Greek Key Terms:
Context: First Corinthians 6:19-20 declares: "Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body." Where 1 Corinthians 3:16 applied temple imagery corporately (plural "you" = church), 6:19 applies it individually (singular "your body" = each believer). Not only is the church collectively God's temple, but each believer individually is a temple housing the Holy Spirit. This extends the holy place concept beyond corporate to personal—God dwells not just among His people but within each person. The holiness required of the tabernacle/temple is now required of every believer's life.
Connections:
Christological Connection: First Corinthians 6:19-20's declaration—"your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you... you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body"—extends temple imagery from corporate (3:16) to individual. Each believer's body becomes God's dwelling place through the Spirit's indwelling. This democratizes holiness requirements—where the Jerusalem temple demanded purity from priests and worshipers, each believer's body now requires holiness. The context addresses sexual immorality (porneia, vv. 12-18)—Paul argues that joining one's body (temple) with a prostitute defiles God's sanctuary. The logic: "do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ?" (v. 15). Union with Christ makes the body sacred; sexual sin violates that sanctity. The phrase "you were bought with a price" (ēgorasthēte gar timēs) refers to redemption through Christ's blood. First Peter 1:18-19 explains: "you were ransomed... not with perishable things such as silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ." The purchase price determines ownership—believers belong to God, not themselves. This parallels Israel's redemption from Egypt: "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery" (Exodus 20:2)—redemption creates obligation. The command "glorify God in your body" (doxasate dē ton theon en tō sōmati hymōn) requires comprehensive holiness. Romans 12:1 calls believers to "present your bodies as a living sacrifice... which is your spiritual worship." First Thessalonians 4:3-4 states: "this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from sexual immorality; that each one of you know how to control his own body in holiness and honor." The trajectory shows: tabernacle/temple as God's dwelling (Exodus 25:8; 1 Kings 8:10-11) → Christ's body as true temple (John 2:21) → church corporately as temple (1 Corinthians 3:16) → individual believers as temples (1 Corinthians 6:19) → new creation where God dwells with all (Revelation 21:3). The localized presence (one building in Jerusalem) expands through Christ to encompass all believers globally—each person a sacred space, each body a temple requiring holiness. Where priests guarded the physical temple's purity, believers guard their bodies' purity, motivated by the Spirit's indwelling and Christ's costly purchase.
Connection Method(s): Typology (Providential, Backward-Looking), Longitudinal Theme — Individual believers' bodies as "temples of the Holy Spirit" extend the temple trajectory to its most personal expression, with Christ's costly purchase ("bought with a price") making each body sacred space requiring the holiness once demanded of Jerusalem's physical temple.
Trajectory Table: 074 - Holy Places (Access to God's Presence)