God lives in us by the holy spirit

GOD LIVES IN US BY THE HOLY SPIRIT
EDITED BY GLENN PEASE
Ephesians 2:22 "And in him you too are being built
together to become a dwelling in which God lives by
his Spirit."
BIBLEHUB RESOURCES
The Church A Holy Temple
Ephesians 2:21, 22
T. Croskery
It is elsewhere called" a spiritual house," composedof "living stones," built
upon him who is a living Stone laid in Zion, elect, precious, though rejectedof
men (1 Peter2:4, 5). Each believeris a living stone, dug out of the quarry of
nature, hewn by the Word and ministry, laid in the foundation, and built into
the heavenly structure. The Church is God's building, not man's. There are
four things observable in the apostle's accountof this blessedstructure.
I. IT HAS A GOOD FOUNDATION. Built on the foundation of "apostles and
prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief Cornerstone." It is built on the
foundation that apostles andprophets laid, namely, on Jesus Christ himself,
who is at once Foundation and Cornerstone:"Other foundation can no man
lay than that is laid, which is Christ Jesus" (1 Corinthians 3:11). This was the
Foundation which the apostle was always laying: "I have laid the foundation,
and another buildeth thereon" (1 Corinthians 3:10). But it was God himself
who laid this stone in Zion: "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief Cornerstone, elect,
precious" (1 Peter2:6). The foundation is not, therefore, in man, but in God,

not in Rome, but in heaven. Therefore it is an indestructible building. Jesus
Christ is called"the chief Cornerstone,' whichhas its true supporting-place in
the foundation, because it is the binding-stone of the building, holding two
walls because it is built into both. Perhaps there is a reference to the union of
Jews and Gentiles in Christ, who has made both one, and thus builds the
whole number of believers into the glorious temple, and bears the weight of
the whole structure.
II. IT IS FITLY FRAMED TOGETHER. Itis not a mere heap or mass of
heterogeneous materials.
1. The materials must be prepared for their place in the building so as to
promote its unity and compactness. All the members of the Church must first
be joined to Christ as the Foundation, and then cementedto one another by
love. Thus their unity gives beauty as well as strength to the structure.
"Happy, indeed, the stones that God choosesto be living stones in this
spiritual temple; though they be hammered and hewed to be polished for it by
afflictions and the inward work of mortification and repentance."
2. The members are to have eachtheir proper place in the building. Thus only
can it become a compactstructure. Some have a higher, some a lower place;
some are appointed to teach, others to be taught; some to lead, others to be
led; some to counsel, some to execute;but all the stones are to keeptheir due
place, and thus grow up into a holy temple, "edifying itself in love" (Ephesians
4:16). The Lord requires stones ofall sorts and sizes, the smallestas well as
the largest, forhis temple; and it ought to reconcile us to our respective
positions, that it is the Lord's own hand which not only fits us into our place,
but keeps us there.
III. IT IS IMPERFECT BUT STILL GROWING. "It growethinto an holy
temple." It is growing by the accessionofnew stones, or by the addition of
new members, and by the addition of new graces inthe individual members.
Provisionis made for a vast increase in its size and height, but as it is fitly
framed togetherin its growing dimensions, it will lose nothing in symmetry
and strength by its continuous elevation.

IV. THE END OR DESIGN OF THE BUILDING. "Fora habitation of God."
When we build houses, it is that men may dwell in them. Thus the Church is
the temple of God. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the
Spirit of Goddwelleth in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). "I will dwell in them,
and walk in them" (2 Corinthians 6:16). Thus "we will be filled with all the
fullness of God" (Ephesians 3:19). Thus we have the true temple of the Father,
built in the Son, inhabited in the Spirit, the offices of the three blessedPersons
being distinctly pointed out: God the Fatherin all his fullness dwells in, fills
the Church; that Church is constitutedto him a holy temple in the Son; is
inhabited by him in the ever-present indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
PRACTICAL LESSONS.
1. Think of the safetyand glory of the church. Christ is its Foundation. All the
stones are knit to the Cornerstone. It is well proportioned, because the Holy
Spirit is the Architect; it is vast in its proportions, for it is spreadover the
earth; and it is inviolable, for it is devoted to the Lord.
2. Think of God dwelling in the Church. The Christian is an epitome of the
Church. He is himself a temple of the Holy Ghost.
(1) What condescensionin God to dwell in human hearts! "It is a marvel that
the habitation he has chosenfor himself is an impure cue."
(2) What a fearful thing it would be to be in collisionwith such a God!
(3) How careful we ought to be not to defile this temple! We ought to live
purer lives, to breathe a sweeterair, to open our hearts to all that is heavenly.
(4) What an awful thought, that the holy God dwells in our unholy hearts,
watching us in our secretmoments, and reading our very thoughts!
(5) Yet let us remember with gratitude and love that "the high and lofty One
who inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy," selects his dwelling-place "with
him that is of a contrite and humble spirit." - T.C.
God's temple

W. J. Chapman, M. A.
I. THE FOUNDATION LAID.
1. The foundation is Jesus Christ — the foundation of the apostles and
prophets, i.e., which they laid. It was laid in the promises, types, and
prophecies of the Old Testament, and the witness of apostles and evangelists
in the New (John 3:14; 1 Corinthians 10:4; Matthew 16:16).
2. The foundation of the Church must be the foundation of eachmember of
the Church. The essenceofa foundation lies in its strength. The foundation in
individual characteris truth. Truth is a Person — "I am the Truth." The
foundation, therefore, is the truth concerning Jesus Christ believed, loved,
and lived. The gospelthus receivedbecomes a principle which forms the
mainspring of a new life.
II. THE BUILDING RISING.
1. Look abroad upon the face of the world, and note the advances which the
Church is making in all parts. The very hindrances to missionary work prove
its success, forthe more active the servants of God are, the more active the
agents of Satanwill be.
2. The building must rise in eachheart. Growth is almostthe only proof of
life. The growth of the temple is due to the operationof the Spirit.
3. In most forms of life there is an exquisite symmetry. We see something of it
in this temple: "fitly framed together." As there is a beautiful proportion in
the doctrines of the gospel, so, thoughGod's servants are many and their gifts
various, their aim is one; and through their united wisdom and love and
effort, all the building growethinto a. holy temple in the Lord.
III. THE TEMPLE CONSECRATED.
1. We may refer the consecrationto the end of the age, because consecration
usually follows upon completion.
2. But even now there is to a certainextent a consecrationofthis building (1
Corinthians 3:16; 2 Corinthians 5:16). How shall I know this?(1) By self-

consecration. Yield yourselves unto God (Romans 6:13), not simply your
brain, pen, money, influence, but "yourselves." Godwants the man — the
whole man.(2) By God-consecration. He who gives himself to God will surely
find God giving Himself to him, consecrating His temple by His presence, and
indicating that presence by holy aspirations and a Christ-like disposition, by
meekness andgentleness, by self-denialand zeal. He who is spirit taught and
spirit wrought will be such a temple as the greatGod of heaven will not
despise.
(W. J. Chapman, M. A.)
The Church, a building
H. Foster, M. A.
Like a building, the Church of God has been going on to the presentday, and
will do to the end of time. The honour and. stability of this building.
1. As built upon Christ.
2. As wrought by the Spirit.
3. As an habitation of God. "Why leap ye, ye high hills? this is the hill which
God desireth to dwell in," etc. (Psalm68:16). "In Salem also is His tabernacle,
and His dwelling place in Zion (Psalm 76:2). This denotes —
(1)His knowledge ofthem.
(2)His concernfor them.
(3)Their accessto Him.
(4)His readiness to help them.God is in the midst of her; she shall not be
moved, etc. (Psalm 46:5). Eachmember in Christ has his state and office in
the Church by God's appointment, for promoting the goodand glory of the
whole. "And He gave some, apostles;and some, prophets," etc. (Ephesians
4:11, etc.). "But now hath Godset the members every one of them in the

body," etc. (1 Corinthians 12:18). No spiritual life and salvationwithout being
united to Christ by faith.
(H. Foster, M. A.)
The Church
I. THE UNBELIEVING STATE OF THE GENTILE CHURCH. "Strangers."
1. Strangers to God. To Father, Son, and Holy Ghost(Ephesians 2:12).
2. Strangers to the Word of God(Psalm 119:158).
3. Strangers to the Church of God (1 John 3:1).
4. Strangers to themselves (Revelation3:17).
5. Strangers to the enjoyments, fears, duties, privileges, persecutions, and
prospects of a Christian (1 Corinthians 2:11).Foreigners.
1. Naturally of another race (Psalm 51:5).
2. Under the authority of another prince (2 Corinthians 4:4).
3. Of a totally different complexion (Jeremiah13:23).
4. Speaking anotherlanguage (Psalm58:3).
5. Seeking otherinterests than God (Philippians 2:21).
6. At an infinite distance from the celestialkingdom, where only true
happiness rests (Ephesians 2:13).
II. THEIR ADOPTED OR PRIVILEGED CONDITION. "Fellow citizens,"
etc. The city they belong to is either the Church below, or the Church above.
1. It is the city of God (Hebrews 12:22).
2. Of God's building (Psalm127:1).
3. Where He dwells (Psalm 68:16).

4. Which is strongly fortified (Isaiah 26:1).
5. It is delightfully situated by the river of God's love (Psalm 46:4).
6. Endowedwith various privileges (1 Corinthians 3:21-23).
7. Peopledwith high-born inhabitants (John 1:13).The Church of Godabove.
1. This is a city of God's preparing (John 14:2, 3).
2. There He has His more especialresidence (1 Corinthians 13:12).
3. The inhabitants are angels and saints (Hebrews 12:22, 23).
4. Of this city we are also citizens (Galatians 4:26).
5. Setapart by the Father's grace (Jude).
6. By the work of Christ in their behalf (Hebrews 10:14).
7. And by the agencyofthe Holy Ghost(Romans 5:5).
8. And having a right to a name and a place in the Church on earth; so have
they their citizenship in heaven (Job 16:19).
9. This they have not by birth, nor purchase, but by the free grace of God,
which gives them both a right and meetness (2 Timothy 1:9).
10. And believing Gentiles are here made equal with the Jews in the blessings
of salvation(Ephesians 2:14).And of the household of God.
1. The Church of God consisting ofbelievers (Acts 5:14).
2. This family is named after, and by Christ (Ephesians 3:14, 15).
3. Of this family God is the Father (John 20:17).
4. Christ is the first-born (Romans 8:29).
5. Ministers are stewards ofthis house (1 Corinthians 4:1).
6. To this family all believers belong (Acts 4:32).
7. Notby birth, nor merit, but by adopting grace (Ephesians 1:5).

8. The members of this family are freed from all bondage (Romans 8:15).
9. They cannever be arrestedor condemned (Romans 8:1).
10. They have liberty of access to God (Ephesians 2:18).
11. Share in the fulness of Christ's grace (Ephesians 3:19).
12. Are well takencare of (Psalm 145:20).
13. They are richly clothed (Isaiah 61:10).
14. They have plenty of provisions (Psalm36:8).
15. And are heirs of a never-fading inheritance (1 Peter1:4, 5).
III. THE FOUNDATION AND CORNERSTONE ARE CHRIST. "And are
built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets."
1. The Father savedthem designedly in Christ (2 Timothy 1:9).
2. The Son saved them positively in Himself (Hebrews 10:14).
3. The Spirit saves them apprehensively in Christ (Titus 3:5).
4. Christ, then, is the foundation of the Church (Matthew 16:18).
5. He is the foundation of all covenant blessings (Ephesians 1:3).
6. Of faith (Acts 20:21).
7. Of hope (Colossians1:27).
8. Of peace (Ephesians 2:14).
9. Of joy (Romans 5:11).
10. Of comfort (2 Thessalonians 2:17).
11. Of glory (Jude 1:25).
12. The stones ofthis building are hewn out by the Word, and the ministers of
the gospel(2 Corinthians 4:7).Jesus Christ Himself being the chief
cornerstone.

1. He joins togetherOld and New Testamentsaints (Ephesians 2:14).
2. Saints above and saints below (Hebrews 12:23).
3. Saints in all parts of the world (John 11:52).
4. This stone is refused by many (Psalm 118:22).
5. Yet a durable and precious stone (Isaiah 28:16).
6. It is a foundation cornerstone, reaching under the whole building to the
four corners (1 Corinthians 3:11).
IV. THE PERFECTION OF THE BUILDING. "In whom all the building fitly
framed together."
1. All the building — The universal Church of Christ (Acts 4:12).
2. Fitly framed — Is of a spiritual nature (Colossians2:19).
3. It consists ofvarious parts as a building does (Romans 12:4, 5).
4. Fitly or closelyjoined to Christ by living faith (Galatians 2:20).
5. Banded to eachother by Christian love (1 John 4:7).
6. These are all setin the Church in exact symmetry and proportion (1
Corinthians 12:12-31).Growethinto a holy temple in the Lord.
1. It grows by the accessionof electsouls, newly calledby Divine grace (Acts
2:47).
2. It is not yet openly and visibly completed, but it will be in the calling of the
Jews and the fulness of the Gentiles (
The true foundation
T. L. Cuyler, D. D.
When the immense stone piers of the EastRiver bridge were begun, three or
four years ago, the builders did not attempt to manufacture a foundation.
They simply dug down through the mud and sand, and found the solid

bedrock which the Almighty Creatorhad laid there thousands of years ago. It
is a wretchedmistake to suppose that you need to construct a foundation.
"Other foundation canno man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ."
Your own merits, however, cementedby goodresolutions, will no more
answerfor a solid base than would a cart-loadof bricks as the substratum of
yonder stupendous bridge. God has provided for you a cornerstone already.
(T. L. Cuyler, D. D.)
Jesus our Rock
J. H. M. D'Aubigne, D. D.
For a whole week, riot only bishop but all the priests and friars of the city
(Exeter) visited Bennetnight and day. But they tried in vain to prove to him
that the Roman Church was the true one. "Godhas given me grace to be of a
better Church," he said. "Do you know that ours is built upon St. Peter?"
"The Church that is built upon a man," he replied, "is the devil's Church, and
not God's."...At the place of execution he exhorted with such unction, that the
sheriff's clerk exclaimed, "Truly this is a servant of God!" Two persons, going
up to the martyr, exclaimedin a threatening voice, "Say, 'Precorsanctam
Mariam et omnes sanctos Dei.'" "Iknow no other advocate but Jesus Christ,"
replied Bennet.
(J. H. M. D'Aubigne, D. D.)
A new and physical metaphor
A. Barry, D. D.
In these verses there is a sudden change from a political to a physical
metaphor, possibly suggestedby the word "household." The metaphor itself,
of the Church as "a building of God" — frequently used in the New
Testamentreaches its full perfectionin this passage.

1. It starts, of course, from the words of our Lord (Matthew 16:18), "On this
rock I will build My Church"; but in the use of it sometimes the prominent
idea is of the growth by addition of individual stones, sometimes ofthe
complex unity of the building as a whole.
2. The former idea naturally occurs first, connecting itself, indeed, with the
still more personalapplication of the metaphor to the "edification" of the
individual to be a temple of God (found, for example, in 1 Thessalonians 5:11;
1 Corinthians 8:1; 1 Corinthians 10:23; 1 Corinthians 14:4; 2 Corinthians 5:1;
2 Corinthians 10:8). Thus in 1 Corinthians 3:9, from "ye are God's building,"
St. Paul passes atonce to the building of individual characteron the one
foundation; in 1 Corinthians 14:4, 5, 12, 26, the edification of the Church has
reference to the effectof prophecy on individual souls;in 1 Peter2:5, the
emphasis is still on the building up of "living stones" upon "a living stone"
(Comp. Acts 20:32).
3. In this Epistle the other idea — the idea of unity — is always prominent,
though not exclusive of the other (as here and in Ephesians 4:12-16). But that
this conceptionof unity is less absolute than that conveyedby the metaphor of
the body will be seenby noting that it differs from it in three respects first,
that it carries with it the notion of a more distinct individuality in eachstone;
next, that it conveys (as in the "grafting in" of Romans 11:17)the idea of
continual growth by accretionofindividual souls drawn to Christ; lastly, that
it depicts the Church as having more completely a distinct, though not a
separate, existencefrom Him who dwells in it. (On this last point compare the
metaphor of the spouse of Christ in Ephesians 5:25-33.)Hence it is naturally
workedout with greatercompleteness in an Epistle which has so especiallyfor
its object the evolution of the doctrine of "the one Holy Catholic Church."
(A. Barry, D. D.)
Living temples
E. Blencowe,M. A.

My brethren, it becomes ofthe utmost importance to inquire, Have we a place
in this spiritual building? Are we daily striving, as St. Jude exhorts us, to
"pray in the Holy Ghost," and to "build up ourselves onour most holy faith"?
I. That we may know what our state is, what our hope towards God, let us,
first, ask ourselves, Am I resting on the sure foundation? St. Paul tells us what
it is: "Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus
Christ."
II. Again: let us ask ourselves, Do we bear always in mind that we are called
to be "a holy temple in the Lord," "an habitation of God through the Spirit"?
1. A temple gives us the idea of dedication. Do we look upon ourselves as those
who are set apart unto holiness, and ought not to be conformed unto this
world, but to be transformed by the renewing of our mind, that we may prove
what is that goodand acceptable andperfect will of God?
2. A temple also gives us the idea of God's immediate presence (1 Corinthians
3:16; 1 Corinthians 6:19). This is a thought full of awe, and full of comfort.
God is present in the hearts of them that believe, not as He appearedof old in
the Temple at Jerusalem, shining above the mercy seatin a cloud of glory
such as man's eye could see (John14:23). And how should we regard our
mortal body, if we believed it to be the temple of the Spirit of God?
3. A temple gives us the idea of continual service.
4. That the work of grace oughtto be advancing in us. Forwhat says St. Paul?
"Growing unto an holy temple in the Lord."
(E. Blencowe,M. A.)
The Christian temple
J. A. James.
Temples have always excitedfeelings of the deepestinterest in the human
race. They generallycontain within themselves, and in the materials with
which they are constructed, much that is beautiful and grand. They form a

kind of middle step betweenearth and heaven, where faith and sense meet
and unite to indulge in contemplations suited to their varied powers and
capacities.The Greeks andthe Romans were perhaps the most superstitious
people in the world, they coveredtheir land with the most bewitching forms of
their idolatry; their temples were of the most costlyand splendid description.
Among all the temples of antiquity, none were equal to the temple at Ephesus
dedicatedto Diana. It was the boastof ancientGreece, and one of the wonders
of the world. Upwards of two hundred years elapsedduring its construction,
many sovereigns assistedin its progress with no small portion of their
revenues. And it was consideredpeculiarly sacredin consequenceofthe figure
of Diana which it possessed;and which popular report ascribed to Jupiter as
his donation. To check the enthusiasm, and in some degree to extinguish the
admiration which, notwithstanding the powerof Christianity, still lingered in
the minds of some members of the Ephesian Church, it is supposedthat the
apostle used the words of our text in his Epistle to that Church. He there
places in contrastto the temple of Diana another fabric in every respect
infinitely superior — the Church of God: while the former temple was built
upon woodenpiles driven into the earth, the latter rests upon the writings of
the apostles andprophets; while the materials of the former were all earthly,
the materials of the latter are, by the grace of Godin the regenerationof the
human mind, spiritual and Divine; while the former was devotedto the rites
of idolatry and superstition, the latter is sacredto the service of the true and
living God; while the former could only boastof the image of its goddess, the
latter has the presence, the indwelling presence ofits own Maker — the
Creatorof the world. Other persons, however, imagine that the allusion here
made is not to the temple of Diana, but to that more sacredfabric erectedby
Solomonupon Mount Zion. This was heavenly in its design, gorgeous in its
material; it was the residence ofJehovah, and the type of the Christian
Church. The Church, then, in this passage is setforth under the figure of a
temple; we shall consider —
I. ITS FOUNDATION. Prophets and apostles are here associated, Their
theme was the same. The prophets predicted the Messiahwho was to come,
and the apostle recordedthe history of the Messiahwho had come;the one
foretold the redemption to be accomplished, the other wrote of redemption

finished and complete. And thus togetherthey form a magnificent
communication made from the invisible to the visible world; they resemble
togetherthe cherubim upon the ark of the covenant, turning their faces
towards eachother, and both togethertowards the mercy seat.
II. THE SUPERSTRUCTUREOF THIS TEMPLE. It often happens in the
history of human affairs and transactions that men lay the foundation without
being able to raise the superstructure; not so, however, with God. The
building will rise and it will be equal to the basis.
1. We shall considerthe nature of the material of which the superstructure is
to be composed. The Apostle Peter has a very beautiful description of it in the
secondchapterof his first Epistle, at the fourth and fifth verses, "To whom
coming as unto a living stone, disallowedindeed of men, but chosenof God
and precious." "Living stone." The superstructure resembling the foundation,
the foundation equal to the superstructure.
2. We will notice the symmetry of the building: "fitly framed together";not a
heap of misshapen ruins huddled togetherinto a mass of inextricable
confusion; not a clumsy fabric raised by joiners and masons without skill;
everything is arrayed in beautiful order, all the parts dove-tailed into each
other, everything is fitly framed in its proper place, and rightly connected.
III. I come now, in the third place, TO THE DESIGN OF THE BUILDING. It
was to be "an habitation of God through the Spirit." Now let us considerthe
presence ofGod in the Church — in this building. It is an invisible presence,
there is no sound of thunder like that which indicated His dwelling upon
Sinai; no cloud of glory like that which indicated His presence with Israel is
here; He is spiritual. He is a Spirit and must have a spiritual house. But it is a
real presence, andhere is the real presence in the Church.
(J. A. James.)
Truth -- a strong foundation
J. Vaughan, M. A.

You will observe that the historicalorder — which is the order of time — is
inverted, and the "apostles"are placedbefore the "prophets." And for this
reason:because, in the sentence, we are descending the "foundation." The
"apostles"are laid on the "prophets," and the "prophets" are laid on
"Christ." This is the waythat our faith touches God. The Bible rests on God
— we rest on the Bible: so we reachGod. It will not be out of place if I take
occasionto say here to you what I often say to those whom I have under
instruction — what are the four greatproofs of inspiration?
1. The presumptive proof, of which I have been speaking — that we should
expectthat, when God has made such a creature as man, He would give to
that creature some revelation of Himself.
2. The internal evidence. The authorship of the books ofthe Bible spreads
over a period of nearly sixteen hundred years. There is one pervading current
of thought. How could that agreementbe, unless it had been dictated by some
one Master-mind? And what could that Master-mind be, but God?
3. The external evidence. This book — from beginning to end — is full of
prophecy. Could any human mind, unassisted, have done that? Could any but
God do that? Then God wrote the Bible.
4. The experimental evidence. The book exactlyfits the heart. I feel it when I
read it; whoevermade my heart made that book. The two must have one
origin, and that origin must have been God. Thus, then, I arrive at the firm
conviction that "the apostles and prophets" are a "sure foundation" on which
to build our creedand our salvation, being themselves built on "the chief
cornerstone."We get, then, at the "foundation" of "truth," "truth" in its two-
fold strength — "prophetic truth," "apostolic truth"; "prophetic truth"
representing the Old Testament, — "apostolic truth" representing the blew
Testament— and both on Christ. What is "prophetic truth"? Takenin its
broad outline, it is this: the affairs, the destinies of this world all under the one
watchful eye, and the one superintending hand, of Almighty God. To Him, all
time is one unbroken now. And "apostolic truth" is this. This world has been
the scene ofa greatmission. Christ, the Son of God, has been here, and He

hath been careful to extend and perpetuate the knowledge ofHis mission, and
all its benefits by missionaries, whomHe hath sent to all the world.
(J. Vaughan, M. A.)
Thy spiritual building
Paul Bayne.
1. Faith makes us lean on Christ, as a building on a foundation. Our faith
must not be a swimming conceit, but an assurance, making us stay on our
God.
2. The Church is built on Christ. The firmness of the house is according to the
sureness ofthe foundation. How impregnable, then, is the Church! (Matthew
16:19;Psalm 125:1).
(1)The standing of Christians is sure.
(2)How insecure is the condition of wickedmen.
3. The gospelbuilds us on no other foundation than that which was laid by the
prophets from the beginning. The first preaching differs from the last not in
substance but degree;we believe through our Lord Jesus Christ to be saved,
even as they. There never was but one wayof salvation. The sun rising, and at
noon, differ not in substance. Christ is the kernel of both Testaments;blossom
and ripe fruit.
4. Whateveris to be believed, must have prophetic and apostolic authority.
(1)Be not deluded with traditions.
(2)Stand not too much on the authority of men.
(3)Praise Godfor the fulness of Scripture.
5. We must rely on Christ for a sure foundation to uphold us. As one would
cling by a rock, so must we by Christ. Peter and others are builders: Christ
alone is the foundation. Let there be no mistake as to this.

(Paul Bayne.)
The foundation of the apostles and prophets
A. Barry, D. D.
In spite of much ancient and valuable authority, it seems impossible to take
"the prophets" of this verse to be the prophets of the Old Testament. The
order of the two words and the comparisonof Ephesians 3:5 and Ephesians
4:11 appear to be decisive — to saynothing of the emphasis on the present, in
contrastwith the past, which runs through the whole chapter. But it is more
difficult to determine in what sense "the foundation of the apostles and
prophets" is used. Of the three possible senses, that(1)which makes it
equivalent to "the foundation on which apostles and prophets are built," viz.,
Jesus Christ Himself, may be dismissedas taking awayany specialforce from
the passage,and as unsuitable to the next clause. The second(2), "the
foundation laid by apostles and prophets" — still, of course, Jesus Christ
Himself — is rather forced, and equally fails to accordwith the next clause, in
which our Lord is not the foundation, but the cornerstone. The most natural
interpretation(3), followedby most ancientauthorities, which makes the
apostles and prophets to be themselves "the foundation," has been put aside
by modern commentators in the true feeling that ultimately there is but "one
foundation" (1 Corinthians 3:11), and in a consequentreluctance to apply
that name to any but Him. But it is clearthat in this passageSt. Paul
deliberately varies the metaphor in relation to our Lord, making Him not the
foundation, or both foundation and cornerstone, but simply the cornerstone,
"binding together," according to s instructive remark, "both the walls and the
foundations." Hence the word "foundation" seems to be applied in a true,
although secondarysense, to the apostles and prophets; just as in the
celebratedpassage(Matthew 16:18)our Lord must be held at any rate to
connectSt. Peterwith the foundation on which the Church is built; and as in
Revelation21:14, "the foundations" bear "the names of the twelve apostles of
the Lamb." It is true that in this last passagewe have the plural instead of the
singular, and that the passageitself, is not, as this is, a dogmatic passage. But

these considerations are insufficient to destroythe analogy. The genius,
therefore, of this passageitself, supported by the other cognate passages,leads
us to what may be granted to be an unexpected but a perfectly intelligible
expression. The apostles and prophets are the foundation; yet, of course, only
as setting forth in word and grace Him, who is the cornerstone.
(A. Barry, D. D.)
Christ the cornerstone
A. Barry, D. D.
The metaphor is drawn, of course, from Psalm 118:22 (applied by our Lord to
Himself in Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17;and by St. Peter to Him
in Acts 4:11), or from Isaiah 28:16 (quoted with the other passagein 1 Peter
2:6, 7); in which last it may be noted that both the metaphors are united, and
"the tried cornerstone" is also "the sure foundation." In itself it does not
convey so obvious an idea of uniqueness and importance as that suggestedby
the "keystone" ofan arch, or the "apexstone" of a pyramid; but it appears to
mean a massive cornerstone, in which the two lines of the wallat their
foundation meet, by which they were bonded together, and on the perfect
squareness ofwhich the true direction of the whole walls depended, since the
slightestimperfection in the cornerstone would be indefinitely multiplied
along the course of the walls. The doctrine which, if takenalone, it would
convey, is simply the acceptance ofour Lord's perfect teaching and life, as the
one determining influence both of the teaching and institutions, which are the
basis of the Church, and of the superstructure in the actuallife of the
members of the Church itself. By such acceptanceboth assume symmetry and
"stand four-square to all the winds that blow." (See Revelation21:16.)That
this is not the whole truth seems to be implied by the variation from the
metaphor in the next verse.
(A. Barry, D. D.)

Jesus Christ Himself
C. H. Spurgeon.
I. With Jesus ChristHimself we begin by saying, first, that Jesus Himself is
THE ESSENCEOF HIS OWN WORK, and, therefore, how readily we ought
to trust Him. Jesus Himself is the soul of His own salvation. How does the
apostle describe it? "He loved me, and gave Himself for me." Becauseofthis,
the Lord Jesus ChristHimself is the objectof our faith. "Look unto Me,"
"Come unto Me." How very simple, easy, natural, ought faith to be
henceforth!
II. "Jesus ChristHimself" is THE SUBSTANCE OF THE GOSPEL, and
therefore how closelyshould we study Him. While He was hero He taught His
disciples, and the object of His teaching was that they might know Himself,
and through Him might know the Father. Whatever else they may be ignorant
of, it is essentialto disciples that they know their Lord. His nature, character,
mind, spirit, object, power, we must know — in a word, we must know Jesus
Himself.
1. This, beloved, is the work of the Holy Spirit. "He shall glorify Me: for He
shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you." The Holy Ghost reveals
Christ to us and in us.
2. BecauseJesusis the sum of the gospel, He must be our constanttheme. Put
out the sun, and light is gone, life is gone, all is gone. The more of Christ in
our testimony, the more of light and life and powerto save.
III. JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF IS THE OBJECT OF OUR LOVE, and how
dear He should be. The love of a truth is all very well, but the love of a person
has far more power in it. We have heard of men dying for an idea, but it is
infinitely more easyto awakenenthusiasmfor a person. When an idea
becomes embodied in a man, it has a force which, in its abstractform, it never
wielded. Jesus Christis loved by us as the embodiment of everything that is
lovely, and true, and pure, and of goodreport. He Himself is incarnate
perfection, inspired by love. We love His offices, we love the types which

describe Him, we love the ordinances by which He is setforth, but we love
Himself best of all.
1. Becausewe love Him, we love His people, and through Him we enter into
union with them. We are at one with every man who is at one with Christ. So
warm is the fire of our love to Jesus that all His friends may sit at it, and
welcome. Our circle of affectioncomprehends all who in any shape or way
have truly to do with Jesus Himself.
2. Becausewe love Himself we delight to render service to Him. Whatever
service we do for His Church, and for His truth, we do for His sake;even if we
can only render it to the leastof His brethren we do it unto Him.
IV. JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF IS THE SOURCE OF ALL OUR JOY. How
ought we to rejoice, whenwe have such a springing well of blessedness.What
a joy to think that Jesus is risen — risen to die no more: the joy of
resurrectionis superlative.
V. JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF IS THE MODELOF OUR LIFE, and
therefore how blessedit is to be like Him. As to our rule for life, we are like
the disciples on the Mount of Transfiguration when Moses andElias had
vanished, for we see "no man save Jesus only." Every virtue found in other
men we find in Him in greaterperfection;we admire the grace ofGod in
them, but Jesus Himself is our pattern. It was once said of Henry VIII, by a
severe critic, that if the characteristicsofall the tyrants that had ever lived
had been forgotten, they might all have been seento the life in that one king:
we may more truly sayof Jesus, if all graces,and virtues, and sweetnesses
which have ever been seenin good men could all be forgotten, you might find
them all in Him: for in Him dwells all that is goodand great. We, therefore,
desire to copy His characterand put our feetinto His footprints.
VI. Lastly, HE IS THE LORD OF OUR SOUL. How sweetit will be to be
with Him. We find today that His beloved company makes everything move
pleasantly, whether we run in the way of His commands, or traverse the valley
of the shadow of death. A poor girl, lying in the hospital, was told by the
doctor or the nurse that she could only live another hour. She waited
patiently, and when there remained only one quarter of an hour more, she

exclaimed: "One more quarter of an hour, and then." She could not saywhat,
and neither can I; only Jesus Himself hath said, "Father, I will that they also,
whom Thou hast given Me, be with Me where I am, that they may behold My
glory." And as He has prayed, so it shall be, and so let it be. Amen and Amen.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Jesus Christ Himself the proof of the gospel
C. H. Spurgeon.
The religion of our Lord Jesus Christcontains in it nothing so wonderful as
Himself. It is a mass of marvels, but He is the miracle of it; the wonderof
wonders is "The Wonderful" Himself. If proof be askedofthe truth which He
proclaimed, we point men to Jesus Christ Himself. His characteris unique.
We defy unbelievers to imagine another like Him. He is Godand yet man, and
we challenge them to compose a narrative in which the two apparently
incongruous characters shallbe so harmoniously blended — in which the
human and Divine shall be so marvellously apparent, without the one
overshading the other. They question the authenticity of the four Gospels;will
they try and write a fifth? Will they even attempt to add a few incidents to the
life which shall be worthy of the sacredbiography, and congruous with those
facts which are already described? If it be all a forgery, will they be so goodas
to show us how it is done? Will they find a novelist who will write another
biography of a man of any century they choose, ofany nationality, or of any
degree of experience, orany rank or station, and let us see if they candescribe
in that imaginary life a devotion, a self-sacrifice,a truthfulness, a
completeness ofcharacteratall comparable to that of Jesus Christ Himself?
Can they invent another perfect characterevenif the Divine element be left
out? They must of necessityfail, for there is none like unto Jesus Himself.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Jesus Christ Himself the marrow and essenceofthe gospel

C. H. Spurgeon.
When the Apostle Paul meant that the gospelwas preachedhe said, "Christ is
preached," for the gospelis Christ Himself. If you want to know what Jesus
taught, know Himself. He is the incarnation of that truth which by Him and in
Him is revealedto the sons of men. Did He not Himself say, "I am the Way,
the Truth, and the Life"? You have not to take down innumerable tomes, nor
to pore over mysterious sentences ofdouble meaning in order to know what
our greatTeacherhas revealed, you have but to turn and gaze upon His
countenance, behold His actions, and note His spirit, and you know His
teaching. He lived what He taught. If we wish to know Him, we may hear His
gentle voice saying, "Come and see." Study His wounds, and you understand
His innermost philosophy.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Home symbols
Sunday Teacher's Treasury.
Did you ever think how every part of your house can remind you of the great
truths which Jesus Christ taught about Himself? The cornerstone says,
"Christ is the cornerstone";the door, "I am the door";the burning candle, "I
am the Light of the world"; the corridor, "I am the Way." Look out of the
window, and the sight of the starry sky bids you turn your eyes to "the bright
and morning Star." The rising sun speaks to you of the "rising of the Sun of
Righteousnesswith healing on His wings." The loafon your table whispers of
"the Breadof Life," and the waterthat quenches your thirst, "I am the Living
Water," "I am the Waterof Life." When you lie down you think of Him that
"had not where to lay His head," and when you get up, you rejoice that He is
"the Resurrectionand the Life."
(Sunday Teacher's Treasury.)
Growth in holiness

D. L. Moody.
When I was at Mr. Spurgeon's house he showedme the photographs of his
two sons, who were twins, and whose photographs had been taken every year
since they were twelve months old until they were seventeenyears old. Forthe
first two years they did not seemto have grown much, but when we compared
the first with those of the age of seventeenthey seemedto have grown
amazingly. So it is with the children of God — they grow in grace.
(D. L. Moody.)
Growth and permanence
T. Carlyle.
"What is the use of thee, thou gnarled sapling?" saida young larch tree to a
young oak. "I grow three feet in a year, thou scarcelyas many inches; I am
straight and taper as a reed, thou straggling and twisted as a loosenedwithe."
"And thy duration," answeredthe oak, "is some third part of man's life, and I
am appointed to flourish for a thousand years. Thou art felled and sawedinto
palings, where thou rottestand art burnt after a single summer; of me are
fashionedbattle-ships, and I carry mariners and heroes into unknown seas."
The richer a nature, the harder and slowerits development.
(T. Carlyle.)
Necessityof holiness
B
There is no heaven for us, without fitness for heaven. As the official at the
Bank of England saidto me about some sovereigns Iwished to change into
notes, "If we take them in here they must be tested."
(B)

The spiritual temple
A. F. Barfield.
I. THE FOUNDATION.
1. Prophets — the Old Testament. Apostles — the New Testament. Jesus
Christ — the Divine Being in whom both dispensations are united.
2. This foundation is stable, sure.
3. It gives dignity to the building.
4. It is the only foundation.
II. THE SUPERSTRUCTURE.
1. It will be a united building.
2. It is a progressive building.
3. It is a sanctifiedbuilding.
III. THE MATERIALS.
1. Believers in every age and clime.
2. Notice the stones in their natural state.
3. They are derived from different sources.
4. They are in different stages ofpreparation.
5. They must all be fashionedafter the manner of the chief cornerstone.
6. Here is a text by which you may eachknow whether or not you are in the
building.
7. These stones are bought with a price.
(A. F. Barfield.)

Christ a builder
A. Maclaren, D. D.
Christ builds on through all the ages. Forthe present, there has to be much
destructive as well as constructive work done. Many a wretchedhovel, the
abode of sorrow and want, many a den of infamy, many a palace ofpride,
many a temple of idols, will have to be pulled down yet, and men's eyes will be
blinded by the dust, and their hearts will ache as they look at the ruins. Be it
so. The finished structure will obliterate the remembrance of poor buildings
that cumbered its site. This Emperor of ours may indeed say, that He found
the city of brick and made it marble.
(A. Maclaren, D. D.)
The temple of the faithful
Paul Bayne.
1. There is a specialwisdom required in those who are to dispense the doctrine
of faith; they must proceedby line and order. We do not entrust a piece of
work of any importance but to those who are masters of their craft. Much
more does the spiritual building require workmenwho labour as they need
not be ashamed(2 Timothy 2:15). And this teaches people how they should
submit themselves to be framed and squared according as the ministry
requires. Before a rough stone can be conveniently laid, it must be hewed by
the mason, polished, and planed, and so brought to the restof the building. So
it is with you: you must be smoothed and planed before you can come to lie in
this building. If ye be God's building, ye must be squared to His model.
2. The faithful have a close union with Christ and one another. As in a house
the building, all of it, "must be fitted to the foundation, and every part of it
suit one with another, so in this building, which we are, there must be a
straight coupling with the foundation, and correspondenceone with another.
In the material temple (the type of the spiritual) the walls or rows of stone that
were in it were so squared that one piece did not bulge out above the other,

but being laid togethera man would have thought them one entire stone. So
all the other things were so contrived, that window answeredto window, door
to door, chamber to chamber; there was a pleasantproportionableness in
everything. In like manner must the multitude of believers be all laid on one
foundation, and all of them so even that they seemas one living stone, and
every one answering most commodiouslyto another. And thus it is with the
faithful in their union with Christ and with one another. Love makes the
saints eachseek the goodof the other, and be serviceable eachto other.
3. True believers grow up from day to day. Even as it is in greatbuildings,
which are not at once begun and perfected, So do the stones of the spiritual
temple go on growing till they come to perfection. Where we cease to grow,
there we decline;he that wins not, loses. Leave offendeavour to be better, and
you will sooncease to be good.
4. Believers are a temple for God's habitation.
(1)A greatdignity.
(2)Defile not the temple of God. To do so is sacrilege.
(3)Avoid all profanation of it.
5. Believers must be sanctified throughout.
6. Believers grow by the powerof Christ. The Church still goes forward, in
spite of heresies, persecutions, allscandals of life, all the gates ofhell, because
God is its builder.
(1)Let us look to Him for spiritual edification.
(2)It should comfortus to know that in due time we shall be finished.God will
make up all the breaches and ruins of our sinful nature, and build us up a
glorious temple for Himself, wherein He will dwell forever.
(Paul Bayne.)
The building

A. P. Perceval, B.C. L.
1. Observe the term "groweth," intimating that the Church is ever enlarging
her borders and adding to her members, either by the admission of the
children of her members to the waters of baptism, or by the conversionof the
heathen, and leading them to the same. And so it will continue, growing and
increasing, until the consummation of all things: and God shall have
accomplishedthe number of His elect.
2. Observe the expression, "fitly framed together," showing the order and
subordination of the different members. Nota confused mass of building
materials, without shape and order; but set in their severalstations, by the
greatMasterof the universe.
3. Observe how the whole glory of this is ascribednot to man, but to our Lord
Jesus Christ. In Him the building is framed; in Him it growethand
increaseth;the power to do so coming from Him.
(A. P. Perceval, B.C. L.)
The growth of the new kingdom
John Pulsford.
The growth of the body, on Christ's part, is spontaneous, and on man's,
consentaneous. "Inwhom all the building fitly framed together, growethunto
a holy temple in the Lord." It grows from Christ, but it grows in unity with
our consenting affections. Christnever violates human freedom, but works in
it, with it, and by it. "What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? Ask, and ye
shall receive." "According to your faith be it unto you." He would open and
develop in us much more of His purity and truth, goodnessand beauty; but
He waits for our desire, and by processes ofwondrous wisdom and gentleness
He seeks to begetin us that desire. If the spirit of the flesh in us be ardent, or
the spiritual affections be lukewarm, the growth of the new nature will be
retarded, or suspended. If it be necessaryto receive Christ, in order to
salvation, it is equally necessaryto walk in Him, in a spirit of watchfulness

and prayer, in order to growth. Inasmuch as "all the building is growing in
the Lord," and according to His order, it will, in the end, not only be a
glorious temple of humanity, but marvellously adapted for the indwelling and
manifestation of God. "I will dwell in them, and I will be their God, and they
shall be My people." I will fill them, and they shall represent My fulness. "The
whole building," the redeemed of every generation, growing more and more
into unity with eachother, and with Christ, and through Him with all the
hidden powers of the Godhead, is a work which is every way worthy of all
Almighty Father. To what glory, to what beauty, will the kingdom grow? to
what wisdom will its members attain? what will be their powers? whattheir
fellowship? what their individual freedom of action? what their service and
end, as one empire in the Son, and in the Father? At present there is much in
human souls, much in the constitution of nature, and very much in the strife
of the greatspirit world, to hinder the full development of God's purpose in
Christ. But all hindrances have their appointed limit. In due time, they will all
be overmasteredor removed; and God and the redeemedrace will come into
perfect relationship.
(John Pulsford.)
The growth of the structure
J. Eadie, D. D.
The structure is in process ofgrowth. It is not finished — the copestonehas
not been put upon it. The scaffolding occasionallydisfigures it; yet even in its
immature state, and with so much that is undeveloped, one may admire its
beauty of outline, and its gracefulform and proportions. Vast augmentations
may be certainly anticipated; but its increase does notmutilate its
adaptations, for it grows as "being fitly framed together." A structure not
firm and compactis in the greaterdangerof falling the higher it is carried;
and "if it topple on our heads, what matter is it whether we are crushed by a
Corinthian or a Doric ruin?" But this fabric, with walls of more than
Cyclopeanor Pelasgianstrengthand vastness, securesits own continuous and

illimitable elevation. Provisionis thus made for its increase, and without
breach or delapidation it rises in height.
(J. Eadie, D. D.)
Christian unity
Anonymous.
All the redeemed are one body — many members, but still one great
incorporation. "Ye are builded togetherfor an habitation of God, through the
Spirit." The materials of a house form no place of abode, while they lie
scatteredand separated. In the ancient tabernacle, the glory of the Lord did
not appeartill it was compactedand set up. The Divine presence restednot
upon the stones and timber of the Temple till they were framed into the
edifice. We may hence infer, that if we would enjoy the promised blessing, we
should avoid strifes and divisions, and follow after peace, and the things
whereby one may edify the other.
(Anonymous.)
The tabernacle of the MostHigh
C. H. Spurgeon.
I. THE CHURCH IS A BUILDING. Nota heap of stones shottogether, but a
building. Of old her Architect devised her. Methinks I see Him, as I look back
into old eternity, making the first outline of His Church. "Here," saith He, in
His eternalwisdom, "shall be the cornerstone, and there shall be the
pinnacle." I see Him ordaining her length, and her breadth, appointing her
gates and her doors with matchless skill, devising every part of her, and
leaving no single portion of the structure unmapped. I see Him, that mighty
Architect, also choosing to Himself every stone of the building, ordaining its
size and its shape;settling upon His mighty plan the position eachstone shall
occupy, whether it shall glitter in front, or be hidden in the back, or buried in

the very centre of the wall. I see Him marking not merely the bare outline, but
all the fillings up; all being ordained, decreed, and settled, in the eternal
covenant, which was the Divine plan of the mighty Architect upon which the
Church is to be built. Looking on, I see the Architect choosing a cornerstone.
He looks to heaven, and there are the angels, those glittering stones — He
looks ateachone of them from Gabriel down; but, saith He, "None of you will
suffice. I must have a cornerstone that will support all the weightof the
building, for on that stone every other one must lean. O Gabriel, thou wilt not
suffice I Raphael, thou must lay by; I cannot build with thee." Yet was it
necessarythat a stone should be found, and one too that should be taken out
of the same quarry as the rest. Where was he to be discovered? Was there a
man who would suffice to be the cornerstone ofthis mighty building? Ah, no!
neither apostles, prophets, nor teachers would. Put them all together, and they
would be as a foundation of quicksand, and the house would totter to its fall.
Mark how the Divine mind solved the difficulty — "Godshall become man,
very man, and so He shall be of the same substance as the other stones of the
temple; yet shall He be God, and therefore strong enough to bear all the
weight of this mighty structure, the top whereofshall reach to heaven." I see
that foundation stone laid. Is there singing at the laying of it? No. There is
weeping there. The angels gatheredround at the laying of this first stone;and
look, ye men, and wonder, the angels weep;the harps of heaven are clothedin
sackcloth, and no song is heard. They sang togetherand shouted for joy when
the world was made; why shout they not now? Look ye here, and see the
reason. Thatstone is imbedded in blood. The first is laid; where are the rest?
Shall we go and dig into the sides of Lebanon? Shall we find these precious
stones in the marble quarries of kings? No. Whither are ye flying, ye
labourers of God? "We go to dig in the quarries of Sodom and Gomorrah, in
the depths of sinful Jerusalem, and in the midst of erring Samaria." I see
them clearawaythe rubbish. I mark them as they dig deep into the earth, and
at last they come to these stones. But how rough, how hard, how unhewn. Yes,
but these are the stones ordained of old in the decree, and these must be the
stones, and none other. There must be a change effected. These mustbe
brought in, and shapedand cut and polished, and put into their places. I see
the workmenat their labour. The greatsaw of the law cuts through the stone,
and then comes the polishing chiselof the gospel. I see the stones lying in their

places, and the Church is rising. The ministers, like wise master builders, are
there running along the wall, putting eachspiritual stone in its place; each
stone is leaning on that massive cornerstone, and every stone depending on the
blood, and finding its security and its strength in Jesus Christ, the
cornerstone, elect, andprecious. Now open wide your eyes, and see what a
glorious building this is — the Church of God. Men talk of the splendour of
their architecture — this is architecture indeed; neither after Greciannor
Gothic models, but after the model of the sanctuary which Moses saw in the
holy mountain. Do you see it? Was there ever a structure so comelyas this —
instinct with life in every part? There is no house like a heart for one to repose
in. There a man may find peace in his fellow man; but here is the house where
God delighteth to dwell — built of living hearts, all beating with holy love —
built of redeemed souls, chosenofthe Father, bought with the blood of Christ.
The top of it is in heaven. Part of them are above the clouds. Many of the
living stones are now in the pinnacle of paradise. We are here below. The
building rises, the sacredmasonry is heaving, and, as the cornerstone rises, so
all of us must rise, until at lastthe entire structure, from its foundation to its
pinnacle, shall be heaved up to heaven, and there shall it stand forever — the
new Jerusalem, the temple of the majesty of God.
1. The Divine Architect makes no mistakes. When our eyes shall have been
enlightened, and our hearts instructed, eachpart of the building will
command our admiration. The top stone is not the foundation, nor does the
foundation stand at the top. Every stone is of the right shape;the whole
material is as it should be, and the structure is adapted for the greatend, the
glory of God, the temple of the MostHigh.
2. Another thing may be noticed — her impregnable strength. This habitation
of God, this house not made with hands, but of God's building, has often been
attacked, but never taken. What multitudes of enemies have battered against
her old ramparts! but they have battered in vain.
3. And we may add, it is glorious for beauty. There was never structure like
this. One might feasthis eyes upon it from dawn to eve, and then begin again.
Jesus Himself takes delight in it. God joys over it with singing (Zephaniah
3:17).

II. But the true glory of the Church of God consists in the factthat she is not
only a building, but that she is A HABITATION. There may be great beauty
in an uninhabited structure, but there is always a melancholy thought
connectedwith it. Who loves to see desolatepalaces? Who desireththat the
land should castout her sons, and that her houses should fail of tenants? But
there is joy in a house lit up and furnished, where there is the sound of men.
Beloved, the Church of God hath this for her peculiar glory, that she is a
tenanted house, that she is a habitation of God through the Spirit. How many
Churches there are that are houses, yetnot habitations! I might picture to you
a professedChurch of God; it is built according to square and compass, but
its model has been formed in some ancientcreed, and not in the Word of God.
There are too many churches that are nothing but a mass of dull, dead
formality; there is no life of God there. A house is a place where a man solaces
and comforts himself. Our home is the place of our solace, ourcomfort, and
our rest. Now, God calls the Church His habitation — His home. Oh, how
beautiful is the picture of the Church as God's house, the place in which He
takes His solace!"Forthe Lord hath chosenZion; He hath desiredit for His
habitation. This is my rest forever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it."
2. Furthermore, a man's home is the place where he shows his inner self.
There are sweetrevelations whichGod makes in His Church, which He never
makes anywhere else.
3. A man's home is the centre of all he does. Yonder is a large farm. Well,
there are outhouses, and hay ricks, and barns, and the like; but just in the
middle of these there is the house, the centre of all husbandry. No matter how
much wheat there may be, it is to the house the produce goes. Itis for the
maintenance of the household that the husband carries on his husbandry.
Now, God's Church is God's centre. Why doth God clothe the hills with
plenty? For the feeding of His people. Why is providence revolving? Why
those wars and tempests, and then againthis stillness and calm? It is for His
Church. Notan angeldivides the ether who hath not a mission for the
Church. It may be indirectly, but nevertheless truly so. All things must
minister and work togetherfor goodfor the chosenChurch of God, which is
His house — His daily habitation.

4. We love our homes, and we must and will defend them. Ay, and now lift up
your thoughts — the Church is God's home; will He not defend it?
III. The Church is, by and by, to be GOD'S GLORIOUS TEMPLE. It doth
not yet appear what she shall be.
(C. H. Spurgeon.)
Believers God's habitation
Paul Bayne.
1. Believers have the Lord to dwell with them.
(1)Grieve not, but please this guest.
(2)See the blessednessofall the faithful.
2. By being built on Christ, we come to be a dwelling for God.
3. The Spirit of sanctificationmakes us a fit habitation for God.
(Paul Bayne.)
The spiritual building
IsaiahBirt.
I. THE MATERIALS.
1. Their nature.
2. Their diversity.
3. Their number.
4. Their circumstances.
5. Their value.

II. THE BASIS AND PLAN.
1. The foundation is Christ.
2. The chief cornerstone is Christ.
3. The whole building is constructedby Christ.
4. The excellencies ofChrist will be the beauty of the building.
III. THE INSTRUMENTSAND AGENCY by which this building is
constructedand carried on. The Holy Spirit.
1. The vastness of the work requires a universal presence.
2. The difficulty of the work demands infinite resources.
3. The time needed to carry on the work requires a perpetual agency.
IV. THE DESIGN to be accomplishedin this work. "Foran habitation of
God."
(Isaiah Birt.)
Believers are temples
F. W. Robertson, M. A.
If there be anything common to us by nature, it is the members of our
corporealframe; yet the apostle taught that these, guided by the Spirit as its
instruments, and obeying a holy will, become transfigured; so that, in his
language, the body becomes a temple of the Holy Ghost, and the meanest
faculties, the lowestappetites, the humblest organs, are ennobled by the Spirit
mind which guides them. Thus he bids the Romans yield themselves unto God
as those that are alive from the dead, and their members as instruments of
righteousness unto God.
(F. W. Robertson, M. A.)

Inhabited by the Holy Spirit
James FreemanClarke.
I am sitting, on a summer's day, in the shadow of a greatNew England elm.
Its long branches hang motionless;there is not breeze enough to move them.
All at once there comes a faint murmur; around my head the leaves are
moved by a gentle current of air; then the branches begin to sway to and fro,
the leaves are all in motion, and a soft, rushing sound fills my ear. So with
every one that is born of the Spirit. I am in a state of spiritual lethargy, and
scarcelyknow how to think any goodthought. I am heart empty, and there
comes, I know not where or whence, a sound of the Divine presence. I am
inwardly moved with new comfort and hope; the day seems to dawn in my
heart, sunshine comes around my path, and I am able to go to my duties with
patience. I am walking in the Spirit, I am helped by the help of God, and
comforted with the comfort of God. And yet this is all in accordancewith law.
There is no violation of law when the breezes come, stirring the tops of the
trees;and there is no violation of law when God moves in the depths of our
souls, and rouses us to the love and desire of holiness.
(James FreemanClarke.)
The rival builders
ClericalAnecdotes.
The story of RowlandHill preaching againstthe first Surrey Theatre is very
characteristic. The building of Surrey Chapel was going on simultaneously
with that of the theatre. In his sermon he addressedhis audience as follows: —
"You have a race to run now betweenGod and the devil; the children of the
last are making all possible haste in building him a temple, where he may
receive the donations and worship of the children of vanity and sin! Now is
your time, therefore, to bestir yourselves in the cause ofrighteousness, and
never let it be said but what God canoutrun the devil!"
(ClericalAnecdotes.).

COMMENTARIES
Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers
(22) In whom ye also are builded togetherfor an habitation of God through
the Spirit.—This verse seems primarily intended simply to emphasise the
truth already enunciated (in Ephesians 2:20), that the Ephesians themselves
are now being made part of the Church of Christ, “being built up togetherin
Christ.” But it may also illustrate to us the characterof the unity of the
Church, as, primarily, a direct individual unity with Christ—eachstone being
itself a complete and living stone—and, secondarilyand indirectly, an unity
with others and with the whole. The Ephesians are said to be, not a part of the
habitation of God, but themselves built into Christ for an habitation of God—
“Christ dwelling in their hearts by faith,” and they “therefore being filled
with all the fulness of God” (Ephesians 3:17-19). The addition of this clause,
therefore, links the teaching of this Epistle with the earlierand more
individual forms of teaching, noted on Ephesians 2:20.
This verse contains, again, the declaration(as in Ephesians 2:18) of the union
of Christians with eachPersonof THE HOLY TRINITY. The soulmade one
with THE SON becomes a temple for the indwelling of THE FATHER in the
gift of THE HOLY SPIRIT. (See John14:23.)
Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary
2:19-22 The church is compared to a city, and every convertedsinner is free of
it. It is also comparedto a house, and every convertedsinner is one of the
family; a servant, and a child in God's house. The church is also compared to
a building, founded on the doctrine of Christ; delivered by the prophets of the
Old Testament, and the apostles of the New. God dwells in all believers now;
they become the temple of God through the working of the blessed Spirit. Let
us then ask if our hopes are fixed on Christ, according to the doctrine of his

word? Have we devoted ourselves as holy temples to God through him? Are
we habitations of God by the Spirit, are we spiritually-minded, and do we
bring forth the fruits of the Spirit? Let us take heed not to grieve the holy
Comforter. Let us desire his gracious presence,and his influences upon our
hearts. Let us seek to discharge the duties allottedto us, to the glory of God.
Barnes'Notes on the Bible
In whom - In Christ, or on Christ, as the solid and precious foundation.
Ye also are builded together - You are built into that, or constitute a part of it.
You are not merely "added" to it, but you constitute a part of the building.
For an habitation of God - Forthe indwelling, or the dwelling-place, of God.
Formerly he dwelt in the temple. Now he dwells in the church, and in the
hearts of his people; see the notes at 2 Corinthians 6:16.
Remarks On Ephesians 2
1. We were by nature dead in sin; Ephesians 2:1. We had no spiritual life. We
were insensible to the calls of God, to the beauty of religion, to the claims of
the Creator. We were like corpses in the tomb in reference to the frivolous
and busy and happy world around them. There we should have remained, had
not the grace of God given us life, just as the dead will remain in their graves
forever, unless God shall raise them up. How humble should we be at the
remembrance of this fact! how grateful that God bas not left us to sleepthat
sleepof death forever!
2. Parents should feel deep solicitude for their children; Ephesians 2:3. They,
in common with all others, are "children of wrath." They have a nature prone
to evil; and that nature will develope itself in evil for ever, unless it is changed
- just as the young thornbush will be a thorn-bush, and will put forth thorns
and not roses;and the Bohon Upas will be a BohonUpas, and not an olive or
an orange;and as the lion will be a lion, and the panther a panther, and not a
lamb, a kid, or a gazelle. They will actout their nature, unless they are
changed:and they will not be changed, but by the grace ofGod. I do not mean
that their nature is in every sense like that of the lion or the asp; but I mean
that they will be as certainly "wicked," ifunrenewed, as the lion will be

ferocious, and the asp poisonous. And if so, what deep anxiety should parents
feel for the salvationof their children! How solicitous should they be that, by
the grace ofGod. the evil propensities of their nature may be eradicated, and
that they become the adopted children of God!
3. The salvation of sinners involves all the exercise ofpowerthat is put forth
in the resurrectionof the dead; Ephesians 2:5. It is not a work to be
performed by man; it is not a work of angelic might. None can impart
spiritual life to the soul but he who gave it life at first. On that greatSource of
life we are dependent for our resurrection from spiritual death; and to God
we must look for the grace by which we are to live. It is true that though we
are by nature "deadin sins," we are not in all respects like the dead. Let not
this doctrine be abused to make us secure in sin, or to prevent effort. The dead
in the grave are dead in all respects. We by nature are dead only in sin. We
are active in other things; and indeed the powers of man are not less active
than they would be if he were holy. But it is a tremendous activity for evil, and
for evil only. The dead in their graves hearnothing, see nothing, and feel
nothing.
Sinners hear, and see, and feel; but they hear not God, and they see not his
glory, anymore than if they were dead. To the dead in the grave, no command
could with propriety be addressed;on them, no entreaty could be urged to
rise to life. But the sinner may be commanded and entreated; for he has
power, though it is misdirected; and what is needful is, that he should put
forth his powerin a proper manner. While, therefore, we admit, with deep
humiliation, that we, our children, and friends, are by nature dead in sin, let
us not abuse this doctrine as though we could be required to do nothing. It is
with us willful death. It is death because we do not choose to live. It is a
voluntary closing our eyes, and stopping our ears, as if we were dead; and it is
a voluntary remaining in this state, when we have all the requisite powerto
put forth the energies of life. Let a sinner be as active in the service of Godas
he is in the service of the devil and the world, and he would be an eminent
Christian. Indeed, all that is required is, that the misdirected and abused
energy of this world should be employed in the service of the Creator. Thenall
would be well.

(See the supplementary notes, Romans 8:7; Galatians 5:17, note. Wheneverit
is said the sinner has power, the kind of powershould be defined. Certainly he
has not moral power. This, indeed, the author allows, but for want of distinct
definition of what he understands by "power," both here and elsewhere, the
reader is apt to misapprehend him.)
4. Let us remember our former course oflife; Ephesians 2:11-12. Nothing is
more profitable for a Christian than to sit down and reflect on his former life -
on his childhood, with its numerous follies and vanities; on his youth, with its
errors, and passions, andsins: and on the ingratitude and faults of riper
years. Had God left us in that state, whatwould be now our condition? Had he
cut us off, where had been our abode? Should he now treat us as we deserve,
what would be our doom? When the Christian is in danger of becoming proud
and self-confident, let him remember what he was. Let him take some period
of his life - some year, some month, or even some one day - and think it all
over, and he will find enough to humble him. These are the uses which should
be made of the past:
(1) It should make us humble. If a man had before his mind a vivid sense ofall
the pastin his own life, he would never be lifted up with pride.
(2) it should make us grateful. God cut off the companions of my childhood -
why did he spare me? He cut down many of the associatesofmy youth in their
sins - why did he preserve me? He has suffered many to live on in their sins,
and they are in the "broad road" - why am I not with them, treading the path
to death and hell?
(3) the recollectionofthe past should lead us to devote ourselves to God.
Professing Christian, "remember" how much of thy life is gone to waste.
"Remember" thy days of folly and vanity. "Remember" the injury thou hast
done by an evil example. "Remember" how many have been corrupted by thy
conversation;perverted by thy opinions; led into sin by thy example; perhaps
ruined in body and soul foreverby the errors and follies of thy past life. And
then remember how much thou dost owe to God, and how solemnly thou art
bound to endeavorto repair the evils of thy life, and to save "at leastas many
as" thou hast ruined.

5. Sinners are by nature without any well-founded hope of salvation;
Ephesians 2:12, They are living without Christ, having no belief in him, and
no hope of salvationthrough him. They are "aliens" from all the privileges of
the friends of God. They have no "hope." Theyhave no wellfounded
expectationof happiness beyond the grave. They have a dim and shadowy
expectationthat "possibly" they may be happy; but it is founded on no
evidence of the divine favor, and no promise of God. "They could not tell on
what it is founded, if they were asked;" and what is such a hope worth? These
false and delusive hopes do not sustain the soul in trial; they flee awayin
death. And what a description is this! In a world like this, to be without hope!
Subject to trial; exposedto death; and yet destitute of any well-founded
prospectof happiness beyond the tomb! They are "without God" also. They
worship no God: they confide in none.
continued...
Jamieson-Fausset-BrownBible Commentary
22. are builded together—Translate, "are being builded together."
through—Greek, "in the Spirit." God, by His Spirit in believers, has them for
His habitation (1Co 3:16, 17;6:19; 2Co 6:16).
Matthew Poole's Commentary
An habitation of God; a temple where God may dwell. Not only the whole
collectionof believers is calledthe temple of God, but particular churches and
particular saints are so called, because ofGod’s dwelling in them by his
Spirit: see 1 Corinthians 3:16,17 6:19.
Through the Spirit: this may relate either to the words immediately going
before,
an habitation of God, and then the meaning is, an habitation or temple in
which God dwells by his Spirit; or to the verb

builded, and then they import the building of them into a temple to be the
operationof the Spirit, working that faith and love in them whereby they are
united to Christ the foundation, and to the severalparts of the building.
Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible
In whom you also are builded together,....As the church universal, so every
particular church is a building that is compact together, in and upon Christ,
as the church at Ephesus was:God is the builder of it; Christ is the
foundation; true believers are the proper materials;the door, or entrance into
it, is Christ, and faith in him; the ministers of the Gospelare pillars in it; the
ordinances are its windows;its furniture is of various sorts, there are vessels
of small, and of greatquantity; and its provisions are large and entertaining.
A church is a building compacttogether;it consists ofmany parts; and these
are joined together, by agreement, and are knit and cemented in love; and
being thus joined together, they are designedfor socialworship, and their
greatconcernshould be to edify one another. The phrase, "in whom", may
either refer to the holy temple before spokenof, the church universal, of
which a particular church is a part; or to Christ, who is the master builder, by
whom they are built together, and the foundation on whom they are built, and
the cornerstone in whom they meet and are united. And the end of their being
thus built togetheris, for an habitation of God through the Spirit; which may
be understood of Godthe Father, since he is distinguished from Christ, in
whom, and from the Holy Spirit, through whom, they are built for this
purpose, though not to the exclusionof either of them; for a particular church
is an habitation of Father, Son, and Spirit: and it being the habitation of God,
shows his greatgrace and condescension, andthe greatvalue and regard he
has for it; and this makes it a desirable, delightful, and pleasant habitation to
the saints;and hence it is a safe and a quiet one, and they are happy that dwell
in it; and hither should souls come for the enjoyment of the divine presence:
and whereas it is said to be such through the Spirit; hence it appears, that the
Spirit is concernedwith the other two persons in the building of it; and that
hereby it becomes a spiritual house;and is, through his grace, a fit habitation
for the holy God to dwell in; and that God dwells in his churches by his Spirit.

Meyer's NT Commentary
Ephesians 2:22. Ἐν ᾧ] applies to ἐν κυρίῳ, and is to be explained quite like ἐν
ᾧ in Ephesians 2:21. The reference to ναόν (Calixtus, Rosenmüller, Matthies)
appears on accountof the immediately preceding ἐν κυρίῳ arbitrary, and,
according to the correctapprehension of πᾶσα οἰκοδ., as wellas with regard
to the following εἰς κατοικητήριονκ.τ.λ., impossible.
συνοικοδομεῖσθε]is indicative, not imperative (Calvin, Meier), againstwhich
Ephesians 2:19-20 are decisive,[163]according to which Paul says not what
the readers ought to be, but what they are;hence he, at Ephesians 2:22,
attaches in symmetrical relative construction the relation of the readers to
that which subsists in the case ofevery Christian community, Ephesians 2:21.
The compound, however, may mean either: ye are built along with (the
others), comp. 3 Esdr. 5:68 (συνοικοδομήσωμενὑμῖν), so that the church of
the readers would be placed in the same categorywith the other churches (so
it is ordinarily understood); or: ye are builded together, so that σύν relates to
the putting togetherof the single parts of the building (comp. Philo, de praem.
et poen. p. 928 E: οἰκίανεὖ συνωκοδομημένηνκ. συνηρμοσμένην, comp.
Thuc. i. 93. 3; Dio Cass. xxxix. 61). The latter is to be preferred, because the
parallelism of Ephesians 2:21-22 makes the attaching of different senses to the
two compounds ΣΥΝΑΡΜΟΛΟΓ. and ΣΥΝΟΙΚΟΔ. appear groundless.
ΕἸς ΚΑΤΟΙΚΗΤΉΡΙΟΝ ΤΟῦ ΘΕΟῦ]unto the dwelling of God, quite the
same, only with a variation of expression, as before εἰς ναὸν ἅγιονwas (comp.
Matthew 23:21), and pertaining to ΣΥΝΟΙΚΟΔ. The supposition of Griesbach
and Knapp, that ἘΝ ᾯ Κ. ὙΜ. ΣΥΝΟΙΚΟΔ. is an interpolation, and ΕἸς
ΚΑΤΟΙΚ. Κ.Τ.Λ. still belongs to ΑὔΞΕΙ; as, again, the expedient of Koppe
and Rückert, that ΕἸς ΚΑΤΟΙΚ. ΤΟῦ ΘΕΟῦ means, in order that a dwelling
of God may arise;and finally, the assertionofHarless, that κατοικ.τοῦ Θεοῦ
is not identical with the ΝΑῸς ἍΓΙΟς, but that the individual Christians were
so termed because Goddwells in them and the whole forms a ναὸς ἅγιος,—are
only different forced interpretations, resulting from the linguistically

unwarranted explanation of the above ΠᾶΣΑ ΟἸΚΟΔΟΜΉ as the whole
building.
ἐν πνεύματι] receives from most expositors an adjectivalturn: “a spiritual
temple, in oppositionto the stone one of the Jews,”Rückert. How arbitrary
generallyin itself! how arbitrary, in particular, not to refer ἐν πνεύματι to the
Holy Spirit! since we have here, exactlyas in Ephesians 2:18, the juxtaposition
of the Divine Trias, while the context presents nothing whateverto suggestthe
contrastwith a temple of stone. Harless (comp. Meierand Matthies):“a
dwelling, which is in the indwelling of the Spirit;” and this, forsooth!is held to
mean: “inasmuch as the Spirit dwells in them, they are a dwelling of God and
of Christ.” But, apart from the fact that of this “and of Christ” there is
nothing whateverin the text, in this way ἐν πνεύματι, which according to the
literal sense could only be the continens, would in fact be made the
contentum! From this the very analogies, in themselves inappropriate
(because they are abstracta), whichHarless employs: χαρὰ ἐν πνεύματι,
ἈΓΆΠΗ ἘΝ ΠΝ., ought to have precluded him. The true view is to connectit
not merely with ΚΑΤΟΙΚ. ΤΟῦ ΘΕΟῦ, but with ΣΥΝΟΊΚΟΔΟΜΕῖΣΘΕ ΕἸς
ΚΑΤΟΙΚ. ΤΟῦ ΘΕΟῦ, and ἘΝ is instrumental. Ye are being builded together
unto the dwelling-place of God by virtue of the Holy Spirit; in so far, namely,
as the latter dwells in your Christian community (see on 1 Corinthians 3:16; 2
Corinthians 6:16 f.; comp. Jam 4:5), and thereby the relation of being the
temple of God is brought about—a relation, which without this indwelling of
the Spirit would not occur, and would not be possible. Forthe Spirit of Godis
related to the ideal temple as the Shechinah to the actual temple, and is the
conditio sine qua non of the same. Comp. also Hofmann, who, however,
likewise connectsἐν πν. only with ΚΑΤΟΙΚ. Τ. Θ. The objections of Harless to
the instrumental rendering of ἘΝ are not valid; for (a) the circumstance that
ἐν πνεύματι was placed only at the end not only very naturally resulted from
the parallelismwith Ephesians 2:21, seeing that in Ephesians 2:21 there is not
containedan element corresponding to the ἐν πνεύματι, and consequently this
new element is most naturally appended at the end, but the position at the
close imparts also to the ἐν πνεύμ. an unusual emphasis (Kühner, II. p. 625),
comp. also Ephesians 3:5; and (b) the suggestionthatπνεῦμα, as the objective

medium, must have the article, is incorrect, seeing that ΠΝΕῦΜΑ, with or
without an article (in accordancewith the nature of a proper noun), is the
objective Holy Spirit.
[163]In and of itself the relative clause would not exclude the imperative (in
opposition to Hofmann). See, e.g., Soph. Oed. Col. 735 (al. 731):ὃν μήτʼ
ὀκνεῖτε, Herod, i. 89. Comp. the familiar οἶσθʼ ὃ δρᾶσον, and the imperative
often standing after ὥστε.
Expositor's Greek Testament
Ephesians 2:22. ἐν ᾧ καὶ ὑμεῖς συνοικοδομεῖσθε εἰς κατοικητήριοντοῦ Θεοῦ
ἐν πνεύματι: in whom ye also are being built togetherinto a habitation of God
in the Spirit. The relative refers again, as in Ephesians 2:21, to Christ, the
Κυρίῳ just named, not to the ναόν. The καί (= also, not even) points to the
dignity of the presentposition—“the exalted nature of the associationin which
the Ephesians shared” (Ell.). The συνοικοδομεῖσθε is not imper. (Calv.), but
indic., the burden of the whole sectionbeing what was done for the readers
and what was made of them. The συν- in the comp. verb might conveythe idea
of being built togetherwith others;but, in view of the force of the
συναρμολογουμένη it is rather to be understood as denoting the compact
connectionof one part with another, the orderly conjunction and co-
ordination of all the various parts of the οἰκοδομή (Mey., Ell.);cf. the
συνέκλεισεν in Galatians 3:2. κατοικητήριονis best translated “habitation”.
Some draw a distinction betweenthe ναόν as the whole Church and the
κατοικητήριονas the individual Christians (Harl.). But the latter phrase
simply expressesin another form the same idea as the former. The
κατοικητήριονbeing that of God (τοῦ Θεοῦ), belonging to Him, inhabited by
Him, is the same as the ναός. The ἐν πνεύματι is not to be takenas = “in a
spiritual manner,” as if in contrastwith ἐν σαρκί;nor as making with the
noun the idea of “a spiritual house”;but as = in the Holy Spirit, the
anarthrous πνεῦμα having often that sense and the similar ἐν Κυρίῳ
suggesting it. Nor should the ἐν be rendered “through” (AV) or “by” (Mey.).
It is true that the instrumental use of ἐν gives a thoroughly goodsense, viz.,

that we are built togetherin Christ by the agencyof the Holy Spirit—in
respectof His dwelling and operating in us. But the idea is rather that of in
the Spirit as the element of the life or the condition of the process. The phrase
may be connectedimmediately with the κατοικητήριονas if = “a habitation of
God realisedin the Spirit,” or it may be construedas a tertiary predication
(Ell.) = “and it is in the Spirit”. But it is best takento qualify the whole
statementof the συνοικοδομεῖσθε,= “in Christ as the ground and principle of
all ye too are being built togetherinto a habitation of God, and it is by your
being in the Spirit that this is taking effect”. Union with Christ, life in the
Spirit—this explained what they were;this meant that they, as wellas other
Christian bodies, were being built up so as to be a habitation of God.
Cambridge Bible for Schools andColleges
22. you also]He reminds them of the joyful factthat they are specialexamples
of the generaltruth that “the Gentiles are fellow-heirs.”
are builded] A present tense in the Greek;are building, being builded. It is a
process;carried on in new accessions ofregenerate souls, andnew and deeper
“framing together” of the already regenerate.
for a habitation] For the significance of“for,” see remarks on “unto” in
Ephesians 2:21.—The wordrendered “habitation” (elsewhere Revelation18:2
only) means, by its form, emphatically a permanent abode. The true idea is of
the eternalIndwelling of God in the glorified Church. But this is reached
through the lasting, though partial, Indwelling now. See notes above; and
below, on Ephesians 3:17.
God] Not here speciallyChrist. The prospectis of the world where “Godshall
be all in all” (1 Corinthians 15:28), words which foretell no removal (God
forbid) of “the Lamb” from “the Throne,” but a manifestation of the Father
supreme and unimaginable. Meanwhile, again, the present is the germ of that

Future; “My Fatherwill love him, and We will come unto him, and make Our
abode with him” (John 14:23)[34];and “ye are the temple of the living God”
(2 Corinthians 6:16).
[34] The one passagewhere the coming of the Fatheris spokenof. What awful
grandeur is bestowedby this ‘We’ on the believer! (Note by the Deanof
Peterborough).
through the Spirit] Lit. and better, in (the) Spirit. The living Temple, in its
every stone, is what it is by the immediate action of the Holy Spirit, “Who
sanctifieth the electpeople of God.” They are thus “in the Spirit”(Romans
8:9), surrounded, as it were, by His presence and power. And so it will be, as
this passageindicates, in the final state where the “pure River” will still
“proceedfrom the Throne of” the Fatherand the Son. Will not the Holy
Spirit’s work, far from ceasing, be supremely effectual, in the world of
“spiritual bodies” (1 Corinthians 15:44)?
We undoubtingly explain “in spirit” here to mean “in the Spirit” (with A.V.
and R.V.), remembering the prominence in the whole Epistle, and not leastin
this part, of the subject of the Holy Spirit’s work.
Thus closes the specialrevelationof the plan and nature of the greatLiving
Sanctuary, built on the Son, by the Spirit, for the Father, to be the scene of the
manifestation of His Glory to whatsoeverspectators Eternity shall bring to see
it.
Pulpit Commentary
Verse 22. - In whom ye also are builded together. Once more the vitalizing
element - "in whom;" for this is better than "in which," inasmuch as this
verse is substantially a reduplication of the preceding one, making special

application of the same subject to the Ephesians. The person changes from the
third to the second, to make emphatic that the Ephesians shared this great
privilege. Their relations towards believing Jews andother believers in the
Church were not accidental;they were "builded together," compactedinto
eachother, and ought to work togethertowards God's greatends. Fora
habitation of God in the Spirit. Notmany habitations, but one. The Church as
a temple is the dwelling-place of God. Here he bestows his fullness, so that
when the temple is completedit will exhibit, as fully as a createdthing can, the
manifold glory of God. "In the Spirit" in this verse corresponds to "in the
Lord" in the previous one. The actualcommunication of Divine properties to
finite beings is the work of the Third Person. In this verse, again, we find the
three Persons ofthe Trinity: the temple is the habitation of the First Person;
the source ofits life and growth and symmetry is the Son; the actual up-
building and glorifying of it is by the Spirit. This is the climax of privilege, and
no contrastcould be greaterthan that betweenthe death in trespasses and
sins with which the chapter begins, and this sublime temple, where God dwells
and bestows his fullness, with which it ends.
Vincent's Word Studies
Are builded together (συνοικοδομεῖσθε)
As component parts of the one building. The reference is to individual
Christians, not to communities.
Habitation (κατοικητήριον)
Answering to temple. Only here and Revelation18:2. Indicating a permanent
dwelling. See on dwell, Luke 11:26;see on Acts 2:5; see on Mark 5:3. In
marked contrastwith sojourners, Ephesians 2:19.
Through the Spirit (ἐν)
Better, as Rev., in. In the fellowship of the indwelling Spirit.

PRECEPTAUSTIN RESOURCES
Amplified: In Him [and in fellowship with one another] you yourselves also
are being built up [into this structure] with the rest, to form a fixed abode
(dwelling place) of God in (by, through) the Spirit. (Amplified Bible -
Lockman)
NLT: Through him you Gentiles are also joined togetheras part of this
dwelling where Godlives by his Spirit. (NLT - Tyndale House)
Phillips: You are all part of this building in which Godhimself lives by his
spirit. (Phillips: Touchstone)
In Whom - Christ
You also - refers to believing Gentiles, who are included in the Church.
Paul speaks ofGod dwelling in His people asking…
Or what agreementhas the temple of God with idols? Forwe are the temple
of the living God; just as God said, "I WILL DWELL IN THEM AND WALK
AMONG THEM; AND I WILL BE THEIR GOD, AND THEY SHALL BE
MY PEOPLE. (2Cor6:16)
Similarly Peterwrites…
And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejectedby men, but choice and
precious in the sight of God, you also, as living stones, are being built up as a
spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable
to God through Jesus Christ. (1Pe 2:4, 5-note)
MacDonaldwrites that…
In this wonderful temple, believing Gentiles have an equal place with
believing Jews. It should thrill us to read this, as it must have thrilled the

Ephesians and others when they heard it for the first time. The tremendous
dignity of the believers’position is that they form a dwelling place of God in
the Spirit. This is the purpose of the temple—to provide a place where God
can live in fellowshipwith His people. The church is that place. Compare this
with the positionof the Gentiles in the OT. At that time they could not get
near God’s dwelling. Now they themselves form a goodpart of it! (Ibid)
Being built together(4925)(sunoikodomeo from sun = togetherspeaks of
intimacy and indissoluble union + oikodomeo [word study] = to build from
oikos = dwelling + doma = building > literally the building of a house)means
to build or constructof various parts. It is used only figuratively and only in
this verse to describe the community of saints in Christ who are continually
being formed into a dwelling place for God. The present tense pictures this as
an ongoing process. The passive voice indicates the power producing the
growth comes from an outside Source, in this case God.
You are not merely added to it, but you constitute a part of the building.
Dwelling (2732)(katoiketerionfrom kata = intensifies meaning and also
implies permanency + oikeo = dwell, reside in a house) is a place of dwelling
or a place of settling down and conveys the idea of a permanent home.
The term occurs only here and in Revelation18:2 in the NT but is frequent in
Septuagint (LXX) (Ex 12:20;15:17; 1 Ki. 8:39, 43, 49;2Chr. 6:30, 33, 39;
30:27;Ps 33:14;76:2; 107:4, 7; Jer. 9:11; 21:13;Dan. 2:11; Nah. 2:11-12)to
denote the divine resting place either on earth or in heaven. For example in
1Kings we see a representative use…
1Ki 8:49 then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Thy dwelling
place (LXX = katoiketerion), and maintain their cause
Formerly, God's earthly abode was thought to be on Mount Zion and in the
Jerusalemtemple. Now he makes His abode in the church.
Dwelling of God - What a dramatic contrastthis truth presents. Before
receiving Christ, the Gentiles were “without God in the world.” Now they
were being prepared as His dwelling place!The picture of God dwelling in His
people reminds us of His three fold promise in the Old Testament

“I will be their God"
"They shall be be My people"
"I will dwell in their midst.”
In Ezekiel37 which alludes to the New Covenant, we see God's promise "My
dwelling place also will be with them; and I will be their God, and they will be
My people." (Ezekiel37:27)
In this verse in Ephesians Paul explains that the greatobjective of the saints
being built togetheris to provide a place of habitation for God, Who by the
Spirit permanently dwells in His holy temple. Imagine how the original
recipients of this letter must have been struck by Paul's imagery. After all
they were pagan, idol worshipping heathen who had been living amongst
temples in which dead deities were believed to dwell, as in the temple to
Artemis in Ephesus (see Acts 19:23-41). Whata dramatic contrastPaul paints,
for now they as the Body of Christ, the Church, are no small physical
chamber in which an idol is kept but are in facta vast spiritual body of the
redeemed, wherein resides the Spirit of the Living and True God!
In Old Testamenttimes, God dwelt with His people in the Tabernacle and
later the Temple. Under the New Covenant, God dwells in His people.
Note once againthe work of the Trinity. In Christ all believers are being fitted
and formed into one building by the Holy Spirit Who regeneratesand
indwells them so that we are a dwelling place for God.
In a parallel passagePaulwrites…
1Corinthians 3:16: Do you (plural speaks ofall believers collectivelyand so of
the church) not know that you (plural) are a temple of God, and that the
Spirit of Goddwells in you? (Comment: This verse views the localchurch as
the Temple of God inhabited by His Spirit)
Here in Ephesians 2:22, Paul is speaking ofthe Body of Christ corporately.
Elsewhere he uses a similar image with reference to individual believers
writing …

1Corinthians 6:19-20:Or do you not know that your body is a temple (naos =
Holy of holies) of the Holy Spirit Who is in you, whom you have from God,
and that you are not your own? Foryou have been bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body.
Comment: In contrastto the Paul's intended meaning of the "holy temple in
the Lord" in Ephesians 2:21 [referring to Jew and Gentile in one body =
corporately, as the body of Christ, the mystical church], this verse refers to
the body of eachindividual believer. As an aside, ponder for a moment the
practicalsignificance ofthis passage-- every act of fornication, adultery, or
any other sin is committed by the believer in the sanctuary, the Holy of Holies,
where God dwells. In the OT, the High-Priest only went in there once a year,
and only after extensive cleansing, lesthe be killed. Remember we are holy
ones who are growing into a holy temple in the holy Lord!
Spirit (4151)(pneuma) is from the Greek word that describes air in movement
(i.e., blowing or breathing) and is that which animates or gives life to the
body. Think of these literal meanings of pneuma in the context of the Holy
Spirit. Pneuma thus refers to God’s being as a controlling influence in this
context focusing on the associationwith humans. All those who belong to God
possessorreceive His Spirit and hence have a share in God’s life, the life He
has in a sense "breathed" into dead sinners, animating them and giving them
life eternaland potentially abundant (depending on one's obedience).
Blaikie writes that "In this verse, again, we find the three Persons ofthe
Trinity: the temple is the habitation of the First Person;the source ofits life
and growth and symmetry is the Son;the actualupbuilding and glorifying of
it is by the Spirit. This is the climax of privilege, and no contrastcould be
greaterthan that betweenthe death in trespasses andsins with which the
chapter begins, and this sublime temple, where God dwells and bestows his
fulness, with which it ends. (The Pulpit Commentary: Ephesians)
Ephesians 2, what a chapter - beginning with a horrible description of
Gentiles as dead, depraved, diabolical, and disobedient and closing with those
same Gentiles now cleansedfrom all guilt and defilement, and forming a
dwelling place of the living and true God in the Spirit! The more we read His

Word, the more amazing we find His grace!Walk in the light of these glorious
truths dear saint!
The soul wherein God dwells —
What church could holier be? —
Becomesa walking tent
Of heavenly majesty.
Johannes Scheffler
END OF PRECEPT AUSTIN RESOURCES
Where Does GodLive?
Biblical Authority Devotional:Authority and the Church, Part 2
by Erik Lutz on January 25, 2011
Share:
Erik Lutz, AiG–U.S., explains that God not only dwells in heaven, but He also
resides in eachof His followers.
you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy
priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to Godthrough Jesus
Christ. (1 Peter 2:5)
Today’s big question: where does God live?
Many parents and older siblings have answeredthis simple question with the
typical response that “Godlives in heaven.” While this answercertainly is
biblical (e.g., 1 Kings 8:49; Matthew 6:9), it does not express the whole truth.

The Apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that you are the temple of God
and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?” (1 Corinthians 3:16). God not only
lives “in heaven” but also inside His people, the church. The Greek word here
for dwell comes from the word for house, and conveys taking up residence in a
place—inthis case, the body of the believer.
Today’s verse tells us that every believer is a living stone in the spiritual house
of God. He lives in us! Stop and considerhow incredible this is—the infinite
God of the universe has chosento make His home in your heart. This is even
more amazing when we think about the words of Solomon:“But will God
indeed dwell on the earth? Behold, heavenand the heavenof heavens cannot
contain You. How much less this temple which I have built!” (1 Kings 8:27).
Although no physical building can containthe awesome CreatorGod, the
temple in Jerusalemwas calledthe “house of God” under the old covenant.
Even today, it is commonplace to refer to a church building as “the house of
God.” But this is not biblically accurate because God’s people, under the new
covenant, are now His temple and His house. As Paulwrote, “you also are
being built togetherfor a dwelling place of God in the Spirit” (Ephesians
2:22).
We often misrepresentScripture unintentionally. Consider the following
dialog from one believer to another:
“Where do you go to church?”
“Faith Community, down on the corner.”
“Oh, the little white one? I love the gardens out front.”
“Yeah, it could really use a new paint job, though.”
Both people are talking about a building rather than the people who gather
there. Although this terminology is commonly accepted, we should be careful
when using it because the Greek word translatedas church (ekklesia)refers to
believers, not a building. The building by itself has no specialsignificance;it is
sanctifiedby the presence of God’s true church—the people in whom He
dwells. This doesn’t necessarilymean it is wrong to call a building a “church”

or “God’s house” as long as we keepin mind that the true church (house of
God) is the believers who gatherthere.
Today’s big idea: the church is the house of God because He lives within every
believer.
What to pray: praise God that He has chosento dwell in His people."
commentaries
The Biblical Illustrator
Ephesians 2:20; Ephesians 2:22
Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens
with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the
foundation of the apostles andprophets.
The Christian Church
I. The apostle represents the Church under the figure of a city and a
household.
1. A Church must resemble a family or city, in respectof order and
government; for without these a religious societycanno more subsist, than a
civil community or a household.
2. In a city or household all the members have a mutual relation, and partake
in the common privileges; and, though they are placed in different stations
and conditions, they must all contribute to the generalhappiness.
3. In a city, and also in a family, there is a common interest.

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