A Building—A Habitation

A Building—A Habitation

The Scriptures describe true salvation, real salvation in deed and in truth—salvation becoming a reality—as a building, a habitation of God in the Spirit. This is particularly significant and is a clear indication of something that is becoming a reality—lasting realities— in contrast to feelings and moods.

A habitation arises by laying one brick upon another, or one beam is fastened to another beam or something similar. And where they are put, that is where they stay permanently. They are securely placed. Only solid, secure buildings. This is what happens to those who hold fast to the Word.

Unfortunately, as far as most people are concerned, they are mostly unstable buildings. Even if they hear much of God’s word and nod their heads, acknowledging that it is true and good, they usually lack the essential thing which is, to hold fast to it for time and eternity.

This has a curious result: namely, that people who have been converted to God for many years can demonstrate almost any kind of sin and foolishness. They may have tasted God’s goodness many times and in many different ways. They have heard and read and also spoken God’s word many times, but they have not really understood (and in any case, they have not done it) to build, to enter into the truths one by one and live in them steadily and continuously.

Even the small beginning, faith in the forgiveness of sins, usually totters for many people in the hour of trial.

The Scriptures speak about being rooted and grounded in the truth. Having acknowledged a truth is one thing; holding fast to it is something else. Only the word to which you hold fast is part of the habitation. All the other words that you have heard and have tasted are almost like materials that are lying around on the building site. You could have built with them, but you simply did not do it.

Only that which is eternally firm is eternal treasure.

Each individual’s life is like a habitation. His life is built up in purity, truth, righteousness, love, etc. In the same manner, every single person is joined together with the others to be a habitation, to be a whole.

Every single word and light about righteousness, truth, mercy, etc., is to be considered a stone that must be placed firmly and forever in the habitation of our life. In reality this means that it becomes a part of our new, divine nature, that is, something that is an integral part of life; it has become natural for us to live like that. Just as a sinner naturally follows his sinful nature, so we regularly follow—without exception—our divine nature, to the extent that we have already partaken of it, as far as the stones have been firmly placed. Everything else is to be considered as movable, or just some form.

The firm, stalwart, lawful habitation in the Spirit is the perfect contrast to the sinners’ changing, emotional, random, arbitrary, and completely unpredictable existence.

The watchword is: Do not bother about everything that you or all the others think, have an opinion about, feel, and assert. Lay hold of divine, living stones, and place them in your life firmly and forever, serving others unto that same, noble end. Amen.