Indwelling Spirit
I will dwell in them and walk among them.
God desires to dwell with man. The Bible consistently and progressively unfolds the theme of dwelling through the ages and stages.
In the Garden of Eden, God is present with man.
In the Good Land, there is a tabernacle so that God may dwell among His people.
In Christ, as the embodiment of God, dwells the fullness of God.
In our regenerated spirit, is the dwelling and witnessing of the Spirit of God.
In the church, as the house of God, the believers are being built together as a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
In the New Jerusalem, as the eternal dwelling of God, there is no more temple for God, and the Lamb is its temple. In this city, the Tabernacle of God is with man.
God and man dwell together as one at the end of the biblical narrative.
The revelation progresses from dwelling alongside in Eden to dwelling within one another in New Jerusalem. Mutual indwelling is of fundamental importance to God. Man is made in God’s image and created with a spirit so that God, as the Spirit, may indwell man. I in You, You in them, they in Us. The story of humanity unfolds in the context of this divine romance.
God dwells in a chosen place. In each step, the dwelling of God with man is always in a specific place – in Eden, in a sanctuary in the Good Land, in a temple in Jerusalem, in Christ, in our spirit, and in New Jerusalem. Not everywhere, but in a specific place.
While God is omnipresent, God's dwelling with man is in a specific place. The place is always one of His choosing and His design. Eden, Tabernacle, New Jerusalem, and the spirit of man are all called out as being created or architected by God. Christ is out from God and chosen by God.
The widely held notion of God being everywhere and in everyone may be true in some sense. However, the Biblical theme of God dwelling with man is much more specific. God seeks something more than generic omnipresence. While omnipresence is already here, the dwelling of divinity in humanity is a work in progress.
The biblical narrative tells of the unfolding of this divine enterprise. The divine intent of dwelling with man is therefore worthy of our attention. The thought of omnipresence may veil a fuller understanding of a deeper reality consistently present in the scriptures.
God dwells in the sanctuary. In bringing Israel out of Egypt, the divine thought is to establish a place where God may dwell with man on earth.
Let them make a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell in their midst.
You will bring them in and plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance, the place, O Jehovah, which You have made for Your dwelling, the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established.
… who brought them out of the land of Egypt, that I might dwell in the midst of them; I am Jehovah their God
So Moses finished the work. Then the cloud covered the Tent of Meeting, and the glory of Jehovah filled the Tabernacle.
The work of God, which began with deliverance from Egypt, progressed through experiences in the wilderness, and concludes with the glory of God filling the Tabernacle. Dwelling in the midst of His people is the goal of deliverance. The journey of the Israelites from Egypt to the Good Land is a symbol of the journey believers undertake with Christ as their Moses.
God the Father dwells in Christ the Son. The intent of God dwelling in man was not new. The realization of God’s fullness dwelling in the person of Christ was new. Incarnation is a profound step forward in the progressive realization of God’s dwelling with man.
For it pleased the Father that in Him all the fullness should dwell. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily. The Father who dwells in Me does the works.
God’s dwelling in man was probably very difficult to accept as true at that time. It did produce a polarizing response - some embraced the Way and entered a new experience, while others rejected it and ridiculed it, choosing to remain with their prior understanding. In human history, this was a truly disruptive. But it became the foundation for further development.
Christ brings us into this mutual dwelling. This desire is expressed by His speaking about “that where I am you also may be” and His prayer that “they also may be in Us”.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man loves me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you to Myself; that where I am, there you may be also.
Even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us
Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, then I will come into him and dine with him and he with Me.
The thought of dwelling together, abiding, coming in, and being in us is clear. The love of God is particular. It is not a distant love but one in which He draws near. It is a love with the intent to live together. It is a love with intent for a union. In Christ, God has drawn near. Man, as God’s counterpart, is made in His image and likeness. Man is therefore God-compatible. The spirit in man gives God, who is Spirit, a place to dwell. The compatibility of the human spirit and the divine Spirit is the basis for becoming one spirit with Him.
God wants to be in man’s consciousness and wants man to live with a consciousness of God. Progressive realization of dwelling and the enlargement of this dwelling are important to God and to Christ. The foundation that Christ has laid is for the building of this dwelling. The apostle saw Christ as the cornerstone.
The Apostles taught about this dwelling. Having received the outpouring of the Spirit, the apostles experience the reality of God dwelling in them. They continue teaching along these lines and reminding the believers of God’s intention to dwell with man.
Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
That Christ may make His home in your hearts through faith
You are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.
In whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
But as His anointing teaches you concerning all things and is true and is not a lie, and even as it has taught you, abide in Him.
But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.
Dwelling is a metaphor, but it is not an abstract concept. It is a spiritual reality we can know and experience. Foundational concepts in the biblical narrative are expressed through symbols, metaphors, and parables. There is no other way to express them adequately within our language framework. Language is itself symbolic and is used to construct more complex symbols that are then used to convey more complex realities. Literal understanding does not preserve the truth; it hides the truth.
Matters of fundamental importance, such as the dwelling of God with man, appear as recurring themes in the scriptures. These metaphors become spiritual reality as we understand them —not in a literal sense, but in the sense in which they were written.
A profitable understanding of scriptures requires a degree of illumination that demands focused attention and pure intention. God does want us to know reality, so He gives us revelation as we seek it. We do have to step forward, present ourselves, and give it our attention. “Ask and you shall receive” is a principle that applies well to this situation. Spiritual truth received by our spirit becomes spiritual reality.
Man can experience His indwelling in daily life. God’s desire to dwell with man is a key biblical theme that has endured across the centuries, expressed by many writers. The long arc of this narrative can intersect with our daily lives. We are already in the stage where His Spirit can indwell our human spirit. That is a significant advancement.
God has sent forth the Spirit of the Son into our hearts. Christ has made the indwelling of divinity in humanity accessible and communicable. Our human spirit can receive the promised gift of the Spirit. This is not an elusive or exclusive experience available to a select few. It does not require austerities or esoteric practices. The Spirit is a gift one can freely receive as a part of a spiritual starter kit. That makes the Christian message distinctive. You start with the gift of the Spirit rather than eventually attaining it.
The conscious experience of this indwelling can be initiated and maintained in simple ways. We can contact God in our spirit through various means, including calling upon His name, prayer, reading, fellowship with seekers, and setting our minds upon the spirit. Cultivation of such practices, through the travails of human life, makes God’s presence a palpable reality.
What about work and right conduct? How does that fit with the dwelling? What we do, whether good or bad, comes from what dwells in us. What we do depends on where we are. Place is important. That place today is our human spirit indwelt by the divine Spirit. Outworking depends on indwelling. Consider this connection between dwelling, work, and outcome.
The Father who dwells in Me does the works.
But now, it is no longer I who do it, but sin that dwells in me.
It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.
Our conduct springs from our consciousness. The Greek word for consciousness is suneidésis, which literally means joint-knowing. This word is most often translated as 'conscience' and only sometimes as 'consciousness'. The word conscience, over time, has come to mean knowing right from wrong. Consciousness as joint-knowing is broader in its implications and is probably a more fitting translation for suneidésis. What is in our spirit is a joint knowing that is broader in scope than just knowing right from wrong.
God dwelling in me results in my having a consciousness of God. This is awareness through joint knowing, distinct from independent knowing. The love of God is poured into our hearts by the Spirit. My actions will be congruent with my consciousness if I maintain harmony between my actions and my inner sense.
Learning to live a life well-pleasing to God is about staying inwardly attuned. We maintain this harmony by setting our mind upon the spirit so we may have this consciousness or joint knowing. Let your conduct be congruent with a consciousness toward God. And work on developing and valuing such a consciousness or conscience void of offence.
If anger dwells in me and occupies my sphere of awareness, then there is a possibility of harmful conduct on my part. What dwells in me and in my conscious awareness has a far-reaching impact. Life is propelled by consciousness. The Spirit adds divine consciousness to human consciousness. God’s dwelling in man gives God the rightful place at the seat of consciousness.
We need to be aware of what is in us. Be filled in spirit. That requires our attention, understanding, practice, and realization. Right conduct comes from there. A good consciousness is like a good tree that produces good fruit. There are no substitutes or shortcuts in the sphere of reality.
The eternal dwelling of God with man is symbolized in the Bible’s concluding chapters as a holy city. There is a city whose builder and architect is God.
And I saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.
Behold, the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.
Therefore, they are before the throne of God and serve Him day and night in His temple. And He who sits on the throne will dwell among them.
In Genesis, man became destitute, and in Revelation, man has an eternal dwelling with God. Destitution is the problem of man, and dwelling is the solution to that problem.
There is a holy city, a collective dwelling place that symbolizes living in a pure, exclusive relationship. There are no corrupting influences on the consciousness anymore. The ancient serpent that distracted our attention and caused us to pay heed to something other than God is no more. The bride (redeemed humanity) has reached a state of preparation so that her whole being is for God, the Husband alone. Now she is ready to make a permanent home with God, living in a state of conscious awareness of God. The unfolding of the divine thought has reached its completion. In this symbolic city, His glory dwells in humanity and shines forth to illuminate all.
God’s goal is realized.
