The “man that doeth this” is one who has received the gospel (v. 36), the all-important prerequisite. If we receive, understand, and believe in the gospel, but still elect to follow the evil one, that choice brings us “out in open rebellion against God.” We rebel because, by definition, we were once on God’s side and have chosen the opposite course. When we are in such a state of rebellion, the spirit of God necessarily withdraws from us. God has no place in us, not by his choice but because we make no room for him, having chosen another “god” instead.
Vocabulary: We are familiar with the image of the body as a temple, an image also used in the New Testament (John 2:21, 1 Cor. 6:19). The image is appropriate in ancient Israel because of the sanctity of the temple, and that imagery certainly carried over to the Nephite temples in the New World. In the New World, however, the imagery may have had extended meaning. The “contentions” against which Benjamin has fought would have been religious rebellions with competing temples devoted to the worship of the “evil spirit.” Thus, the “unholy temple” for Benjamin would have a dual meaning—not only the physical body of the person who has turned away, but the competing temple to which that person likely has turned.