[Biblestudent]

singular-plural-singular-plural-singular-plural, etc.

Okay, I'll try to make it clear in my mind and let others figure out whether I'm reading and understanding God's Word right.

1 Corinthians 3:16 Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
17 If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are.

Questions:
1. Where does the Spirit of God exactly dwell?
a. AMONG believers, without being inside their physical bodies?
b. IN THE MIDST of believers, without being inside their physical bodies?
c. Or, INSIDE THE INDIVIDUAL, PHYSICAL BODIES of all believers who are all members of the Body of Christ?
2. What does "temple of God" mean?
a. Does "temple of God" mean the believer's bodies INDIVIDUALLY?
b. Does "temple of God" mean all believer's bodies CORPORATELY?
c. Does "temple of God" not mean believer's bodies?
d. Does "temple of God" mean believer's bodies INDIVIDUALLY as well as CORPORATELY?
3. What does the passage mean?
a. Does it mean that the Spirit of God indwells the corporate Body (singular) of Christ WITHOUT indwelling the physical bodies (plural) of believers?
b. Or does it mean the Spirit of God indwells every body (singular) of every individual believer (singular), who are all members (plural) of the Body (singular) of Christ?

1 Corinthians 6:15 Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ? shall I then take the members of Christ, and make them the members of an harlot? God forbid.
16 What? know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith he, shall be one flesh.
17 But he that is joined unto the Lord is one spirit.
18 Flee fornication. Every sin that a man doeth is without the body; but he that committeth fornication sinneth against his own body.
19 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?

A perspective from 1 Corinthians 6:15-19:
1. The believers' physical "BODIES (plural) are the "members (plural) of Christ".
2. God forbid that the believers' physical "bodies" ("members of Christ") be made "members (plural) of an harlot (singular)".
3. An individual believer's physical "body" is "the temple of the Holy Ghost".
4. The Holy Ghost is inside the physical body (singular) of all believers (plural).

CONTEXT determines meaning.

1. Believers as a group are called "temple of God" in other passages.
2. Believers as a group are called "body of Christ" in other passages.
3. "Body of Christ", when referring to believers as a group, does not refer to Christ's physical body.
4. "Temple of God", when used in reference to believers as a group, does not refer to one physical body.

5. In 1 Corinthians 6:15, the physical "bodies" are called "members of Christ".
6. In 1 Corinthians 6:19, the physical "body" is the "temple of the Holy Ghost".

7. In 1 Corinthians 3:16,17, believers are the "temple of God".
8. In 1 Corinthians 3:16, the Spirit of God dwells "IN" believers.
If believers are the temple of God, and the Spirit of God dwells "in" believers, where is He exactly "in" - inside their physical bodies, or outside floating in the air?

I think there is a need to identify where the Spirit of God is actually dwelling "IN" so we can know what meaning to give to "temple of God".