How can the Holy & Righteous God live in Corrupted Beings?

[Vine Abider]

I've often thought about this, that is, God is the one that can't even be looked upon because He's 100% holy, pure and righteous. So how can this One indwell impure, corrupted man?

I got some light on this in the devotional "Daily Light" for March 23rd (morning page), which devotional is comprised of simply God's word. (anyone else use this devotional for prayer and meditation?)

But before answering my own question, let me ask all y'alls: How is this possible for the perfect God to live in imperfect man?

[D. Adrien]

By His death having fulfilled the requirement of His law. It is through Jesus that we all believers are deemed righteous. Rom. 10:4

For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes.

So then His Holy Spirit will dwell within the believer.

Edit: And Rom. 5:17

For if, because of one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one man, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and the free gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man Jesus Christ.

Edited March 24, 2024 by D. Adrien

[Michael37]

36 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

I've often thought about this, that is, God is the one that can't even be looked upon because He's 100% holy, pure and righteous. So how can this One indwell impure, corrupted man?

I got some light on this in the devotional "Daily Light" for March 23rd (morning page), which devotional is comprised of simply God's word. (anyone else use this devotional for prayer and meditation?)

But before answering my own question, let me ask all y'alls: How is this possible for the perfect God to live in imperfect man?

Romans 8, start to finish.

[AdHoc]

16 minutes ago, Vine Abider said:

I've often thought about this, that is, God is the one that can't even be looked upon because He's 100% holy, pure and righteous. So how can this One indwell impure, corrupted man?

I got some light on this in the devotional "Daily Light" for March 23rd (morning page), which devotional is comprised of simply God's word. (anyone else use this devotional for prayer and meditation?)

But before answering my own question, let me ask all y'alls: How is this possible for the perfect God to live in imperfect man?

I understand that the process of getting God into man is achieved totally by Jesus Christ and applied by the Holy Spirit.

The Tabernacle - God's first dwelling place - was specially designed to protect God's holiness. It also provided a very strict approach by man through multiple "gates". But the question above is really about the human BODY, for it is Christ's Body that was called a Temple (Jn.2:19-21). And after our Lord Jesus had gone to prepare an "abode" and returned, it was our BODIES that became a Temple for the Triune God (1st Cor.6:19). And it is here that we see a literal "wonder-work" of God.

The Body of any man who came from Adam is totally poisoned and corrupted. Paul  calls it this "vile" body and the "body of death" (Phil.3:21, Rom.7:24). In 2nd Corinthians 5 it says that in life we "groan" in this body and in Romans 7 it says that "NO good thing dwells in our bodies". Truly, what will it take for a holy God to use man's body for His abode on earth?

God's creation shows us how. God sets forth a Law in Genesis 1:11-12 that multiplication of the animated creature will be by a seed within it, and it will always produce the same specie as the seed is. This is true today. In fact it is so important that it is upon this Law that Jesus possesses both humanity and divinity. It is also the basis of your rebirth. God had His Model in Jesus - the perfect Man. And so what He did was to put us all IN Jesus as seed of a KIND. In John 12:24 our Lord Jesus died as a seed. And in death our Lord achieves two things.

1. Because Jesus is the Creator of all things, and is the "Firstborn of all creatures", His death ended the old creation. And because we are IN Him, we were terminated too (Gal.2:20).

2. Because Jesus released us in the process of dying, like a grain of Wheat does, we became a New Creation with all that was old done away with (2nd Cor.5:17). This whole process is explained in the first verses of Romans 6, and Baptism is the "sign" that we have been through this process. A man IN Christ has a POSITION - in His death and in His resurrection.

God now reckons a man IN Christ to be of the New Creation and in resurrection the old Adamic nature that corrupted our Bodies is gone. Now all that remains for Christ to do is WASH us and we are perfectly ready POSITIONALLY to host God.

But God makes provision for our failures. He is a Spirit and so He makes man's human spirit His dwelling place. God only dwells in the Believers human spirit and is shielded from the profane by the man's soul. The journey to reach God in this new setup is designed to protect God's holiness. The journey we take to reach God in our spirits is quick. We approach Him in "Jesus' Name". In reality this is a complex journey. Our Bodies, being a "Tabernacle", has Gates, an Altar, a Laver, a first Curtain, a Lampstand burning, a Bread of Life Table, an Alar of Incense hard against another Curtain, and finally two Cherubim. Our Lord Jesus literally piggy-backs us through the whole way:
1. He is the Lamb without blemish Who died on the altar of sacrifice,
2. He is our washing at the Laver by His Word and blood
3. He is the Lampstand to shine His Light on our sins and our intellect
4. He is the Bread of Life for our DISPOSITION
5. He is the Incense that carries our prayers to the Father
6. He is our High Priest that carries us by name on His shoulders and by His heart of love
7. He has passed through the Cherubim

.... and delvers us at the Throne of Grace - the Mercy Seat with its significant contents, and which UPON WE MEET WITH GOD (Jn.4:24). John 14 says that our Lord will go and prepare an ABODE, then return that we may be where He was already. The goal - to make men abodes of God. But He had to PREPARE a place. The above is a very brief explanation of one of the most profound events ever to happen 

20 At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (Jn 14:20)

[enoob57]

The cross itself was the concluding work of God bring about a new creation of s/Spirit which is kept by the power of God from sin and guaranteed and eternal place in that conclusion unto a new heaven and new earth where sin has not existed nor ever will be... sin has no place with God and never will have... 'It is finished' were just seeing that played out in drawing as many souls as whosoever will into that reality...

[FJK]

12 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

So how can this One indwell impure, corrupted man?

Jesus said we can do all of the things he did and even more, yet we don't.

Maybe this is why.

[Vine Abider]

Some great answers here, including from @AdHoc whose answer was "worthy!"

Here's what that Daily Light devotional said (that I spoke of in the OP):

Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty.

But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel. § [God] said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. § “To whom then will you liken Me, or to whom shall I be equal?” says the Holy One. § I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior… I, even I, am the Lord, and besides Me there is no savior.

As He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct, because it is written, “Be holy, for I am holy.” § Do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? § You are the temple of the living God. As God has said: “I will dwell in them and walk among them. I will be their God, and they shall be My people.” § Can two walk together, unless they are agreed?

Rev. 4:8; Ps. 22:3; Ex. 3:5–6; Isa. 40:25; 43:3, 11;
1 Peter 1:15–16; 1 Cor. 6:19; 2 Cor. 6:16; Amos 3:3

From these scriptures it was apparent, to me, these key things: 

1) God is holy beyond our comprehension  

2) Man has a big problem in that he is corrupted and unable to look upon the most holy God

3) God desires to live in us and change us from the inside

4) To live in us, He must make us righteous to be fit for His filling. . . not just the appearance of righteousness, but truly righteous, clean and pure!

This righteousness is accomplished by the work of Christ and is imputed to us by simply believing in Him - and then we are fit to be filled with His Spirit, Who will supply our every need!!!

Therefore, the Christian life is simply two main things: His Righteousness & His Supply!   

[Marathoner]

20 hours ago, Vine Abider said:

How is this possible for the perfect God to live in imperfect man?

@AdHoc has furnished an excellent response so if I have anything to contribute toward answering your question, it's as follows:

God does whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3);
God is merciful and swift to forgive (Psalms 86:5, Nehemiah 9:17, Jonah 4:2);
God has mercy upon whomever He chooses (Romans 9:18);
God looks upon the humble and contrite as His house and place of rest on earth (Isaiah 66:1-2);

We are so much more than imperfect men and women. We are the temple of God (the temple of the Holy Spirit) raised without human hands --- living stones --- and His holy nation of kings and priests. The work of the Lord has never been about the lofty expectations of men who focus their gaze upon the wise and the mighty among themselves; it pleases God to choose the lowly and the broken vessel. These are the humble and contrite whom the Lord regards upon His throne in heaven. The lowly shall be exalted. 

Edited March 25, 2024 by Marathoner

[Vine Abider]

18 minutes ago, Marathoner said:

@AdHoc has furnished an excellent response so if I have anything to contribute toward answering your question, it's as follows:

God does whatever He pleases (Psalm 115:3);
God is merciful and swift to forgive (Psalms 86:5, Nehemiah 9:17, Jonah 4:2);
God has mercy upon whomever He chooses (Romans 9:18);
God looks upon the humble and contrite as His house and place of rest on earth (Isaiah 66:1-2);

We are so much more than imperfect men and women. We are the temple of God (the temple of the Holy Spirit) raised without human hands --- living stones --- and His holy nation of kings and priests. The work of the Lord has never been about the lofty expectations of men who focus their gaze upon the wise and the mighty among themselves; it pleases God to choose the lowly and the broken vessel. These are the humble and contrite whom the Lord regards upon His throne in heaven. The lowly shall be exalted. 

Our vessels were not just lowly and broken, but they were downright nasty - full of defiling things. So the work of Christ had to be fully complete to remove all unrighteousness.  But, as @AdHoc pointed out, He even crucifies that old man (1st Adam)!  It's still a wonderous mystery to me, but all that is required of me now is to just believe what God says is true* of me: I am the righteousness of God in Christ - a brand new critter in Him!  So now the holy God can live in me!

* And it's not like God says it, yet somehow it isn't true.  He cannot lie - this righteousness must be the real and genuine thing.  Otherwise, the enemy could rightly accuse God by saying something like, "You just sort of waved a proverbial 'magic wand' and made them artificially righteous.  (Therefore, why don't you just do the same for us?)"

[Neighbor]

On 3/24/2024 at 6:16 PM, Vine Abider said:

I've often thought about this, that is, God is the one that can't even be looked upon because He's 100% holy, pure and righteous. So how can this One indwell impure, corrupted man?

I got some light on this in the devotional "Daily Light" for March 23rd (morning page), which devotional is comprised of simply God's word. (anyone else use this devotional for prayer and meditation?)

But before answering my own question, let me ask all y'alls: How is this possible for the perfect God to live in imperfect man?

"So how can this One indwell impure, corrupted man?'

As I understand it: He can't!

God is Holy, He cannot abide that which is not holy  (Perfect).

Man is not perfect, cannot become perfect for imperfection, like virginity, cannot be restored. 

It is an irreconcilable problem, except that God has reconciled the problem in Christ Jesus taking on himself that imperfection covering it in his own shed blood.

It is only by God that (any) man that accepts the sacrifice made for them by Jesus is seen by His Father as perfect and holy.  God the Holy Spirit perhaps has the nastiest of duty and privilege, that of making the specific call to each person to turn about from sin against God to worship of Jesus as God lord and savior. 

Anyway, that is the way I see it.