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Day 20 God Dwells in Us by the Spirit

Posted on: March 28, 2025
by: Gerrit Dawson, Senior Pastor

Every day, pray aloud worshipfully this golden thread that weaves through the entire tapestry of God’s intent for us.

Behold, the days are coming, declares the LORD,

when I will make a new covenant with the

house of Israel. . . .

I will put my law within them,

and I will write it on their hearts.

And I will be their God, and they shall be my people.

They shall all know me, from the least of them

to the greatest. . . .

For I will forgive their iniquity, and I will

remember their sin no more.

(Jeremiah 31:31, 33-34)

Daily Scripture

John 14:15-17

If you love me, you will keep my commandments. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.

1 Corinthians 3:16

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?

Ephesians 2:17-22

And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near. For through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Picking Up the Thread

God came to dwell with us in Jesus. He took up permanent residence in our humanity. From within a true humanity, Jesus did what we could not do for ourselves. He lived a life loving the Father with all his heart, mind and strength. He laid down his life for us. Jesus lived fully focused outward in love. He is the new humanity, the last Adam, the restart of the human race. His resurrected body in heaven is the pledge of all that awaits those who partake of him in faith.

But how do we become connected to him? How does union with the new Adam occur for us in our old, sinful humanity? Jesus sends his Spirit to dwell in our hearts. We hear the gospel, the Spirit creates faith, we yield our lives to Christ, and the Spirit comes to dwell within us. He creates an enduring link between each believer and Jesus and between all believers. As we read on Day 6, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). The Spirit re-locates us into Jesus. The center of our lives changes from self to Christ. This is the mystical but essential dimension of our faith. Christ dwells in us through his Spirit indwelling us. At the same time, however, the Spirit causes us to dwell in Christ.

Way back in the second century, the Greek bishop Irenaeus likened our re-creation to God the Father extending his two “hands” into the world (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 4. Pref. 4). One hand is the Son of God sent to the world in love. That is Jesus who came to be the new, faithful human, the atoning savior and the Lord of all. The other hand is the Spirit sent after Jesus ascended to the Father. The Spirit places us in Christ so that we partake of all that he is and has accomplished. Just as Jesus’ resurrected body in heaven is a pledge of what awaits us, the Spirit in our hearts is the pledge that we truly are in Christ right now. If we are betrothed to Christ the bridegroom, then the Spirit is our engagement ring!

We must not overlook the communal dimension of this indwelling of the Spirit. The “you” in our Corinthians passage is plural. It’s a “y’all.” The same Spirit indwells each believer making us together the temple of God on earth. Now the meeting place between God and his people is no longer any one building. It is his church. Wherever two or three or ten thousand are gathered in the name of Jesus, there he dwells by his Spirit. We are now each of us members of the mystical body of Christ. We are as vital and interconnected to one another as each part of a body.

The Ephesians passage assures us that we now have an identity as family members of the triune God. We are full citizens of his kingdom. Thus, we are ambassadors from heaven to earth. We are both built into Jesus by being spiritually joined to him and built upon all Jesus did and the witness to Christ from the apostles down through the ages. The church is one temple across all space and time. We partake of the worldwide communion of the saints where humanity can meet the living God. Therefore, this temple is perpetually increasing as more and more people are built into Christ until the day he returns.

Stitching It In

Paul tells us that the Spirit in our hearts urges us toward prayer and worship. By the Spirit we cry out the intimacy of “Abba, Father” (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6). Indeed, “The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God” (Romans 8:16). This means there is a feeling dimension to genuine Christian faith. It is normal to feel the Spirit stir within our hearts. Especially when we read the Bible in order to know Christ better. Especially when we voice praises through psalms and other songs. Especially when we pray together with other believers. Especially when we share in the Lord’s Supper together. Jesus’ disciples on the Emmaus road reflected, “Did not our hearts burn within us while . . . he opened to us the Scriptures?” (Luke 24:32).

We’re almost halfway through this Lent study, so now might be a good time to ask ourselves some important questions. Have you felt your heart moved when encountering Jesus through this cascade of Scriptures? That’s the Spirit moving in you! If not, it’s crucial to consider some causes. Have I ever truly surrendered my life to Jesus? Is there an area of unrepented, known sin to which I am clinging? Is there a bitterness of unforgiveness that I am not taking to Christ for healing? Is there a bodily ailment or the effect of medicines that is dulling me? Am I fracturing my focus with too much time spent on devices, apps and media? Is worry and stress overloading me?

When my prayers feel muted and I feel distant from Christ, I go back to basics. I say aloud “Jesus is Lord,” and I recall that only by the Spirit can I sincerely speak that (1 Corinthians 12:3). I ask myself if I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and recall that I have said before others that the man Jesus is Lord of all and Lord of my life. By these confessions, Paul says, we may know that we are in Christ, saved by him and given the indwelling Spirit (Romans 10:9). I invite the Spirit to speak to me as I read the Word and rejoice that when the verses move me, that is the Spirit’s work.

There is joy, of course, but also conviction. Exposing sin is the Spirit’s work (John 16:8). Sometimes the Word he brings to us is sharp, revealing the truth of my heart (Hebrews 4:12). It hurts, but that very conviction assures me that I am in Christ. He is working in me. I know that if I desire to increase love, joy, peace, patience, and kindness in me, that is the fruit of the Spirit forming in me (Galatians 5:22-23). I remember how I have felt peace in grievous circumstances, and I know that is God’s work in response to my prayers (Philippians 4:7). I pray with Psalm 143:10, “Let your good Spirit lead me,” and I know that guidance is his gift. Usually, as we develop the discipline of noticing what he promises, we are moved by gratitude for the indwelling of the Spirit.

Praying Along the Pattern

Lord Jesus, you left this earth

But did not leave us alone.

You are with us always,

By the gift of your Spirit

Poured from above,

Poured into our hearts.

I marvel that you have relocated your temple

From a structure to a community.

You, Jesus, are the true temple,

And we are built into you,

Rising into a living house