the people of God to be his temple, "the habitation of God in the Spirit." At Corinth there were many temples to the gods, but one temple of God. And the former were of dead stones, however beautiful to the eye. It is a common saying, "As dead as a stone." But St. Paul, with a fine audacity of thought, conceived of the latter—the... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

The Church a temple. It is usual to regard these verses as referring to the individual Christian, but the Epistle is addressed "unto the Church of God which is at Corinth," and we may profitably dwell on some thoughts suggested by the comparison; premising that the peculiarities of ancient temples are well understood. The central building of a structure called a temple was not a place of meeting or of worship, it was the sacred shrine or dwelling place of the deity. Round this central... read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:16-23

The peril and folly of glorying in men. read more

Spence, H. D. M., etc.

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:16-23

Believers as the temple of God. Previously St. Paul had said, "Ye are God's building;" and now he adds, "Ye are the temple of God." Along with this comes the idea of sanctity: "The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." If, then, these Corinthians were the temple of God, and if the Spirit of God dwelt in them, no stronger motive could bear upon them than the need of holiness; and this holiness is a personal matter. "If any man"—whoever he be and whatever his gifts—"if any man defile... read more

Albert Barnes

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Corinthians 3:16

Know ye not ... - The apostle here carries forward and completes the figure which he had commenced in regard to Christians. His illustrations had been drawn from architecture; and he here proceeds to say that Christians are that building (see 1 Corinthians 3:9): that they were the sacred temple which God had reared; and that, therefore, they should be pure and holy. This is a practical application of what he had been before saying.Ye are the temple of God - This is to be understood of the... read more

Joseph Benson

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

1 Corinthians 3:16-17. Know ye not, &c. As if he had said, You should also lake heed what doctrine you deliver, lest by teaching what is false, unimportant, or improper to be taught, you should defile or destroy the temple of God; that ye True believers, genuine Christians; are the temple of God Whether considered collectively as a church, (Ephesians 2:21; 1 Timothy 3:15,) or as individuals and members of one, ( 1Co 6:19 ; 2 Corinthians 6:16; Ephesians 2:22; Heb 3:6 ; 1 Peter 2:5,)... read more

Donald C. Fleming

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:10-23

Christian activity tested (3:10-23)The Corinthians are likened also to a building. Paul laid the foundation, and now other Christians, in particular the teachers, have the responsibility to build on that foundation (10). There is only one foundation, Jesus Christ, but the structure may be built in all sorts of ways. People may build something of lasting worth through using valuable materials (gold, silver and precious stones), or they may build something of no lasting worth through using cheap... read more

E.W. Bullinger

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Corinthians 3:16

Know ye not . This expression occurs twelve times in Paul's epistles. Elsewhere, 1 Corinthians 5:6 ; 1 Corinthians 6:2 , 1 Corinthians 6:3 , 1 Corinthians 6:9 , 1 Corinthians 6:15 , 1Co 6:16 , 1 Corinthians 6:19 ; 1 Corinthians 9:13 , 1 Corinthians 9:24 .Romans 6:16 ; Romans 11:2 . One other occurance is in James 4:4 . It conveys a delicate reproach. Know . App-133 . Temple . Greek. naos. See Matthew 23:16 . There is no art. because naos is the predicate. Spirit . The Holy Spirit. App-101... read more

James Burton Coffman

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 3:16

Know ye not that ye are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?The words of this text are sometimes applied to individuals; but, as Morris said, "The reference here is to the church."[24] There is no article before "temple" in the Greek; and it would be more accurately translated, "Ye are a temple of God."[25] "The building of which the apostle speaks is the Christian church, called in this verse The Temple of God."[26]THE CHURCH THE TEMPLE OF GODOf all the beautiful... read more

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:16-23

The Pulpit Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:16-23

Albert Barnes' Notes on the Whole Bible - 1 Corinthians 3:16

Joseph Benson's Commentary of the Old and New Testaments - 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

Bridgeway Bible Commentary - 1 Corinthians 3:10-23

E.W. Bullinger's Companion Bible Notes - 1 Corinthians 3:16

Coffman Commentaries on the Bible - 1 Corinthians 3:16

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