2 CORINTHIANS 6:16
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God. As God has said: "I will dwell in them, and will walk among them; and I will be their God, and they will be My people."
Dwell: inhabit one's personal dwelling/residence, indwelling, dwell within, settled in
Exodus 25:8 "And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them."
Leviticus 26:12: "I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be My people."
Jeremiah 31:1 ""At that time," declares the LORD, "I will be the God of all the families of Israel, and they will be My people."
Ezekiel 37:27 "My dwelling place will be with them; I will be their God, and they will be My people."
John 14:23 "Jesus replied, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word. My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him."
1 Corinthians 3:16 "Do you not know that you yourselves are God's temple, and the Spirit of God dwells in you?"
Romans 6:16 "Do you not know that when you offer yourselves as obedient slaves, you are slaves to the one you obey, whether you are slaves to sin leading to death, or to obedience leading to righteousness?"
Romans 8:9 "You, however, are controlled not by the flesh, but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."
God lives in us through our faith in Him by the power of His Holy Spirit. It happens when we believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord. We cannot clean out our hearts by ourselves and make ourselves presentable to God, nor can we expect to remain in His presence for all eternity if sin is present in us. For God is holy and His holiness demands a holy people, a holy sanctuary, a holy temple, a holy dwellingplace.
So, when we believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord, God moves in, Christ moves in, the Holy Spirit moves in. This is God's promise to us. In John 17:20, 21 Jesus prayed for us: "I am not asking on behalf of them alone, but also on behalf of those who will believe in Me through their message, that all of them may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I am in You. May they also be in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me."
That the world may believe that God has sent His Christ (Anointed One, Messiah), JESUS, "Yahweh Saves" "Yahweh Is Salvation" to be the Savior of all mankind. Me. You. That guy that just pulled out in front of you. The cashier who's having a bad day and takes it out on you. Your grouchy next door neighbors. Your parents, siblings, children, cousins, etc. All mankind is predestined (Ephesians 1:4-6 "For He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world to be holy and blameless in His presence. In love He predestined us for adoption as His sons through Jesus Christ, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of His glorious grace, which He has freely given us in the Beloved One.") for salvation through Jesus Christ, but not all will be saved. Why? Because it has to be our choice. We have to make a decision now whether or not we will believe God's plan of salvation or dismiss it as folly. This decision has to be made while we have breath in our bodies and the ability to make a conscious decision to believe. After death it is too late.
When we believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord, God enters our heart through the power of His Holy Spirit. This is a beautiful even that is only possible by faith. When we believe, God places a measure of faith within us, which allows Him to enter the door of our heart (Revelation 3:20 "Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone should hear My voice and open the door, then I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me.") and begin to clean up the sins that have taken root in our hearts.
God is a gentle God: He waits to be asked by us before moving in and before moving on our behalf. Yes, His holiness demands a holy people, therefore He makes us holy when He makes sin leave: He washes us in the blood of His Lamb Jesus Christ (Revelation 5:9 "And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation.")
Do you believe that Jesus Christ Is Lord? To day is the day to make that decision.
