In Lesson 1-4 we used the body, soul and spirit to depict the human anatomy. The “circle inside of the circle” is one way to depict the human anatomy. We made the point that humans have a body, soul and spirit and each has a function and a hierarchy.

The circle inside of the circle depiction of the believer from Lesson 1-4

But the circle inside of the circle cannot be found as an example in the Bible. But there is a biblical depiction and it is the Temple.

In this lesson we focus on the Temple and the spiritual truths and “types” that are built into the Temple that are an analogy of our spiritual life.

The Temple was a three-part building.

The Holy of Holies which was the inner room
Next was the Holy Place
In between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place was the Curtain and beyond that was the Outer Court

These three components overlay with the Christian life and is depicted in this illustration.

Note: By this time, the mentee should understand the concept of Abiding. So, it should make sense as you disciple, to apply the concept of Abiding to the believer being a Temple.

Explanation

The left-hand column represents walking with the Holy Spirit or abiding in Christ and walking in His life.

The right-hand column represents a believer who is out of fellowship with the Holy Spirit, relying on their human nature, walking in spiritual darkness and allowing the human nature to rein in their life.

When there is unconfessed sin it is like putting up the veil between the Holy of Holies and the Holy Place. It doesn't affect our salvation because the Holy Spirit is still there and He is the guarantee of our salvation. But, it does affect our fellowship or abiding and our availability and usefulness to the Holy Spirit so that He can produce His fruit through our lives.

Use these three video explanations to help guide you through the Temple presentation

Verses Related to the Temple Analogy

1) Jesus was a temple of God on earth, and so is each true believer.

John 2:19-21 Jesus answered, “Destroy this sanctuary, and I will raise it up in three days.” Therefore the Jews said, “This sanctuary took 46 years to build, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking about the sanctuary of His body.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Don’t you yourselves know that you are God’s sanctuary and that the Spirit of God lives in you?

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 Don’t you know that your body is a sanctuary of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God in your body.

2 Corinthians 6:16 … For we are the sanctuary of the living God, as God said: I will dwell among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they will be My people.

2) God dwells in every Christian as His temple. Now every believer, as a priest, can enter His presence and commune with Him.

Exodus 30:6-8 “You are to place the altar in front of the veil by the ark of the testimony—in front of the mercy seat that is over the testimony—where I will meet with you. Aaron must burn fragrant incense on it; he must burn it every morning when he tends the lamps. When Aaron sets up the lamps at twilight, he must burn incense. There is to be an incense offering before the Lord throughout your generations.

Matthew 27:50-51 Jesus shouted again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit. Suddenly, the curtain of the sanctuary was split in two from top to bottom;…

Ephesians 2:18-22 … you are … fellow citizens with the saints, and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. The whole building, being put together by Him, grows into a holy sanctuary in the Lord. You also are being built together for God’s dwelling in the Spirit.

Hebrews 9:1-7 … For a tabernacle was set up, and in the first room, which is called the holy place, were the lampstand, the table, and the presentation loaves. Behind the second curtain, the tabernacle was called the most holy place. It contained the gold altar of incense and the ark of the covenant, covered with gold on all sides, in which there was a gold jar containing the manna, Aaron’s staff that budded, and the tablets of the covenant. The cherubim of glory were above it overshadowing the mercy seat. It is not possible to speak about these things in detail right now. With these things set up this way, the priests enter the first room repeatedly, performing their ministry. But the high priest alone enters the second room, and he does that only once a year, and never without blood, which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance.

Hebrews 10:19-22 Therefore, brothers, since we have boldness to enter the sanctuary through the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way He has opened for us through the curtain (that is, His flesh), and since we have a great high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed in pure water.

Hebrews13:10,15,16 We have an altar from which those who serve the tabernacle do not have a right to eat. Therefore, through Him let us continually offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of our lips that confess His name. Don’t neglect to do what is good and to share, for God is pleased with such sacrifices.

1 Peter 2:5,9 … you yourselves, as living stones, are being built into a spiritual house for a holy priesthood to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His possession, so that you may proclaim the praises of the One who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light.

3) He should be producing fruit in and through me.

Romans 8:6 For the mind-set of the flesh is death [“absence of life”], but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 14:17 for the kingdom of God is … righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.

Galatians 5:22-23 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control. Against such things there is no law.

4) His “light” should shine through me.

Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city situated on a hill cannot be hidden. No one lights a lamp and puts it under a basket, but rather on a lampstand, and it gives light for all who are in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before men, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

2 Corinthians 4:6-11 For God who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of God’s glory in the face of Jesus Christ. Now we have this treasure in clay jars, so that this extraordinary power may be from God and not from us.… We always carry the death of Jesus in our body, so that the life of Jesus may also be revealed in our body. For we who live are always given over to death because of Jesus, so that Jesus’ life may also be revealed in our mortal flesh.

Ephesians 5:8-13 For you were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light — for the fruit of the light results in all goodness, righteousness, and truth—discerning what is pleasing to the Lord.

1 John 2:8-11 ... The one who says he is in the light but hates his brother is in the darkness until now. The one who loves his brother remains in the light, and there is no cause for stumbling in him. But the one who hates his brother is in the darkness, walks in the darkness, and doesn’t know where he’s going, because the darkness has blinded his eyes.

5) His “living water” should flow through me.

Jeremiah 2:13 (God, referring to Himself) … Me, the fountain of living water,…

John 7:37-38 On the last and most important day of the festival, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone is thirsty, he should come to Me and drink! The one who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, will have streams of living water flow from deep within him.”

James 3:8-12 … but no man can tame the tongue. It is a restless evil, full of deadly poison. We praise our Lord and Father with it, and we curse men who are made in God’s likeness with it. Praising and cursing come out of the same mouth. My brothers, these things should not be this way. Does a spring pour out sweet and bitter water from the same opening? Can a fig tree produce olives, my brothers, or a grapevine produce figs? Neither can a saltwater spring yield fresh water.

Ezekiel 47:1-12 Then he brought me back to the entrance of the temple and there was water flowing from under the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the temple faced east. The water was coming down from under the south side of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar. Next he brought me out by way of the north gate and led me around the outside to the outer gate that faced east; there the water was trickling from the south side. As the man went out east with a measuring line in his hand, he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my ankles. Then he measured off a third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my knees. He measured off another third of a mile and led me through the water. It came up to my waist. Again he measured off a third of a mile, and it was a river that I could not cross on foot. For the water had risen; it was deep enough to swim in, a river that could not be crossed on foot.

He asked me, “Do you see this, son of man?” Then he led me back to the bank of the river. When I had returned, I saw a very large number of trees along both sides of the riverbank. He said to me, “This water flows out to the eastern region and goes down to the Arabah. When it enters the sea, the sea of foul water, the water of the sea becomes fresh. Every kind of living creature that swarms will live wherever the river flows, and there will be a huge number of fish because this water goes there. Since the water will become fresh, there will be life everywhere the river goes. Fishermen will stand beside it from En-gedi to En-eglaim.These will become places where nets are spread out to dry. Their fish will consist of many different kinds, like the fish of the Mediterranean Sea. Yet its swamps and marshes will not be healed; they will be left for salt. All kinds of trees providing food will grow along both banks of the river. Their leaves will not wither, and their fruit will not fail. Each month they will bear fresh fruit because the water comes from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be used for food and their leaves for medicine.”

6) A glimpse of the heavenly city.

Revelation 21:10, 22 He (angel) then carried me (John) away in the Spirit to a great and high mountain and showed me the holy city, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. I did not see a sanctuary in it, because the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb are its sanctuary.

Go to Lesson 3-13 Rewards (and Loss of) Ceremony for Believers

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3-12 Abiding Analogy Using the Temple