The concept of the "Temple of the Indwelling of God" is a profound theological theme that runs throughout the Bible, emphasizing the presence of God among His people. This theme is rooted in the Old Testament and finds its ultimate fulfillment in the New Testament through the person and work of Jesus Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers.

Old Testament Foundations

The idea of God dwelling among His people is first seen in the Garden of Eden, where God walked with Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:8). However, the more formal concept of a dwelling place for God begins with the Tabernacle, a portable sanctuary constructed by the Israelites during their wilderness journey. God instructed Moses to build the Tabernacle, saying, "And they are to make a sanctuary for Me, so that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8). The Tabernacle served as the focal point of God's presence and worship for the Israelites.

Later, King Solomon built the Temple in Jerusalem, a permanent structure to house the Ark of the Covenant and serve as the center of worship. At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon acknowledged the greatness of God, saying, "But will God indeed dwell on earth? Even heaven, the highest heaven, cannot contain You, much less this temple I have built" (1 Kings 8:27). Despite its grandeur, the Temple was a symbol of God's willingness to dwell among His people.

New Testament Fulfillment

The New Testament reveals the ultimate fulfillment of the Temple as the indwelling presence of God through Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself is described as the true Temple. In John 2:19-21, Jesus declares, "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up." The Jews misunderstood Him, thinking He referred to the physical Temple, but He was speaking of His body. Jesus, as God incarnate, embodied the presence of God on earth.

With the death, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, the focus shifts to the believers as the new temple of God. The Apostle Paul writes, "Do you not know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). This indwelling of the Holy Spirit signifies that each believer is a living temple, a sacred space where God resides.

The Church as the Temple

The collective body of believers, the Church, is also described as the temple of God. Paul emphasizes this in Ephesians 2:19-22, stating that believers are "built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone. In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit" . This imagery underscores the unity and sanctity of the Church as the dwelling place of God.

Eschatological Vision

The Book of Revelation presents the eschatological vision of God's ultimate dwelling with His people. In the new heaven and new earth, John writes, "And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, 'Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man, and He will dwell with them. They will be His people, and God Himself will be with them as their God'" (Revelation 21:3). This final vision encapsulates the consummation of God's plan to dwell with humanity, free from sin and death.

The "Temple of the Indwelling of God" thus encapsulates the biblical narrative of God's desire to be present with His creation, culminating in the personal and communal indwelling of the Holy Spirit in believers and the Church, and ultimately in the eternal presence of God with His people.1 Corinthians 3:16,17
Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
Nave's Topical Index

2 Corinthians 6:16
And what agreement has the temple of God with idols? for you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
Nave's Topical Index

The Indwelling Christ
... and return unto My place till they acknowledge their offences.' God means and ...
strengthened by the Spirit, is fitted to be the Temple of the indwelling Christ ...
/.../expositions of holy scripture ephesians peter/the indwelling christ.htm

Eighth Day. Holiness and Indwelling.
... And you may experience it. It is your calling as a believer to be God's Holy
Temple. Oh, do but yield yourself to His full indwelling! ...
/.../murray/holy in christ/eighth day holiness and indwelling.htm

The Cleansing of the Temple.
... But in three days a new and better Temple was raised in Christ's body,
glorified by the presence of the indwelling God. Forty and ...
/.../the expositors bible the gospel of st john vol i/vi the cleansing of the.htm

Temples of God
... The meaning of the Temple as of all temples was, that there the indwelling Deity
should ... speaking, the abiding places and habitations of God, then it ...
/.../maclaren/romans corinthians to ii corinthians chap v/temples of god.htm

Christians, Temples of the Living God
... in us, ere we can truly say that we are "the temple of the ... one chief thing, and without
which all is nothing; I mean the indwelling of God's blessed Spirit ...
/.../selected sermons of george whitefield/christians temples of the living.htm

The Saying of Christ, "Destroy this Temple," &C. --Additional ...
... up the everlasting Temple of God for man. The former shall be destroyed, and not
rebuilt; but the body of Christ, the temple of the indwelling Divine Nature ...
/.../section 118 the saying of.htm

The Indwelling Spirit Fully and Forever Satisfying.
... 19, RV, we read, "Know ye not that your body is a temple of the ... from us, then it
is that the spring of joy of the indwelling Spirit of God bursts forth ...
/.../the person and work of the holy spirit/chapter x the indwelling spirit.htm

And Now Let us Explain the Cause for which the Incorporeal Word of ...
... strictly Biblical: (1) The Word the only revealer of the Father, who otherwise could
not be known; (2) The human body the temple of God; (3) The indwelling Word ...
/.../pamphilius/the life of constantine/chapter xiv and now let.htm

"If So be that the Spirit of God Dwell in You. Now if any Man have ...
... But as Solomon's temple, and these visible symbols of God's presence, were but shadows
of things ... You heard of the first indwelling, ver.3. "God sending his ...
/.../binning/the works of the rev hugh binning/sermon xxiv if so be.htm

In his Temple
... From eternal ages it was God's purpose that every created being, from the bright
and holy seraph to man, should be a temple for the indwelling of the Creator. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the desire of ages/chapter 16 in his temple.htm

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Temple: Dictionary and Thesaurus | Clyx.com

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