Dwelling in God's Presence - A Sanctuary-Centered Reading
Read Scripture from Genesis to Revelation through how God dwells with His people.
Course Description
BIB 321 traces a thread that runs the length of Scripture: God's presence among His people. The course follows the sanctuary motif from the Garden through the Tabernacle, the Temple, the incarnation of Christ, the Church, and the New Creation — reading the whole Bible as one connected story about where and how God dwells.
The course works through the historical, cultural, theological, and personal contexts of each major sanctuary moment, with apologetic tools and hermeneutical principles built into the journey. By the end, you'll be able to recognize how the Dwelling theme intersects with worship, the life of the church, and personal devotion today.
BIB 321 is the third course in ACU's four-part thematic biblical theology sequence, after BIB 221 The Relational God and BIB 222 Image Bearers, and before BIB 322 The King and His Kingdom.
Taught By
Offered 2025-2026: Summer 2 · 2026-2027: Fall Traditional · 2026-2027: Fall 2 · 2026-2027: Spring 1.
Prerequisites
- None
Corequisites
Learning Outcomes
Trace the Sanctuary Theme
Follow God's presence through Garden, Tabernacle, Temple, Christ, Church, and New Creation.
Apply Biblical Theology
Read Scripture as a unified narrative organized around God's dwelling with His people.
Engage Systematic Truths
Connect the dwelling theme to doctrines of God, worship, and the church.
Practice Hermeneutics and Apologetics
Interpret and defend the sanctuary motif using sound exegetical methods.
Connect Theme to Life
Apply the presence-of-God theme to personal devotion, worship, and the church's life.
Biblical Worldview Connection
A Biblical Worldview takes seriously that God doesn't merely watch from a distance — He dwells. BIB 321 makes God's presence the through-line of the biblical story and traces how that conviction shapes both theology and the lived life of the church.
Explore Programs With This Course
BIB 321 carries the thematic biblical theology sequence into its third act. Explore the programs that include it.
