Today's passage comes from 1 Corinthians 3:16-17.

¹⁶ Don't you know that you are God's sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you? ¹⁷ If anyone ruins God's sanctuary, God will ruin him; for God's sanctuary is holy, and that is what you are.— 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

This passage is short, sweet, and to the point.  Before it, Paul is explaining to the Corinthian church that Jesus is the foundation of His church, no matter who actually brings the message (verses 5-15); and he follows up these verses by instructing them on the folly of the world's wisdom (verses 18-23).  So, let's look at these two verses, and other Scriptures that support them.

Verse 16 declares that we are God's sanctuary, and that His Spirit lives in us.  This is one of those things that we've heard over and over again - so much that we may have lost the importance of it.  The Holy Spirit was promised by Jesus when He was telling His disciples about things to come:

¹⁶ And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. ¹⁷ He is the Spirit of truth. The world is unable to receive Him because it doesn't see Him or know Him. But you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you. ¹⁸ I will not leave you as orphans; I am coming to you.— John 14:16-18

Did you catch that at the end of John 14:17?  He is in us!  The Father wanted to send Him to the world, but the world could not receive Him.  So, the only way the Holy Spirit could be here is if He came to reside in someone who knew the Father.  We are the ones He chose as His sanctuary, His place to live among men!  The end of 1 Corinthians 3:17 emphasizes the point - "God's sanctuary is holy, and that is what you are."

However, the first part of that same verse contains a strong warning - "If anyone ruins God's sanctuary, God will ruin him."  Sure, this is a warning to those who would draw Christians aside from the faith, but notice that there is no exemption for the sanctuary coming to ruin on its own.  We as the sanctuary are responsible for ensuring that our part of the sanctuary is clean; pure, free from sin, and a strong testimony to God's grace.

I've told my sons this several times before - I don't like anyone hurting my sons, even another one of my sons (their brothers).  Just as this continues to come up (did I mention I've told them that several times?), often we are the biggest hurdle to overcome in keeping our sanctuary clean.  It's (comparatively) easy to rebuff Satan's advances when he's trying to get us to do something that we don't want to do; it's much harder to convince ourselves that we shouldn't do something that we want to do, in spite of its being wrong.  Paul explored this conundrum when writing to the church in Rome.

¹⁵ For I do not understand what I am doing, because I do not practice what I want to do, but I do what I hate. ¹⁶ And if I do what I do not want to do, I agree with the law that it is good. ¹⁷ So now I am no longer the one doing it, but it is sin living in me. ¹⁸ For I know that nothing good lives in me, that is, in my flesh. For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it. ¹⁹ For I do not do the good that I want to do, but I practice the evil that I do not want to do. ²⁰ Now if I do what I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but it is the sin that lives in me.— Romans 7:15-20

Notice verse 18 - "nothing good lives in me...."  This is the same "in me" that Jesus referred to when He said that the Holy Spirit would be "in you."  Continuing in verse 18, "For the desire to do what is good is with me, but there is no ability to do it."  We know what is right; we want to do what is right; but yet we fail at doing what is right.  What gives?

Herein lies the importance of surrendering to God's grace.  He knows we are flawed vessels, yet He has empowered us to be holy sanctuaries.  He has provided Scriptures like the ones we're looking at today to explain His expectations and His goals for us.  In particular, this passage in Romans should alert us to a challenge; this is the battlefield upon which spiritual warfare is fought.  The sanctuary will not stay clean on its own - only as we yield to Christ and let Him point out the dirty spots will it become and stay clean.

I'm sure you've heard about how bank tellers are trained to spot counterfeit money.  They don't take them into a room with a large table, sit them down, and educate them on all the tell-tale signs of fake money.  They train them constantly in handling known-good currency.  They are so intimately familiar with the real thing that they can instantly spot a fake when it passes through their hands.  In the same way, this is how we can keep our sanctuary clean.  By constantly seeking out and spending time with God (the real thing), we'll be better able to spot other things when they try to creep into the sanctuary and defile it; and, with a holy sanctuary, the Holy Spirit can use us to the fullest for His work!

I pray that we will be able to keep the sanctuary clean, by maintaining a near-constant fellowship with God, and allowing Him to use us.

This week, let's look at James 3:16.

¹⁶ For where envy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every kind of evil.— James 3:16

In the passage leading up to this verse, James had been telling us about controlling the tongue, and then he explained that the wisdom we need comes from above. The two problems in this verse are the source of many of our self-inflicted problems.

Envy is jealousy - wanting what someone else has, disliking someone else for the good things that they have in their life. Paul gives a pretty good comparison with envy and jealousy (emphasis mine)...

¹⁹ Now the works of the flesh are ob vious: sexual immorality, moral impurity, promiscuity, ²⁰ idolatry, sorcery, hatreds, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambitions, dissensions, factions, ²¹ envy, drunkenness, carousing, and anything similar, about which I tell you in advance—as I told you before—that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

²² But the fruit of the Spirit is love...

— Galatians 5:19-22a

But, just as Paul followed up his list of negative things with one of the most famous passages in the Bible, James also does not stop with verse 16. He continues...

¹⁷ But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peace-loving, gentle, compliant, full of mercy and good fruits, without favoritism and hypocrisy. ¹⁸ And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.— James 3:17-18

So, the remedy to "disorder and...evil" is the fruit of the Spirit. By setting aside our own selfish desires, we can allow the Holy Spirit to grow these other qualities in us. May we be able to say "no" to ourselves and "yes" to Him!

(Since there aren't 3 chapters in Jude, this "3:16" isn't actually a 3:16.)

²⁴ Now to Him who is able to protect you from stumbling and to make you stand in the presence of His glory, blameless and with great joy, ²⁵ to the only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, power, and authority before all time, now, and forever. Amen. — Jude 24-25

This is my favorite benediction in the entire Bible. It's a blessing to the church to whom Jude had written, but in the process, Jude writes a great summary of the power of God.

The entire book of Jude is not very large - only one chapter of 25 verses. In it, though, Jude was addressing the apostasy (a total desertion of belief) of some people who had come into the church. In verse 3, he encourages them to "contend for the faith," because people were trying to destroy it.

In this context, verse 24 begins by telling them that Jesus can "protect you from stumbling…" This was an encouragement that this church needed. It is often difficult to resist people, especially when they have fervor and passion on their side. Jude reminds these church members that they are not alone, and that the Lord can keep them from falling into the seduction of sin.

He then continues "...and to make you stand in the presence of His glory..." This was the reward for which they were working, and Jude reaffirms to them that they will receive it. Many times, we do not see the destination when we begin our journey; but, if we persevere, we will get there. This also let the church know that if they did not abandon Jesus, He would not abandon them - they would stand in His presence!

Jude ends that verse with "...blameless and with great joy..." When they arrive in Jesus' presence, they would be "blameless," even though they may not have been perfect here on earth. What a transformation! And Jude isn't making this up himself; Paul told the Corinthian church the same thing.

⁸ He will also confirm you to the end, blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. — 1 Corinthians 1:8

If we're preserved blameless, and are in the presence of God, no wonder there's great joy!

In verse 25, Jude leaves no doubt as to the identity of the One the church should follow - "The only God our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord…" Some of the people who had come to destroy the church were trying to get them to follow other gods, but Jude reminds them that they serve the one true God. He continues with "glory, majesty, power, and authority," which speaks to the totality of God's being, and His control over them. Finally, "before all time, now, and forever" refers to God's eternity and infinity - He was, is, and is to come.

These days, we'll usually just end our letters with "Love" or "Sincerely." But what an encouragement this must have been to the church! Not only did it bless them personally, it reminded them of Who and why they were serving, and what the fruits of their labor would be. I pray that you will also be encouraged from these words today.