As the believers experience the dispensing of the divine Trinity corporately by living in the church, they are built in the church. Referring to Christ, the cornerstone, Paul in Ephesians 2:22 says, “In whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.” The word “you” refers to the local saints. Furthermore, the word “also” indicates that the building in this verse is local. According to the context, the dwelling place of God in 2:22 is local, whereas the holy temple in the preceding verse is universal. In verse 22 Paul is saying that the local saints, the saints in Ephesus, were being built together in Christ into a dwelling place of God. Therefore, in verses 21 and 22 Paul covers both the universal aspect and the local aspect of the church. All the building is growing-this refers to the universal aspect. The believers in a particular locality are being built together-this is the local aspect.
In 2:22 Paul is careful to point out that it is in Christ that the local saints are built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit. They are not built in ordinances, in practices, or in opinions. We can be built up only in the all-inclusive Christ, who is our peace, foundation, and cornerstone.
In 2:22 Paul also tells us that we are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit. The spirit here refers to the believers’ human spirit indwelt by God’s Holy Spirit. God’s Spirit is the Dweller, not the dwelling place. The dwelling place is the believers’ spirit. God’s Spirit dwells in our spirit. Therefore, the dwelling place of God is in our spirit.
Verse 21 says that the holy temple is in the Lord, and verse 22, that the dwelling place of God is in spirit. This indicates that the Lord is one with our spirit and that our spirit is one with the Lord. To be in our spirit actually is to be in the Lord. Also, to be in the Lord is to be in the spirit. “He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit” (1 Cor. 6:17). We cannot separate our spirit from the Lord. Hence, our spirit is the place where the building of the church is. The building is not in our mind, emotion, soul, or heart. The building is absolutely a matter in our spirit.
In order for us to be built up locally, our disposition, our being, must be dealt with. Nothing tests our spiritual maturity as much as this matter of building. Furthermore, the local building is a great help in our spiritual growth. If we are willing to be built into the church in our locality, we shall have the abundance of the growth in life.
In the church life the believers build the church. Paul emphasizes this building in 1 Corinthians 14:4b, where he says, “He who prophesies builds up the church.” Those who prophesy build up not only the individual saints but also the church. In verse 12 Paul goes on to say, “Since you are zealots of spiritual gifts, seek that you may abound to the building up of the church.” This verse indicates that, like Paul, we all should be fully occupied with the building up of the church.
The New Testament reveals that God’s goal is the building. Christ as life is for the building, the ministry of the gifted persons (Eph. 4:11-12) is for the building, and the functioning of all the members also is for the building. Everything is for the one purpose of the Body of Christ being produced and built up.
The building up of the Body of Christ is not carried out directly by the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd-teachers; rather, this work of building is done directly by all the believers as members of the Body. Hence, the believers are the building members. Furthermore, the work of the ministry, which is the work of building up the Body of Christ, mentioned in Ephesians 4:12, does not refer merely to the work of the apostles, prophets, evangelists, and shepherd-teachers but even the more to the work of the saints. Hence, the building up of the Body of Christ is accomplished by the perfected saints. The gifted persons should learn how to perfect others and, after finishing the perfecting work, they should leave the building up of the church to all the members of the Body and let the members build up the Body directly.
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