Is there a temple whose sacrifice, by God’s grace, is pure and holy, where humanity, with clean hearts, can meet the true God?
The answer is yes. We find that temple in a surprising spot. It is no vast structure that dominates the landscape. The temple of which I speak is the body of Christ. Jesus declared this. While in Jerusalem he said, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” [John 2:19] He did not mean a building; he meant his body. That body was destroyed in death, yet raised to unconquerable life. That body still abides. It includes all his people. This is the new temple, the everlasting temple, raised not by human construction, but by the mercy and victory of God. This temple is not a place where in any human sense a religion becomes an economy, or an economy becomes a religion. This real and mystical and visible body, this organism of human members and divine life, is obedient to God’s economy, the ways of God’s household, the divine patterns of justice and mercy. All are welcome to live in this family. The doors of the temple stand open.