1 Corinthians 3:17

If any man destroyeth the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, and such are ye.

'any man' -regardless of their status.

'destroyeth' -There are cases worst than the teacher who suffers the lost of those he converted (1 Corinthians 3:15). There is the man who had. hand in destroying the church. There is the individual that personally contributed to the downfall of other Christians. (Matthew 18:6; Proverbs 6:19) 'Signifies to corrupt morally, deprave, injure in character, as well as to waste, damage.' (Gr. Ex. N.T. p. 793)

'him shall God destroy' -The punishment is certain. 'Those who are responsible for dismantling the church may expect judgement in kind.' (Fee p. 17)

Points to Note:

1. The temple of God can be destroyed. God will not step in and prevent division from happening. God will not rescue us, against our will, from our self-destructive ways.

2. Many churches have been destroyed from within, rather than from without.

3. This verse tells me that all those examples in the O.T., like Nadab and Abihu (Leviticus 10:1); Uzzah (2 Samuel 2:1); and King Uzziah (2 Chronicles 26:16); still accurately reflect God's attitude towards how man views the things of God. The local congregation is just as "holy" as the worship that Nadab and Abihu were involved in, or the ark of the covenant, or the privileged work given to the priests, etc..God still takes. dim view of those that show. lack of respect for what He says is holy.

4. Hence the church is not. place to play the human games of 'power, gossip, popularity contests, etc..', that people play in other organizations.