God's House
A young father tried to hush an exuberant young daughter who stomped around a church building one Sunday afternoon. "Please be quiet! This is God's house" the father said. With that the curious young girl pushed open the door, peered around, and then announced, "Don't worry, God's not home today."
While we realize that God does not live in a physical building, there is perhaps a good lesson in this story for each of us. God does have a dwelling place. Consider these passages: "Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?" (1 Corinthians 3:16). "Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19). "For you are the temple of the living God. As God has said, 'I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.'" (). "In whom the whole building, being fitted together grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit." (Ephesians 2:21,22).
We, as Christians, make up the spiritual temple or dwelling place of God. God lives in each Christian and His presence is seen in the way we live our lives. Those we come in contact with on a daily basis should see God in us as we interact with them. They should see God-like characteristics and God-like attitudes in everything we say and do.
But I wonder if there are times when people look at us and say, "God isn't home today"? Are there times when our conduct does not manifest the presence of God in our lives? Do we ever find ourselves in situations where we do not act like God is in us?
“We, as Christians, make up the spiritual temple or dwelling place of God.'”
God does not dwell in the person whose life is controlled by sin. Paul wrote to the Romans: "Do you not know that to whom you present yourselves slave to obey, you are that one's slaves whom you obey, whether of sin leading to death, or of obedience leading to righteousness?" (Romans 6:16). This passage emphasizes the fact that we either are enslaved to sin or we are the slaves of God. God does not live in the individual who is enslaved to sin. This does not suggest that those who are no longer in bondage to sin, never sin. What it says is that we are no longer living to serve sin. We now serve God. We escape that bondage from sin when we "obey from the heart that for of doctrine" (Romans 6:17). But as long as sin lives in us, God cannot dwell in us. Paul said, "And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin..." (Romans 8:10).
God does not live in the person whose heart is filled with hate or malice or jealousy or other attitudes that are not God-like. Paul gave this admonition to the Ephesians: "Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor and evil speaking be put away from you with all malice" (Ephesians 4:31). In Colossians 3:8, Paul said, "But now you yourselves are to put off all these: anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy language out of your mouth."
We must put off these attitudes because God cannot co-exist with them in our hearts. He, and He alone must dwell in us. May our lives always reflect the presence of God. May we never live in such a way that someone can say, "God's not home today!" May God be at home in our lives every day so that His glory can be manifest in and through us. "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts... Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom..." (Colossians 3:15, 16)
via Skyview Bulletin, June 29, 2003
Article Navigation:
Answering The Atheist
The Atheist's Complaint:
Is anyone justified? Matthew 12:37 says yes, Psalm 143:2 says no. Is there a contradiction?
Response:
David's psalm proclaims a truth which is expressed in many places in the Bible, simply that were we to enter into judgment by ourselves, none would be found justified. This is presented several times throughout the book of Job (Job 4:17; 9:2; 14:3; 15:14; 25:4), and is the thought expressed by the psalmist in Psalm 130:3, "If You, LORD, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? In the next verse, we read, "But there is forgiveness with You, that You may be feared." (Psalm 130:4)
Read further in Psalm 143, and we find these words from David:
Teach me to do Your will, for You are my God; Your Spirit is good. Lead me in the land of uprightness. Revive me, O LORD, for Your name's sake! For Your righteousness' sake bring my soul out of trouble. (10-11)
Here, we find David seeking the Lord's way, rather than his own way. Should any man enter judgment of his own accord, he shall not stand. However, those who are taught and led by God, these shall stand. David is relying upon God's righteousness for justification, not his own righteousness.
In Matthew 12:37, Jesus reveals that our words can either justify us or condemn us. Back up in the text, and we read this:
Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or else make the tree bad and its fruit bad; for a tree is known by its fruit. Brood of vipers! How can you, being evil, speak good things? For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. A good man out of the good treasure of his heart brings forth good things, and an evil man out of the evil treasure bring forth evil things. But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. (v 33-36)
If we are to be justified, we must follow the direction of God's word. That is what David declared in the Psalm, as he desired the Lord's direction "in the land of uprightness". Equally, Jesus in this text reveals that if we are going to be justified on account of our words, it will be because we have followed the good way, made ourselves a good tree, and thus bear good fruit. If we are to stand justified in judgment, we must come not with our own righteousness and our own way, but with the righteousness of God, following His ways.
There is no contradiction.
This article is in response to Skeptic's Annotated Bible.