The Indwelling Of God

“I will put my spirit within you so that you walk in my statutes, observe my ordinances, and keep them.” – Ezekiel 36:27.

In a sense, to be a Catholic is to experience the indwelling of God. But what exactly does the indwelling of God mean? How can one know if one is in such a state?

In this paper, I will endeavor to explore this somewhat mysterious act of God. I will begin by furnishing an explanation of the phenomenon. I will then suggest that the indwelling of God manifests itself as a type of knowledge. I will conclude by exploring what evidence one might expect to find indicating the presence of Divine indwelling.

A Survey Of The Indwelling Of God.

From the perspective of Catholic theology, the indwelling of God refers to the presence of the Holy Spirit in a person. Because God cannot “Abide with evil” (Psalm 5:5-6), this indwelling can only occur in a person who is in a state of Grace.

The foundational statement for understanding what Catholicism means by the indwelling of God occurs in John 14:23. “Whoever loves me [Jesus] will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him.”

While the indwelling of God is appropriated to the Holy Spirit, any activity of God that is extrinsic to the life of God involves the three persons of the Trinity. Since Divine indwelling is considered such an operation, God’s indwelling in the soul is affected by all three persons of the Trinity. This is made clear by Christ’s statement in John 14:23.

There are several views of what it means when God indwells in the soul. I will here only present one such aspect.

It seems all but self-evident that an indwelling of God is a spiritual event, not a physical one. That is to say that an indwelling operates at the level of the soul. Furthermore, since the soul is an intellectual substance, it would seem that the presence of God at the level of the soul must involve a type of knowledge. To that aspect of the subject, I turn to next.

Indwelling As Knowledge

Since it must be admitted that God’s indwelling acts on the soul and that the soul is an intellectual substance, I suggest that the purpose of God’s indwelling in a soul is to impart knowledge.

Yet any correct knowledge of God is due to Grace; therefore, Grace must precede or be concurrent with the Divine indwelling. Furthermore, as Grace acts on the intellect and the intellect is inclusive of free will, it would seem that a Divine presence in the soul must require the consent of the human free will. 

Identifying the two types of Grace acknowledged in Catholic theology is useful. They are actual and sanctifying. Actual Grace is transient; it is God acting on and in a person for a short time. Sanctifying Grace is that Grace that obtains when one is in a proper relationship with God. 

All of this is to suggest that God seeks the consent of the human will before God can (or will) indwell in the soul. Upon consent, an immediate effect of the Divine indwelling is sanctifying Grace. In a real sense, therefore, Grace is God acting in and through one’s life, whereby one is moved toward a friendship or communion with God.

In returning to the above proposition that Divine indwelling involves an advance in knowledge, it must be admitted that the infusion of knowledge is unique in that it works directly on the will and intellect. That is to say that the soul obtains knowledge directly and without the mediating power of the senses. Obviously, this is quite different from how those with bodies generally obtain knowledge. 

While knowledge can be an end unto itself, it seems that the purpose of divinely infused knowledge is intended to effect one’s communion with God. For this reason, the Divine indwelling can be likened to a foretaste of the beatific vision. Said differently, the indwelling allows the mind to obtain a glimpse of the mystery of God. The effect of this glimpse is to enamor the soul of God’s goodness beyond anything possible by the light of reason or the natural affective powers of humans. 

In returning to John 14:23, love of God appears to be a necessary condition for one to experience Divine indwelling. However, love is not natural but a result of Grace (see 1 John 4:19). Therefore, the process whereby God indwells in the soul must begin with the free will acceptance of the proffered gift of Grace. Theologically speaking, love is an act of the will. Thus the love of God moves the will to follow the commandments of God. This results in the Divine indwelling referred to by Christ in John 14:23. 

Since human beings are made to be in communion with God – and this is Saint Augustine’s great insight – the indwelling of God perfects the soul to allow it to be in communion with God.

The above explanation helps to shed light on the words of Saint Paul. “Know you not that you are the temples of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you” (I Corinthians 3:16). 

Conclusion

In this paper, I have sought to provide a glimpse into the mysterious manner whereby God enters indwells in the soul. I have suggested that the acceptance of God’s Grace allows one to love God and to seek to do His will. In turn, God comes to reside in the soul that naturally seeks communion with God.