October 16 | Bible in a Year: Isaiah 47–49; 1 Thessalonians 4

The Indwelling Christ

On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. John 14:20

John 14:20

READ John 14:15–24

English preacher F. B. Meyer (1847–1929) used the example of an egg to illustrate what he called “the deep philosophy of the indwelling Christ.” He noted how the fertilised yolk is a little “life germ” that grows more and more each day until the chick is formed in the shell. So too will Jesus come to live with us through His Holy Spirit, changing us. Meyer said, “From now on Christ is going to grow and increase and absorb into Himself everything else, and be formed in you.”

He apologised for stating the truths of Jesus imperfectly, knowing that his words couldn’t fully convey the wonderful reality of Christ dwelling in believers through the Holy Spirit. But he urged his listeners to share with others, however imperfectly, what Jesus meant when He said, “On that day you will realise that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you” (John 14:20). Jesus said these words on the night of His last supper with His friends. He wanted them to know that He and His Father would come and make their home with those who obey Him (v. 23). This is possible because through the Spirit, Jesus dwells in those who believe in Him, changing them from the inside out.

No matter how you picture it, we have Christ living inside us, guiding us and helping us to grow to be more like Him.

By Amy Boucher Pye

What difference does it make to you that Jesus dwells within you? How do you see His presence in others?

Jesus, You’re God and man. Thank You for giving of Yourself so sacrificially, that I might be called a child of God.

SCRIPTURE INSIGHT

Jesus promised that “another advocate” (John 14:16), the “Spirit of truth” (v. 17), would be with His disciples after He was no longer physically present (v. 28). The word advocate (Greek paraklētos), used only by John, is a word with legal connotations, a bit like a defence lawyer or counsellor. Jesus’ words suggest that He was an advocate and teacher to His disciples while on earth. After Jesus’ resurrection and ascension, the Spirit would continue this work ( vv. 25–26). First John 2:1 points to an inseparable relationship between Jesus and the Spirit as advocates for believers in Jesus. Here, we’re told “we have an advocate with the Father—Jesus Christ, the Righteous One.”