As believers in Christ, we are the many abodes in the Father’s house, and we are built up by the constant visitation of the Triune God, the Father and the Son with the Spirit to be the mutual dwelling place of God and man. Hallelujah!
The Bible is truly a wonderful and amazing book, for it not only reveals God’s intention in the universe but even more gives us a way to enter into oneness with God to fulfil His heart’s desire.
In the Old Testament, we see how God created man in His own image and according to His own likeness, but this man fell and did not remain in God’s presence nor cooperate with God for His purpose.
No matter how much God tried to call a people, care for them, reveal Himself to them, and even have a dwelling place among them, it seems that again and again, His people failed Him in the Old Testament.
The main problem was that God was outside of man, not inside him, so man could at most love God and obey God, but there was not much within man’s sinful being that was one hundred per cent for God.
But praise the Lord, in the New Testament we see that Jesus Christ came as God becoming a man.
He embodied God and lived a perfect human life on earth, died an all-inclusive death on the cross, and resurrected to become the life-giving Spirit to dispense Himself into man.
When He was living on earth, the Lord Jesus was yearning to be baptized with the baptism of His death, for He knew that it was only through death and resurrection that He could be glorified.
Others sought Him and wanted to crown Him as king, but He fled from such ones.
And when even some from abroad came to see Him, He realized that it was time for Him to be glorified; however, the glorification that He wanted was not just good speaking and praises from man but the release and impartation of the divine life.
Christ was glorified in His resurrection, for He as a grain of wheat died and resurrected, and in resurrection, He was multiplied, duplicated, and mass-reproduced in His believers. Praise the Lord!
The issue of Christ’s glorification in His resurrection is the incorporation of all of God’s chosen, redeemed, and regenerated people with Himself.
Christ was already in an incorporation with the Father and the Spirit, for the Divine Trinity has been, are, and will forever be a divine incorporation.
But through death and resurrection, man was included in the enlarged divine-human incorporation. The issue of Christ being glorified in His resurrection is that God gained this universal, divine-human incorporation of all of God’s regenerated people.
The Gospel of John shows us that there are three main aspects to this divine-human incorporation: the Father’s house (John 14), the Son’s vine (John 15), and the Spirit’s child (John 16).
The church as the Body of Christ is unveiled in the gospel of John as being the house of the Father with many abodes, the vine of Christ spreading throughout the earth for His multiplication, and the new man born of the Spirit. Hallelujah!
The Father’s House is an Incorporation of the Processed and Consummated God constituted with His Redeemed, Regenerated, and Transformed Elect
The first aspect of the incorporation of the consummated God with the regenerated believers in resurrection is the house of the Father, typified by the temple (John 14:2; 2:16-21; 1 Tim. 3:15).
The Father’s house in John 14 is typified by the temple of God in 2:16-21.
What is the Father’s house in John 14?
The Father’s house is a divine and human incorporation of the processed and consummated God constituted with His redeemed, regenerated, and transformed elect.
This is the highest definition of the house of the Father.
It is not a physical mansion with many rooms where the believers live, and the Lord did not go to heavens as a carpenter to build us the heavenly mansions. No.
All the believers in Christ, all those who have been redeemed through the blood of Christ, regenerated with the life of Christ by the Spirit, and transformed with the divine element by the life-giving Spirit, are the many “abodes” in the Father’s house (John 14:2).
Brothers and sisters in the Lord, we are not “going to heaven” to be part of the “heavenly mansion” that Christ is building for us.
Rather, we are the many abodes in the house of the Father, and God and Christ with the Spirit is building Himself into us and building us into Himself so that we may become the mutual abode of God and man.
The place that Christ is preparing to go to is a person, God the Father; He wants us to enter into God and for God to enter into us, for us to dwell in God and for God to dwell in us.
May the Lord unveil us and unveil all the believers in Christ to realize that we are the many abodes in the house of the Father, and this house is an incorporation of the processed and consummated Triune God constituted with the regenerated believers in resurrection.
In John 2:16 and 21, we see that “My Father’s house” refers to the temple, the body of Christ as the dwelling place of God.
When Christ was on the earth, the body of Christ was only His individual body, and God dwelt in Him individually; in Christ dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
But through death and resurrection, the body of Christ has increased and was expanded to be His corporate Body, the church.
![You yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Pet. 2:5 But Christ [was faithful] as a Son over His house, whose house we are if indeed we hold fast the boldness and the boast of hope firm to the end. Heb. 3:6](https://i0.wp.com/www.agodman.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/You-yourselves-also-as-living-stones-are-being-built-up-as-a-spiritual-house-into-a-holy-priesthood-to-offer-up-spiritual-sacrifices-acceptable-to-God--683x1024.webp?resize=400%2C600&ssl=1 "You yourselves also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house into a holy priesthood to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Pet. 2:5 But Christ [was faithful] as a Son over His house, whose house we are if indeed we hold fast the boldness and the boast of hope firm to the end. Heb. 3:6")
All the believers in Christ have been regenerated through the resurrection of Christ (1 Pet. 1:3) to be the many members of the Body of Christ and the many abodes in the Father’s house. Hallelujah!
In Christ’s resurrection, the church is the Body of Christ, which is the house of God (1 Tim. 4:15; 1 Pet. 2:5; Heb. 3:6), the habitation of God (Eph. 2:21-22), the temple of God (1 Cor. 3:16-17).
The Father’s house is an incorporation of God and man – not just the “raw God” and the “untransformed man” but the processed and consummated God and the redeemed, regenerated, and transformed man.
God had to go through a process to be able to be joined, mingled, and incorporated with man.
In his turn, man also is going through a process in order to be able to be joined in life, mingled in nature, and incorporated in person with the processed and consummated God to be the house of the Father. Hallelujah!
The Father’s house has many abodes, which are the many members of the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:5).
All believers in Christ are the temple of God, and together we are the house of the Father. Praise the Lord!
Lord Jesus, thank You for going through death and resurrection to regenerate us and make us the many abodes in the house of the Father, the church. Hallelujah, we have been regenerated in the resurrection of Christ to be members of the Body of Christ, the church. Praise the Lord, we are part of the divine-human incorporation of the processed and consummated God constituted with His redeemed, regenerated, and transformed elect. Wow, Lord, what a house is this! We are not looking forward to some heavenly mansion or villa: we are right now being constituted to be the abodes in the Father’s house, the church! Praise the Lord! Thank You, Lord, we have been redeemed through the blood of Christ and regenerated with Your life by Your Spirit! Thank You for transforming us with the divine element by the life-giving Spirit to make us the many abodes in the Father’s house! Praise the Lord!
The Father’s House is Built up by the Constant Visitation of the Triune God Indwelling us
When we speak of the Father’s house (John 14:2), there is a need of building this house.
How can we build the Father’s house? How is the Father’s house built up?
It is not by anything outward nor is it by Jesus as the Carpenter cutting wood and fitting stones together to make some amazing “heavenly mansions” as some Christians today think.
According to John 14:21 and 23, the Father’s house is built up by the constant visitation of the Triune God who indwells us to make us a mutual abode of God and man.
As believers in Christ, we love the Lord and we love His word; we abide in the Lord and we abide in His word.
As we abide in the Lord’s word and enjoy Him in the word, the Father and the Son with the Spirit visit us to make us a mutual abode, Him abiding in us and we abide in Him.
If we love the Lord and keep His word, the Father will love us, and the Triune God will come to us to make an abode with us (John 14:23).
When the Lord Jesus came into us, He came into our spirit with His divine life, and He dwells in us as the Spirit; we are the dwelling place of God.
Now He is housing more into our being by our coming to Him in His word; the more we keep His word by loving Him and by being in His word, the more He builds up the Father’s house by His constant visitation to make us a mutual dwelling place of God and man.
This is something that is effortless; it is not by our struggling and fighting but by the constant visitation of the Triune God who indwells us.
When we exercise our spirit, our spirit is of power, of love, and of sober-mindedness; our spirit of love toward the Lord needs to be exercised, and the Lord will visit us again and again.
We all can testify that, as we enjoy the Lord in the word day by day, He visits us again and again. In our daily life, the Father and the Son often come to visit us.
He may remind us of a verse and may speak to us in a fresh way through the things happening around us.
Wherever we may be and whatever we may be doing, the Father and the Son come to visit us in order to do a building work in us, making an abode that will be a mutual dwelling place for the Triune God and for us.
The Father’s house is through the constant visitation of the Triune God who indwells us.
This house is built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets; Christ is the cornerstone, and this house is growing into the holy temple of the Lord, which is the dwelling place of God in our spirit (Eph. 2:19-22).
As we open to the Lord day by day and come to fellowship with Him in His word, Christ is making His home in our hearts; the Father strengthens us into our inner man through the Spirit according to the riches of His glory unto the fullness, the expression, of the consummated Triune God (Eph. 3:16-19).
May we daily come to the Lord in His word to fellowship with Him, converse with Him, muse on His word, prayerfully read the Word, and exercise our spirit of love toward the Lord.
The more we love the Lord, the more we will keep His word; as we keep His word, the Father will love us and He and the Son with the Spirit will come to dwell with us, making us His abode.
When we say, Lord Jesus, we love You! He responds back, I love you too!
He wants to hear that we love Him; we need to maintain our romance with the Lord.
We may wake up in the morning and may not feel so great; even as we look at ourselves in the mirror, we may feel not too encouraged by what we see.
But praise the Lord, we can tell the Lord, Lord Jesus, we love You!
We love Him because He loved us first. Because He loved us and He loves us, we still love Him.
The more we love Him and we enjoy Him in the word, the more He manifests Himself to us (John 14:21) and makes an abode with us and us with Him.
We need the constant visitation of the Triune God who indwells us.
The purpose of the house of the Father is for the invisible and mysterious Triune God to have a visible and solid manifestation among men on the earth; this is the church as the Father’s house (1 Tim. 3:15-16).
Also, the purpose of the Father’s house is for the processed and consummated Triune God to be satisfied and full of rest; in His house, He is at rest and is fully satisfied.
Finally, the house of the Father is for the eternal and purposeful Triune God to carry out His eternal economy to consummate the New Jerusalem, which is His eternal goal for His eternal expansion and expression.
He will gain the New Jerusalem through the church as the Father’s house.
May we be those who have the constant visitation of the Triune God in our spirit so that we may be the mutual dwelling place of the consummated Triune God and His redeemed elect.
Lord Jesus, we love You and we open to You. We come to You in Your word and we exercise our spirit of love to love You and open to You. Amen, Lord, we want to keep Your word so that we may have Your constant visitation. Visit us today again and again. May the Father and the Son with the Spirit visit us again and again throughout the day so that we may be built up into the Father’s house. Father, strengthen us into our inner man through the Spirit so that Christ may make His home deep down in our heart. Build Yourself into us and build us into Yourself day by day. We want to have the constant visitation of the Triune God so that we may built up as the many abodes in the house of the Father! Amen, Lord, how we love to be here, in the church as the Father’s house, having the constant visitation of God! How we love to enjoy You day by day and receive the rich infusion of God to be built into God and for God to be built into us for the mutual dwelling place of God and man!
References and Hymns on this Topic
- Inspiration for this article/sharing comes from the Word of God, the enjoyment in the ministry, a sharing by brother Ed Marks in the message for this week, and portions from, Collected Works of Witness Lee, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Issue of Christ Being Glorified by the Father with the Divine Glory,” chs. 4-6, as quoted in the Holy Word for Morning Revival on, An Overview of the Central Burden and Present Truth of the Lord’s Recovery Before His Appearing (2023 July Semiannual Training), week 11, entitled, The Divine-human Incorporation of the Consummated God with the Regenerated Believers – the Issue of Christ being Glorified by the Father with the Divine Glory.
- Similar articles on this topic:
– Three Parables Portray the Triune God as our Entrance into New Jerusalem, via, New Jerusalem blog.
– The first aspect of the incorporation of the consummated God with the regenerated believers being the house of the Father, a portion from, The Issue of Christ Being Glorified by the Father with the Divine Glory, Chapter 4, by Witness Lee.
– 7 Wonderful Aspects of the Church in Ephesians, article via Bibles for America blog.
– Aspects of the New Jerusalem – Glorification, article via Affirmation and Critique.
– 2012 Labor Day Conference with Ron Kangas – Jacksonville, Florida on the topic of, In the Father’s house, via, Living to Him.
– The intrinsic significance of the church – the Father’s house, outline via, Church in Plano.
– In My Father’s House – Living in the Dwelling Place of the Triune God, article via, AgeTurners.com.
– Crucial points of truth in John 14, article by Ron Kangas in, Affirmation and Critique. - Hymns on this topic:
– I’m abiding in the Lord / And confiding in His word; / I am hiding in the bosom of His love. / Yes, abiding in the Lord / And confiding in His word, / I am hiding in the bosom of His love. (Hymns #564 chorus)
– In God’s house and in Thy Body / Builded up I long to be, / That within this corporate vessel / All shall then Thy glory see; / That Thy Bride, the glorious city, / May appear upon the earth, / As a lampstand brightly beaming / To express to all Thy worth. (Hymns #840 stanza 4)
– How glorious, how bright it shines, / The holy, new Jerusalem; / It is God’s dwelling place with man, / The spotless bride of Christ, the Lamb. / Saints of the Old and of the New, / Heirs of the promise God bestowed, / Components of the city are, / Together built for God’s abode. (Hymns #979 stanzas 1-2)
CWWL, 1994-1997, vol. 5, “The Issue of Christ Being Glorified by the Father with the Divine Glory,” pp. 342-344
Dear brother, we are the many abodes in the Father’s house, and we’re built up by the constant visitation of the Father and the Son with the Spirit who indwells us.
May we open to and welcome the Lord’s visitation throughout the day and may we abide in His word, enjoying Him in the word so that He may make us His abode.
AMEN👑
*According to the interpretation in 2:16, 21, My Father’s house, refers to the “temple, the Body of Christ, as God’s dwelling place.” At first, the body of Christ was only His individual body. But through, Christ’s death and “resurrection,” the BODY OF CHRIST has “increased” to be His “corporate Body,” which is the CHURCH, including, all His believers, who have been “regenerated,” through, His resurrection (1 Pet. 1:3).
*In Christ’s resurrection the “church” is the “Body of Christ,” which is the “house of God,” (1 Tim. 3:15; 1 Pet. 2:5; Heb. 3:6), God’s habitation (Eph. 2:21-22), God’s “temple” (1 Cor. 3:16-17).
*The many “abodes” are the many “members of the Body of Christ,” (Rom. 12:5), which, is “God’s temple.” (1 Cor. 3:16-17). This is adequately proven by v. 23, which says, that the “…Lord and the Father” will make an abode with the one who loves Him.
Amen!
Lord do visit us throughout the day. Lord remind us to keep turning back to You.
Build us up as the many abodes for the Father’s house!
Wow brother in the Father’s house the invisible and mysterious Triune God is manifested in the church and is the satisfaction and rest for the processed and consummated Triune God!
Amen brother.
We are being built up as the Father’s house by the constant visitation of Christ as the Spirit, and through the foundation of the apostles & prophets with Christ as the cornerstone.
May we open to the Lord every day and allow Him to make His home in our hearts.
Also, we need to allow the Word to dwell richly in us so that we would grow in life and become the temple of the Triune God. May the invisible & mysterious Triune God gain a visible & solid manifestation— the church— among men on Earth.
What a revelation to see that the House of the Father is the first aspect of the divine and human incorporation of the consummated God with the redeemed, regenerated and transformed believers and is the issue of Christ’s glorification.
As those who love God and keep His word we have such an abode in the Father’s House in which we mutually indwell!
Praise the Lord who prepared such place for us in this divine and human incorporation!
Praise the Lord! 😃 🙋🏽 Amen!🙏
Amen dear brother!
Is it wonderful to that we are built up with the apostles and prophets with the chief cornerstone the Lord Jesus Christ! He is building us up in the organic mutual abode with his rich supply daily!
We grow and mature as we abide and enjoy in Him!
Hallelujah!😃
hallelujah because we are his many abodes today here on earth
Listen to the audio version of this article via,
https://youtu.be/m6RVxNNdnBA
John 14:2, footnote 1 on “My Father’s house”, Recovery Version Bible
Amen!!! This post fills me with joy. Thank you my dear brother.
A while back, the Lord told me, “You are no longer Gail. You are an address. Gail is a place that God lives.” I knew this was a word for us all in the church. We are all addresses where God lives, His many dwellings, and together we become His beautiful city.
But it gets better. As His Body and this city, we not only have constant access to Him, but also to each other….no more separation. This is the beloved oneness we seek to understand and embrace. We are more than welcome guests, more than visitors. We are members truly, one of another, with equal access to each other in Him.
Each day when we come back to our home, are we visiting? Let’s say we have several homes; one by the beach, one in the country, another in town. Do we visit? No. We reside, as they are our homes. May our Lord more than visit us. May He reside and find His rest and peace and pleasure within us. And let us find our peace and rest within Him and each other.
Praise the Lord for the light He is shining upon you brother. In this light much is revealed and the complicated is unraveled before us. Once we see, when the veils are lifted, how beautiful and simple He has made it all, for our sakes. May we give Him the glory forever.