Acts 7:48 … To dwell in Holier Houses (06/09/17)
“Yet the Most High does not dwell in houses made with human hands.” ~ Paul (Acts 7:48)
Actually, this verse receives both a “Yes” and a “No” from me – a “No” in the sense that “the Most High” is the seemingly celestial Essence of Oneness that permeates everything around us; including everything that happens to be found within any holy houses made by human hands … And yet this verse also gets a smiling “Yes” in the sense that the one “house” where the Most High actually dwells is the human body (see John 14:20-26 & John 15:26 & Luke 17:20-21 & Hebrews 3:16 & 1 Corinthians 3:16 et al), a “house” most certainly not “made by human hands” (at least not in the sense that Paul is implying here) …
Of course, far more importantly than where we might find this Holy Essence – this “Most High” – is the fact that Paul fully misunderstood what it was; that for him God was a celestial overlord who looked down upon us all from “on high” (see Romans 7:4, 1 Corinthians 2:11, 2 Corinthians 1:10, 1 Corinthians 15:23-25, 2 Corinthians 9:10-11, Philippians 4:6 & Philippians 4:19 et al), while Jesus continually reminded us of a very differently godhead – a “heavenly Father” composed of perfect Love (see Matthew 5:48 & 1 John 4:8 et al), a heavenly Father who embodied the essence of the Holy Spirit within us (see Matthew 12:31-33, John 3:3-8, John 14:20-26 et al), a heavenly Father who never judged from “on high” (see Matthew 18:21-22, John 5:22, John 8:15 & John 12:47 et al) but who rather perpetually extended “grace upon grace” to all from within (see Luke 6:36 & John 1:1-8+16 et al).
Amen … Let it be so.
P.S. Note as well Paul is being hypocritical here – seemingly denigrating Jewish religious authorities, even though he almost exclusively preached to the Jews during his missions (see Acts 9:20, Acts 13, Acts 15:21, Acts 17:2, Acts 19:8 et al) – and this despite the fact that he had apparently been Called to preach to the Gentiles (see Acts 9:15 & Acts 22:21 et al), and this even though he outed himself as a Pharisee on more than one occasion (see Acts 23:6 & Philippians 3:5).
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