19 Or do you not know that your body is a temple[a] of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God, and that you are not your own?
There’s the story told in Genesis (2:7) of how God made Adam from the dust of the earth, and breathed life into his nostrils. With that beginning, Adam never could argue that he wasn’t connected to and dependent on God.
Paul seems to suggest here that this was not just an ancient tale, but maybe a description of God’s activity in our day and time.
My body, this assortment of earthly elements is actually a temple (the dwelling place) of the Holy Spirit. And since that Spirit fills me, and animates me, I, too, belong to God. And the Spirit that dwells within me, gives me the power to do great things for God.
The Brief Statement of Faith of the Presbyterian Church USA, directs us to the active roll the Holy Spirit plays in our lives.
We trust in God the Holy Spirit,
everywhere the giver and renewer of life.
The Spirit justifies us by grace through faith,
sets us free to accept ourselves and to love God and neighbor,
and binds us together with all believers
in the one body of Christ, the Church.The same Spirit
who inspired the prophets and apostles
rules our faith and life in Christ through Scripture,
engages us through the Word proclaimed,
claims us in the waters of baptism,
feeds us with the bread of life and the cup of salvation,
and calls women and men to all ministries of the church.In a broken and fearful world
the Spirit gives us courage
to pray without ceasing,
to witness among all peoples to Christ as Lord and Savior,
to unmask idolatries in Church and culture,
to hear the voices of peoples long silenced,
and to work with others for justice, freedom, and peace.
As the Spirit makes a home within us, we are empowered to live for God and make a difference in the world.
Prayer
I welcome you, Holy Spirit, to make a home within me. And I ask you to let me live like I belong to God. Amen.