God Lives in People
God Himself inhabits the nature of His true children, making them temples of the Holy Spirit.
A.W. Tozer emphasizes the profound truth of divine indwelling, explaining that believers are the temple of God, as stated in 1 Corinthians. He highlights the mystery of Christ living within us, which offers hope and spiritual richness. Tozer urges Christians to grasp the practical implications of this truth, especially in a world filled with darkness and godlessness. He asserts that understanding this divine presence is essential for living a meaningful Christian life. Ultimately, he encourages believers to embrace the reality of God's indwelling as a source of strength and guidance.
Text
The truth of the divine indwelling is developed more fully in the epistles of Paul. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? . . . For the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are" (1 Cor. 3:16-17). And again (1 Cor. 6:19), "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" Without question, the teaching of the New Testament is that the very God Himself inhabits the nature of His true children. How this can be I do not know, but neither do I know how my soul inhabits my body.
Paul called this wonder of the indwelling God a rich mystery: "Christ in you, the hope of glory" (Col. 1:27).
And if the doctrine involved a contradiction or even an impossibility we must still believe what the mouth of the Lord has spoken. "Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar" (Rom. 3:4). The spiritual riches lying buried in this truth are so vast that they are worth any care or effort we may give to their recovery. Yet we are not concerned primarily with the theology or metaphysics embodied here. We want to know the reality of it. What does the truth mean to us in practical outworking? What does it have for a serious-minded Christian compelled to live in a dark and godless world? As Paul would say, "Much every way" (3:2).
Sermon Outline
- The Divine Indwelling in Scripture
- Paul's teachings in 1 Corinthians and Colossians
- The temple of God is holy and inhabited by the Holy Spirit
- The body is the temple of the Holy Ghost
Key Quotes
“Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?” — A.W. Tozer
“Christ in you, the hope of glory” — A.W. Tozer
“Yea, let God be true, but every man a liar” — A.W. Tozer
Application Points
- We must seek to understand the practical outworking of the divine indwelling in our lives.
- The truth of the divine indwelling has vast spiritual riches that can be recovered and applied.
- We must be willing to believe in the mystery of the divine indwelling, even if we don't fully understand it.