Good news for every Christian – EVERY Christian has the Spirit of Christ dwelling in him!
- Romans 8:9, “You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ.”
- You can’t be a Christian if you don’t have the Spirit. There are no Christians who don’t have the Holy Spirit.
If you are a Christian, here are some things to consider when you are looking for assurance that the Holy Spirit is in you. Start by understanding your condition before you were saved
- You were spiritually dead (Ephesians 2:1, 4).
- You were unable to receive the things of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:14).
- You had a mind of the flesh, which is not able to submit to God or please God (Romans 8:7–8).
- You didn’t have the power to change our will/heart/mind/affections. You were bent entirely away from God.
If before my salvation I was spiritually dead and unable to receive the things of the Spirit, then how does one receive the Holy Spirit?
- It’s a miracle! It’s something supernatural that begins by God prompting and stirring you with a measure of faith and the ability to recognize the truth and beauty of Jesus. In short, it is God’s sovereign grace applied to us in our helplessness.
- The Spirit opened your heart. Just like in Acts 16:14 when Lydia became a Christian, “The Lord opened her heart to respond to Paul’s message”.
- God caused you to see the light of the gospel and the glory of Christ (2 Corinthians 4:6)
1 Corinthians 1:22-24, “For indeed Jews ask for signs and Greeks search for wisdom; but we preach Christ crucified, to Jews a stumbling block, and to Gentiles foolishness, but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.”
- In these verses are three groups of people.
1. Jews who aren’t called by God, who ask for miracles but view Jesus’ crucifixion as a stumbling block (“A crucified Messiah? Never!”).
2. Gentiles who aren’t called by God, who seek wisdom, yet to them Jesus’ crucifixion is foolishness (“A ‘god’ that gets killed by man! Foolish mythology!”).
3. Those called by God, both Jews and Greeks, they see Jesus’ crucifixion as a display of God’s power and wisdom to defeat and conquer death and sin!
Ultimately, God’s calling is His intervention in our heart, which results in our belief and our receiving of the Holy Spirit.
By His Spirit we…
- no longer view the cross or the resurrection of Jesus as foolishness
- are no longer hostile to God
- are no longer unable to please God
- are able to have victory over sin
Ask yourself these questions –
“Do I have a desire to please God?”
“Do I view the cross and the resurrection of Jesus as victory over death and sin?
“Do I believe that through the power of God’s Spirit working in my like, that I can have victory over a sin in my life?”
“Do I view God’s Word as beautiful/desirable?”
“Do I think His promises are true?”
“Do I believe Jesus is the only true Savior of the world?”
- None of these could be true apart from salvation!
- John 5:1: “Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God.”