The Spirit's Indwelling: The Facts

Just as conviction must precede Spirit-wrought regeneration, conversion involves the Spirit indwelling the new believer as a consequence of their faith in the risen Christ. The next question to explore then is “What is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?”  The Lord Jesus addressed this with brilliant clarity, and the apostle Paul elaborated on this reality with equal lucidity (1Cor. 6:19-20).  Basically, indwelling is the incoming of the Holy Spirit to live in the body of each believer.  The Lord Jesus referred to this special indwelling work of the Spirit in this Christian Age of Grace on several occasions. The Holy Spirit began this work on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5, 8). Jesus was exceedingly clear He would “send the Spirit” to His followers (John 15:26; 16:7). This is very important because it teaches that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ also receive the Spirit of God. Therefore, it is not true, as some have imagine, that the Holy Spirit comes to indwell believers sometime after their actual conversion—a second grace or blessing. The Scriptures clearly and distinctly state that all who believe on Christ receive the Spirit (Rom. 8:9).

Upon faith in Christ Jesus as Savior, the Spirit of God takes up habitation in the believer. A key verse that indicates this unique ministry of the Holy Spirit in this age is John 14:16 where Jesus promised the Spirit would reside in believers and that this indwelling would be permanent.  John 14:16, says “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever”.  This permanent indwelling would not be for a select few but for all believers. There are a number of indicators affirming these facts. Consider these key observations relative to the Spirit living in believers. 

THE FACTS

First the Holy Spirit is a gift. He is given to all believers in Jesus without exception. No conditions are attached to receiving the Spirit except faith in Christ (John 7:37–39).  In John 7:39, the Lord Jesus said, “(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” The Spirit would be received by believers as a result of trusting Christ once the Lord Jesus had been glorified through His death, resurrection, and ascension.

Many verses speak of the Holy Spirit as being “given” to believers (2Cor. 1:22; 1Thess. 4:8; 1John 4:13). “Give” in these instances mean “to bestow a gift”.  Because the Holy Spirit is a “gift” (Acts 2:38; 10:45), there is nothing one can do to earn Him or His incoming; one consciously accepts Him by placing confidence-trust-faith in Christ and His work at Calvary. This is all that is required according the Bible.  Certainly Peter challenged the Jews to be saved and as a result they too would “receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). There is no biblical prerequisite to plead or tarry for Him to come indwell Christians. While it is true the Spirit did not immediately indwell some early Christian converts, these should be viewed as exceptions to punctuate something else in God’s grand redemptive program.  These instances should be understood as God’s sovereign activity, not the standard pattern for when believers receive the Spirit.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit is given at conversion. Obviously, the unbeliever does not possess the Spirit. Ephesians 1:13 indicates the Holy Spirit is given at the moment of belief—salvation. The sealing (and indwelling) with the Spirit take place the instant one believes the gospel.  Galatians 3:2 also emphasizes this same truth.  Notice Paul said, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Galatians 3:2). Consider The Bible Knowledge Commentary’s (Walvoord & Zuck 1985) explanation of the verse.

How did you receive the Holy Spirit? This rhetorical question pointed to the time of their conversions, when they received the Holy Spirit (cf. 4:6). Thus Paul did not question their salvation but challenged them to consider whether they were saved and received the Spirit by faith or on the basis of works. It was of course by faith, when they heard Paul preach the gospel. As an essentially Gentile church they did not possess the Mosaic Law anyway.

They received the Spirit at conversion, just as believers still do today. This was the established pattern during the New Testament period, though there were some exceptions during this transitional portion of NT history.  Now take into consideration the words of MacDonald and Farstad (1997, p. 1881) in the Believer's Bible Commentary regarding these same words of Paul,

One question should be sufficient to settle the whole matter. Let them go back to the time of their conversion—the time when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in their bodies. How did they receive the Spirit? By doing, or by believing? Obviously it was by believing. No one ever received the Spirit by keeping the law.

Thirdly, a person who does not possess the Holy Spirit is an unbeliever. Paul explained in Romans 8:9, “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” Such individuals do not belong to God; they are unsaved still.  Jude 19 refers to unbelievers as “having not [utterly devoid of] the Spirit.”  Obviously these have not been converted.

Fourthly, the Holy Spirit even indwells carnal believers. The Corinthian Christians, who were guilty of some of the most heinous sins were nonetheless indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). If only a select group is indwelt by the Spirit then the Corinthians would not all have been indwelt. The distinctive feature of the ministry of the Spirit today is His living in every believer, regardless of their spiritual conduct. Therefore in the New Testament, sinning Christians are indwelt by the Spirit. If the Spirit was selective about which believers to live in, He would have certainly skipped some of the Christians in the ancient church in Corinth. Note the troubles of these very carnal believers. One church member was committing adultery with his stepmother (1 Cor. 5:5)! Others were slapping each other with lawsuits in the secular courts (1 Cor. 6)! Some apparently were visiting prostitutes at the temple of the love-goddess Aphrodite (1 Cor. 6:15).  There were those who used the love feasts and the Lord’s Table as an opportunity to get drunk (1Cor. 11:21).  

Paul said of them, “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? ⁴ For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” (1 Cor. 3:3).  And so they were more like their old man before conversion than the new man created in Christ!  Yet, in spite of this, Paul insisted that God lived in them. It is precisely because the Holy Spirit is indwelling them that Paul urges them not to defile their bodies with sexual immorality (1Cor. 6:18–20). Remember, Romans 8:9 and 2 Corinthians 1:22 demand a conclusion that all believers, regardless of their spiritual condition, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. 

The fifth observation is the Holy Spirit indwells believers permanently.  Not only does the Holy Spirit reside in all believers, but it is a permanent indwelling. Our Lord Jesus made this plain when he said,

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; ¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:16–17).

Christ promised the Spirit will “abide” or remain with believers “forever.” Every child of God then is everlastingly blessed with this Holy Occupant.  The Spirit’s occupancy is far more enduring than the lifespan of the sun, stars, and the universe itself multiplied by a trillion more years! He will never leave nor forsake the people of God. Max Anders (1995, Chapter 3) said, “The Holy Spirit does not move in and move out like an unstable tenant.”³ Nor does He move in and out depending on whether He likes the condition of the “temple” He is within. Indwelling is unending. Once He takes up residence in believers, He stays forever.  Some folks needlessly fear that if they sin the Holy Spirit will leave them. The Moody Handbook of Theology (Enns 1997) states,

While there are plenty of things to dread if we willfully and flagrantly persist in sin (Hebrews 12:5–11), losing the Holy Spirit is not one of them. As we just saw, Jesus sent the Comforter “that He may abide with you forever.” The Holy Spirit is given to believers as a “down payment,” a verification of our future glorification (2Cor. 1:22; Eph. 4:30).

Though there are many who will reject these clear biblical teachings; nevertheless, they remain an accurate portrayal of the truth. Believers must build their views of God, salvation, spiritual development, and Christian responsibility on the Word of God. There is no substitute for "Thus saith The Lord." Feelings, emotions, experiences, and popular teachings must all be examined in the light of the Scriptures. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus did to expose the fallacies and misconceptions of His day, and so we must follow His lead. Now that we understand the facts regarding the Spirit's indwelling genuine Believers, what are the obligations of Christians? Find the answers in our next post on the Spirit's indwelling.