Ⅳ
Referring to the local saints in Ephesus, Paul says, “In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit”—v. 22:
A
The temple and the dwelling place refer to two aspects of the same thing—vv. 21-22:
１
The temple is the place where God’s people contact God, worship God, and hear His oracle—v. 21.
２
The dwelling place of God is a place of rest; God rests in His dwelling place—v. 22.
３
The temple and the dwelling place are not two distinct places; rather, they are two aspects, two functions or usages, of the same building.
B
The word also in verse 22 indicates that the building in verse 21 is universal and that the building in verse 22 is local:
１
According to the context, in verse 21 the holy temple is universal, and in verse 22 the dwelling place of God is local.
２
Universally, the church is uniquely one and is growing universally; locally, the church in a particular locality is also one, and the local saints are being built up together in their particular locality—vv. 21-22; 1 Cor. 1:2; 3:16-17.
C
The dwelling place of God is in our spirit—Eph. 2:22:
１
Verse 21 says that the holy temple is in the Lord, and verse 22, that the dwelling place of God is in spirit.
２
This indicates that for the building of God’s dwelling place, the Lord is one with our spirit, and our spirit is one with the Lord—1 Cor. 6:17.
３
Our spirit is where the building of the dwelling place of God takes place.
Morning Nourishment
Eph. 2:22 In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.1 Cor. 6:17 But he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit.
Actually, the word temple [in Ephesians 2:21] should be translated “sanctuary,” meaning the central part of the temple in the Lord. Such a sanctuary is God’s dwelling place in our spirit (v. 22). The church life today is in our spirit... If you are not in your spirit, although you may be in the meeting, you are not in the church in a practical way. The church life is in our human spirit. We must always turn to our spirit, exercise our spirit, and walk according to our spirit. We should not be out of our spirit or have our being apart from our spirit. We must walk, live, act, and have our being in our spirit. When we exercise our spirit in this way, we are in the church. This is for God’s dispensing of Himself into us as life so that we may grow in the church. Both God’s dispensing and our growing are in the spirit. (CWWL, 1983, vol. 2, “The Divine Dispensing of the Divine Trinity,” p. 306)
Today’s Reading
The word you in Ephesians 2:22, which refers to the local saints, indicates that the building in verse 21 is universal and the building in verse 22 is local. In this verse Paul was saying that the local saints, the saints in Ephesus, were being built together in Christ into a dwelling place of God. Therefore, in these verses Paul covered both the universal aspect and the local aspect of the church. All the building is growing—this refers to the universal aspect. The believers in a particular locality are being built together—this is the local aspect.Why does Paul use the term holy temple in referring to the universal aspect and the term dwelling place of God when speaking of the local aspect?... Apart from the universal temple, there is not another temple called the local temple. The temple and the dwelling place refer to two aspects of the same thing... The temple is the place in which God’s people contact God, worship Him, and hear His oracle. The dwelling place is a place of rest. God rests in His dwelling place. However, the temple and the dwelling place are not two distinct places. Rather, they are two aspects, two functions or usages, of the same building. The church is the place where God’s people contact God, worship Him, and receive His word, and it is also the place of God’s rest.
All the local churches are part of the universal church, not something in addition to it or apart from it. All the local churches added together equal the universal church. This means that apart from the local churches there is no universal church. Hence, the building of the local church is the building of the universal church. All the local churches have just one building. The church in Anaheim does not have one building; the church in Chicago, another... However, our natural concept of the building is that there is a different building in each locality. In this universe there is just one building with a universal aspect and a local aspect. No matter how many churches there may be on earth, there is still just one building with these two aspects.
Verse 22 says that we are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit. The spirit here refers to the believers’ human spirit indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit is the Dweller, not the dwelling place... God’s Spirit dwells in our spirit. Therefore, the dwelling place of God is in our spirit.
Verse 21 says that the holy temple is in the Lord, and verse 22, that the dwelling place of God is in spirit. This indicates that the Lord is one with our spirit and that our spirit is one with the Lord. To be in our spirit actually is to be in the Lord. Also, to be in the Lord is to be in the spirit. He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit (1 Cor. 6:17). We simply cannot separate our spirit from the Lord. Therefore, our spirit is the place where the building of the church is. The building is not in our mind, emotion, soul, or heart. It is absolutely a matter in our spirit. (Life-study of Ephesians, pp. 237-238)
Further Reading: CWWL, 1983, vol. 2, “The Divine Dispensing of the Divine Trinity,” ch. 16