Paul is making sure that the Greek Gentiles who have been converted to Christianity understand that they are just as important as the Jewish converts. They are fellow citizens. They along with the Jewish converts together are being formed into the Body of Christ, the church.
He is also telling them and us that we are a dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. It is our responsibility to continue to build up the community of Christians, in whatever way God leads us as well as to preserve ourselves as we would a holy place.
It can be hard to think of our bodies as temples. We are encouraged by the medical community to eat well with a healthy diet, to get sufficient exercise, enough sleep and to keep our minds just as active as our bodies.
Our spiritual lives are just as important if we are to be good witnesses of our faith. Whether that involves church going, meeting with friends to discuss the Bible, reading the Bible on our own or any combination of those things, keeping our faith alive will help us to know how to share the Good News and to work to help the poor and the vulnerable by working for justice within our communities.
I visited a friend today in a nursing home. He isn't able to do too much for himself and is having a hard time being dependent on others to care for him, but his mind is as active as ever and the one thing he finds difficult is that most of the other residents of the nursing home have dementia.
Although he continues to read his Bible and other religious articles, and he prays, there is no longer a community of believers with whom he can discuss what he reads and he feels stifled.
We all need others to walk with on our journey.
And others need us
