Soiled and Abused
Ezekiel 23:38
"Moreover this they have done unto me: they have defiled my sanctuary in the same day, and have profaned my sabbaths."
God was very particular in how the temple was treated and used. When you study the commands to Moses in how they should conduct themselves in the setting up of the temple, you will see that God took its treatment seriously. You may remember how Jesus went into the temple and threw out the moneychangers because they"...made it a den of thieves." (Matthew 21:13) In the verse above, one of the reasons why God judged Israel was because they had defiled the sanctuary and profaned the Sabbaths. You will notice that God called it His sanctuary. It was not their sanctuary to do with it what they wanted, but it was God's, and they should have treated it the way He wanted it to be treated. Because they defiled the sanctuary, God judged them by sending them into bondage.
According to 1 Corinthians 6:19, our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost. God said in this verse, "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" Because our body is God's temple, that would mean that we have no right to treat it the way we want, but we should treat it the way that God wants it to be treated. God judged Israel for defiling and profaning the temple in the Old Testament, and likewise He will judge us when we defile and profane our bodies.
The word "defiled" means to soil. In other words, God does not want us to soil our bodies. This is not talking about getting dirty from soil, but it is talking about getting dirty with sin. Christian, you have no right to soil your life with sin. Just because something makes you feel good does not give you the right to soil your life. Your body belongs to God, and every time you commit a sin you are soiling your body. Be careful about soiling yourself with wrong pictures. Don't soil your body with fornication and adultery. Don't soil yourself with gossip and filthy talk. Don't soil your life with worldly lifestyles. Remember, you are the temple of the Holy Ghost, and every time you commit a sin you are soiling the very temple that the Holy Ghost must live inside.
Furthermore, the word "profaned" means to abuse. Not only should you not soil your body with sin, but also you should not abuse your body physically. This is why you should not get tattoos, because it is abusing the temple of the Holy Ghost. Every time you put a print from a tattoo upon your body, you are virtually putting a tattoo upon the Holy Ghost. When you abuse your body with piercings, you are abusing the temple of the Holy Ghost. When you abuse your body with the vices of alcohol and drugs, you are abusing the temple of the Holy Ghost. If you are saved, your body belongs to God, and you have no right to do with it what you want.
Christian, don't soil and abuse your body. Your body belongs to God. It is the temple of the Holy Ghost. Be so very careful that you live your life in a way that you don't soil it with sin. Don't make the Holy Ghost have to put up with your filth. Moreover, be careful about abusing your body, the temple of the Holy Ghost. Always keep in mind that whatever you do to your body you are virtually doing it to the Holy Ghost. If you will keep that in mind, I believe you will do a better job of not soiling and abusing your temple in which the Holy Ghost lives.