INDWELT BY DEITY

"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:23, NKJV).

Devotion 5 of 9

THE FATHER AND THE SON

All through Scripture, the Father and the Son stand together. Jesus urged His disciples to believe in Him as well as God the Father (John 14:1). John declared that the Father and the Son are possessed together, or not at all (1 John 2:23). Jesus declared those honoring the Father must also honor the Son (John 5:23). It is good to know that together, They also dwell with us. "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (John 14:23). Those that confine every aspect of John 14-16 to the Apostles do greatly err. The promise of Jesus extends to the far corners of the earth. "A man" is any person, at any time, that maintains his grasp upon Christ's words, refusing to let them go. Jesus declares that such an one will experience the abiding presence of both the Father and the Son. First, the Father "will love" this individual. "Love," not in the sense of simply being attracted to, but of working with. To "make our abode with him" speaks more of constancy than of permanence. The idea is that the Father and the Son will have affinity with the person fulfilling the requirement. They will delight in his person, and unashamedly identify with him. I must admit that this was a challenging thought to embrace. This is no marvel. Satan surely does not want us to take hold of this promise. No doubt he has devised whole systems of theology to convince men that this is not for them. But after all of the arguments have been cited, together with linguistic expertise and persuasive skills, Christ's words still remain. "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." Every child of God does well to take them into his heart and mind. Meditate upon them! Believe them! They are a divine commitment! Would you have dared to believe that both the Father and the Son desire to make their abode with you, and will do so, if Jesus had not said it? Perhaps this is why He is so clear in His affirmation. You must be strong in faith, taking hold of this word. The word of the King cannot be altered!

THE FATHER

The Father has largely been excluded from contemporary religion. Such things ought not to be. Frequently we must refresh our minds with the role of our Father. It is His "eternal purpose" (Eph. 3:11). He has "sent the Son" (1 John 4:14). The Son came to do His will (Heb. 10:7). Jesus has reconciled us to God (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18; Col. 1:21), and brings us to God (1 Pet. 3:18). When the Father dwells within us, the purpose of salvation is realized, and His will is being fulfilled. "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (2 Cor 6:16). Remember, this is spoken to individuals that are already in Christ. There are persons who have not availed themselves of the benefits of the new covenant. They have allowed their adversary to turn them aside. But God will not let them go without an initiative to retrieve them. He holds out this promise to those who will hear. If they are willing to separate themselves from moral and spiritual defilement, touching not the unclean thing, God Himself will dwell in them and walk in them. Once perceived, this is a blessing that constrains the abandonment of sin. "Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: (but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also" (1 John 2:23). While the Father and the Son are separate individuals, they cannot be separated in salvation. Those who deny the Son do not possess the Father, regardless of their theological position. Scripturally, this applies to two classes of people: the Jews, and, in the case of John's epistle, the gnostic. The point of this particular treatise is that the individual can have the Father. That is a thought worthy of your deepest contemplation. "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us." (1 John 4:12). The reason why "no man hath seen God at any time" is that no man can see Him and survive (John 1:18; 1 John 4:12). This is speaking of God's fullness, not of introductory revelations. Moses saw God's "back parts" (Ex. 33:23). There have been partial revelations of God throughout history. Jesus said, "He that hath seen Me hath seen the Father" (John 14:9). John's statement informs us that no person in the flesh has directly confronted God. He is too glorious and too holy to allow such a confrontation. He is a "consuming fire" (Deut. 4:24; Heb. 12:29), and would consume imperfect individuals confronting Him directly. But John does not leave the matter here. He states that God indwells those who love one another. In fact, their love is really an exhibition of God's love, which is "perfected," or "made complete" (NIV) within them. PRAYER POINT: Father, the consideration of You and Your Son dwelling within me seems too wonderful. Had Jesus not declared it, I could not have imagined it. How I thank and praise You for making this known, and giving me the faith to receive it.

-- TOMORROW: THE SON --