Who You Are in Christ
You Are The Temple of God
You are made to be filled with God’s glory. There is a spirit within you that was formed by the God of glory to be His dwelling place. The Divine Spirit can reside in your human spirit. The indwelling Spirit can make your body the temple of God.
Do you not know that you are God's temple and that God's Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16)
God created Adam and was present in the Garden of Eden. Yet His presence is not within Adam. In the ancient temple of Solomon, God’s glory was in the inner sanctum, the Holy of Holies. Yet, people could approach only through priests, with sacrifices, once a year.
In Christ, all of God’s fullness dwelt in man. His body was the temple. His disciples saw the glory of the only begotten Son of God. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light. Christ was called Emmanuel - God with us.
Born of His Spirit, one becomes a son of God. Clothed with His name and person, one gains access to God. Christ, as the High Priest, made propitiation for sins. In His crucifixion, the veil of the temple was torn. This symbolized the new and living way to the Holy of Holies that has now been opened through Christ.
God Most High, who created everything, does not dwell in temples built by human hands. He desires that the innermost part of your being become a vessel filled with His glorious presence. Christ, as the Spirit, can make His home in your heart if you ask Him.
By receiving the Son, we also receive the Father and return to His house. God pours the Spirit of the Son into our hearts. We come to know His love for us and can respond with a heartfelt love for God. Along with all believers worldwide, we become part of God's dwelling in spirit and members of the mystical Body of Christ.
The Bible ends with a vision of God’s dwelling in humanity. Christ’s promise to those who overcome is: ‘I will make him a pillar in the temple of My God. Never shall he go out of it.’
Reading: Genesis 3:8, Exodus 40:34-35, 1 Kings 8:10-11, Haggai 2:9, Matthew 27:51, John 1:14, 2:19, Acts 7:48, 17:24, Ephesians 2:19-22, 3:16-19, Colossians 1:27, 2:9-10, Galatians 2:20, Hebrews 10:19-22, 2 Corinthians 3:17-18, 6:16, 1 Peter 2:4-5, Revelation 3:12, 21:3, 21:22
You Are A New Creation
In Christ, there is a new creation. God said, “Let there be light,” to initiate the old creation. Now, God in Christ shines as the true light, bringing a new creation. Earth was in darkness, and light preceded the creation of physical life. Christ, as the light of the world, came to a world sitting in darkness to impart divine life and illuminate the knowledge of the glory of God.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. (2 Corinthians 5:17)
The old nature passes away. The regeneration of the Spirit brings forth the new. Adam was formed from the dust of the ground, symbolizing his earthly nature. The new man is created in Christ with a heavenly nature. With God, religious traditions and human philosophy do not count; a new creation matters.
The old covenant involves laws inscribed on stone. The new covenant is about love poured into our hearts. The inner cleansing by the Spirit and redemption in Christ replace ritual washing and the restitution of sacrifices.
Having put on Christ, we can walk in the newness of divine life. The dividing walls based on race, culture, and traditions are broken down within the new man. The enmity in Adam is replaced by peace in Christ. New mercies are found each morning in the new way that Christ initiated to bring us into the presence of God.
In the new creation, there is a new life, a new nature, and a new spirit. God gives you a new name, a new status, and brings you into a new community.
Just as all humans are included in Adam, so also everyone who is born anew is included in Christ. The new man comprises all the members of the Body of Christ with Christ as the Head.
The Bible ends with a vision of a new heaven and a new earth where righteousness dwells. The One on the throne declares, "Behold, I am making all things new." This new creation is God's work. Just as we did not create ourselves, we cannot recreate ourselves. The Creator alone has the power to make us new.
Reading: Genesis 1:3, Isaiah 9:2, 42:9, 43:18-19, Jeremiah 31:31-34, Lamentations 3:22-23, Ezekiel 36:26-27, John 1:4-13, 3:3-6, Romans 6:4, 1 Corinthians 15:45-49, 2 Corinthians 4:6, 5:17, Galatians 6:15, Ephesians 2:14-15, 4:23-24, Colossians 3:10, Hebrews 8:8-13, 10:19-20, 1 Peter 1:3-4, 2 Peter 3:13, Revelation 21:1-5.
You Are The Light Of The World
In the beginning, God spoke light into existence. "Let there be light" was the first creative word, breaking into the darkness. Yet mankind sits in darkness until there is a turn toward God and He shines into our hearts.
Christ came as the true light of the world. God is light, and Christ embodies God as light. He enters the darkness to bring the light of life. Receiving Him as the light dispels the darkness within and makes us a new creation.
The remarkable claim: You are the light of the world. This transformation does not come from achieving enlightenment through effort or from discovering an inner divine spark. It occurs by encounter with the One who is light. You are made light in the Lord. As the moon reflects the sun, we reflect the glory of Christ.
Christ's disciples witnessed His transfiguration on the mountain. His face shone like the sun, and His garments became white as light. A bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice declared: This is my Beloved Son...Hear Him. They saw glory manifested in human form.
Light brings experiential knowledge of God. It removes darkness, helping us see reality more clearly. Fear and anxiety thrive in darkness because we cannot see. In the light, fear fades, and we walk without stumbling.
Consider a camera with its light-sensitive sensor. By focusing the lens and opening the aperture, the sensor forms an image of reality. When the lens is covered and the aperture closed, there is no sensing of reality. We are like the camera, and our human spirit is like the sensor. God opens our eyes to perceive His light.
Together, believers shine as light in the world. The church, as the gathering of believers, is like a lampstand. Each lamp needs oil to keep it burning. In the same way, the vessel of our being needs the supply of the Spirit so our lamps can shine.
The Scriptures end with a vision of the New Jerusalem. In this holy city, there will be no need for lamp or sun, for the Lord will shine. This city symbolizes divinity in humanity, God, who initially dwelt in unapproachable light, now embodied in humanity, shining forth radiantly.
The light is His gift, His work, His glory embodied in us.
Reading: Genesis 1:3, 1 John 1:5, Psalm 27:1, John 1:4-9, 8:12, Matthew 4:16, 17:2, Acts 26:18, Colossians 1:13, Ephesians 5:8, 2 Corinthians 4:6, Matthew 5:14-16, Philippians 2:15, Ephesians 1:18, Matthew 25:1-13, Revelation 1:20, 21:23, 22:5
You Are Children Of God
Adam was created as the son of God. Christ was begotten of the Holy Spirit as the Son of God. In the human sphere, our lineage is traced to Adam. We were born of flesh. To enter the divine sphere, the kingdom of God, there is also a need to be born of the Spirit.
There is a contrast between Adam and Christ. Adam is earthly, created from dust, while Christ is heavenly, sent by the Father. Adam became a living soul by the breath of life, while Christ, the last Adam, became the life-giving Spirit in His glorification.
Adam is tempted and defeated, while Christ overcomes temptation and is victorious. In Adam, there is disobedience, death, and distress. In Christ, who emptied Himself, there is obedience, life, and peace. Life in Adam is beset by sins and is perishable, while Christ's life is without sin and indestructible.
In Adam, there is a separation from God's presence; in Christ, there is a union of God and man. Adam makes God sorrowful; Christ is God's delight. Adam was driven out of the Garden of Eden, while Christ is now seated in the heavenlies. There is a great contrast between these two sons of God.
To all who receive and believe in His name, He gives the right to become children of God, children born not of the will of man, but of God. Then, the Spirit witnesses with our spirit that we are children of God. The Father desires children who know Him and love Him. So He puts us into the name and person of Christ.
Identification with Christ, the Beloved Son, brings us to the Father’s presence. This is the wonder: not that we love God, but that He first loved us and sent His Son. He is the Good Shepherd of our souls, who laid down His own life to bring us to God.
The power of God then keeps you through faith. Nothing can separate you from the love of God in Christ Jesus, not failure, not doubt, not even death.
Where Adam hid in shame, you may now draw near with confidence, clothed with Christ. As brothers and sisters of Christ and members of God’s household, you are made joint-heirs with Him. What is His, is also yours. You inherit what Christ inherits. The Father's love. The Spirit's presence. Eternal life. His kingdom.
Reading: Luke 3:38, John 3:5-6, 1 Cor 15:45-47, Rom 5:19, 1 Cor 15:22, Phil 2:7-8, Heb 4:15, Matt 3:17, John 1:12-13, Rom 8:16, Gal 4:4-5, 1 John 4:10, John 10:11, 1 Pet 2:25, Rom 8:38-39, Heb 10:19-22, Rom 8:17, Eph 2:19
You Are Known and Called by God
The Bible speaks of a God who knows you completely. Before you were formed in the womb, He knew you. Before a word is on your tongue, He knows it. This is not a distant God, but One who knows you intimately, calls you by name, and says, "You are Mine."
He calls you so you may know Him. He gives you His Spirit and brings you into fellowship with Him.
God called Abraham from Mesopotamia, saying, "Go from your country and your kindred to the land I will show you." Abraham did not know the destination, but left security to walk by faith into the unknown.
God appeared to Moses in the blazing bush. Moses was reluctant, protesting, "Who am I that I should go?" But God promised, "I will be with you."
Isaiah saw a vision of God's throne and His holiness. Confronted by glory, Isaiah saw his own inadequacy. But God cleansed him. When God asked, "Whom shall I send?" Isaiah responded, "Here I am! Send me."
Saul of Tarsus, a religious zealot violently opposing Christ's followers, saw a blinding light and heard His voice. His beliefs were transformed, and the direction of his life was changed.
Christ called disciples from all walks of life with a simple, "Follow Me." They did not choose Him first. He chose them and appointed them to bear fruit.
God's calling is never based on human status, condition, or qualification. He chose people before they were ready, and His purpose was beyond their understanding. Yet God's call stood firm with the promise: I will be with you.
God chose His people before the foundation of the world. Those who were once "not a people" become "God's people", a royal priesthood, anointed by the Spirit to serve and worship Him.
God now invites: "Come to Me, all who labor and are heavy laden." He gives rest to souls. "If anyone thirsts, let him come and drink." He gives living water. The wedding feast is prepared. Come and dine.
You are known by name, called with purpose, chosen before time, and invited into eternal fellowship with the living God.
Further Reading: Psalm 139:1-4, Jeremiah 1:5, Isaiah 6:1-8, 43:1, Genesis 12:1-3, Exodus 3:1-12, Judges 6:11-16, Matthew 4:18-22, John 15:16, Acts 9:1-19, Romans 8:28-30, 10:13, 1 Corinthians 1:9, Ephesians 1:4, 1 Peter 2:9, Matthew 11:28, John 7:37, Revelation 22:17
You Are His Dwelling Place
The Bible reveals God’s desire to dwell with humanity.
In the Garden of Eden, God walked with man. After delivering His people from Egypt, God commanded: "Let them make a sanctuary for Me, that I may dwell in their midst." The Tabernacle was built, and the glory of God filled it. The goal of deliverance was not merely freedom from slavery, but dwelling together.
When Christ came, something unprecedented occurred. In Him dwelt all the fullness of God bodily. God was no longer dwelling in a tent or temple made with hands, but in a human person. This was revolutionary and divisive; some embraced it as the fulfillment of God's promise, while others rejected it as impossible.
But Christ revealed something more. He spoke of mutual indwelling: "Abide in Me, and I in you." He prayed, "Even as You, Father, are in Me and I in You, that they also may be in Us." He promised, "My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our dwelling with him."
This is not a metaphor alone; it is a spiritual reality. God gives His Spirit to dwell in the human spirit. The apostle Paul taught plainly: "You are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit."
God is omnipresent, yet His dwelling with humanity is always in a specific place of His choosing. Eden. The Tabernacle. The Temple. Christ. Your spirit. New Jerusalem. Not everywhere generically, but somewhere specifically. Today, that place is your human spirit.
Your human spirit is designed for this. Man is made in God's image with a spirit so that God, who is Spirit, may dwell within. This is compatibility by divine design. You become one spirit with Him.
When God's Spirit dwells in your spirit, you have a consciousness of God. Right conduct comes from staying inwardly attuned. Set your mind on the spirit. Maintain awareness of what dwells within. Be God-conscious. Jesus said, "The Father who dwells in Me does the works."
The Bible concludes with a vision of the future: "the Tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them." What began in Eden finds completion in eternal dwelling together. God does not merely create you. You are designed as His dwelling place. This is your purpose, your destiny.
Reading: Genesis 3:8, Exodus 25:8, 29:45-46, 40:34-35, John 1:14, 14:2-3, 14:20, 14:23, 15:4-5, 17:21-23, Romans 8:9-11, 1 Corinthians 3:16, 6:17, 19, 2 Corinthians 6:16, Ephesians 2:21-22, Colossians 1:19, 2:9, Revelation 3:20, 21:2-3, 22