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The apostle Paul’s letter to the Ephesians includes this prayer for their spiritual growth: “I pray that out of his glorious riches [the Father] may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God” (Ephesians 3:16–19).
“That Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith” is the central theme of Paul’s prayer. The Greek verb used here (katoikēsai), translated as “dwell,” means “to inhabit, settle in, or make a home.” It conveys the idea of permanent residency. In first-century Greek and Jewish thought, “the heart” was understood to represent a person’s essential identity or existence—the inward self, will, and intelligence. When Jesus Christ dwells in our hearts, He establishes His home within us. He moves in for good. His presence brings the transformative power of the Holy Spirit to our inner being, influencing our thoughts, emotions, and actions from within.
Elsewhere, Paul states that believers are the temple of the living God. Not only does the Spirit of God dwell within individual believers, but, as the body of Christ, all believers are joined together into a holy temple in which God’s Spirit dwells (see 1 Corinthians 3:16; Ephesians 2:21–22). This indwelling occurs through “faith” (pisteōs in the original Greek), which means “belief, trust, confidence.” By believing in Jesus and placing our trust in Him, we swing wide the door of our hearts and invite Christ to come in and take up residence. Faith is not an intellectual exercise but a deep, personal trust that welcomes Christ into the very core of our being.
When Christ dwells in our hearts, our inner person undergoes a transformation. Our old sinful nature no longer controls us because we have the Spirit of God living in us (see Romans 8:9–10; Galatians 2:20). Our roots begin to grow down deep into God’s love, bringing peace, guidance, and strength. We develop compassion and righteousness in our daily lives. The indwelling of Christ empowers us to overcome challenges and grow in spiritual maturity.
To draw a picture of what it means for Christ to dwell in our hearts, one author depicts the Christian life as a house where Jesus roams freely from room to room. In the entertainment room, Jesus encounters all sorts of garbage and useless items cluttering our minds. He begins to throw out and replace these things with His Word. In the kitchen, He finds sinful appetites and base desires, which He exposes and exchanges for godly virtues and gifts of the Spirit. Little by little, Christ works His way through the whole house, going behind each closed door, entering every hidden closet, and scouring all corners of sin until He is thoroughly at home in our hearts (Munger, M. B., My Heart Christ’s Home, InterVarsity Press, 1954).
Having Christ dwell in our hearts through faith means we welcome Him to be present, honored, and obeyed in every area of our lives. As Paul prayed, the result is that we might “be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” (Ephesians 3:19, NLT). This is the essence of the Christian walk of faith—a relationship with Christ that is deeply personal and transformative. Through faith, we allow Jesus to make His home in our hearts, leading to a life that mirrors His love and grace.
