Yes—the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit because the Spirit of God actually lives inside every believer.
Paul says believers are the temple of God because the Spirit of God dwells in them (1 Corinthians 3:16). He then applies this to the physical body: the body is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who is in the believer and is from God (1 Corinthians 6:19). Because believers are bought with a price, they are not their own, and they are to glorify God in their body and spirit (1 Corinthians 6:20).
1 Corinthians 3:16 — This verse directly states that believers are the temple of God because the Spirit of God dwells in them, giving the foundational reason for calling the body a temple.
1 Corinthians 6:19 — This verse specifically identifies the physical body as the temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in the believer and comes from God.
Scripture plainly teaches that believers are God's temple because His Spirit lives in them. 1 Corinthians 3:16 says, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" The next verse adds a warning: "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are." This means the temple is not a building but the believer himself. Paul applies this directly to the physical body in 1 Corinthians 6:19: "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" The body is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, and the Spirit is in the believer as a gift from God. The following verse gives the practical conclusion: "For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's." Since believers do not belong to themselves, they are to honor God with the body that the Holy Spirit indwells.
Les Feldick emphasizes that the moment a person believes, the Holy Spirit comes and indwells him or her. He teaches that this is a two-way street: believers are placed in Christ, and Christ also dwells in them through the Spirit. This indwelling is not limited to the most spiritual believers; every true believer is a temple of the Holy Spirit. Les explains that the truth that God dwells in the believer's body is a unique Pauline revelation, not found in the Old Testament or in the Gospels. He says we take it by faith, because we do not feel the Spirit moving in, but He is there because the Book says He is. He also applies this practically. Because the body is the temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit, believers cannot leave God at the door when they enter ungodly places. They take Him wherever they go. And because believers are bought with a price, they are not their own; they belong to God and are to glorify Him with their body and spirit.
Scripture says believers are the temple of God because the Spirit of God dwells in them (1 Corinthians 3:16). Les Feldick explains this as a two-way relationship: "We in Christ, but He is where? In us." At the moment of salvation, believers are placed in Christ, and He also comes and dwells within us. Les emphasizes that the third person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, comes and indwells the believer the moment he believes. This indwelling is not something reserved for a select few; every true believer is made a partaker of the Holy Spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 says the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and that believers are not their own because they are bought with a price. Les Feldick highlights that "you are bought with a price" and therefore "glorify God with your body, and in your spirit, both of which of course are God's." He points out that because the Holy Spirit indwells the believer, the believer belongs to God and is something special in His eyes. This means believers are not to be amalgamated with the world.
Les Feldick gives a practical application: when a believer goes to an ungodly place, he is not going to check God at the door. He must take God wherever he goes, because this body is the temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He also warns from 1 Corinthians 3:17 that if anyone defiles the temple of God, God is going to deal with it, because the temple of God is holy. Whatever is done to the body is done to the temple of God. Therefore, believers are to glorify God with their bodies, since the body belongs to the Creator God and is the place where His Spirit resides.
The Two-Way Street of Indwelling
Les teaches that salvation is a two-way relationship: believers are placed in Christ, and Christ also comes to dwell in them, which is the basis for the body being God's temple.
The Body as the Dwelling Place of the Holy Spirit
Les explains 1 Corinthians 6:19, showing that the physical body is the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit, who is in the believer and is from God, so believers are not their own.
The Spirit Indwells Every Believer at Salvation
Les stresses that every believer receives the indwelling Holy Spirit at the moment of faith, making the body the temple of the Holy Spirit and meaning a believer cannot leave God at the door.
Practical Conduct and the Temple of the Holy Spirit
Les applies 1 Corinthians 6:19 to life: because the body is the temple of the Holy Spirit and believers are bought with a price, they are not their own.
Defiling the Temple of God
Les teaches from 1 Corinthians 3:16-17 that defiling the temple of God, which is the believer's body, is something God will deal with because the temple is holy.
The Holy Spirit Places Believers in the Body of Christ
Les shows that the Holy Spirit baptizes every believer into the Body of Christ, making them part of Christ's body and sharing in the same Spirit.
A Doctrine Revealed Only Through Paul
Les points out that the truth of God dwelling in the believer's body is a new doctrine revealed only through Paul, and it must be taken by faith because the Book says it is so.
Every Believer Partakes of the Same Spirit
Les emphasizes that not just the most spiritual but every believer is baptized into the Body of Christ and made to drink of the same Spirit.
1 Corinthians 3:16: Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
This is the foundational verse declaring that believers collectively are God's temple because His Spirit lives in them.
1 Corinthians 3:17: If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.
This verse warns that the temple of God is holy and that defiling it has serious consequences.
1 Corinthians 6:19: What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
This verse applies the temple truth specifically to the believer's physical body, identifying the Holy Spirit as the One who dwells in it.
1 Corinthians 6:20: For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.
This verse explains the practical result of the body being God's temple: believers belong to God and must glorify Him with their bodies.
Yes. Les Feldick teaches that every believer, the moment he believes, receives the indwelling Holy Spirit. He emphasizes that it is not just the most spiritual believers, but every true believer, whose body is the temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit.
Yes. Because believers are not their own—they have been bought with a price—they are to glorify God in their body and in their spirit. Les points out that believers belong to God and are not to be amalgamated with the world.
Les meant that a believer carries the Holy Spirit with him wherever he goes. Since the body is the temple of the indwelling Holy Spirit, a believer cannot leave God outside an ungodly place; he must be careful where he goes because the Spirit is always present.
Watch the Teaching: No Condemnation: What It Really Means to Be "In Christ"