Commentary on 1 Corinthians
Lecture 3. Temples of God
3:16 Know you not that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? [n. 170]
3:17 But if any man violates the temple of God, him shall God destroy. For the temple of God is holy, which you are. [n. 174]
3:18 Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seems to be wise in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be wise. [n. 176]
3:19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written: I will catch the wise in their own craftiness. [n. 179]
3:20 And again: the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain. [n. 180]
3:21 Let no one therefore glory in men. For all things are yours, [n. 181]
3:22 Whether it be Paul or Apollo or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come. For all are yours. [n. 182]
3:23 And you are Christ’s. And Christ is God’s. [n. 183]
170. Having indicated the reward in store for those who labor well, the Apostle now deals with the punishment in store for those who do evil or destructive works.
First, he indicates the punishment;
second, he dismisses a contrary error, at let no man deceive.
He indicates the punishment in store for those who work unto destruction by continuing with the metaphor of the spiritual building. In regard to this he does three things.
First, he shows the dignity of the spiritual edifice;
second, he mentions the punishment in store for those who destroy it, at but if any man;
third, he assigns the reason for the punishment, at for the temple of God.
171. He says, therefore: I have said that everyone who builds on the foundation will receive the reward of salvation without a loss or with a loss. But if you are to understand the punishment in store for those who labor evilly among you, you must recognize your dignity, which he indicates when he says, know you not that you, Christ’s faithful, are the temple of God? In whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit (Eph 2:21).
172. Second, he proves that the faithful are God’s temple.
For it is the mark of a temple to be God’s dwelling place: the Lord is in his holy temple (Ps 11:4); hence everything in which God dwells can be called a temple. Now God dwells chiefly in himself, because he alone comprehends himself; hence God himself is called a temple: its temple is the Lord God (Rev 21:22). God also dwells in a building consecrated by the special worship offered him in it; therefore, a holy building is called a temple: I will worship at the holy temple in your fear (Ps 5:8). Furthermore, he dwells in men by faith, which works through love: that Christ may dwell by faith in your hearts (Eph 3:17).
Hence to prove that the faithful are God’s temple, he adds that they are dwelt in by God when he says, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you, as in Romans when he said: the Spirit who raised Jesus Christ dwells in you (Rom 8:11); I will put my Spirit within you (Ez 36:27).
This shows that the Spirit is God, by whose indwelling the faithful are called God’s temple, for only God’s indwelling makes a thing God’s dwelling, as has been said.
173. But it should be noted that God exists in all creatures. He exists in them by his essence, power, and presence, filling all things with his goodness: do I not fill heaven and earth? (Jer 23:24). But God is said to dwell spiritually as in a family in the saints, whose mind is capable of God by knowledge and love, even though they may not be actually thinking of him or loving him, provided that by grace they possess the habit of faith and charity, as is the case with baptized infants. However, knowledge without love does not suffice for God’s indwelling: he who abides in love abides in God and God in him (1 John 4:16). That is why many persons know God either by natural knowledge or by unformed faith, yet God’s Spirit does not dwell in them.
174. Then when he says, but if any man, he mentions the punishment in store for those who do evil works, saying, but if any man violates the temple of God, him shall God destroy.
Now the temple of God is violated in two ways: in one way, by false teaching, which does not build on the foundation, but rather uproots it and destroys the edifice; hence, Ezekiel says of false prophets: you have profaned me among my people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread (Ezek 13:19). In another way a person violates the temple of God by mortal sin, through which he destroys himself or someone else by his works or example; hence it is said: Judah has profaned the sanctuary of the Lord, which he loves (Mal 2:11).
Therefore, any person who violates a spiritual temple of God or profanes it in any way deserves to be destroyed by God through eternal damnation; hence Malachi continues: may the Lord cut off from the tents of Jacob and the man who does this, both the master and the disciple (Mal 2:12), and in a psalm: may the Lord cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that makes great boasts (Ps 12:3).
175. Then when he says, for the temple, he gives the reason for what he had said about the holiness of the temple.
For a person who profanes a sacred thing commits a sacrilege; hence he deserves to be destroyed. For the temple of God is holy, which you are, as he stated earlier and as stated in a psalm: holy is your temple, wonderful in justice (Ps 65:4), and again: holiness befits your house, O Lord (Ps 93:5). In a material temple, however, is a certain sacramental holiness, inasmuch as the temple is dedicated to divine worship; but in Christ’s faithful is the holiness of grace, which they acquired by baptism: you are washed, you are sanctified (1 Cor 6:11).
176. Then when he says, let no man deceive, he excludes an opposite error.
First, he warns the faithful to be careful not to be deceived by error;
second, he teaches how to be careful, at if any man among you;
third, he assigns the reason, at for the wisdom of this world.
177. In regard to the first it should be noted that some people say that God neither rewards nor punishes men’s deeds: they say in their hearts: the Lord will not do good, nor will he do ill (Zeph 1:12); who has commanded and it came to pass, unless the Lord has ordained it? Is it not from the mouth of the Most High that good and evil come? (Lam 3:37). To exclude this error he says, let no man deceive himself with the assertion that a person who violates the temple of God will not be destroyed: let no man deceive you with empty words, for it is because of these things that the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience (Eph 5:6).
178. Then when he says, if any man, he shows how to avoid being deceived in this way.
Here it should be noted that some, appealing to the reasons of human wisdom, have declared that God does not punish men’s sins on the ground that God does not know the particular things that happen here: and you say: thick clouds enwrap him, so that he does not see (Job 22:14). Therefore, to avoid this he says: if any man among you seems to be wise in this world, i.e., has worldly wisdom, which in those points that are contrary to the faith is not wisdom, even though it appears to be, let him become a fool by eschewing that seeming wisdom, that he may be wise, namely, according to divine wisdom, which is the true wisdom.
And this must be observed not only in those matters in which worldly wisdom is contrary to the truth of faith, but also in all matters in which it is contrary to genuine morality; hence: he is a shield to those who take refuge in him (Prov 30:5).
179. Then when he says, for the wisdom, he assigns the reason for what he had said.
For it seems to be inept to advise a person to become foolish, as, indeed, it would be if the foolishness were the denial of true wisdom. But that is not the case, for the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God.
But that is called the wisdom of this world that rests mainly on this world, whereas the wisdom that attains to God through the things of this world is not the wisdom of the world but the wisdom of God: for what can be known about God is plain to them, because God has shown it to them. His invisible nature has been clearly perceived in the things that have been made (Rom 1:19). Therefore, the wisdom of this world, which considers the things of this world in such a way that it does not reach divine truth is foolishness with God, i.e., in God’s judgment it is folly: the princes of Zoan are utterly foolish; the wise counselors of Pharaoh give stupid counsel (Isa 19:11).
180. Second, he proves what he had said by citing two authorities: the first of these is from Job (Job 5:13); hence he says: it is written: I will catch the wise in their own craftiness. Now the Lord catches the wise in their own craftiness because when they lay crafty plans contrary to God, he frustrates them and fulfills his own plan. Thus, by the malice of Joseph’s brothers attempting to prevent his ascendancy, it came to pass by divine providence that Joseph, after being sold, became a ruler in Egypt. Hence just before the words quoted, Job says: he frustrates the devices of the crafty, so that their hands achieve no success; because, as it says in Proverbs: no wisdom, no understanding, no counsel, can avail against the Lord (Prov 21:30).
The second authority is taken from a psalm (Ps 94:11); hence he says: and again it is written: the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise, i.e., according to the wisdom of the world, that they are in vain, namely, because they do not reach unto the goal of human knowledge, which is the knowledge of divine truth. Hence, all men who are ignorant of God are foolish (Wis 13:1).
181. Then when he says, let no one therefore glory, he draws his main conclusion, namely, that they should not glory in God’s ministers.
First, he draws the conclusion, saying: since ministers are nothing but persons laboring for a reward, let no one therefore glory in men, as it says in a psalm: put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no help (Ps 146:3); cursed is the man who trusts in man and makes flesh his arm (Jer 17:5).
182. Second, he assigns a reason based on the dignity of Christ’s faithful.
First, he mentions the relationship between things and Christ’s faithful, saying, for all things are yours. As if to say: just as a man does not glory in things subject to himself, so neither should you glory in the things of the world, all of which have been given to you by God: you have put all things under his feet (Ps 8:8).
Then he specifies what he means by all things; and first he mentions Christ’s ministers, who are appointed by God to minister to the faithful: with ourselves as your servants for Jesus’ sake (2 Cor 4:5), which is what he says: whether it be Paul, who planted, or Apollo, who watered, or Cephas, i.e., Peter, who is the universal shepherd of Christ’s sheep (John 21). After these he mentions external things when he says, or the world, which contains all creatures and belongs to Christ’s faithful, inasmuch as a person is helped by the things of this world to fulfill his bodily needs and to attain to a knowledge of God: from the greatness and beauty of created things comes a corresponding perception of their Creator (Wis 13:5).
183. Then he lists things which pertain to the very disposition of man, saying, or life, or death, because life is useful to Christ’s faithful as the time for meriting; and so is death, by which they reach their reward: whether we live or die, we are the Lord’s (Rom 14:8); and for me to live is Christ and to die is gain (Phil 1:21).
Indeed, all good and evil in this world are reduced to these two, because by good things life is preserved and by evil things death is reached.
Finally, he lists the things which pertain to man’s present or future state, saying: or things present, i.e., things of this life by which we are aided in meriting, or things to come, i.e., things reserved for us as a reward: we have not here a lasting city, but we seek one that is to come (Heb 13:14). All are yours, i.e., serve your advantage: in everything God works for good with those who love him (Rom 8:28).
184. Thus, the first relationship is that of Christ to the faithful, but the second is that of Christ’s faithful to Christ. He mentions this when he says: and you are Christ’s, because he redeemed us by his death: whether we live or whether we die, we are the Lord’s (Rom 14:8). The third relationship is that of Christ as man to God; hence he adds: and Christ as man is God’s. Hence he is called God and Lord: O Lord my God, in you I take refuge (Ps 7:1), where the whole Trinity is understood by the name, God.
Therefore, because no one should glory in anything below him but in what is above him, the faithful of Christ should not glory in his ministers, but rather the ministers in them: I have great confidence in you; I have great pride in you (2 Cor 7:4). But Christ’s faithful should glory in Christ: far be it from me to glory except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ (Gal 6:14), as Christ glories in the Father: he boasts that God is his father (Wis 2:16).