The Indwelling Of The Holy Spirit
Robert Meredith
How does the Holy Spirit dwell in a Christian? Much has been said and written concerning our question in religious circles. The Bible teaches that the Holy Spirit indwells a Christian; but our question deals with how the Holy Spirit indwells a Christian, not if.
Denominationalists have long been off on the indwelling of the Holy Spirit and sadly this pernicious problem is now invading the church. The doctrines of Calvinism, which teach a direct operation of the Holy Spirit, and a general misunderstanding by the denominational world of the work of the Holy Spirit in the first century, fuel the false doctrines today about a direct leading of the Spirit. The statements of our Lord as found in John 14-16 concerning the Spirit’s guiding individuals were made to the apostles, and He guided them into all truth (John 14:26; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; Jude 3; 2 Pet. 1:3). The “leading” of the Spirit was not promised to all men for all time, but to the apostles and those on whom they laid their hands (Acts 8:18) for a limited period of time (1 Cor. 13:8-12; Eph. 4:11-13).
God, through His word, informs us that all three Members of the Godhead indwell a Christian: the Father (1 John 4:16), the Son (2 Cor. 13:5), and the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). Why is it that all three indwell a Christian, but it is believed that the Holy Spirit somehow indwells in a different manner than the other two Members of deity? Once again it is the misunderstanding of the Holy Ghost’s work in the first century. But even in the first century, He did not violate man’s free moral agency, He simply guided the inspired teachers into all truth, He did not keep them from sinning (Gal. 2:11).
In 1 John 4:16 one reads, “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” This verse tells us that not only is God in us, but that the faithful Christian is in God. My friends, is part of you missing? No! You are in God, not literally but spiritually. Likewise, the Father is in you in a spiritual sense. If someone were to say, “You’ve got a lot of your father in you,” they mean you have a lot of his characteristics. In like manner, we better have a lot of the Father’s characteristics in us.
How does the Holy Spirit indwell a Christian? In the same manner as the Father and the Son. In Romans 8:9-11, the Apostle Paul, guided by the Holy Spirit, tells us that Christ is in us (v. 10) and that the Holy Spirit is in us as well (v. 9 and v. 11). Now, if in the same context both Christ and the Holy spirit are in Christians, then both are in Christians in the same way. Furthermore, Paul tells us in Ephesians 3:17, “...that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.” Jesus indwells by faith and faith comes by hearing God’s word (Rom. 10:17). Therefore Christ indwells the Christian as he hears, follows and grows in God’s word. Christ indwells by faith and so does the Holy Spirit. As one allows His word to settle in the heart (Ps. 119:11), he will develop the fruits of the Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). He will be like the Spirit, not because of a direct operation upon his heart, but an indirect operation as our free moral agency chooses to follow the Spirit’s teaching.
The Bible teaches that there are seventeen things that the Holy Spirit does (instructs, gives birth, quickens, teaches, convicts, comforts, gives love, saves, washes, sanctifies, makes us free, converts, dwells, strengthens, leads, gives witness, and makes intercession). Of these seventeen, it is said that the word of God does sixteen of them. Now since the Spirit is the One who gave us the word, then the Spirit does it through the word, or there would be no need for the word. It is interesting that the only thing the Spirit does that the word does not do is make intercession for us (Rom. 8:26). The Holy Spirit is in heaven making intercession for us during our prayer in difficult moments, not literally scattered among a million Christians on earth.
In conclusion, notice Acts 7:51-52. Stephen said to the Sanhedrin, “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, Ye do always resist the Holy Ghost; as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted?” Stephen said they resisted the Spirit just as their fathers did and that their fathers did it by persecuting the prophets guided by the Holy Spirit. Therefore to resist the Spirit is to resist His message. Likewise, to accept the Spirit is to accept His message; remember faith comes by hearing God’s word (Rom. 10:17). Therefore, the Spirit indwells the Christian’s heart by faith (Eph. 5:18 w/ Col. 3:16). He indwells the Christian as he allows His teachings to conform and direct his life. Do you have the fruits of the Spirit? Are you allowing the Spirit to dwell in you?