HABITATION OF THE SPIRIT

“You also, as living stones, are being built up as a SPIRITUAL HOUSE for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” – 1 Peter 2:5

Believers in Christ and the Church as a Living Body are being built together for a HABITATION of the SPIRIT: “In whom you also are being built together for a HABITATION of GOD in the SPIRIT” (Eph.2:22). This is strategic to our experience of the Fullness of the Word, the Spirit, and the Life (Jh.6:63). When we come to Jesus Christ – the Living Stone – and are shaped into living stones ourselves, we are built into a “spiritual house.” Christ is both the Builder and the Corner Stone. He builds individual believers into a spiritual temple; to house His Spirit: “Do you not know that you are the temple of God and the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1Cor.3:16). Thus, each believer is the temple of the Holy Spirit (1Cor.6:19). Then, the Church is a corporate dwelling of God in the Spirit (Eph.2:22). Why the Corporate? Because there is more of God to be known and enjoyed than anyone can know in isolation!

We are being fitted together for a temple of God by His Spirit. There is a presence, power and manifestation of God’s Spirit accessible only in the holy assembly of worship that we may not know at any other time in isolation. We are not just isolated stones; but linked and living stones, being built by Christ, who promised to build His Church (Mt.16:18). The stones are meant to so fit together in this eternal House, that something whole – more than a collection of individuals – emerges, a Habitation of God by His Spirit. God laid the Corner Stone, Jesus Christ, in Zion, but humanity rejected it: “And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ” (vv.4-5). The Old Testament corollaries: “Behold I am laying in Zion a stone” (Isa.28:16); and “The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner” (Psa.118:22).

The world crucified Christ, but God chose the rejected Stone, affirmed Him to be infinitely precious, raised Him from the dead, made Him an Ever-living Stone, and gave Him the Zenith of Honour at the head of the corner. All of this was to the end that Christ might gather a people who would themselves be alive like Him and would make a temple, His Church – an eternal Habitation for His Spirit! We are however, not only living stones being built into a spiritual house for God's habitation; we are also a “holy priesthood” (v.5). We are not merely the passive building where God dwells; we are also active participants in worship; a unique kind of participant, the priests. All believers are potential priests of this new spiritual house, privileged to draw near to God with spiritual sacrifices. The priests brought the sacrifices into the tabernacle in the Old Testament; but now, the Church is that tabernacle. The atoning altar is replaced by Jesus Christ and His shed blood; while the priests are replaced by those believers in Christ.

The ultimate goal of God’s visitations and habitation is that acceptable spiritual sacrifices would be offered to God through Jesus Christ. No sacrifice, however expensive, is ever acceptable to God except through Jesus Christ, because He is the Living Stone. Without the Living Stone we don't have life, and can neither be built into a spiritual house nor become a holy priesthood. This is why we must love the Lord Jesus with all our hearts. He is the only Way to God; the only Way to be eternally alive; to be His habitation; and to do anything worthwhile for Him or acceptable to Him. Paul said: “For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me, in word and deed…” (Rom.15:18). There is no greater treasure in the universe than Jesus!