1 Corinthians 3:16-18 - You are God's temple

3:16,17

The “you” here is plural, so here he is saying that the church is God’s temple, and His Spirit lives among us. In the Old Testament the temple was treated with reverence, we are to treat the church with reverence. The church is not a plaything, but to be treated with proper seriousness. The point that Paul makes here is that if someone destroys the church by his own selfish ambition he is doing a most serious and evil thing. Such a person will be destroyed by God. Note the seriousness of the matter. The church is a sacred thing, and those who cause division are embarking on a most dangerous road.

3:18

“If you think you are wise by the standards of this age ...” Judging ourselves by the standards of this age, or seeking to satisfy the whims of this age is a foolish thing to do. The world may think us foolish for holding to Biblical standards, but if we want to be truly wise then we should be happy to be thought foolish by the world.