Living Temples

Many people today live with food allergies. If someone has an allergy, they avoid that food at all costs. They study labels in the grocery store and ask careful questions in restaurants because eating the wrong thing could trigger a severe reaction—even death.

Now imagine that someone you dearly love is coming over for dinner, and you know they are allergic to peanuts and shellfish. Would you serve them shrimp, scallops, or peanut butter cookies? Of course not! To do so would be recklessly harmful to someone you love.

In the same way, the Holy Spirit resides within every born-again believer. He dwells in us as God’s gift and seal of salvation, but there are things He is “allergic” to—things that bring rejection and grief. Those things are called sins. The Spirit is not passively walking alongside us; He is actively guiding, warning, and directing us away from sin. Out of His great love, He points us toward purity, and out of our love for Him, we should listen to His still, small voice.

When we knowingly bring sin into our lives, it’s as if we are serving the Spirit a plate of something He cannot tolerate. We harm the One we claim to love. Scripture reminds us that we were bought with the ultimate price—the blood of Christ—and in His mercy, God has given us His Spirit to lead us into truth (John 16:13). The best way to show our love and gratitude is to offer righteous conduct, repent of sinful habits, and honor God with our bodies, the temple of His Spirit.