217. Habitation of God
Ephesians 2:21-22 In whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit.
It is rather remarkable for us to realize that God inhabits the very body we inhabit; the human body is the dwelling where God lives on the earth. The body of an individual believer is a temple of God, and the temple of the Lord is also considered to be the whole body of Christ, the Church, and all the believers as a whole.
The promise is that God is at work building a temple, designing the building, and framing it all together for Him to live in. If the God of the universe is going to be present on the earth in a special place He is going to put a lot of thought into it and take great pains to frame it all together. This is exactly what the Lord is doing with His Church, creating a place for Him to dwell.
This “temple” promise helps us to see the true importance of the church, the people of God; they don’t look like anything special when we look at them from a worldly point of view, but God sees something very special: He sees the reflection of Himself in His people; He sees His own love emanating out from His temple, His people, to the people of the world.
When the Lord looks at your own body He sees His own dwelling place, a special space cleaned out and furnished out for God. When we see ourselves the way God sees us we will think differently about our lives. We will also seek to maintain the body and the body of Christ with the preaching and application of the Gospel. God uses the Gospel as the means of getting His Grace to us. The Gospel is the tool of maintenance, and we do everything we can to support the preaching of the Gospel; we strongly desire to maintain the upkeep and healthy functioning of the habitation of God. The place where God dwells is within the individual body and among the body of believers wherever they are found gathering together in Christ’s name.
God is present everywhere according to his general omnipresence, but He is especially present in His designated places to bring a blessing. Enter into His presence with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. His Word is continually on our lips.