Verse 22

Is what we are now; we are the habitation, the tabernacle, where God dwells by His Spirit, as of old, in the midst of the camp of Israel; hereafter we shall be a glorious temple. Whilst waiting, we are the habitation, the dwelling of God. All the blessedness of the church flows out of that. If we have the consciousness that we are the habitation of God, how can we defile the tabernacle? There is not a blessing more important than this; it is even higher than those which relate to our inheritance in the glory.
When the apostle has spoken of God dwelling in us by the Spirit, he prays that we may be filled with all the fullness of God; and there are here two things to remark: 1st. The glory to come, and the church having part in this glory; 2nd. The habitation of God in us being united to Christ, we are the habitation of God by the Spirit; it is our present position; we have what is most blessed in this position. If we grieve the Spirit, we dishonor God who dwells in us; God then cannot act. When Satan, by means of error, has got entrance into any part, the church is troubled on every side. It is this power of Satan which has invaded the church of Rome. How precious it is that we should be the habitation of God, and how solemn a thing it is to have such a God in the midst of us! From the moment that there was an Achan in the camp, God could not act, He could not go forward; Israel was beaten because God was there. It is the same with the church of God; and if we forget it, God does not forget it. It is a precious thing to remember that though we are in wretchedness, God is with us; as it is said in Hag. 2:4, when the Jews began to build, "Be of good courage, for I am with you;" whatever be your state of ruin, I am with you; My Spirit is with you as in the day that I caused you to come up out of Egypt. There is nothing but faith which can reconcile these two things-wretchedness and the love of God.