Last time we wrote, we noted the attribute of omnipresence. We took a look at Psalm 139, along with a number of other scriptures, and learned that God is everywhere, all the time. We learned that there is no place that He is not present.
Introduction
Today, we will be discussing this attribute and how it relates to God’s presence within us, through the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and, furthermore, what this gift offers to the believer. My hope is that if you are here as an unbeliever, that you will get a glimpse of the God that we serve. For the believer, be encouraged in the assurance that God dwells within us.
Recap
As seen in Psalm 139, God revealed to us, through the words of His servant David, that He is omnipresent. No matter where we go, no matter what condition we may find ourselves, whether in the morning or at night, whether in the light or in the darkness, God is present.
And if God is present, He sees us. And because He sees us, we should respond accordingly. We should walk, act, and speak knowing that He is always with us. Now, God is omnipresent, but what does this mean to the individual believer? What does it mean to have God’s presence with us at all times? What is the purpose of God dwelling within us?
While God has always been omnipresent, something new happened when Jesus ascended into heaven. As prophesied in the book of Joel, He poured out His Spirit upon us. Now, God’s very presence, the Holy Spirit, dwells in every believer. Does this mean that He controls our every action?
It is important to learn what it means to have God’s presence always residing within us as believers.
The Indwelling
In the Old Testament (OT), while God was always present, He only manifested Himself from time to time. The Holy Spirit came upon certain prophets for the purpose of declaring God’s word to the people, however, the Spirit did not necessarily stay “upon” the people. It was a temporary manifestation of the presence of God. Adam and Eve knew about the presence of God and Moses stood on the mountain and had a brief glimpse of His presence.
Down through the period covered in the OT, the manifested presence of God was sporadic. God was certainly all-present, but only revealed Himself from time to time.
The Prophecy
In Joel Chapter 2, the prophet declared that something new would happen in the future. He stated “And it shall come to pass afterward that I will pour out My Spirit upon all flesh” (Joel 2:28, NKJV). In the Gospel of John, Jesus stated that if anyone loves Him and keeps His word, He and the Father will “make Our home with him” (John 14:23).
It is important to note that this had not yet occurred in human history. While mankind was created in the image of God, that image was marred because of sin and the Spirit had not yet been poured out on all flesh, on both Jew and Gentile.
In John Chapter 15, Jesus used the parable of the vine to explain the possibility of Him abiding within us. But how was this to happen?
The Promise
Just before Jesus ascended, He told the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the “Promise of the Father” in order to be baptized, or fully immersed, with the Holy Spirit and they would then receive power to be His witnesses (Acts 1:4,8). Well, in the second chapter, we see this promise and prophecy fulfilled when the disciples were “filled with the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:4).
What does it mean to be “filled” with the Spirit?
While the disciples may not have fully figure this out, they knew something miraculous had happened when God’s presence came to reside within them. We see this phenomenon occurring throughout the Book of Acts and it came as quite a surprise to the Jews when the same thing happened to the Gentiles who believed, fulfilling the “all flesh” portion of Joel’s prophecy.
J. I. Packer stated that it is because of the attribute of omnipresence that God “is able to give his entire attention to millions of individuals at the same time.”[1] However, the early church would soon need instruction on what it meant to not just have God’s presence with them, or around them, or amongst them, but to actually dwell within them.
Paul rebuked some of the Corinthians for their propensity to engage in sexual immorality and reminded them that their body was now “the temple of the Holy Spirit” (1 Corinthians 6:19).
The Presence of God
Wow, what a concept this was to the early believers. God Himself now resided within them, for if the Holy Spirit resided within them, then entire Trinity resided within them, for They are One. Paul told the Galatians that they were now sons because “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son” into their hearts (Galatians 4:6). And if the Spirit of the Son is present and the Son and the Father are one, then all three persons of the Trinity are present within the believer.
What a wondrous thought this must have been that God has now clearly chosen to be present within a physical being; mankind.
In Romans 8, we find almost an entire chapter dedicated to explaining what life in the Spirit is all about. Paul gave more of a foundation about the presence of God within us when he stated the dwelling of Christ, through the Spirit, within us will actually “give life to our mortal bodies” (Romans 8:11). There are many other references to this indwelling of the Spirit, but what we have already found is that God went to great lengths to inspire the writers of the New Testament to explain this very important fact and aspect of God’s omnipresence.
Furthermore, God’s Spirit acts as a seal upon us.
In Ephesians it stated that we have been “sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,” and that this acts as a guarantee of our inheritance until our redemption is fully realized (Ephesians 1:14). The promise of eternal life is evidenced by the fact the God’s presence is within us.
Commenting on John 6:27, Michael Manser stated that this seal marked the believers “out as belonging to God and guarding them from the world and the devil.”[2]
Now that we realize that God’s very presence is within us, what does it mean, and what should we do?
Application
We need to be constantly aware of our new found Resident, the Holy Spirit.
As seen in 1 Corinthians, the Spirit will not force us to do anything. Even though the Spirit was dwelling in the believers at Corinth, Paul still had to instruct them to “flee sexual immorality” (1 Corinthians 6:18).
Therefore, there is an awesome sense of responsibility that comes with this inhabitation.
God’s presence within us should change our behavior, it should transform our hearts and minds. However, this only happens as we work out our own salvation with fear and trembling (Philippians 2:12).
We need to live as though God is right beside us, near us, even to the point of being within us.
We can now see why Paul described the newfound light that dwells within us a “treasure in earthen vessels” (2 Corinthians 4:7).
The wonder comes into play when God Almighty, who made the heavens and the earth, and who knows the extent of our frailties, still chooses to reside within us.
Conclusion
Many of us may have found ourselves driving and going a little over the speed limit when, all of a sudden, we see a police car and we immediately put our foot on the brake.
In a similar way, we need to restrain, or put our foot of the brakes, our carnal nature and all its desires as we continue to realize that God is omnipresent and that He is actually so close, that He resides within us, and that He is aware of our every action.
God is close by, He is the strong tower that is right beside us, He is the cleft of the rock that is within reach, His wing covers us and brings both protection and shade to soothe the weary soul.
In turn, this should cause us to praise, this should cause us to worship, this should cause us to fall to our knees in humble adoration of a God who is not only transcendent, but immanent.
He is with us, He is with me, He is with you.
Somehow and in some way, we know this to be true. Although we cannot see it with our earthly eyes, we can see it with my spiritual eyes. There is a peculiar inner witness of His closeness to us.
Take a few minutes to pray and to meditate on the God of the universe dwelling within us and what changes should follow as we are now reminded of this wondrous, yet humbling, fact.
References
[1] J. I. Packer, Concise Theology: A Guide to Historic Christian Beliefs (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1993), 35.
[2] Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009).
Dan Buteau has been married for the last 33 years and is a father of four adult children. He is also a grandfather to five children. He serves as a Pastor at a church in southern Maine. He has a Bachelor’s Degree in Math Studies from Granite State University and he is currently a Master’s of Theology student at Liberty University. In addition, Dan served in the United States Marine Corps for four years and is retired from a 25-year career in law enforcement. He has a hunger and thirst for the Word of God and is continuing to obey the calling of his Savior, Jesus Christ, as he carries out the Great Commission.
