God Will Destroy Temple Destroyers?
(1 Corinthians 3:17)
εἴ τις τὸν ναὸν τοῦ θεοῦ φθείρει, φθερεῖ τοῦτον ὁ θεός
1 Cor 3:17a has been called the most stringent warning in all of Paul’s letters. The frightful prospect of God destroying one who destroys his temple deserves closer scrutiny. First, the identity of ναὸς θεοῦ (3:16–17) is crucial to interpreting 3:17. Does it refer to the individual believer, the universal church, or the local church? The sustained use of second person plural verbs (οἴδατε, ἐστε) and the plural pronoun ὑμῖν combined with the singular predicate nominative favor a collective interpretation. The immediate context (3:5–15) further establishes that ναός is the local church in Corinth.
Secondly, since Paul threatens divine destruction for destroying God’s church, it is critical to identify the type of destruction involved. Since Paul does not specify how the church is destroyed in the immediate context, one must consider the larger literary context (1:10–4:21). A survey of this section suggests that Paul’s warning is predicated on the very behavior within the community that prompted his admonition. The Corinthian community cultivated worldly wisdom (1:10–2:16), which resulted in jealousy, envy, strife, and division (3:1–4:21). The apostle confronts this mindset by setting the message of the cross over against the world and its wisdom (1:18–25). Immediately following his warning in 3:17, he again focuses on the themes of “the wisdom of the world” and “boasting” (3:18–23).
Thirdly, we must determine the target of Paul’s warning. It is often assumed that the prospective temple destroyer cannot be a true believer. However, at least three considerations weigh against this view. (1) Paul has been discussing the nature of Christian leadership within the church (3:5–15). He has not transitioned from teachers and believers to false teachers and unbelievers. While εἴ τις could certainly include unbelievers (i.e., false teachers or false professors), it is unlikely contextually that Paul is introducing a new audience in the middle of his argument. The same expression is used in 3:12 in reference to Corinthian saints (or teachers). Paul provides no contextual marker to signify a change in referent. The Corinthian saints are still under consideration. (2) The deliberate switch from third person singular (3:5–15) to second person plural (3:16–17) directly addresses the Corinthian saints. Again, no obvious contextual clues indicate that the warning against temple destroying relates to unbelievers. Instead, the context shows that believers are being admonished. (3) Paul recognizes that true believers are susceptible to the flesh (e.g., 3:1–3; cf. Rom 13:14; Gal 5:16–26), which is consistent with the severe problems in 1 Corinthians and elsewhere.
Finally, we must probe the meaning of φθείρω, which is used twice in 3:17. The repetition relates God’s response directly to the offense. Paul places the initial use of φθείρω at the end of the protasis, and he fronts the second use at the beginning of the apodosis. The positioning of both verbs implies a close connection between the two actions. The first use of φθείρω relates a warning to the Corinthian community, whose moral misconduct destroys the church. The second use of φθείρω is God’s righteous response to a prospective temple destroyer’s offense against the church. Therefore, Paul uses φθερεῖ to emphasize the certainty of God’s judgment upon anyone who destroys his temple. The apodosis thus points to the certainty of God’s judgment, not to its timing. The burden of proof rests on those who would read eternal destruction into the apodosis. It is likely that the destruction God imposes is temporal in nature and may involve physical ruin (i.e., weakness, sickness, death, 11:30). Thus, 3:17 serves as a severe warning to those who destroy their local church.
Secondly, since Paul threatens divine destruction for destroying God’s church, it is critical to identify the type of destruction involved. Since Paul does not specify how the church is destroyed in the immediate context, one must consider the larger literary context (1:10–4:21). A survey of this section suggests that Paul’s warning is predicated on the very behavior within the community that prompted his admonition. The Corinthian community cultivated worldly wisdom (1:10–2:16), which resulted in jealousy, envy, strife, and division (3:1–4:21). The apostle confronts this mindset by setting the message of the cross over against the world and its wisdom (1:18–25). Immediately following his warning in 3:17, he again focuses on the themes of “the wisdom of the world” and “boasting” (3:18–23).
Thirdly, we must determine the target of Paul’s warning. It is often assumed that the prospective temple destroyer cannot be a true believer. However, at least three considerations weigh against this view. (1) Paul has been discussing the nature of Christian leadership within the church (3:5–15). He has not transitioned from teachers and believers to false teachers and unbelievers. While εἴ τις could certainly include unbelievers (i.e., false teachers or false professors), it is unlikely contextually that Paul is introducing a new audience in the middle of his argument. The same expression is used in 3:12 in reference to Corinthian saints (or teachers). Paul provides no contextual marker to signify a change in referent. The Corinthian saints are still under consideration. (2) The deliberate switch from third person singular (3:5–15) to second person plural (3:16–17) directly addresses the Corinthian saints. Again, no obvious contextual clues indicate that the warning against temple destroying relates to unbelievers. Instead, the context shows that believers are being admonished. (3) Paul recognizes that true believers are susceptible to the flesh (e.g., 3:1–3; cf. Rom 13:14; Gal 5:16–26), which is consistent with the severe problems in 1 Corinthians and elsewhere.
Finally, we must probe the meaning of φθείρω, which is used twice in 3:17. The repetition relates God’s response directly to the offense. Paul places the initial use of φθείρω at the end of the protasis, and he fronts the second use at the beginning of the apodosis. The positioning of both verbs implies a close connection between the two actions. The first use of φθείρω relates a warning to the Corinthian community, whose moral misconduct destroys the church. The second use of φθείρω is God’s righteous response to a prospective temple destroyer’s offense against the church. Therefore, Paul uses φθερεῖ to emphasize the certainty of God’s judgment upon anyone who destroys his temple. The apodosis thus points to the certainty of God’s judgment, not to its timing. The burden of proof rests on those who would read eternal destruction into the apodosis. It is likely that the destruction God imposes is temporal in nature and may involve physical ruin (i.e., weakness, sickness, death, 11:30). Thus, 3:17 serves as a severe warning to those who destroy their local church.
Adapted from "God Will Destroy Temple Destroyers?" (1 Corinthians 3:17),” in Devotions on the Greek New Testament: 52 Reflections to Inspire and Instruct, ed. J. Scott Duvall and Verlyn D. Verbrugge (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Academic, 2012), 67–69. Reprinted, by permission, from HarperCollins Christian Publishing.
