“Do You Not Know?”

A friend was recalling the time when his mother-in-law plopped down an edition of Reader’s Digest in front of him and urged him to take the abbreviated intelligence test featured inside. He went along with her suggestion and was greatly surprised when his final score indicated his intelligence to be of Mensa-caliber. He had done OK in school, but had no idea of the innate ability that resided within him. Had he known, he reflected, he would have applied himself more diligently in school and positioned himself better for life. He consoled himself by approaching his work with a newfound confidence in a once-latent capability.

The church in Corinth likewise had no idea of that which lived inside of them, and it took the passion of Paul to awaken them to one irrefutable truth: the Holy Spirit of God lives within every member of the body of Christ. So important to the bold apostle that they understand this that three times in two letters he pleaded with them: Do you now know? “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?”¹ “Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God?”² “Do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?”³ What can we conclude but that 1) Christ in them was indeed true; 2) His Spirit in them was vitally important; 3) these believers apparently did not know the truth of Who lived inside of them; and 4) their lack of awareness made Christ in them no less factual.

“Do you not know?” Paul’s passion of yesterday resounds to us today, and not one bit diminished. Let us receive today this glorious truth: Christ lives in me, His child; Christ lives in us, His body. Then with “Christ in you, the hope of glory,”⁴ let us like Paul “strenuously contend with all the energy Christ so powerfully works in [us].”⁵ For God has put His Spirit in us for a reason—that we would live in Him, and He in us, forever, and that He would work His Kingdom will through us. This we now know. Of this we can be certain. For this we give praise.

Father, by Your grace and through our faith in Christ, Your Spirit lives in us. Grace us to receive this for ourselves and to understand what it means for us. Then lead us today in the power of Your Spirit, so that Your will may be done through Your people, and that You will be glorified in your church. In Christ we pray. Amen.

¹ 1 Corinthians 3:16 ESV
² 1 Corinthians 6:19 ESV
³ 2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV
⁴ Colossians 1:27
⁵ Colossians 1:19