Is The Church Ready For the Return of Christ?

With the sound of a trumpet blast, Christ our Lord could return on any given day. We must ask ourselves if the church is ready for His return. Jesus will return for a spotless church.

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16

That verse gives absolutely no hint of the return of Christ. It does, however, define the subject of His return, the church. Our verse in 1 Corinthians contains two parts.

The Apostle Paul said that we Christians, together, make up the Temple of God. Not a brick-and-mortar temple, but a spiritual one. Yet, like a temple, it has a foundation and a Cornerstone.

Together, we are his house, built on the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. And the cornerstone is Christ Jesus himself. We are carefully joined together in him, becoming a holy temple for the Lord. Ephesians 2:20-21

When you consider a building made with stones, one could remove a stone without affecting the whole building. Aesthetically, it wouldn’t look that good, but it wouldn’t affect its structure.

In the Temple of God, the Lord places value on every stone. Why? Because God has carefully fit us together. Yes, the Lord made His Temple out of us, living stones.

And you are living stones that God is building into his spiritual Temple. What’s more, you are his holy priests. Through the mediation of Jesus Christ, you offer spiritual sacrifices that please God. 1 Peter 2:5

The first part of 1 Corinthians 3:16 states that God has built us together as His holy Temple. The second part of that verse says, And that the Spirit of God lives in you?

God’s Spirit Lives in You

You might be saying, ‘Okay, I get it; I am a part of the Temple.’ But, since the Holy Spirit lives in you, that makes your body the Temple of God. Paul revealed this to us in 1 Corinthians 6.

Don’t you realize that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? You do not belong to yourself, for God bought you with a high price. So you must honor God with your body. 1 Corinthians 6:19-20

After Paul asked us in 3:16, Don’t you realize… he continued by talking about the Temple. He turned his thoughts in the next verse to the sanctity of the Temple.

God will destroy anyone who destroys this Temple. For God’s Temple is holy, and you are that Temple. 1 Corinthians 3:17

Because of its foundation and cornerstone, no one can destroy God’s Temple. Satan has tried to destroy it from the start. Since he can’t knock it off its foundation, he goes after individuals.

In 1 Corinthians 6, Paul gave a discourse on sexual sins. Satan knows that sexual gratification appeals to most people. Therefore, Paul warned us about sinning against our own bodies.

Run From Sin

Run from sexual sin! No other sin so clearly affects the body as this one does. For sexual immorality is a sin against your own body. 1 Corinthians 6:18

As we toggle between 1 Corinthians 3 and 6, we gain a more complete picture. We recognize the sacredness with which God views us. That complete picture includes your body, soul, and spirit.

Before the apostle warned the Corinthian church to flee from sexual sin, he explained why. In doing so, Paul did not mince his words at all.

And don’t you realize that if a man joins himself to a prostitute, he becomes one body with her? For the Scriptures say, “The two are united into one.” 1 Corinthians 6:16

The meaning of the word prostitute goes well beyond a one-night stand. It highlights the idea that engaging in sexual activity with a prostitute (or anyone outside of marriage) creates a union.

A person who engages in such activity thinks they don’t hurt or affect anyone else. But they do, starting with themselves as they defile their relationship with Christ.

Don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? Should a man take his body, which is part of Christ, and join it to a prostitute? 1 Corinthians 6:15

Anyone who thinks they have gotten away with a sexual fling may have fooled their spouse or anyone else. Their foolishness, though, will trap them in the snare of their own cleverness.

Stop deceiving yourselves. If you think you are wise by this world’s standards, you need to become a fool to be truly wise. For the wisdom of this world is foolishness to God. As the Scriptures say, “He traps the wise in the snare of their own cleverness.” 1 Corinthians 3:18-19

Christ Will Return, Don’t Miss It

Paul wrote some tough words to a very defiant group of people within the Corinthian church. He said those things because he didn’t want anyone to miss going with Christ upon His return.

The church today also contains a defiant spirit. Society has blurred the line between purity and immorality that many church people don’t even know the difference.

The apostle said run from anything questionable when it comes to immorality. When we run from something, what should we run toward? Ask forgiveness and reunite your body with Christ.

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Romans 12:1

So, church, are we ready for the return of Christ? He doesn’t expect a perfect church. He expects a church without spot or wrinkle, cleansed by the blood He shed on the cross.

Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her to make her holy and clean, washed by the cleansing of God’s word. He did this to present her to himself as a glorious church without a spot or wrinkle or any other blemish. Instead, she will be holy and without fault. Ephesians 5:25-27

You Realize That Christ Will Return Soon?

Before we close, I would like to recap some key statements made by the Apostle Paul. He said them in the two chapters we read from in 1 Corinthians that begin with, “Don’t you realize.”

Don’t you realize that all of you together are the Temple of God and that the Spirit of God lives in you? 1 Corinthians 3:16
Don’t you realize that those who do wrong will not inherit the Kingdom of God? Don’t fool yourselves. 1 Corinthians 6:9
And don’t you realize that your bodies are actually parts of Christ? 1 Corinthians 6:15
Don’t you realize that your body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit, who lives in you and was given to you by God? 1 Corinthians 6:19
I added this last one. Don’t you realize that Christ will return soon?

Our Lord Jesus Christ, we long for your return. Forgive us for the times we have defiled our own bodies. Help us to become the living and holy sacrifice that pleases you.