Tuesday, 9 August 2016
…in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. Ephesians 2:22
The entire thought from verse 19 is as follows –
“Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.”
Therefore, “in whom” is speaking of Jesus Christ of verse 20. It is also the same term “in whom” of verse 21. Next, “you also” is in the second person plural and is speaking specifically of the Ephesians. However, as Paul’s letter is a part of Scripture, it includes any Gentile who receives it and who is also in Christ. Those included in that thought are “being built together.” Each Gentile who receives Christ is, like the Jews to whom we once were alienated from, being used as a part of the building of this temple. The words refer to individuals, not groups.
And the purpose of this process of building is “for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.” The word for “dwelling place” is katoikétérion. It is used only here and in Revelation 18:2. The term “dwelling place” is a literal and good translation of the word, but the idea of this dwelling place is that it corresponds to the temple which was once a part of the worship in Jerusalem. What was seen in types and shadows is now being realized in the church. God is literally dwelling in us, and we are each a part of the whole dwelling place which is being built by Him.
The term “God in the Spirit” once again brings in the idea of the Trinity. The Pulpit Commentary notes that, “…the temple is the habitation of the First Person; the source of its life and growth and symmetry is the Son; the actual up-building and glorifying of it is by the Spirit.”
Life application: Consider what God has done in your salvation. He offered Jesus to us. By faith we received Him and were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13, 14). In this exchange, we were made a part of the temple which is being built as a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. As each of these points is recorded in Scripture, then why should we worry about whether God continues to accept us or not? Can God make a mistake? No! Therefore, our salvation, by necessity, must be eternal. Thank God for what He has done!
Lord God, of all of the marvelous things to be seen in Your creation – a beautiful world filled with many wonders, constellations, galaxies, nebulae, and more – You have chosen to make Your dwelling place in and among Your redeemed. This is not in a building made with hands, but one eternal in the heavens, and of which we are a part. You have looked with favor upon us because of the work of Christ. And so for all the ages of ages we will give You praise for what You have done for us. Hail the name of Jesus! Amen.