“The Temple of the Holy Spirit”

. . . only in regard to the throne will I be greater than you —Genesis 41:40

I am accountable to God for the way I control my body under His authority. Paul said he did not “set aside the grace of God”— make it ineffective (Galatians 2:21). The grace of God is absolute and limitless, and the work of salvation through Jesus is complete and finished forever. I am not being saved— I am saved. Salvation is as eternal as God’s throne, but I must put to work or use what God has placed within me. To “work out [my] own salvation” (Philippians 2:12) means that I am responsible for using what He has given me. It also means that I must exhibit in my own body the life of the Lord Jesus, not mysteriously or secretly, but openly and boldly. “I discipline my body and bring it into subjection . . .” (1 Corinthians 9:27). Every Christian can have his body under absolute control for God. God has given us the responsibility to rule over all “the temple of the Holy Spirit,” including our thoughts and desires (1 Corinthians 6:19). We are responsible for these, and we must never give way to improper ones. But most of us are much more severe in our judgment of others than we are in judging ourselves. We make excuses for things in ourselves, while we condemn things in the lives of others simply because we are not naturally inclined to do them.

Paul said, “I beseech you . . . that you present your bodies a living sacrifice . . .” (Romans 12:1). What I must decide is whether or not I will agree with my Lord and Master that my body will indeed be His temple. Once I agree, all the rules, regulations, and requirements of the law concerning the body are summed up for me in this revealed truth-my body is “the temple of the Holy Spirit.”

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聖靈的殿

惟獨在寶座上，我比你大。 （創四十一40）

在神的主權下，我必須向神交代怎樣管理自己的身體。保羅說他不能徒受神的恩典，就是把神的恩典當作無用的。神的恩典是絕對的，耶穌的救恩是完全的，是永遠有功效的。我不是在蒙拯救中，乃是已經得救。救恩正如神的寶座一樣永恆不改；我要作的，是把神放進我裡面的活出來。 [作成你們得救的功夫]是我的責任，意思是我要明明的，著力的，而不是隱秘的，以我的身子活出主耶穌的生命。 [我是攻克己身，叫身服我。 ]每一聖徒都當把身體服在神絕對的管治下。神要我們管理整個聖靈的殿，管理自己的幻想和情感。為此我們要負責任，絕不可放任感情。我們往往嚴於責人，寬於恕己；為自己製造許多藉口，卻定別人的罪，因為那些事是我們自己天性不喜好的。

保羅說：[我以神的慈悲勸你們，將身體獻上，當作活祭。 ]決定的因素在於：[我同意以我的身體作神的殿麼？ ]若然，那我整個身體的律就總括在這個啟示裡；我的身體是聖靈的殿。

祈禱◆主啊，我肉身的生命若沒有了你，是何等暗晦，冷漠和憂鬱；求你以你神性的生命，來充滿我。