God’s House

(Hebrews 3:1-6 – God’s House)

The house of God is an interesting study in the Bible. It is not what many people believe it to be, including some ministers of the church.

This scripture in Hebrews talks about God’s house, explaining what it is, who built it, who worked in it, and more. It is important to understand because it goes to the core of what the church is, and basically the church is the house of God.

In fact, as we study the subject of God’s house, we find that many of the beliefs about the house of God become redundant. This scripture is a good place to start, and there are many others, that show us the truth about God’s house.

Who built God’s house?

This is a question that can be easily answered. In the words of this section of Hebrews we find the answer to that question.

1 Therefore, holy brethren, who share in a heavenly call, consider Jesus, the apostle and high priest of our confession. 2 He was faithful to him who appointed him, just as Moses also was faithful in God’s house. 3 Yet Jesus has been counted worthy of as much more glory than Moses as the builder of a house has more honour than the house. 4 (For every house is built by some one, but the builder of all things is God.) 5 Now Moses was faithful in all God’s house as a servant, to testify to the things that were to be spoken later, 6 but Christ was faithful over God’s house as a son. And we are his house if we hold fast our confidence and pride in our hope. (Hebrews 3:1-6)

It is clear from these words that the builder of God’s house was and is Jesus.

God’s house was also built long before Christ came to the earth to dwell among us too. Note that in verse 2, it says that Moses was faithful in God’s house. Moses lived roughly 1,400 years before Jesus came. So, the house of God predated Christ by at least that period of time, and probably even further back than that.

So, let’s look at the nature of God’s house.

God’s house is not made with hands

This is the first thing we need to understand. The house of God was not made by human hands.

We often hear preachers say to their congregation, “How great it is to be here in the house of God,” or words to that effect. It makes me wonder whether they are speaking about the particular building or hall they are meeting in, or the true house of God.

The scripture tells us that God’s house was not made by human hands, as we see here.

45 Our fathers in turn brought it in with Joshua when they dispossessed the nations which God thrust out before our fathers. So it was until the days of David, 46 who found favor in the sight of God and asked leave to find a habitation for the God of Jacob. 47 But it was Solomon who built a house for him. 48 Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with hands; as the prophet says, 49 ‘Heaven is my throne, and earth my footstool. What house will you build for me, says the Lord, or what is the place of my rest? 50 Did not my hand make all these things?’ (Acts 7:45-50)

We see here that David first sought the Lord God to build a house for Him. The essence of that story is that the Ark of the covenant and the holy things had been housed in a tent since the days of Moses. The King lived in a palace and believed it was improper that the dwelling place for God was something so flimsy as a tent. That is why David sought to build a solid house for the Ark and the altar and other things that were within the tent of the tabernacle.

But it was King Solomon who eventually built this house for the articles of worship. This was the first temple in Jerusalem.

But as we see in the verses above, God does not dwell in houses made with hands. God dwells in the heavenly places. So, while the Temple was intended to be the house of God, it is not really the true house of God. It was a place of worship under Judaism, and that first Temple was destroyed by the Babylonians. The second Temple was rebuilt in the days of Nehemiah, but it too was later destroyed by the Romans in 70AD and has not been built again since.

Further evidence that God’s House is not physical

Jesus also made the point that the Temple was not the true dwelling place of God. He also prophesied of the destruction of the physical Temple and the establishment of a spiritual temple, not made with hands. And His words were used against Him as an accusation that led to Him being put to death. Those who put Him to death were unaware that by so doing they opened the way for those very things to happen.

57 And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying, 58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’” (Mark 14:57-58)

This is a reference by Jesus to the true house of God. It was to be a spiritual house rather than a physical house. This is why it refers to God’s house not being made by hands.

The writer of Hebrews also spoke of this house that was not made with hands in the following way.

11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the Holy Place, taking not the blood of goats and calves but his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. (Hebrews 9:11-12)

This temple where the Lord took His own blood as a sacrifice for our eternal redemption was not the physical Temple in Jerusalem. He entered into the true Temple of God in the heavenly places on our behalf.

But the true house of God is even something different to the heavenly places mentioned above. And we see this nuance in a number of scriptures.

Finding the house of God

First we must understand that the house of God is a place of worship. The Temple was built to be a place of worship, but it was only a shadow of what the true house of God was meant to be. God’s house is a spiritual place rather than a physical place. We note from the words of Jesus how important it is to realise and understand this point.

20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.” 21 Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. 22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for such the Father seeks to worship him. 24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” (John 4:20-24)

Jesus made the point while speaking to the woman at the well that we do not need to go to physical places of worship to worship God. And in fact we need to learn what it means to worship God in the spirit because He is spirit and He seeks spiritual worship.

To be able to worship in spirit and truth we need to understand what this means. Paul gives us some insight in these words to the Romans.

1 I appeal to you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that you may prove what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2)

We need to give our all to God, not simply turn up at church once a week and think that is enough. Paul says to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. That is, we are to sacrifice the deeds of the flesh, born under sin and the passions, lusts and desires of humanity, and sacrifice these things to become like Christ. We are to turn away from the things of this world because the world is evil. Instead, we are to be renewed in our minds, which is our spirit, to follow Christ and thereby be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ. This is the essence of our spiritual worship. It is a process of transformation in the spirit and by the Holy Spirit so that we can live as Christ lived.

And there is still more concerning the building of God’s house. As we worship in the Spirit we are built into God’s house.

17 And he came and preached peace to you who were far off and peace to those who were near; 18 for through him we both have access in one Spirit to the Father. 19 So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are built into it for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit. (Ephesians 2:17-22)

In Christ we are citizens of the household of God, that is, the kingdom of God. This is a spiritual kingdom in which Christ is the beginning and cornerstone upon which this kingdom is built. The teaching of the Apostles who spread the word to the world is the foundations of the house of God, and we who have listened and followed are built into that house. We are part of this holy temple of God, the true house of God in the spirit, as we learn and grow in Christ. And God dwells in us as we follow Christ.

So, what we see from this is that the church is really God’s house. Not any specific church as we know it, but the communion of all true believers who follow Christ according to the word, the will, and the ways of God. This is the true house of God and the true church of God that is not made with hands or built with bricks, timber, and metal.

We are encouraged to continue to grow so that we are like “living stones” being built into the true house of God.

4 Come to him, to that living stone, rejected by men but in God’s sight chosen and precious; 5 and like living stones be yourselves built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. (1 Peter 2:4-5)

When we come to Christ and follow His words we grow and become a dwelling place for God in the spirit. We are literally then part of God’s house in which He dwells in the Spirit. And as we see above, we become priests in His service in the house of God.

So, what is the true church?

This brings us to the ultimate question. What is the true church that is God’s house?

This article barely touches on what the true church of God is and what it should look like according to the scriptures. If you would like a deep understanding of who and what the true church of God is, download a copy of my free eBook titled: The True Church of God.

The true church is not a church made with hands and it is not any building or denomination, as discussed already. The true church is something greater.

The Bible refers to the true church of God being the Bride of Christ. Paul speaks of the church as a bride in his letter to the Corinthians.

I feel a divine jealousy for you, for I betrothed you to Christ to present you as a pure bride to her one husband. (2 Corinthians 11:2)

And again we see this reference to the Bride of Christ in Revelation. When all is finished, the church will be joined with Christ to live forever in the presence of God.

7 Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready; 8 it was granted her to be clothed with fine linen, bright and pure” –for the fine linen is the righteous deeds of the saints. (Revelation 19:7-8)

It is clear that this is a reference to the church being the Bride, for the saints are the church and their deeds of righteousness are the Bride’s clothing.

So, what then is a church? Obviously it is not a building, but rather it is the coming together of people to praise and worship God and His Son, Jesus Christ. This is the house of God.

As to the number of people that constitutes a church, and is therefore God’s house, the scripture says this:

19 Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. 20 For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I in the midst of them. (Matthew 18:19-20)

God’s house is the church, and a church can be as few as two or three people meeting together to praise and worship the Lord. As the scripture says, even a small gathering is a church because Jesus is in the midst of the gathering.

This is God’s house. This gathering of people to worship God, no matter how small or large a group, this is the church of God and therefore the dwelling place of God in the Spirit; God’s house.

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