Body as a Temple of the Holy Spirit

We Are His Temples


*omit if not age appropriate

"The spirit of the Lord will rush upon you, and you will join them in their prophetic state and will be changed into another man."1 Samuel 10:6

"... that He may grant you in accord with the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner self." Ephesians 3:16

"Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy that person; for the temple of God, which you are, is holy." 1 Cor. 3:16-17

"... and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the holy Spirit that has been given to us." Romans 5:5

"But you are not in the flesh; on the contrary, you are in the spirit, if only the Spirit of God dwells in you. Whoever does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to Him. For if you live according to the flesh, you will die, but if by the spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live." Romans 8:9, 13

God made you special and He created you to be holy and faithful to His ways. Your body is what your soul wears when you're on earth. Your body is only temporary and your soul is what will go up to Heaven. Our bodies belong to God so we are not our own. We were bought by Jesus' blood when He died on the Cross for us. Your actual physical body then is the Temple of the Holy Spirit and great care was given in the design of you.

A temple is a sacred place and so too is your body. It is a place where we worship and honor God. He wants us to honor Him with our bodies and our minds. So you are the "temple of God" when you are faithful to Christ. He wants you to honor Him with our bodies and our minds. You are His temples!

You belong to Jesus. Loving Him first, others second, and ourselves last, will honor God. You are more than just flesh - you have a soul. If you're not faithful to Christ, He is available and knocking on the door of your body, so to speak, and you can invite Him back in by being sorry for your sins and going to Confession. The human body is a place where human life and love happen. The Spirit of God transforms your body into the grace of God which in turn moves you to pray and serve others.

By taking care of our bodies, you are taking care of your wonderful Holy Spirit's temple. Because the Holy Spirit lives within you, He is with you wherever you go and whatever you do. You are joined with Him as one. The Holy Spirit knows your every word, every thought and every deed. He knows you, your strengths and your weaknesses. He knows your sinful acts and you good deeds and Heaven knows you better than you know yourself.

In terms of our bodies, we need to be careful where it goes and what it does and make sure everything we do and say glorifies Him. It is our great responsibility to keep God's house clean because we can't expect God to live in an unclean temple. God does care what you have done or are doing with your body. He wants you to be the best person you can be since he has given you your gifts or talents, your abilities, your thoughts, your energy and opportunities.

The Holy Spirit is a Person, one of the three Persons in one God. The Holy Spirit forms you in Christ's body when we get baptized. The purpose of the Holy Spirit is to build you up in the body of Christ to the glory of God. This happens by knowing God's Word, sharing in the other sacraments and virtues. This will help you grow spiritually and act according to what is good. Therefore, your body is meant for holiness in Christ since your body belongs to Christ. The power of the Holy Spirit is available when you need it. He is a great encourager.

When you are filled with the Spirit, you are living in His presence, next to Christ. You can take up your Cross everyday and follow Jesus then. Wonderful things happen through your life when you're Spirit-filled. When you are filled with the Spirit, you have an attitude that you want to share the Good News of Christ. When you receive Communion, you are receiving the real presence of Christ so you are in Christ. You as a member of a Church, make up the Body of Christ. For where the Church is, there also is God's Spirit; where God's Spirit is, there is the Church and every grace.

You can put on the Lord Jesus Christ and live a holy life, loving Him, honoring Him, pleasing Him, worshiping Him and enjoying His endless presence. You need to control what you think, see and hear. So you shouldn't think unclean thoughts, watch unclean movies and listen to bad language in shows and music. *You must choose not to do some things even if you like to do them - drugs, binge drinking, underage drinking, smoking, sex outside marriage - and only choose to do the things that will make your true Master happy. There is only one Master and you can't serve an addiction too.

*Would you invite the Lord to a dirty, sexually explicit movie? Would you take the Lord to a public bar and ask Him to watch you get drunk? Would you cover your body with a whole bunch of tattoos and piercings? *Would you let your girlfriend/boyfriend do what he likes with your body and violate you? Would you take the temple of God and fill it with alcohol, illegal drugs, unhealthy food or cigarettes?

Never! These things would be totally insulting to God. Don't play with immorality but rather run from it or it will destroy your soul. As a Catholic Christian, you should follow the examples of Jesus and live the way He did, avoiding things that dishonor or displease Him. The Bible is God's Word and it is clear on what is appropriate for your body and your mind. You just need to respond to the promptings of the Holy Spirit in your life by listening to Him and being obedient to God.