1 Corinthians / Question
Paul tells the Corinthians, “you are God’s temple” and that God’s Spirit dwells in them (1 Corinthians 3:16). He warns that if anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy that person, because the temple is holy (1 Corinthians 3:17).
In 1 Corinthians 3:16–17 Paul reminds the Corinthians that they together are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives among them. He frames this as something they should already recognize. Then he gives a sharp warning: anyone who wrecks God’s temple will face God’s own response in kind. This warning comes inside Paul’s longer push against divisions and status-contests in the Corinthian community (1 Corinthians 1:10). Just before these verses, he describes leaders as workers on God’s building and says each person’s work will be tested (1 Corinthians 3:9–15).
Paul’s point is about the Corinthian community, not merely a religious building. He says “you” are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives “in you” (plural), describing God’s real presence among them. That claim is presented as something they should already understand (“Don’t you know…”).
A common mistake is to turn the wording into a slogan. The better reading keeps the phrase tied to the passage, the speaker, and the problem the book is addressing.
Start with 1 Corinthians 3:16, then read the surrounding section so the answer stays connected to the passage's flow.
16Don`t you know that you are a temple of God, and that God`s Spirit lives in you?