Where is the Holy Spirit dwelling today?

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple.

Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and the Holy Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy them because it is holy. You are that temple!

Paul is in the midst of correcting the divisions (“I am of…” vs 4) that had arisen in the church in Corinth. In this context, Paul is clearly speaking of them as a collective group (“body”) or local church that he planted and Apollos watered (vs 6). In these first four chapters, he emphasizes the need for them to rely upon the word of God that he had shared with them as the foundation to solve these issues.

Flee from sexual immorality. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, whom you have from God? You are not your own, for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

Run away from sexual immorality. All other sin you commit is outside of your body, but committing sexually immorality sins against your own body. Don’t you know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit that’s within you who God gave you? You are not your own since you were bought with a price. Therefore, use your body to glorify God.

Paul is addressing the brethren of Corinth that are relatively new to the faith. He lists several sinful practices of the “unrighteous” (vss 9-10) – practices that some in Corinth had taken part of but had turned from them in their conversion. He turns to focus specifically on sexual immorality, stating, “Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food—and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for sexual immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body.” (vs 13)

The God of our fathers raised Jesus, whom you killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. And we are witnesses to these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him.

You [High Priest and Jewish Council] killed Jesus by hanging Him on a cross, but the God of our ancestors raised Him and exalted him at His right hand as Leader and Savior, thereby bringing Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We [apostles], together with the Holy Spirit – who God, the Father, has given to all that obey Him – are witnesses to these things.

In the early days of the Christian movement and God’s establishment of His “new covenant,” the apostles are carrying the message of the gospel across Jerusalem and Judea. Being confronted by the Jewish leadership (vs 27), as often they were, Peter tells them, “We must obey God rather than men” (vs 29) and witnesses to them about the things he and the others have seen with their eyes.

Their testimony concerns Jesus’ death, resurrection and exaltation (vss 30-32).

Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, what shall we do? And Peter said to them, Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.

When they heard the preaching of Peter and the rest of the apostles, they were convicted by them and asked what they should do [to be saved]. Peter told them that they each should repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ so that they could receive the remission of their sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit. This “gift” was the promise made for all Jews, but also all Gentiles — everyone whom God calls to himself.

Peter’s sermon on the day of Pentecost where he recalled several prophetic statements from Joel and David (vss 16-36). By divine inspiration, Peter interpreted these statements to apply their fulfillment to Jesus and the ushering in of the “last days”.

He also specifically refers to the “promise of the Holy Spirit” earlier – given by the Father to the Son (vs 33). More were continuing to be saved, and they began meeting together as the Lord’s church (vss 41-47).

Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, declares the Lord. Be strong, O Joshua, son of Jehozadak, the high priest. Be strong, all you people of the land, declares the Lord. Work, for I am with you, declares the Lord of hosts, according to the covenant that I made with you when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst. Fear not. For thus says the Lord of hosts: Yet once more, in a little while, I will shake the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry land.

The Lord declares for you to be strong, Zerubbabel and High Priest Joshua, son of Jehozadek. He says for all the people of the land to be strong. Work [at building the temple] for I am with you, according to the covenant [Mosaic] made together when you came out of Egypt. My Spirit remains in your midst so fear nothing. For the Lord declares: Yet once more in a little while I will shake the heavens and all the earth.

Haggai is prophesying to those who returned to the land from Babylonian captivity. Released by Cyrus the Great of Persia, they returned to their home [promised] land and had to rebuild their lives. Haggai [and Zechariah his contemporary] encouraged them in the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem – sometimes referred to by historians as “Zerubbabel’s temple” (verses “Solomon’s” prior and “Herod’s” later in the first century).

God’s statements here are in a response to their specific underwhelmed reaction to the temple not being like “its former glory” (vs 3). Verse 6 of this passage is applied by the inspired writer of Hebrews to the second coming/final judgment of Jesus Christ. (Hebrews 12:25-29). Specifically, in Hebrews the writer contrasts the Christian’s place in the unshakable, spiritual kingdom of God with the second coming of Christ and the literal “removal of things that can be shaken.”

By this we know that we abide in him and he in us, because he has given us of his Spirit. And we have seen and testify that the Father has sent his Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of God, God abides in him, and he in God.

We know that we dwell in Him [the Father] and He in us because He gave us His [Holy] Spirit. We [apostles] have seen and testify that the Father sent his Son to be the Savior of the world and whoever confesses such abides together with the Father.

John is arguing that Christians are to love each other since “God is love” (vss 8, 16) and He “loved us first” (vs 19). He goes on to say that we know we love (or are loving) our brethren “whenever we love God and obey his commandments” (5:2).

Jesus answered him, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus said to him, How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born? Jesus answered, Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Jesus answered him [Nicodemus] with a truism in stating that one must be born again to see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus didn’t understand and asked how someone who is old could be born again as he couldn’t enter back into his mother’s womb. Jesus answered by expounding on the same truth adding that unless one is born of water and the Spirit [born again] he cannot enter [see] the kingdom of God.

Jesus is approached at night (in secret) by Nicodemus, a Pharisee and “ruler of the Jews” (vs 1).

I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.

I will sprinkle clean water on you to remove all sin and idols from you. And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit that I will put in you, removing the heart of stone from you and giving you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit inside you to cause you to walk in my statutes and carefully obey my rules.

Ezekiel spoke God’s words during the Babylonian captivity – after the destruction of Jerusalem and Solomon’s temple. Interspersed with his encourage and preaching to God’s people of that day are many references to a time that God promises a true shepherd to care for them (34:13-15), a return of “my servant David” (34:23-24, 37:24), a convenant of peace (34:25), a gathering of a single nation to their land (36:24, 37:14, 22).

For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you.

God has called us to be holy and not to be impure. Therefore, whoever chooses to disregard this is disregarding the very God that has given his Holy Spirit to you.

Paul is giving his final admonitions in his letter to the Thessalonians and imploring them to remain sanctified especially avoiding sexual immorality (vs 3).

You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him.

Unlike those in the flesh, you are in the Spirit if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to God.

After rejoicing in his own salvation and freedom from “this body of death” (7:24) through Christ, Paul is calling on the Roman Christians to remember their own calling and the triumph they share in Christ (vss 1-2). He implores them to “live according to the Spirit” (vs 5).

On the last day of the feast, the great day, Jesus stood up and cried out, “If anyone thirsts, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, ‘Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.’” Now this he said about the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were to receive, for as yet the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

On the last day of the feast Jesus stood up and yelled that if anyone was thirsty, they should come to Him to drink and that whoever believed in Him would lead to what scripture said, “Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” What He said was referring to the Holy Spirit which would be given to anyone who believed in him after his glorification.

Jesus has begun his public ministry, and He’s begun to stir up Jerusalem with his controversial teaching and popularity. On this occasion, Jesus has gone “privately” (vs 10) up to Judea for the Feast of Booths (vs 2), and it is the last “great” day.

Jesus makes a summary statement about what “Scripture has said”. It’s not a direct quote from any one passage, but a portion or concept well documented in Scripture, including His conversation with the woman at the well (John 4) and several other poignant statements in the prophets:

• “For the Lamb in the midst of the throne will be their shepherd, and he will guide them to springs of living water, and God will wipe away every tear from their eyes.” (Rev 7:17)
• “O Lord, the hope of Israel, all who forsake you shall be put to shame; those who turn away from you shall be written in the earth, for they have forsaken the Lord, the fountain of living water.” (Jer 17:13)
• “With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.” (Isa 12:3)
• “Then he brought me back to the door of the temple, and behold, water was issuing from below the threshold of the temple toward the east (for the temple faced east). The water was flowing down from below the south end of the threshold of the temple, south of the altar.” (Ezk 47:1ff)

So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

You are no longer set apart, but now are fellow citizens with the saints of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets. Jesus, Himself is the chief cornerstone, in whom the entire building joins together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. In Christ, you also are adding together to form a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.

Paul is pointing out to the Ephesians and Gentile Christians, that though they were at one time “called the uncircumcision by the circumcised” (vs 11), they are now part of the inheritance in Christ as a result of the “peace” that has been preached (vs 18).

that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith—that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

that by the abundance of his [the Father's] glory he may grant your strengthening with power through the Holy Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith in him — so that you, being rooted and grounded in love,

Paul’s letter to the Ephesians continues with a prayer that Paul says he prays. He prays it to the Father (vs 15), asking Him to give them “strength to comprehend” the vast greatness of “the love of Christ” (vss 18-19). The prayer continues through verse 21.

Little children, you are from God and have overcome them, for he who is in you is greater than he who is in the world.

Brethern, you are from God and overcame them [forces of evil] since he [Holy Spirit] who is in you is superior to the one [Satan] in the world.

John is warning of false teachers and giving them encouragement as well as ways to fight against them.

And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, crying, Abba! Father! So you are no longer a slave, but a son, and if a son, then an heir through God.

Because you’re His sons, God the Father has sent the Holy Spirit into your hearts to cry out to Him. And being sons, He has made you an heir and no longer in bondage.

Paul’s letter to the churches of Galatia (1:2) in which he warns of “quickly deserting” (1:6) their call to Christ. He continues this theme through chapter 2 and begins in chapter 3 to the end to connect the promise that God made to Abraham (3:8) with their present freedom in Christ (5:1). His audience is all who “were baptized into Christ” – both Jews and Greeks (3:27).

His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire.

God’s divine power has given us everything we need to live and become godly. We receive these things by knowing the One who called us to share in his own glory and moral excellence. By trusting in His many great promises, we share in God’s nature and escape the moral corruption that fills the world because of sinful desires.

Peter’s second letter, like his first, still encourages the faithful to remain so while focusing on the peril of false teaching. In this opening of his second letter, Peter goes on to list several qualities (virtue, knowledge, self-control, steadfastness, godliness, brotherly affection, and love) that they should make “every effort” to add to their faith. In fact, they must be added and “increasing” (vs 8). “For whoever lacks these qualities is so nearsighted that he is blind, having forgotten that he was cleansed from his former sins.” (vs 9)