This lesson seeks to ascertain the biblical concept of the indwelling. We all agree that the Bible teaches an indwelling, but students differ on the mode of this indwelling.
A. Eight passages teach that the Father is in the Christian (2 Cor. 6:16; Eph. 4:6; 1 John 3:24; 4:4, 12, 13, 15, 16).
B. Thirteen passages teach that Christ is in the Christian (John 6:56; 15:4, 5; 17:23, 26; Rom 8:10; 2 Cor 13:5; Gal 2:20; 4:19; Eph 3:17; Col 1:27; 3:11; 1 Pet 3:15).
C. Six passages teach that the Holy Spirit is in the Christian (John 14:17; Rom. 8:9, 11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:14).
Note: Deity indwells! But how? In what manner does deity dwell?
A. The Father and the Son and the Spirit personally indwell the Christian.
B. The Father and the Son dwell in the Christian by the personal indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
C. Deity indwells through the word of God.
D. Two Reasons for believing that the indwelling is a personal indwelling:1. "The Father is in heaven (Matthew 6:9). Jesus is in heaven (Acts 2:33). But, there is no passage that restricts the Spirit's location to heaven!" (M. Deaver, F-D, p. 262). Not so! Holy Spirit is in heaven (Rev. 1:4).
2. We are told that the Bible declares how deity indwells (Eph. 2:22; 1 John 3:24).
A. Determining figures of speech.
1. Phil. 1:7; 2 Cor. 7:3; Rev. 2:13.
2. Figures of speech recognized elsewhere (Examples).a. Statement of parents about child who had died: "He'll live as long as he's in our hearts."
b. Statement of a horse owner about a horse that had died: "I will always miss him but he will live on forever in my heart."
c. Statement of a daughter about her parents: "Both my parents will remain in my nerves and muscles and mind until the day I die."
d. Statement by Roger Maris Jr. when McGwire broke his father's home
run record: "I just remember him saying that my dad is always going to be in his heart."3. It would take a miracle (Phil. 1:7; 1 Kings 8:27).
4. How does Satan dwell (Rev. 2;13)?
5. The context helps to determine figures of speech (2 Cor. 6:16; Gal. 4:19).B. Definitions: oikew, enoikew, katoikew (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 3:16).
1. oikew: "... to dwell in ... trop. en tini, to be fixed and operative in one's soul: of sin, Ro. 7:17 sq. 20; of the Holy Spirit, Ro. 8:[9], 11; I Cor. 3:16...."
2. A. tropology: "FIGURATIVE...." "a figurative mode of speech or writing....a mode of biblical interpretation stressing moral metaphor" (Web., p.1263).
3. katoikew: "to dwell, settle; a. prop....b. metaph., divine powers, influences, etc....to dwell in his soul, to pervade, prompt, govern it..." (TH, p. 341).
4. Metaphor: "1: a figure of speech in which a word or phrase literally denoting one kind of object or idea is used in place of another to suggest a likeness or analogy between them" (Web., p.722).
5. enoikew: "to dwell in; in the N.T. with en tini dat. of pers. in one, everywhere metaphorically, to dwell in one and influence him (for good):...in a person's soul, of the Holy Spirit, Ro. 8:11; II Tim. 2:14..." (TH, p. 217). "[T]o dwell in, inhabit; in N.T. met. to be indwelling spiritually, Ro. 8:11; II Tim. 2:14..." (AGL, p. 141).C. Objections considered:
1. Figurative indwelling is no indwelling.
a. ""It is really and actually figurative, which amounts to no indwelling" (M. Deaver, F-D, p. 96, 2nd night of the debate). However,
b. "Mac says if an indwelling is not literal, it is not an indwelling" (M. Fox, F-D, p. 122).
c. Yet, "Well, it is not a literal indwelling. It could be a representative one" (MD, ibid, p. 122, 3rd night of the debate).
d. Note how Mac changed. He first says a representative indwelling is no indwelling and then later acknowledges that a representative indwelling is an indwelling.2. When questioned concerning various passages, the personal indweller responds, "It means what it says!" Or, "Oh, you don't believe in the indwelling!" Or "You don't believe the Bible." The following questions show their inconsistency with the preceding comments. They answer "no" to all of the questions except the literal indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
a. Does the Father literally dwell in the Christian? "NO!"
b. Does the Christian literally dwell in God? "NO!"
c. Does Christ literally dwell in the Christian? "NO!"
d. Does the Christian literally dwell in Christ? "NO!"
e. Does the Christian literally dwell in the Holy Spirit? "NO!"
f. Does the Holy Spirit literally dwell in the Christian? "YES!"
A. Personal indwellers fail to understand what we are teaching.
1. Personal indwellers falsely accuse us of teaching that the Word takes the place of the person of the Spirit. They charge, "The memorized Word is the indwelling!"
2. They falsely accuse us of teaching that we think the indwelling is no more than the influence of the Holy Spirit.B. We do teach that the Holy Spirit dwells by the word reigning in the Christian's life (Col. 3:16; Eph. 5:18).
1. Commentaries agree with this concept:
a. "The Hebrews expressed absolute rule or dominion by the figure of dwelling" (James MacKnight, Epistles, Vol. 1, p. 325-340).
b. "The I he speaks of here is opposed to indwelling or governing sin" (Clarke, p. 87, col. 2, v. 17).
c. "He who dwells in a house has charge of the house. To say that sin dwells in a person is to say that sin has the control of him" (R. L. Whiteside, Commentary on Romans, p. 158).2. Lexicons agree with this concept (See Thayer and AGL above): The Theological Dictionary of the New Testament says, "Most important, however, is the fact that oikei is used to describe inward psychological and spiritual processes [17] ... we read in Rom. 7:18: ... and 7:20 goes on to say that sin dwells in me.... The dwelling of sin in man denotes its dominion over him.... The sin which dwells in me ... is no passing guest, but by its continuous presence becomes the master of the house.... Paul can speak in just the same way, however, of the lordship of the Spirit" (Vol. 5, p. 135).
3. 16th Century reformers:
a. Arminius: "But what man, conversant with the Scriptures, shall distinguish reigning from indwelling or inhabiting sin, and will account indwelling sin to be the same as the sin existing within?"
b. Zanchius: "It is manifest, therefore, from the signification of the word and its most frequent usage in the Holy Scriptures, that indwelling sin is exactly the same as reigning sin."
c. Bucer: "[Paul] says that this destructive force or power dwells in him, that is, it entirely occupies him and has the dominion, as is the manner of those who are at their own house, in their proper dwelling and domicile." And, "The apostle Paul, and all Scripture, frequently employ this metaphor of inhabitation or residing ."4. Biblical Usage: 1) Remote text (Job 11:14; Eze. 43:7), and 2) immediate context (Rev. 2:13; Rom. 5:20-21; 6:12, 16; 7:17-18).
C. When the Bible speaks of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, it is pointing out the moral concept of the Holy Spirit's influencing the Christian for good. However, it is more than an influence. It is a governing of one's life. This spiritual governing is accomplished only through the Word, not alongside of or in addition to (Heb. 4:12).
CONCLUSION: Once we understand who God is and the metaphorical meaning of "indwell," we will understand that the indwelling is a ruling and reigning. This reign or control is accomplished only through word of God.
Additional Study: It would take a miracle for a being like God to literally live inside a human body or soul.
A. Can you look upon God and live (1 Tim. 6:16; 1 Kings 8:27; Ex. 33)?
B. God did not increase His glory when He appeared before Israel in the tabernacle with Moses. He had to veil it (Ex. 33; Ps. 96:4-9!
C. God is from everlasting to everlasting. Mountains wobble in His presence, hills dissolve, the earth sways (Nahum 1:5; Ps. 90:1-2). Clothed in Majesty (Ps. 102:1).
D. When men realized or felt they were in the presence of God, they bowed in deep reverence (Jos. 5:13-15; Ex. 3:4-5; Psa. 138:2; Hab. 2:20).
It would take a miracle for a being like God to literally live inside a human body or soul.