God Does Not Dwell In Temples Made With Hands

Acts 17:24, "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands;" 1st Corinthians 3:16-17, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are."

​We learn in the Scriptures that the believer's human body is the temple of the Holy Spirit. 1st John 3:23-34, “And this is his commandment, That we should believe on the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us commandment. And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us.” Romans 8:9, “But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

2nd Corinthians 5:17, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” That “new creature” simply means that the Holy Spirit now lives inside of us as a child of God. Our spiritual eyes have been opened for the first time, enabling us to spiritually discern the truth. This verse is often misinterpreted, particularly by Pacific Garden Mission's 'UNSHACKLED' radio series, to errantly mean “turn from your sins” to be saved. Since turning from sins is a good work, and we know that a man cannot be justified by works in God's sight (Romans 3:20); therefore, we KNOW that being a “new creature” has nothing to do with receiving the gift of eternal life.

Carefully notice that the Bible says if any man already “BE IN CHRIST.” This Bible verse is speaking about a born-again person, a believer. The Bible doesn't say that you must become a new creature to get saved. No, the Bibles says you ARE a new creature when you are “IN CHRIST.” This simply refers to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is junk theology, and deadly when applied to the plan of salvation, to say that a man must live a changed life as a condition of getting saved, or to prove that he is really saved. This is human reformation, and not the “fruit” of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:22). Sorrow for sins is penitence, not repentance. Amending one's sins is penance, not repentance. Turning from one's sins is reformation, not repentance.

Repentance is simply “a change of mind” (Greek: metanoia) toward the truth. 2nd Timothy 2:25-26,  “In meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth; And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will.” Repentance is not turning from one's sins; but rather, acknowledging THE TRUTH that you are a guilty sinner, believing on Christ alone for salvation. Repentance and faith are inseparable in salvation, just as are voltage and current in electricity.

God does not dwell in buildings made with hands. The Apostle Paul was rebuking the external superficial dead worship of the heathens. Jesus told the Samaritan woman at Jacob's well in John 4:24 that God must be worshipped in “truth” and in “spirit.” Jesus said that the Kingdom of God is within each believer. Luke 17:21, "Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

God originally dwelt among His people in a tent, and then Solomon's temple, then Zerubbabel's temple, but the Lord's desire in the New Testament was to live inside every believer as His temple. WHAT A BLESSED PRIVILDGE!!! That is a wonderful truth. God wanted to be that close to His saints. John 14:23, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.”