While the Greek word enoikeo itself has no real significance to us, it is interesting to see how this word is used in the New Testament. The noun oikos is the word for house/home, so when it is made into a verb and then the prefix en is added, the word enoikeo literally means “to home within” or to make something a home (to dwell within). The N.T. only uses the word five times.
By quoting from Ezekiel, Paul reminded the Christians that God had promised that He would “dwell (i.e., make His home) in them” (2 Cor. 6:16; cf. Ezek. 37:26-27). Paul told both the church in Rome (Rom. 8:11) and Timothy (2 Tim. 1:14) that the Spirit of God was “dwelling (i.e., making His home) in them.” How was he doing that? In that same chapter of 2 Timothy, Paul reminded Timothy that the faith in his heart had “made a home” first within his mother and his grandmother (2 Tim. 1:5). So, how does God, His Spirit and faith all dwell (i.e., make a home) within us? Read Colossians 3:16 for the final place that enoikeo is used—“Let the word of Christ dwell (i.e., make its home) in you richly.” Has His word made its home in you?