God is indeed wonderful. It appears every step a believer takes towards God is met with a wonder, a miracle, or a mystery; God is indeed awesome.

If any man finds it hard to accept or believe the new birth of a child of God, then here is another. Everyone that is born of God is indwelt by the transcended God. Each individual Christian is indwelt by God the Holy Spirit.

Spirit born, Christians are Spirit indwelt. With the birth of a Christian, God has indeed tabernacled with man. The body of a Christian is the temple of the Holy God and the same is true of every individual Christian.

The blessed fact that our body is the temple of God has two sides. One, that he is ours; the other, that we are His. The gift of Christ to all who are born again is the indwelling Spirit: 

“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? (1 Corinthians 6:19).  

The glorious nature of rebirth or born-again is that the Holy Spirit does not just regenerate and leave, but He remains with the believer for life.

By virtue of the new birth, God has chosen the human body to be His dwelling place — to be His home. It was absolutely impossible for the Holy God to dwell in the former sin-ridden, depraved heart, but now everything has changed. God is not just with us, but for us and in us forever.

To be honest, the highest attainment in the life of every human being is to be born and indwelt by God. Christians carry God with them everywhere they go; He is closer to them than the hair on the skin.

Amazing, isn’t it? God dwelling with man is the true Abraham blessing that was promised to every believer who is justified by faith: 

“He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit” (Galatians 3:14).  

Alongside our newly created spirit has come the Spirit of the Lord God:

“A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Dwelling with man has been the plan of God from eternity past (Genesis 3:8). The desire of God is to be with His people forever: 

“And let them make me a sanctuary that I may dwell among them (Exodus 25:8).  

The same Spirit, who is the source of our confession, has made our human bodies His dwelling place (1 John 4:2): 

“Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit” (1 John 4:13).  

Our union with the Son of God is that He lives in us and us in Him. We are in Jesus, Jesus is in the Father and we are in the Father by Christ Jesus.

Jesus said the Spirit would teach us of this union with the triune God: 

“At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:20).

To put it bluntly, if a man does not have the Spirit of God, he does not have Christ, and neither does he belong to God.

Indwelling Spirit is the only proof of belonging to God:

“Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (Romans 8:9).  

Regeneration is very private, for no man is privileged to witness his own spiritual birth or the birth of another and neither is any human eye honored to see the Holy One dwelling in the heart of His saint.

By His own indwelling presence, God has gloriously magnified the human body in spite of its mortality and fragility. Everything God does, He does it so well; wisdom crowns all His works, Amen. With God at home in the body, Christians are admonished to be careful as to how they use and treat their bodies.

No Christian can afford to make the body which is now the temple of God unclean, and neither can they mutilate or treat the body any way. The believer’s body must be kept holy because the Holy God lives in it: 

“If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple ye are” (1 Corinthians 3:16-17).  

Believe it or not, no man can enter into heaven by mistake or by pretense. Of course, anyone can profess to be a Christian, but that is before men and not God.

Indwelling God shines brilliantly within every Christian. The reason the world, and even ourselves, do not see the beaming light of His presence is because; the excellence of His power is clothed in mortal dust.

However, a day is coming, and very soon, when all creation shall see us; for we shall shine brighter than the sun at noon day, and every Christian shall be glorified. We shall be clothed with immortality.

Sometimes we ignorantly point to brick and mortar as the house of God and forget that man is rather the house or the temple of God. When Christians gather to worship God comes with them because He lives in everyone of them. But, also remember, when they leave, they leave with Him: 

“For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mathew 18:20).  

Technically, Christians do not need a specially designed building or church building in order to pray or worship God.

Christians can worship God at any place they may choose at any time. This could be the open field, a private home, on a boat, etc., or any place of convenience. Wherever a Christian is, there is God. When Christians gather together in the private home for prayer or fellowship, they are guaranteed the presence of the Lord Jesus.

The God who made the universe does not live in temples built with human hands; the human body is His preferred home: 

“God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands” (Acts 17:24).  

Jesus is physically in heaven; however, He dwells spiritually in the heart of all His chosen, blood bought and blood washed saints by the indwelling Holy Spirit.

Remember, the Holy Spirit is also the spirit of Jesus Christ and the spirit of God (Romans 8:9-10). This truth is awesome. In fact, it brings to my mind the tabernacle or the structure that Moses was instructed by God to erect so that He may dwell among them.

This structure was in three parts: the outer court, the holy place, and the holy of holies. The people of Israel were allowed into the outer court, but not into the holy place. The priests were allowed into the holy place, but not into the holy of holies.

Only the high priest was allowed to enter the Holiest place once a year and on the Day of Atonement and even then, he could not enter until after much preparation, cleansing and sacrifices without which he would not return alive.

The holiness of God was such that even the slightest breach in the handling of the structure, furniture and the sacrifices was punishable by instant death. Other times, the presence of the Lord in the tabernacle became so strong that even the priest could not enter.

But, Hallelujah, Amen! This same holy, fearful and terrible God, before whom the people of Israel trembled exceedingly, has made His home with man; the body of His saints is now His holy dwelling place.

Looking backward historically to the dwelling places of God, we see after Moses’ tabernacle came King Solomon’s Temple and finally the Son of God. Jesus Christ is the true tabernacle of God. He is the man after whom all the previous temples and tabernacle were modeled.

Jesus Christ is the eternal Word, which became flesh: 

“The word became flesh, and tabernacled among us” ( John 1:14 Revised Version). 

 Jesus Christ has made it possible for man not only to become the sons of God, but also the church and the temple of the living God.

Oh what a glory, what an amazing grace! It is a great honor to be chosen of God — to be chosen to be His sacred dwelling place. What a privilege and a friend we have in Jesus. If only Christians can understand who they truly are? I believe we can impart the world in a much greater way.

In short, living believers are now the new temples of the Living God: 

“And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God” (Revelation 21:3).

I pray that every Christian would awaken to the truth of the reality of His indwelling presence.

Sometimes Christians stumble over Psalm 51:11 “Cast me not away from thypresence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me.”

Under the Old Testament, the Spirit work was outward and intermittent, for example, He came upon certain men for special purposes, and left when the purpose was accomplished, but this is not the case with the Christian.

Under the New Testament, the Spirit work is inward, and His presence abiding: 

“And I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, and he may abide with you forever. Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: But ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16-17).            

Christians must see themselves exceptionally favored, and rightly live up to divine expectation.

We must consider ourselves greatly blessed. We are God’s handiwork, His masterpiece and dwelling place. Jesus said, “we are the salt and the light of this world:” 

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Ephesians 1:3).  

We must believe all that God says about us in His holy word; we must renew our mind with the truth of God’s holy Word through the precious Holy Spirit.

It is extremely important for each of us to know who we are in Christ Jesus: 

“But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light” (1 Peter 2:9). 

Every Christian has been chosen for a special purpose; each individual Christian has his own special place in God.

None were randomly picked. We were not collectively chosen like a bunch of fruit. Every one of us was deliberately hand picked by God and like precious stones are being built together upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets — Christ Jesus being the chief cornerstone as a permanent dwelling place of God by the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 2:21,23).

Beloved, at this juncture, I sense I must stop and pray, let us pray this prayer which the apostle Paul also prayed for the church together. I pray that God: 

“Would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love.

May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God.

Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen” (Ephesians 3:16-21).  

Continue to pray that the Spirit of truth (Holy Spirit) would make you conscious of His indwelling presence 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.

I know the truth as revealed may be hard on the mind and even for some to accept, but God said, only the truth can set us free. Spiritual truths are always beyond natural reasoning; they can only be accepted by spiritual people, by those who are indwelt by the Holy Spirit.

Only the mind and heart that is after God can be receptive to the truth as given by the Spirit. For the mature Christians, and for the spirit that is inundated by the Spirit, all that God had revealed is open and accepted: 

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man. For who hath known the mind of the Lord, that he may instruct him? but we have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:12-16).

 How a Christian knows he is a Christian is by the inner witness of the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit Himself, unceasingly witnesses to our newly created human spirit that we are the sons of God. From within, He assures each of us of our sonship and new position in God’s family. From within, Spirit talks to spirit.

A hymnist once sang this song:“if you ask me how I know He lives? He lives within my Heart,” and this is true for every Christian.

Jesus furnishes evidence of His presence in each of us by the presence of the dwelling Spirit in the heart: 

“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God” (Romans 8:16).

 “And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Galatians 4:6).  

“And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us” (1 John3:24).  

Bought by the blood of Jesus Christ, every Christian is God’s personal property.

The presence of the Spirit in the heart is His own seal of ownership. The Spirit comes in at the moment of salvation to certify a completed transaction (1 Peter 1:18-19; 1 Corinthians 6:20); the Spirit is the seal of genuineness and authentication and also the believer’s security and surety.

There can be no mistake in the eyes of God concerning those who are His: 

“Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts” (2 Corinthians 1:22).  

Further, the Spirit is an ‘earnest’ deposit in the heart of the believer.

The Spirit is God’s down payment and the pledge of our redemption. As a deposit, His indwelling presence guarantees that God would definitely preserve and take care of that which is His until the redemption of the purchased possession: 

“Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory  (Ephesians 1:14).  

God guarantees by His indwelling presence that each of us shall be glorified on the day of Christ: 

“For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).  

God is faithful; He would surely bring to completion all that which He has begun in each of us.

Furthermore, Christians are said to have the Holy Spirit as first-fruits. This means, the Spirit is the first installment and a promise that more is to be expected. More blessings are stored up for the believer, but here is the good news, these blessings are immediately available to every believer by virtue of His indwelling Presence: 

“Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God” (1 Corinthians 2:12).  

“And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23).  

Technically, a farmer’s first-fruits are the initial harvesting of his first-ripened crops.

This initial harvest can be said to be his installment, which is an indication of the type of harvest that is soon to follow. Likewise, the indwelling Holy Spirit is the believer’s first installment; a foretaste of the glory here and hereafter (Romans 8:17).

Again, the presence of the indwelling Spirit is the believer’s anointing and power. Jesus was anointed of the Holy Spirit and so is every one that He calls into His fellowship (Acts 10:38). The same anointing that was on Him is on all His disciples. Set apart by God and for God, every Christian is anointed.

The oil with which both Jesus and Christians are anointed is the Holy Spirit (2 Corinthians 1:21). Every Christian is indwelt by the Anointed One: 

“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John 2:27). 

“But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things’ (1 John 2:20). 

The word ‘unction’ in the above passage, literally means a specially prepared anointing oil (Exodus 30:25; 40:9; Leviticus 21:10).

The anointing which New Testament Christians have received or experienced by the indwelling Spirit is the same as that which was experienced by the Old Testament saints. The same Holy Spirit is at work in both cases.

For example, Old Testament kings and priest were anointed with specially-prepared anointing oil. By pouring the anointing oil on the head of a king or priest, they were said to be set apart by God for special use.

In most cases, this act was accompanied immediately by the presence or the movement of the Spirit by which some experienced power and renewal. Recipients became new and empowered for the task for which they were chosen.

This experience is the same for every New Testament saint. Chosen by God, Christians have unction from the Holy One to: 

“Show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). 

Brethren, we should be very grateful to God for giving us His Holy Spirit.

The Spirit indwelling is like God has given us part of Himself to come to Him (a little heaven to come to heaven). The Spirit does not give a little of Himself; then, little by little until we get all of Him; no, this is not the case.

At the moment of salvation, He comes in fully or wholly to dwell with our new spirit. Only God can testify of God as a result, God-the Father has sent God-the Holy Spirit to testify of God-the Son in the heart of His saints and to a dying world.

I pray you do not confuse this early stage of the Spirit incoming and indwelling with that which is experienced by those seeking the gifts of the Spirit and that which was experienced by the apostles on the day of Pentecost.

What I have so far talked about is that which all believers automatically receive at regeneration. Each individual Christian is fully indwelt by God at the moment of Salvation (cf. John 20:22). You do not have to ask for the Spirit to come in, and neither does He need your permission.

You gave Him the permission when you accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and personal Savior; when you opened the door of your heart to God. Your acceptance was your signature permitting Jesus to be everything to you: To be your savior, helper, leader, instructor, friend, power of attorney, master, Lord and God now and forever more: 

“Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me” (Revelation 3:20).  

And this supper (partying) together goes on until it’s fulfillment at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9).

In conclusion, without the indwelling presence of the Spirit of Christ, no man can claim to be born again or even say he belongs to God. Born of the Spirit, we are fully indwelt by God: 

“Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God” (1 John 4:15).  

By His Spirit, each of us would know that Jesus indeed lives in the hearts of His saints, and for that matter trinity lives in every Christian: 

“Hereby we know that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He has given us His Spirit” (1 John 4:13; cf. Revelation 3:20).  

Jesus Christ, by His spirit, comes to live in us and we live in Him by faith. This union with the triune God is solid and forever, and nothing in this world or in the world to come or by any means separate, disrupt or break this bond of love.

The power of Christians is that the triune God is in and with them forever. The Spirit indwelling is not only limited to subjective experience; He is there, in us whether or not we feel Him.

Now, I want you to pause and reflect on what you have discovered from these two chapters. Get outside and take a look at your surroundings; take a look at the sky, the trees and landscape.

Reflect over the fact that the God who made all these is your Father and also over the fact that He lives inside you. Finally, ask yourself, if God lives in me, then who am I? In Christ dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete and full in Him.

 God richly bless you for reading.