INDWELT BY DEITY

"If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him" (John 14:23, NKJV).

Devotion 8 of 9

THE SPIRIT, #2

God has given His Holy Spirit to His people--those who are in Christ Jesus. About this, there can be no question. "And hope does not disappoint us, because God's love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit which has been given to us." (Rom 5:5, RSV). "Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you" (1 Thess 4:8, RSV). "And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (1 John 3:24). "Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit" (1 John 4:13 ). Observe that it does not say the Holy Spirit CAN be given to us. The statement to all those that are "the called of Jesus Christ" (Rom. 1:6) is that the Holy Spirit "HAS BEEN GIVEN TO US." The fact that this does not mesh with some of the purported gospels of our day is of little consequence. This is the word of the Lord, and we do well to receive it. The Word of God knows nothing of a saved people that are in Christ Jesus, yet do not have the Spirit. Such a condition is the imagination of benighted teachers, and is to be forthrightly rejected. It is true, some of God's people are N OT aware of this indispensable blessing, but that does not change its rteality. "What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (1 Cor 6:19). Here is a challenging consideration: your body is a dwelling place for God's Holy Spirit! Paul argues that a consideration of this truth will enable us to avoid immoral involvements. The argument is a true and powerful one! "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit." (1 Cor 12:13). Other versions provide a clearer reading. "We were all given one Spirit to drink" (NIV). "All were made to drink of one Spirit" (RSV). "We have all been given the one Spirit to drink" (TEV). "And that one Holy Spirit was poured out for all of us to drink." What a marvelous thought! This is what Jesus referred to in John 7:37: "If a man is thirsty, let Him come unto Me and DRINK" (NIV). John explains that this statement was referring to the gift of the Holy Spirit (John 7:38- 39). There is an important truth to be seen here. We DRINK of the Spirit; it involves our volition. The ingestion of the Spirit is not forced upon people; it results from a willing response to Christ's invitation. Also, drinking the Spirit indicates that your measure of the Spirit is determined by your appetite for Him. One other thing, it is clear that everyone in the body has participated in drinking the Spirit. "Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor 5:5). The "selfsame thing" is inhabiting our house from heaven, the resurrection body (2 Cor. 5:1-4). Until that occurs, we have received a pledge from God of the future glory. It is the Holy Spirit Himself. God has "given" Him unto us--all of "us" that are in Christ Jesus. This is why we are admonished "quench not the Spirit" (1 Thess. 5:19), and "grieve not the Spirit" (Eph. 4:30). Admonitions like this would be absurd if we had not received the Spirit. "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father" (Gal 4:6). Note that the Spirit is given "because" we are "sons." Receiving the Spirit is not a second dimension of blessing--something separate from salvation-- as some erroneously teach. It is an aspect of sonship, shared by everyone that is in Jesus Christ. Further, the Spirit has been sent into our hearts, the innermost part of our being. The most external part of us is our body. The citadel of our persons is our heart. There is where motivation, love, hate, and preference are found; and there is where God has sent His Holy Spirit. Some seek for confirmation of the Spirit's presence in fleshly sensations or external motions. This is a serious deficient view. If the Spirit has been sent into our hearts, the evidence of His presence will be found in our hearts, not in our bodies. Pure hearts, hungry hearts, humble and contrite hearts--these are evidences of the Spirit. The "fruit of the Spirit" uniquely belongs to the heart (Gal. 5:22ff), and is evidenced in our manners. "That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Spirit which dwelleth in us" (2 Tim 1:14). Who is the "us" in this passage? For some, it is the Apostles. Think of the implications of such a view. In such a case, Paul would be saying, "Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you--guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit which dwells" in us Apostles. In such a case, the statement loses it utility. The exhortation is intended to convey to Timothy the awareness that what he received from God through the Spirit can be maintained through the same Spirit--the Spirit that dwelt within him. The "us" in this passage are those that are in Christ Jesus. You should derive comfort and encouragement from this passage. PRAYER POINT: Father, I thank you for the gift of the Holy Spirit. I recognize my need of Him, and praise you for the strength, hope, joy, and peace that He gives.

--TOMORROW: CONCLUSION TO CURRENT SERIES --