Verse 22 says, “In Whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in spirit.” The word “you” here, which refers to the local saints, indicates that the building in verse 21 is universal and the building in verse 22 is local. In this verse Paul was saying that the local saints, the saints in Ephesus, were being built together in Christ into a dwelling place of God. Therefore, in these verses Paul covered 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.
Why does Paul use the term “holy temple” in referring to the universal aspect and the term “dwelling place of God” when speaking of the local aspect? What is the difference, if any, between the holy temple and the dwelling place of God? Apart from the universal temple, there is not another temple called the local temple. The temple and the dwelling place refer to two aspects of the same thing. Do not consider the temple a dwelling place. The temple is the place in which God’s people contact God, worship Him, and hear His oracle. The dwelling place is a place of rest. God rests in His dwelling place. However, the temple and the dwelling place are not two distinct places. Rather, they are two aspects, two functions or usages, of the same building. The church is the place where God’s people contact God, worship Him, and receive His word, and it is also the place of God’s rest.
All the local churches are part of the universal church, not something in addition to it or apart from it. All the local churches added together equal the universal church. This means that apart from the local churches there is no universal church. Hence, the building of the local church is the building of the universal church. All the local churches have just one building. The church in Anaheim does not have one building; the church in Chicago, another; and the church in New York, still another. However, our natural concept of the building is that there is a different building in each locality. In this universe there is just one building with a universal aspect and a local aspect. No matter how many churches there may be on earth, there is still just one building with these two aspects.
Verse 22 says 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 in 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 simply cannot separate our spirit from the Lord. Therefore, our spirit is the place where the building of the church is. The building is not in our mind, emotion, soul, or heart. It is absolutely a matter in our spirit.
If we wish to understand such matters as the foundation of the apostles and prophets and the difference between the holy temple and the dwelling place of God, we need to have a sober mind as we study the Bible. The Bible is the most logical of books. Our God is not foolish, and He never speaks nonsense. He is very logical, and everything in His Word is logical. Hence, we should not have an undisciplined mentality as we study the Bible. On the contrary, in reading the Bible we must exercise our sober mind to ask the proper questions. Then the light will shine. This is a basic principle in understanding the Word of God. May we all, especially the young brothers and sisters, learn to study the Bible in this way.