Last week Ron posted a topic entitled A Misconception about Heaven in which he raised an issue about Heaven. In this post he mentioned a word found in John 14:2. It is the Greek word μοναί (monai) which we translate as "dwelling places." So John 14:2 reads, "In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places..." (NRSV)

But is you look further on down through the chapter you'll notice the same Greek word appears again. In verse 23 we see the word μονήν (monane) which is translated as "dwelling place." So John 14:23 reads, "Jesus answered him, ‘Those who love me will keep my word, and my Father will love them, and we will come to them and make our dwelling place with them.'" (NRSV)

Both μοναί and μονήν come from μονή (monay). As we have already already mentioned, μονή means "dwelling place" or "abode." Consider for a moment the implications of this language. Jesus has been speaking over and over again of mutual abiding between not only himself and the Father (v. 10), but also between him and his disciples (v. 20). The truth of the resurrection and the bestowal of the Spirit is that those who love Jesus and keep (or guard) his commands experience the very life of God from the inside out. They participate in the divine community of the Holy Trinity!

On another note, in verse 2 Jesus is speaking of how the Father opens up within Himself for believers to abide -- "In my Father's house there are many dwelling places..." This is an astonishing reality, that God desires to corporately draw mankind into Himself. But as if this is not enough, Jesus expands on the concept in verse 23 when he says, "...we will come...and make our dwelling place with them." Jesus flips the idea around so that we may see the two-way street of grace. Not only does God desire to draw all of His believers into Himself, but He desires that all of Himself dwell within each individual believer -- we (corporately) in Him (individually), and Him (corporately -- F, S, and H.S.) in us (individually). Thus we have a corporate and individual aspect of Christian experience. How marvelous!