The Church is not God's Temple- part 1

First, to clarify terms, the word “church” in this note refers to a building. Second, I am fully aware that the word “church” in the Bible never once refers to a building. The problem is that somewhere along the line, people began wrongly believing that the church buildings we see on the side of the road are what the Bible is talking about when it uses the word “church.” Because of this widespread misconception, many people began to believe that the church building is some sort of holy place. A popular false teaching, still somewhat prevalent in our day, is that the church is God’s house, or that the church is the temple of God. It may not seem like a big deal but the implications of believing this error can mean the difference between heaven and hell.

First, it helps to understand what the Bible means when it uses the word temple. Throughout the Old and the New Testament, there are basically two different meanings behind the word “temple.” The first meaning refers to something (or someone) that is sacred, consecrated, or set apart. Examples of this usage are: temple servants (1Chr. 9:2), vessels for temple service (Jer. 52:18), and officers of the temple (Luke 22:52). The second meaning, which is far more common, refers to a dwelling place for God or a god. The main example of this throughout the Bible is the temple of Jerusalem which is likely where the confusion about church buildings begins.

In the Old Testament, the Jewish people had a magnificent temple which started as a traveling tabernacle during the Exodus out of Egypt. God gave Moses very detailed instructions as to how he was to construct this tabernacle along with all of the holy instruments to be used for worship in the temple. When it was completed, God came down from heaven and took up residence there. Because God lived inside this temple, the entire structure was a very holy place. People were restricted access to certain areas, sacrifices were brought there daily because it was where God lived, and there was a great reverence which surrounded the place.

Many people mistake our modern church buildings with the Old Testament temple and wrongly transfer Old Testament teachings regarding the temple onto the church. When a person does this, any number of strange beliefs can result. Some believe that the church is God’s house and that God actually lives there. Some believe that it is a holy place which must be held in great reverence. Some believe the objects inside have some magical, sacred property and must be handled in a certain manner. Some believe that people should be restricted access to certain parts of the building (i.e. the area called the “altar.”) Some believe that people should conduct themselves in a certain manner (i.e. no hats, no drinks, no talking, get dressed up, etc.) The list of rules, developed by religious people (not Christians) goes on and on.

The fact of the matter is: all of these rules would still apply to a church building if it really was still a holy place where God lived. Thankfully, the Bible is very clear that the church building is not God’s house and we will look at that wonderful reality in part 2.