16. Eph. 2, 21. A temple is a house in which God dwells; and therefore, it is added, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. This indwelling of the Spirit constitutes each be- liever, every separate church, and the Church collectively the temple of God. As in the Jewish temple, in its inmost recess, the Shechinah, or glory of God, was constantly present, and conferred on the building its awe-inspiring power, and ren- dered any profanation of it a direct offence to God ; so does the Holy Spirit dwell in the Church, the profanation of which by false doctrine is therefore sacrilege.
17. If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy: for the temple of God is holy, which (temple) ye are.
The word translated defile in the first clause of this verse, is the same as that rendered destroy in the second clause. It (<f>^€Lp(o) has the general meaning to bring into a worse state. In the LXX. as well as in the New Testament it means to mar. The passage may, therefore, be rendered, ' If any man injure the temple of God, him will God injure.' The temple cannot be injured with impunity. Under the old dispensation the penalty for defiUng the sanctuary was either death. Lev. 15, 31, or excision from the people. Num. 19, 20. God is not less jealous of his spiritual temple, than- he was of the typical tem- ple, built of wood and stone by the hands of men. Ministers injure the souls of men and injure the church when they preach false doctrine, and therefore they defile the temple of God, and will certainly be punished.
JFhr the temple of God is holy, i. e. sacred ; something which cannot be violated with impunity. In this sense every thing consecrated to God is holy, and especially any place or person in which he dwells. Which (temple) ye are. As the word for temple is not in the text (which reads otrti/cs ian v/xcts) the reference may be to the word holy. ' The temple is holy, which ye also are.' The same reason exists why the church cannot be defiled or injured, that there is that the temple could not be profaned. Both are sacred. The view given in our version is commonly preferred.
18. Let no man deceive himself. If any man