Paul compares our body to a temple of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19). In doing so, he uses the Greek word naos, which does not refer to the entire temple complex, but specifically to the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. The Outer Court is therefore not included; it represents the outside, what we perceive with our senses. Hold on to that distinction, for it opens the key to what follows.
Consciousness and Perception: From Darkness to Light
What we believe in our inner world shapes the reality we perceive outside of ourselves. Our consciousness projects itself outward, as it were. As long as that consciousness is obscured, we see a reality that has been distorted by that darkness. It seems as if a veil lies over the Kingdom of God, while in reality God’s glory fills the whole earth:
“The whole earth is full of His glory.” (Isaiah 6:3)
The limitation, therefore, lies not in the Kingdom, but in our consciousness that is not yet enlightened.
The Outer Court: Living from the Outer
The Outer Court represents living from a darkened consciousness, in which we allow ourselves to be guided by what we see, feel, and experience with our natural senses. From that perspective, suffering, sickness, and death remain visible and defining. It is therefore logical that we think the Kingdom of God is yet to come or needs to be built.
Thus, a circle is created: we align our inner world with a distorted outer world, and that outer world subsequently confirms our inner darkness. Paul calls this a life “according to the flesh”—not the body itself, but the focus on the outer.
The Old Covenant focused on that outer aspect. It was about justifying the old man, without true liberation from the power of sin (missing the mark). As a result, that power remained active. The physical temple pointed forward to something greater: an inner reality in which true liberation takes place.
Separation as a characteristic of the Outer Court
The Outer Court was characterized by distinction: between people, roles, and categories. That pattern continues as long as we live from a darkened consciousness. We keep making separation where in Christ there is no separation:
“In that there is neither Jew nor Greek… for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Galatians 3:28)
Living from the Outer Court also means that we continue to see ourselves as ‘sinners’, causing us to keep focusing on guilt, cleansing, and restoring the outward appearance. Through effort and religion, we try to gain access to what can only be opened from within.
Paul calls this righteousness based on the law — self-righteousness. And he is sharp in his conclusion:
“You make Christ inactive (Greek: katargeo), you who want to be justified by the law; you have fallen from grace.” (Galatians 5:4)
As long as we remain here, we experience no liberation, but remain trapped in a consciousness of lack and distance.
The temple from within: Christ in us
Inside the temple — the naos — reside the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies. These are not physical spaces, but layers of consciousness in which Christ is revealed within us.
Every human being carries this reality within themselves. There is no exception. The separation we experience stems from a darkened consciousness, not from God’s reality. That is why we often see the other as a threat, while in essence we are connected.
The Holy Place: Awakening in the Light
The Holy Place represents the consciousness in which the Light breaks through and we become aware of Christ within us. Here the Light of the Spirit burns and our inner ‘eye’ is illuminated:
“The lamp of the body is the eye; if your eye is simple, your whole body is also illuminated.” (Luke 11:34)
In this consciousness, we live from provision, peace, and joy. Not as something we must generate, but as a reality that flows naturally when we live from our Christ identity.
Access to the Holy Place lies not outside of us, but in the removal of the covering of carnal thinking. This happens through metanoia — a radical change of consciousness. Then what Paul describes happens:
“We all, with unveiled faces, beholding the glory of the Lord as in a mirror, are being transformed… from glory to glory.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
Here we discover not only that Christ lives in us, but that Christ is our true identity. That is rebirth: not something outside of us, but an awakening to who we always were.
From that moment on, we know no one according to the flesh:
“So then, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, behold, all things have become new.” (2 Corinthians 5:17)
And:
“Christ is all in all.” (Colossians 3:11b)
From consciousness to transformation
As this consciousness grows, a visible transformation also begins. Paul speaks about a metamorphosis — a transformation from glory to glory. This process ultimately leads to the ‘putting on’ of a glorified body.
“Flesh and blood cannot inherit the Kingdom of God.” (1 Corinthians 15:50)
This is not about rejecting the body, but about transforming it. This is the completion of the path: becoming a partaker of the divine nature:
“So that you might thereby become a partaker of the divine nature.” (2 Peter 1:4)
The Holy of Holies: God All in All
The Holy of Holies is the consciousness in which God is all in all:
“That God may be all in all.” (1 Corinthians 15:28)
This is the full Kingdom of God — not something to come, but something we can enter here and now. Paul also calls this the ‘third heaven’ (2 Corinthians 12:2), a reality of complete God-consciousness.
The Way: From Outside to Inside
The goal of our life is not to achieve something outside of ourselves, but to turn inward. From the Outer Court—the consciousness of darkness—we go to the Holy Place, where the Light breaks through, and ultimately to the Holy of Holies, where complete unity is experienced.
This way calls for repentance and faith. Repentance as a shift in consciousness: from outside to inside, from darkness to Light. Faith as trust in who we truly are: Christ, and in the reality of the Kingdom of God that is fully present here and now.
Paul calls this:
“The Way to salvation.” (Acts 16:17)
It is the way of liberation, of awakening, of coming home.
We are called to become people of the Way again.
“Glorify God with your body.” (1 Corinthians 6:20b)
Click here for a schematic representation of the growth in consciousness, as described in this blog.
Reflection Questions
- Do you live primarily based on what you perceive in the outside world, or based on what is revealed within you?
- Do you recognize that you still make distinctions between people, whereas in Christ there is no distinction?
- Are you focused on improving the ‘outside’ (behavior, guilt, forgiveness), or on the inner transformation of your consciousness?
- What does it mean concretely for you to turn inward and live from ‘Christ in you’?
- To what extent do you believe that the Kingdom of God is already fully present in you here and now?
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