15

1 Corinthians 3–6

The Body Is a Temple

Purpose

To encourage students to keep themselves clean and worthy of the Lord’s Spirit.

Before the Video

Tell students that Corinth was a large trade capital and a city of great immorality. Paul had great success turning the Corinthians from their wickedness and converting them to Jesus Christ.

Using the Video

The Body Is a Temple 7:18

“Look For” Activity

Read 1 Corinthians 3:16 and ask students to be ready to explain how segment 1 of the video relates to this verse and to the Corinthian Saints.

Show the Video

Segment 1 (1:57) portrays a large room in a run-down house with broken chairs, broken windows, and debris littering the floor. The room begins to change and become beautiful as the broken things disappear, the walls begin to look new, and beautiful light fixtures appear.

Note: Because of the sanctity of temples, the images in the video are not intended to represent the inside of a temple. As you teach the lesson, make sure the students understand that the Corinthians are compared to a home, not to a temple.

Discussion

Ask students how segment 1 relates to 1 Corinthians 3:16 and to the Corinthian Saints. Help them compare the interior of the house to the Corinthians who joined the Church. (Prior to their conversion many of the Corinthians had led sinful lives. Through their faith in the Atonement of Jesus Christ they had become clean, renewed, and worthy of the Holy Ghost.)

Scripture Insight

Tell students that after Paul left Corinth he learned that many of the Corinthian Saints were returning to their former ways. Help students understand that 1 Corinthians was written to chastise the Corinthian Saints and to encourage them not to return to their wickedness. Divide your students into three groups and assign each group a chapter from 1 Corinthians 3–5. Have each group identify key words that tell what sins the Corinthian Saints were committing again. You may want to have each group list on the board some of the key words they found.

Scripture Insight

Read 1 Corinthians 6:9–20 with your students and ask them if they can sense Paul’s frustration as he learns that the Corinthians were becoming filthy again. Help the students understand that members of the Church today have the same challenge as the Corinthian Saints—to keep our lives worthy of the Spirit of God while living in a sinful world.

“Look For” Activity

Ask your students to be ready to discuss some of the challenges we face today in keeping our lives clean and worthy of the Spirit.

Show the Video

Segment 2 (5:21) compares the lives of two young women who, through choice, make their homes either uninviting or inviting for the Spirit of God.

After the Video

Discussion

You may want to discuss:

• How the students felt as they saw the beautiful room become filthy.

• How the light symbolized the Holy Ghost. Help them understand that obedience brings greater light; disobedience and uncleanliness result in darkness and loss of the Spirit.

• Why the Holy Ghost would not want to dwell with spiritually unclean individuals. (Compare this to why we would not want to live in a filthy, run-down house.)

• The choices made by each girl.

• The choices that defile or protect us today.

• Things we can do to keep our lives progressing in a positive direction.

• What Paul meant when he said: “Know ye not that … ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19–20).