‘A Dwelling Place of God’

‘….in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.’

Ephesians 2:22

God dwells in His redeemed.  This sounds like a bold and perhaps even arrogant statement.  It would be just that, if we were claiming to have any righteousness of our own.  If we were asserting that God dwells in us because we are good or upright or full of good works, we would be basing our assertion upon our own righteousness, which is in a de facto way, merely self-righteousness.  We have no merit of our own.  We were born ‘the children of wrath.’  Our testimony is that of the hymn writer, ‘For nothing good have I, whereby Thy grace to claim.’  That being said, Paul, in continuing to explore what it means for us to be ‘in Christ’ says that in Christ we ‘are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.’  This falls exactly in line with what Christ said when He declared, ‘I will build my church.’  Elsewhere, Paul quotes the Old Testament prophets when he records the statement, ‘I will dwell in them and walk in them….’  This is but one of many places in the Scripture which indicate that God dwells in His redeemed.  This is more of what it means for us to be ‘in Christ.’  We do not deserve to have Him dwell among us, but we are eternally glad that He does.  The same Spirit of God Who has wrought salvation in us, now indwells us.  This is the Spirit of God.  This is the Spirit of Christ.

Our Wise and Holy God,
we rejoice that You dwell within us
by the power of Your Holy Spirit.
We praise You that He takes the things of Christ
 and shows them unto us.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning