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"Do you not know that you
are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells
in you?" 1 Corinthians 3:16
"But the one who joins
himself to the Lord is one spirit with Him. Flee
immorality. Every other sin that a man commits is
outside the body, but the immoral man sins against his
own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple
of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from
God, and that you are not your own?" 1 Corinthians
6:17-19
The Corinthian Church was rich in the outward
manifestation of the Spirit. Miracles were common in the
Church, they prophesied and
spoke in heavenly tongues. But they were lacking in
spiritual maturity, -"And I,
brethren, could not speak to you as to spiritual men,
but as to men of flesh, as to infants in Christ. I gave
you milk to drink, not solid food; for you were not yet
able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet
able, for you are still fleshly." (1 Cor.3:1-3) The
Corinthian Church had many manifestations of the
out-pouring but they were struggling in the flesh
because they were neglecting the indwelling - they were
not allowing God, the Head of the House to have His way
in their lives.
We must conclude that there is a difference between
receiving the out-pouring of the Spirit and the
indwelling of the Spirit. Visual signs are primarily a
result of the out-pouring, but real change in a person
comes from giving way to the indwelling. It is the
indwelling that we must submit to in order to grow to
spiritual maturity - to the stature of Christ. There are
many in the ministry who are pre-occupied with the
out-pouring because of the manifestation of miracles yet
struggle in their flesh because they fail to yield to
God as the Lord of their lives through the indwelling.
Jesus spoke of this in Matthew Chapter 7 saying, -"Many
will say to Me on that Day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not
prophesy in Your name, and in Your name cast out demons,
and in Your name perform many miracles?’ And then I will
declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you
who practice lawlessness.’"
Let us understand that the Spirit is God - I believe the
very essence of both the Father and the Son. The Spirit
is not a thing or merely a power but is the personal
manifestation of God. As our texts show, where the
Spirit of God dwells, He dwells. In 2 Corinthians Paul
revealed that the Lord is the Spirit, -"Now
the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is liberty." (2 Cor.3:17)
When we are born of the Spirit we become a living temple
in which God Himself lives. Perhaps you were taught to
pray to God as if He were far off somewhere, but in
reality He is nearer than your next breath. You need not
make a "long-distant" call because He is in the House.
In Christ we receive the revelation that we have become
His presence rather then a person seeking to enter into
His presence. Since our body has become a holy temple in
which God dwells, we are not to commit immorality which
would work to defile the holy body. Paul’s answer to the
problem of fleshly indulgence is to understand that are
God’s temple, have been purchased by the sacrifice of
His Son, and do not belong to ourselves, -"You
are not your own . . .for you have been bought with a
price; therefore glorify God in your body."
Objective is a statement that is completely unbiased. It
is not influenced by a person’s previous experiences. It
is verifiable by looking up facts. Subjective is a
statement which is colored by personal experience and
observation. It has a basis in reality but reflects a
personal perspective. When we see Christ as Lord
objectively - exalted to the Throne in heaven - then we
experience the out-pouring power of the Spirit upon us.
When we see Christ as Lord subjectively - as Ruler of
our lives - then we experience the indwelling power of
the Spirit within us.
When God awoke us to the reality that He is exists and
is real - calling us to receive salvation through His
Son - we experienced the out-pouring of His Spirit upon
us, washing away our sins and clothing us with His
power. But then came the reality that He has cleaned the
house for the purpose of moving in. Through the
out-pouring we do the mighty works of Jesus, and through
the indwelling we are transformed into what He is. Let
us take heed that we do not neglect the work of the
indwelling for by the out-pouring alone no one will see
God. It is only through the indwelling that we come to
intimately know and actually become the presence of God,
-"But we all, with unveiled
face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord,
are being transformed into the same image from glory to
glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit." (2 Cor.3:18)
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