VII. THE PRESENCE AND INDWELLING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
John 14: 15-20, 25-26; Acts 2: 1-4, 14-18, 36-38; 9: 15-18;
19: 1-6; Ephesians 1: 13-14; 2: 19-22; 4: 3-30;
In considering the fundamentals of Christianity, we cannot omit the truth of the presence and indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This is characteristic of the present day. On the subjective side, Christianity subsists in the power of the Spirit as far as it is made good and wrought in us. Whatever we have experimentally, and whatever is wrought in us of God, is in the power of the Spirit. In previous times the Spirit wrought in men; indeed whatever there was of God in men from Adam downward, was by the Spirit, and at times the Spirit came upon men for a certain purpose, and even upon a wicked man like Balaam, making him, against his own will, to utter the word of God. The prophets uttered the word of God, and at times did not understand the purport of what they spoke, as Peter says, “Searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify” (1 Pet 1: 11), when testifying of the suffering of Christ, and the glory which should follow. Again we read, “holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost”, 2 Pet 1: 21. But at this time the Spirit was not dwelling on earth, nor indwelling the saints.
In John 14, speaking of the coming of the other comforter, the Lord says. “he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you”. This was fulfilled at Pentecost, when the Spirit came down from heaven as a rushing mighty wind. He has remained here ever since—hence the present is well called the Spirit’s day. It is the day the Lord referred to when He said, “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father”, &c. The Lord had been their Comforter; the word signifies one who took charge of the affairs of others. This the Lord had done for the disciples while He was with them, but He could not remain with them, so He sends another Comforter, the Holy Spirit, to take charge of His beloved saints during His absence, and conduct them to Him in the end, as Abraham’s servant conducted Rebecca to Isaac, who came out and received her, as Christ will receive the church when He comes, as we were seeing last time. The Father would send the Comforter in the name of Christ during His absence.
Scripture speaks of the outpouring, or baptism, of the Spirit, and of His indwelling believers. The former is not peculiar to Christianity. In explaining what had happened at Pentecost, Peter quotes the prophecy of Joel, in which God spoke of the pouring out of His Spirit upon all flesh. This prophecy will be literally fulfilled in the millennial day, but Peter gives it a present fulfilment in connection with believers. John the baptist testified that Christ would baptise with the Holy Spirit, Luke 3; John 1: 33. This was fulfilled at Pentecost. There will be no fresh outpouring or baptism of the Spirit until the literal fulfilment of the prophecy of Joel when the Lord comes to reign. On the day of Pentecost two things are noted in connection with the coming of the Holy Spirit—it “filled all the house”, and “it sat upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit”. The first statement suggests a certain sphere filled by the Spirit. That is the house of God. The second statement gives us the truth of the reception of the Holy Spirit by each individual believer. When those who heard the work were pricked in heart, they said to Peter “What shall we do?” Peter answered, “Repent, and be baptised … in the name of Jesus Christ for remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost”. In Acts 10 we read of a further outpouring of the Spirit on the Gentiles who received the gospel—“While Peter yet spoke … the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word”, Acts 10: 44. Those who had come with Peter were astonished “because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost”. In explaining his mission to the Gentiles, he said, “As I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them as on us at the beginning”. Then he remembered the word of the Lord how He said, “John indeed baptised with water; but ye shall be baptised with the Holy Ghost”, Acts 11: 16. Applying this to the Gentile believers, he said, “Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, what was I, that I could withstand God?” When Paul went to Ephesus (Acts 19) he found there disciples of John the baptist; he asked them, “Did ye receive the Holy Spirit when ye had believed?” They answered, “We did not even hear if the Holy Spirit was come”. They were then baptised to the name of the Lord Jesus. Paul laid his hands upon them and they received the Holy Spirit. This is the occasion the apostle referred to in writing to the saints at Ephesus (chap 1: 13, 14), “In whom also, having believed ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the earnest of our inheritance to the redemption of the acquired possession”.
The reception of the Spirit is spoken of as the “anointing”, “sealing”, and “earnest” (2 Cor 1: 21, 22}, and as the “firstfruits”, Rom 8: 23. The thought connected with the anointing, is understanding (1 John 2: 20-27; 1 Cor 2: 14-16) and power for service, Luke 4: 18. The sealing signifies God putting His mark upon us, claiming us as His own. Christ was anointed and sealed at His baptism, and a voice came from heaven saying, “Thou art my beloved Son, in thee I am well pleased” (Luke 3: 22); it is a mark of divine favour. Then the inheritance is not yet redeemed, but we have the earnest of it, in the gift of the Spirit. In 2 Corinthians 5, speaking of the glorified condition which we await, when at the coming of the Lord we shall put on our house from heaven, the body of glory, the Spirit is spoken of as the earnest. In Romans 8: 23 we read that while awaiting sonship, we have the firstfruits of the Spirit. The relationship is made good to us in Christ, and we have already the spirit of sonship whereby we cry, “Abba, Father”, but the fulness of the blessing involves a glorified body and conformity to Christ. This we await, while by the Spirit we now enjoy the firstfruits.
The question may be asked, When does a person receive the Holy Spirit? The scripture already referred to (Eph 1: 13, 14) answers that question—it is on believing the gospel of our salvation; that is, the testimony of the Spirit to a risen and glorified Christ. Paul always presented salvation in a glorified Christ. There could be no salvation short of resurrection; all the apostles preached a risen Christ, and presented salvation in Him. In this passage there are three things—hearing, believing, and sealing, that is the order. God gives the Spirit on the ground that sin in the flesh has been condemned in the death of Christ. There could be no mixing up of the flesh and the Spirit; these two are contrary the one to the other. In former times man in the flesh was before God and under probation. The Spirit could not rest upon that kind of man; the Holy Spirit and sinful flesh could not be together. But in the cross of Christ that order of man was condemned and removed from before God. Now only one Man is before God, and that is Christ, and those who are of Him. So in Romans 8: 9 we read, “ye are not in (the) flesh, but in (the) Spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit dwell in you”. God no longer regards believers as in the old Adam condition, because that has been condemned in the death of Christ. “Knowing this, that our old man has been crucified with him”, Rom 6: 6.
Until a person receives the Spirit, he cannot be regarded as in normal Christian condition. “If any one has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not of him”, Rom 8: 9. The Spirit is the Spirit of Christ; the same Spirit which dwelt in Him as man, and is given to us not to improve the flesh, but displace it, by the formation of Christ in us. The Spirit will only recognise one Man, Christ. Paul, speaking of himself as a man in the flesh, says, “I am crucified with Christ, and no longer live, I, but Christ lives in me”, Gal 2: 20. His former history in connection with the flesh and sin was closed in the cross of Christ, and in the Spirit he had begun a new history in connection with Christ; living beyond death.
In Romans 8: 2 the Spirit is spoken of as the power of life in the believer, “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus”. Life is seen in the One who died, and has been raised again. “In that he has died, he has died to sin once for all; but in that he lives, he lives to God”, Rom 6: 10. He lives as Man today in the favour and love of God. If we give place to the Spirit, we live in the favour and love of God, and are free from the law of sin and death.
In verse 4 the Spirit is spoken of as the power for our walk. As the apostle says in Galatians 5: 25, “If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit”. We cannot walk according to God except in the Spirit, all fleshly energy will fail us. When the good Samaritan had healed the man who had fallen among thieves, he set him on his own beast; he brought a power to carry him. “They that are in flesh cannot please God”, Rom 8: 8. “But ye are not in flesh, but in Spirit, if indeed God’s Spirit dwell in you”, v 9. The flesh has to be continually disallowed, so that the Spirit may become in us the source of purpose and power. “If any one has not the Spirit of Christ, he is not of him”. The Spirit is given not to improve the flesh, but to displace it practically, by forming what is of Christ in us. As Christ is formed in us, the Spirit and grace of Christ will be expressed in us.
So the apostle adds, “if Christ be in you”, “and no longer live, I, but Christ lives in me”, Gal 2: 20. The Galatian believers had gone back to law, and man after the flesh; they had the wrong man before them, Ishmael, instead of the true Isaac, seeking to be made perfect in the flesh; what so many Christians are doing today. So that the apostle speaks of travailing in birth for them a second time, until Christ should be formed in them. The formative work of the Spirit had been hindered, so that he stood in doubt of them; that is, as to whether they had really received the Spirit—there was so little evidence of it.
The body of the saint is sanctified by the indwelling of the Spirit, so that it will ultimately be quickened, on account of the Spirit which has dwelt in it. It is important that we should take account of this. The body can no longer be allowed to be the vessel of sin; it must be possessed in sanctification and honour for the will of God, Rom 12: 1, 2. “The Spirit life on account of (or in view of) righteousness”, Rom 8: 10. The Spirit is the power of life and righteousness in the believer. Practical righteousness must be the fruit of life. It is not mere legal righteousness; that would not suit God. It must flow from life—“I delight to do thy will, O my God”, Ps 40: 8. As the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts, we live, and find delight in His will, we hate lawlessness and love righteousness. “Yea, thy law is within my heart”.
Finally, the Spirit leads us into the consciousness of sonship. “As many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God”, Rom 8: 14. “Ye have not received a spirit of bondage again for fear, but ye have received a spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit itself bears witness with our Spirit, that we are children of God”, see also Gal 4: 6. This is all on the individual line, but there is another side of the truth. The saints viewed collectively are the house of God. “In whom (the Lord) ye also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit”, Eph 2: 22. This would include all the saints living on the earth at any given time. If the Spirit is abiding here, He must have a habitation. No material building can be recognised as God’s house. In the present time the house of God is the assembly of the living God, 1 Tim 3: 15. The house is a spiritual one, composed of living stones, 1 Pet 2: 5. The assembly of God, in any given place, that is, all the saints in that place, form the local exhibition of God’s temple. The apostle, addressing the assembly at Corinth, says, “Know ye not that ye are (the) temple of God?”, 1 Cor 3: 16. Again, “What agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God”, 2 Cor 6: 16.
The house of God is the place where God dwells, where He is known, where His living voice is heard, and where He is served in a priestly way. It is a place of light, of fatness and blessing, but it is a holy place. How important it is that we should recognise the fact that God is here in the person of the Holy Spirit, and that we should seek to maintain the holiness which becometh His house for ever.
Another truth which should be mentioned is that all true believers constitute one body in the unity of the Spirit. “By one Spirit are we all baptised into one body”, “and have been all made to drink into one Spirit”, 1 Cor 12: 13. The Spirit is the living link between every true believer on earth, and Christ the living Head in heaven, and thus they are constituted His body, one body, animated by the life of the Head, to be the living expression of Christ here. “Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption”, Eph 4: 30.