Indwelling is another way of saying I am coming to stay with you in the most close and intimate way imaginable.  It is an intimate relationship language.

The dictionary defines this word in this manner:

Adjective: Permanently present in or spiritually possessing someone's soul or mind: the indwelling God.

Noun: The permanent presence of God or a spiritual force in the heart or soul: the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.

Jesus spoke in this way in the Gospel of John.

John 14:22 Judas (not Iscariot) said to Him, “Lord, how is it that You will manifest Yourself to us, and not to the world?”  23 Jesus answered and said to him, “If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him. 24 He who does not love Me does not keep My words; and the word which you hear is not Mine but the Father’s who sent Me.

Jesus speaks of an intimate relationship in which an exchange occurs.  It is not a one-way pseudo relationship in which one party is used merely for the benefit of the other.  This is a two-person involvement for the benefit of both parties involved.

Jesus did not come to make people owe Him.  He came to bring people into a relationship with Himself and with the Father.  A healthy relationship ascribes value to what is spoken.

The best way to know if a relationship is dying is to pay attention to whether or not the two people claiming to have one really listen to each other and value what is spoken. That is why Jesus can say with all authority that if anyone loves Him, they will keep His word. He is not saying, “Try your best, and that will prove your love, and I will love you in return.”  He is speaking of a manifestation of something that exists already.  He is speaking about the kind of fruit that accompanies a loving relationship.

My wife and I will have been married for 38 years this coming November 8th, 2024. Because of our love for each other, we have both changed dramatically in many ways, as we have valued each other’s thoughts and ways. Loving each other has caused both of us to change in some way as we have increasingly grown to know each other more.

I am not saying that Jesus has anything He needs to change or that He will change; we know that He is the Lord, and He does not change. He is perfect.   His consistency is justified due to His perfection and supremacy.  But He is still interested in this exchange of getting to know.

Jesus is speaking about what closeness and involvement really look like.  If I could care less about what someone says, I would not have a close and intimate relationship with them.  When you love someone, you desire to know what they think, what they value, what they enjoy, etc.  To learn this, you know you must have a conversation with them and listen to them communicate to you the things that really matter to them.  If this never occurs, you do not love them; you may be using them for your benefit in some way or other, which is a one-sided affair, but Jesus makes it clear here that when someone loves Him, they value His words, and they keep them.  Why should anyone who claims to know Jesus for whom He really is not value Him at the highest level and desire to know what He thinks and what He is like?

Merit systems are not relational; they are business-oriented. They do not require love, warmth, or value; they are cold and transactional only.  Jesus was not giving Himself for a merit system.  The desire of Jesus is a relationship.  Jesus did not come to make me the all-important issue.  He came to make a relationship with God at the highest level imaginable a thing to be grasped.  He ascribed value to me, and He knows that if I love Him, I will likewise ascribe value to Him, and I will rejoice in the reality of His indwelling me!  I will welcome such closeness and interaction in my life.