Charles Hodge on Ephesians 2:22

V. 22. What was said of the whole body of believers, is here affirmed of the Ephesian Christians. "In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." Builded together, συνοικοδομεῖσθε, may mean either, ‘you together with other believers;’ or, ‘you severally are all united in this building.’ The former appears more consistent with the context. Habitation of God, κατοικητήριον τοῦ θεοῦ, is only an equivalent expression to the phrase "holy temple" of the preceding verse. There seems to be no sufficient reason, for considering that the κατοικητήριον of this verse refers to individual believers, and ναος ἅγιος in the preceding, to the united body. So that the sense were, ‘God, by dwelling in each of you by his Spirit, makes you collectively his temple.’ This confuses the whole figure. The two verses are parallel. The whole building grows to a holy temple. And you Ephesians are builded together with other believers so as to form with them this habitation of God.

The words ἐν πνεύματι, at the end of the verse, are variously explained. Some make them qualify adjectively the preceding word.’ Habitation in the Spirit,’ for ‘Spiritual habitation.’ Others express the sense paraphrastically, thus: ‘Habitation of God in virtue of the indwelling of the Spirit.’ This is in accordance with other passages in which the church is called the temple of God because he dwells therein by the Spirit. The Spirit being a divine person, his presence is the presence of God. Finally, the words may be connected with the verb, and the preposition have an instrumental force. ‘Ye are builded by the Spirit into an habitation of God.’ This is perhaps the best explanation. The church increases in the Lord, v. 21, and is builded by the Spirit, v. 22. It is in union with the one, and by the agency of the other this glorious work is carried on.