From these verses we can see that the household of God needs to be built up. God’s family or household needs to be built together. A pile of lumber or stones is not a house. For a house to be built, every piece of material must be strictly used. Even though we are God’s family, for us to become His dwelling place we must be built up. This building up is not mentioned in verse 19, but in the next three verses, quoted above. First the universal building is referred to and then the local. We need this twofold building: with the saints in our locality and with all the saints on earth.
Verse 20 gives us a general description of the building upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus as the cornerstone. Then verse 21 describes the universal building: “In whom all the building, being fitted together, is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.” All the saints on earth are to be built up into a holy temple. This temple is the universal church, after it has been built up. In verse 22 “you also” indicates that the local saints are referred to. Not only are all the believers throughout the world to be built up; “you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.”
In our consideration of the church, we need to pay attention to this matter of building. Are we God’s family? We have no hesitation in replying, “Praise the Lord, we are!” But here is another question: Are we, practically speaking, the dwelling place of God? This one we cannot answer so quickly.
To be God’s family is not a matter of building. But for God to have a dwelling place requires building up. If we are scattered around, as is the case with most Christians, there is surely no building. Praise the Lord that we have been brought into His recovery! We are no longer scattered. Now we are meeting together. Does this mean that we have been built up? Not necessarily. After we have met together for a while, we may feel that we know each other and have some affection toward one another. This, again, is not necessarily the building. It is more like a pile. The building materials have been brought together and piled up. Surely a pile is not a dwelling place!
As we meet together, are we a pile or a building? A building must have all its pieces properly trimmed and fitted together. Each piece must be put in place in proper relationship to the other pieces. When all the pieces have been dealt with and have grown up in relation to each other so that they are fitted together, there is the building. Meeting together might be just a piling up; only building up provides a dwelling place.
As God’s family, we should be His house. A family, however, is a matter of life by birth, while a dwelling place includes not only life but also building. When there is both building and life, there is the dwelling place.
On this earth our God is nearly homeless. He has a family, but He has no house to live in. We are all God’s family as we meet here. In a sense, we are having a family reunion. A family may be scattered over many different countries, but on special occasions they all come together for a happy reunion. This reunion, however, is not a home. For a home there must be a building. God has a big family on this earth. Wherever we go, we can meet some of His children. Nonetheless, He has no home because there is no building.
The believers possessing His life are many, but they have not been built up. Those of you who are here from Blackpool must have the assurance that in Blackpool there is not only God’s family but also His dwelling place. There must be the building as well as the life. To be God’s family it is sufficient to have God’s life; for God to have a home, however, you must all be built together. The same is true of Stuttgart. I hope that you have here not only life but also building. What about those of you from Denmark? from Neuchatel? from other localities? You have the family; do you also have the dwelling place?
This building is twofold. It has a local aspect and a universal aspect. Locally, we are God’s dwelling place; universally, the Lord’s holy temple. For example, as a member of the church in Anaheim, I have been built up with the saints there. More than this, however, I do believe that I have also been built up with all the saints on this earth. Thus I have a twofold building, both local and universal, wherever there are churches. While I am here in Stuttgart, I do not consider myself a stranger or sojourner; I am a part of the universal holy temple in the Lord.
To be built up does not mean that you are close to each other. Two pieces of lumber may be right next to each other and still not be part of the building. You may be close together without being built up. Formerly I would tell the saints that they needed to know who was beside them, and above them, and behind them, and beneath them, and in front of them. To be built up, I taught, was to know where you fit in the house, like pieces of wood fitted into a building. I realize now that this explanation is a human concept.
To be built up is to grow together. Ephesians 4 explains this: “But holding to truth in love, we may grow up into Him in all things, Who is the Head, Christ, out from Whom all the Body, fitted and knit together...causes the growth of the Body unto the building up of itself in love” (vv. 15-16). The real building is a growing. To grow up is to get out of yourself and to grow into Christ the Head. This happens gradually. How much you get out of yourself and into the Head is the deciding factor in your growth. It is also the deciding factor in your being built up. When you get out of yourself and grow into Christ, you are built up.
Here again I would call to your attention that it is Paul in his completing ministry who deals with our being built up. It is from his writings that we can see that we are God’s family, but that whether we are God’s dwelling place depends on our being built up; that the building up depends upon the growing up; and that the more we grow into Christ and are built up, the more dwelling place God has.