The Holy Spirit: The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
Introduction:
In this lesson, we are continuing our study of the Holy Spirit, specifically concerning the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the Christian. There is no reason for us to shy away from such language as the scriptures clearly state that the Holy Spirit dwells in the Christian. Acts 5:32 says, “We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him.” Also in Romans 5:5 we read, “And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out His love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom He has given us.” I believe this is the most likely reference and understanding of the promise given in Acts 2:38-39, which tells us that all who obey by repenting and being baptized would not only receive forgiveness of sins, but also the gift of the Holy Spirit.
We also noticed the scriptures that describe the working of the Holy Spirit in the Christian:
The Christian is sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise (Ephesians 1:13). |
These are the direct statements of the scriptures to which we ought not argue. We would be foolish to deny the clear statement of the workings of the Holy Spirit. Too often I am afraid that this is exactly what conservative brethren have done in efforts to argue against the error that the Holy Spirit still works miraculously today. We noted in the last lesson that those things were done only in the first century with a specific purpose. But the Holy Spirit does dwell in the Christian, but the question is how. We cannot simply assume how these things are accomplished but must look to the scriptures to learn what is revealed to us concerning how the Spirit works in our lives. When we come to this topic, it is easy to go too far concerning how the Spirit works, or not go far enough and limit how the Spirit works today. Let us consider the scriptures and see what God says about the matter, and not our preconceived beliefs.
How the Holy Spirit Does Not Dwell in the Christian
For personal miraculous healing
When one takes an honest look at the scriptures, one will clearly see the purpose of the healings in the New Testament was to confirm the word spoken by the healer. This work was to confirm that the words of the speaker were from God. We can prove this point with some very simple, yet clear examples. Paul had a thorn in the flesh and bodily afflictions, yet these things were not removed and Paul did not heal himself (2 Corinthians 12:7-9). Timothy also had infirmities, according to 1 Timothy 5:23, to which Paul instructed to take a little wine for his stomach’s sake. Why did not Paul simply heal him? Why didn’t any of the apostles heal Paul of his thorn in the flesh? What we see from the scriptures is that healing was not used for one’s own personal benefit. Nor was healing used to cure people alone. The greater purpose of these healings was to prove that the speaker was sent from God and his words were the words of God. Otherwise, the apostles ought to have lived forever as they should have continued to heal themselves as they aged. But we see the opposite in that all the apostles died early, with the exception of John.
To make decisions for us
There are some, including those in the charismatic movement that claim the Holy Spirit makes all of their decisions. Even down to trivial decisions, like when to get out of bed, what to eat, who to talk to, and what to preach are all decisions that are claimed to be made by the Holy Spirit. But is this what the scriptures teach? First, let us argue from logic. If the Holy Spirit is to make all of my decisions once I become a child of God, why did God give us His holy word? Why are we encouraged to read the scriptures to gain understanding into the mystery of Christ (Ephesians 3:3-5) when the Holy Spirit will simply reveal it to us and make all of our life decisions? You see, we only need one or the other. Either the Holy Spirit makes all of our decisions and the word of God is worthless, or we are guided by the word of God and the Holy Spirit does not make decisions for us. It is clear that the word is given by God (2 Timothy 3:16). The scriptures never say that the Holy Spirit will make decisions on behalf of the believer.
Proof of this point can be found in the scriptures. Consider the situation in Acts 15. In this chapter there is a debate in Jerusalem as to whether Gentiles must be circumcised for salvation. How did the disciples go about finding out what the will of God was? Did the Holy Spirit come and directly speak to any of them, telling the disciples what the Gentiles were to do? Remember that this is a very important issue of doctrine being debated. Yet the Holy Spirit did not directly intervene, even to the apostles concerning this topic. The disciples come to the answer by Peter relating the events of Cornelius, by Paul and Barnabas telling of God’s wonders to the Gentiles, and James quoting the word of God. They took the scriptures and their personal experiences and knowledge and came to the correct conclusion. If there had been any cause for us to see the direct intervention of the Holy Spirit, I believe this debate would have been the proper event. Yet the Holy Spirit did not directly intervene because the Holy Spirit does not directly intervene and make our decisions. Such a concept is foreign to the scriptures.
To give the Christian enlightenment
There is also a teaching that by the reading of the word of God alone, one cannot know God’s will. Instead, the Holy Spirit must come and illuminate, or enlighten, the reader to understand God’s will. Therefore, the Spirit gives us definitive, subjective help in understanding the word of God. To state it plainly, it is believed that the Holy Spirit speaks directly to our minds, directly stimulating our intellects to perceive the true meaning of scripture.
But there are many problems with this doctrine. First, what are we to make of those of us who have different understandings concerning the scriptures? Christian people who claim to be illumined by the Spirit often have different understandings of the same passage. Further, what happens when a person changes his or her mind concerning a scriptures’ meaning? Does this mean a person has moved from a non-illumined view to an illumined view? This is the same run around as the “once saved, always saved” doctrine. If you were saved, but then fall away, then you never really were saved. In the same way, you have the illumined view, but if you change your mind, you did not have the illumined view but now you do. This is nonsense and such a concept ought to be discarded. Consider if the Spirit does tell us the meaning of God’s will, then why do we need the scriptures? Why doesn’t the Holy Spirit simply tell us God’s will and cut out the middle man of reading? Again, we only need one or the other. The reason for this view is derived directly from Calvin’s teaching of total hereditary depravity, which means that people are born is sin and cannot choose God. Such is a false view, but if you were to believe it, then you would see that you cannot understand God’s word but need to the Holy Spirit to tell you the meaning. Ephesians 3:3-5 is very clear as to how we understand God’s will. “how that by revelation He made known to me the mystery (as I wrote before in a few words, by which, when you read, you may understand my knowledge in the mystery of Christ), which in other ages was not made known to the sons of men, as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to His holy apostles and prophets;” We are able to understand the mystery of Christ when we read what was written down by the apostles and prophets, because they revealed the words of the Holy Spirit.
Literally or bodily
Another important point to make is that the Holy Spirit does not dwell in the Christian literally and bodily. For some reason, when people read that the Spirit dwells in the Christian, there is the assumption that the Holy Spirit does this physically, literally, and bodily. But to accept such a position means to accept that every thing else in the scriptures also dwells in us literally, physically, and bodily. Consider Ephesians 3:17 which says that Christ dwells in our hearts through faith. 2 Corinthians 6:16 tells us that God dwells in us. 1 John 3:17 says that the love of God dwells in us. 2 John 2 says that truth dwells in us. Romans 7:7 and Romans 7:20 both tell us that sin can dwell in us. In Revelation 2:13 we are told that Satan dwelled in the city of Pergamum. If we are believe that the Holy Spirit dwells literally and bodily within us, then we must also accept that Christ, God, sin, and Satan can also do so. Yet to these other passages, no one teaches that Christ literally is in them or that Satan is literally in them. It is speaking about what you are guided by. Are we guided by Christ or by Satan? Are we guided by truth and the love of God or by sin and lawlessness? No one ever understands these concepts as a literal indwelling. Yet, when we come to the statement about the Holy Spirit dwelling in the Christian, many take this as a literal indwelling. But to do so would make a tremendous error in the language of the scriptures. We will talk more about this idea in the next lesson when we do an exposition of Romans 8. These four concepts concerning the Holy Spirit go to far in describing how the Holy Spirit works, for these concepts are not found in the scriptures.
The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit must dwell indirectly
The first conclusion that we are forced to reach is that the Holy Spirit dwells in the Christian indirectly, that is, through a medium. Since we have disproven by the scriptures the other views concerning a direct indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we are left with an indirect working of the Holy Spirit. The most direct statement which I see concerning this is found in Romans 8:1-2. “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.” We read here that the Holy Spirit has a law that set us free from the slavery we were under from the law of sin and death. What law does the Spirit have, except the word of God, the good news of Jesus Christ?
If the Spirit must do a work upon us that is not accomplished by the word of God, then the word of God is insufficient and unable to equip the man of God to every good work. But we know the scriptures teach that the word of God has the power to make us complete and fully equipped (2 Timothy 3:14-17). What we learn is that the word of God is more powerful than we think. In fact, it brings a new light to what the writer of Hebrews was try to make us understand in Hebrews 4:12. “For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.” Now we understand why the word of God is living and powerful, because it is the mechanism by which the Holy Spirit dwells in the Christian. The word of God is the way that the Christian is led by the Spirit, strengthened, given life, and given access to the Father. The word of God is able to be the discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart because it is the tool of the Holy Spirit to bring us to Christ. This should show us the importance of the word of God. If we want to be led by the Spirit and have the Spirit dwell in us, then we are going to have to open up the medium by which the Spirit will work in our hearts and in our lives.
The Holy Spirit dwells in us by faith
The scriptures also teach us that the Holy Spirit dwells in us by faith. Galatians 3:14 says, “He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.” Here Paul says the promise of the Holy Spirit is received through faith. This is the same promise that Peter spoke of in Acts 2:38-39, “for the promise is to you and to your children, and to those who are afar off, as many as our Lord our God will call.” Romans 10:17 says, “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Therefore, the promise of the Holy Spirit is received by hearing the word of God and obeying those words. What we are simply showing is that the Holy Spirit works in the Christian today through the power of the word of God. This explains to us how the Spirit can lead the Christian. The Holy Spirit revealed God’s words to the apostles and prophets who wrote them down so that when we read, we can understand (Ephesians 3:3-5).
Now, we mentioned earlier that while many go too far concerning the work of the Holy Spirit, many do not go far enough. What I mean by this is that in our efforts to combat the doctrines of those who teach the direct operation of the Holy Spirit on the Christian outside of the word of God, we often deny the working of the Holy Spirit at all in the Christian. Many times our language suggests that we do not believe the Holy Spirit is working today. We may make statement that the Holy Spirit revealed the word of God, and now the Holy Spirit is doing nothing. Some state that the sum total of the Holy Spirit’s work was completed when God’s word was revealed to the apostles and prophets. But when we suggest this, we have taken steps backward and now have denied the very things we have affirmed throughout this lesson. We have already said that the Holy Spirit is leading the Christian, gives access to the Father, gives life to the believer and so on. But then we will turn around and say the Holy Spirit is doing nothing and only the word of God does these things. The Holy Spirit is alive and active in the Christian.
Just as God the Father worked not only through miracles but also through providence, not breaking natural laws, so also the Holy Spirit works. God the Father not only work miracles, but we know that He answers prayer and is at work among the nations and peoples. The working of the Father naturally and supernaturally are not mutually exclusive. God has used both and now works through natural means in the world. The average person simply sees natural means, but the believer knows that God is at work. The Holy Spirit has also worked supernaturally, as we have noted in previously lessons in the baptism of the Holy Spirit and the laying of hands for miraculous gifts. This does not exclude the Holy Spirit working naturally in the lives of believers. How does the Holy Spirit work? Through the word of God, as we have pointed out. But this does not mean that since the Holy Spirit is working on the hearts of believers through the word that the Holy Spirit is not working. Just as God the Father is working indirectly through natural laws in the universe, so also the Holy Spirit is working through the word of God to lead the believer. It is almost as if we are disappointed that the Holy Spirit does not work in miraculous ways today. Further, we take for granted the word of God and what it can accomplish in the people of God. But the word of God is powerful and living and the reason why is because it is how the Holy Spirit is working upon us.
