Fundamental Beliefs of Seventh-day Adventists

2. The Church as a temple
The Church is "God's building," "the temple of
God" in which the Holy Spirit dwells. Jesus Christ
is its foundation and the "chief cornerstone" (1 Cor.
3:9-16; Eph. 2:20). This temple is not a dead
structure; it displays dynamic growth. As Christ is
the "living stone," Peter said, so believers are
"living stones" that make up a "spiritual house" (1
Peter 2:4-6).
The building is not yet completed. New living
stones are constantly added to the temple that is
"being built together to become a dwelling in
which God lives by his Spirit" (Eph. 2:22, NIV).
Paul urges believers to use the best building
materials in this temple, so that it will endure the
fiery test at the Day of Judgment (1 Cor. 3:12-15).
The temple metaphor emphasizes both the
holiness of the local congregation and of the
church at large. God's temple is holy, said Paul. "If
any one defiles the temple of God, God will
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