In the New Covenant, through the blood of Jesus in the Holy Spirit, the “temple” and “building” language of the Old Testament is transformed into descriptions of the church as God’s people. The basis for this is that Jesus himself is the true Temple which was “destroyed” and “raised again” in Jesus’ own death and resurrection (See John 2:29). To be joined to Jesus is to be part of the true Temple.
The Danger of Spiritualizing
There is a natural tendency for churches to describe their building projects in spiritual terms, to raise money and promote the project as though it were God’s revealed will. But this can be a form of idolatry, or of manipulating people.
Let us be honest and frank about our church building projects. We are not building God’s house; we are building human-made structures which we hope will be of service to God and his work.
And beware the of temptations of ego. Pastors face subtle temptations to pride when promoting building projects. A larger or more elaborate church building gives pastors more status. They will be seen as successful—even if they are not really building the true church of Jesus Christ in the Spirit.
How then should church building projects be promoted? Not as if the project were God’s revealed will, a Sinai vision, but simply as a matter of function. Church leaders should say, in effect: We think this project will help us be more effective in ministry. We are not claiming that this is a spiritual project. We know, in fact, that building projects can divert us from our primary mission. We hope we have the mind of Christ in this. But we don’t claim this is God’s project. It is not your spiritual duty to support this project, but if you feel it will help us as a church to be more effective, please give it your support.
There is a hot place in hell for those who merchandise the gospel. Surely those who market the gospel as a product—and those who sacralize church building projects—will not inherit the kingdom of God.
If we are not careful, our church buildings can become idols, and the church itself can come under God’s judgment.
