The Fruit of God's Goodness

 

The Fruit of God's Goodness

Psalm 34:8, O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

When the sweet Psalmist of Israel says, “Taste and see that the Lord is good,” David is not speaking of putting God through our examination merely or 'testing God. ' But he is talking about “relishing God's goodness.” To perceive how good He really is by experiencing that goodness firsthand. This incredible invitation to engage with God in a personal and experiential manner, is like trying a new dish or experiencing a new location – you don't know how good it is until you try it. 

The reverse of experiencing God’s goodness is to be anxious or prone to worry.  Worrying is to give way to anxiety, distress, disturbance, or unease, allowing one's mind to dwell on difficulty or troubles. It is a state of uncertainty over actual or potential problems. Vance Havner said, “Worry, like a rocking chair, will give you something to do, but it won’t get you anywhere.” Another person said, “Worry is the advance interest you pay on troubles that seldom come.” Clearly, we must prioritize experiencing God through deliberately trusting Him.

Experiencing God Personally:

"Taste and see that the Lord is good" encourages believers to personally experience God's goodness to actively seek and experience God's presence and blessings through faith and trust, rather than simply accepting claims about His goodness. 

We may reason, argue, resort to logic and marshal Christian evidences, but when all is said and done, a man must taste and see for himself.^[1]

The thought emphasizes God's goodness, His inherent kindness, mercy, and graciousness, as something to be discovered and enjoyed, not merely believing someone else’s testimony. We will know happiness and blessings when we do. 

Psalm 34:8, O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him

The verse also suggests that God's goodness is not just a nonconcrete notion, but something that can be experienced through faith and trust. It's about actively seeking God's presence and guidance in your life and recognizing His blessings. It's more than intellectual understanding, but an active, personal encounter with God's grace and mercy. Again, emphasizing the exquisiteness of His nature and the abundance of His provision. 

Trusting God is also Highlighted:

Additionally, God says, "blessed is the man that trusteth in him," highlighting the connection between experiencing God's goodness and trusting Him. When you trust God, you open yourself up to experiencing His goodness in very tangible ways. 

Note the phrase, "blessed is the man that trusteth in him". This pinpoints how connection with God implies trust, reliance, and finding protection in His care. As a blessed outcome we are happier and sense divine advantages and compensations. 

In military imagery David envisioned divine protection (cf. Gen. 32:2; 2 Kings 6:16).^[2]

It is the call to the life of faith. The saints are invited to walk by faith and not by sight, and to experience God’s marvelous, miraculous, and abundant provision. ^[3]

David's Testimony is Our Invitation:

David had experienced both serious adversity and God's fantastic rescues. He knew personally how good God can be to those who trust Him. He invites you and me to experience God's goodness in the same ways he had. We must actively engage our faith seeking God's inherent goodness and global generosity to find His protection, holy deliverance, promising blessings, and God-given happiness as a result. Instead of worrying, God prescribes,

Matthew 6:33, which says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”

This concern with God…knowing and experiencing God should mark us as genuine disciples of our Lord Jesus. Blessings belong to God’s people who trust Him instead of worrying.

Therefore an individual need not be anxious about his existence (Matt. 6:31), for by worrying he can never add any amount of time, not even a single hour, to his life. Rather than being like the pagans who are concerned about physical needs, the Lord’s disciples should be concerned about the things of God, His kingdom and His righteousness. Then all these needs will be supplied in God’s timing. This is the life of daily faith. It does no good to worry^[4]

Conclusion:

The Bible conveys how God is inherently good in and of Himself, His goodness is accessible to those who trust Him, and His goodness extends to all facets His creation. 

We too can experience God's goodness by recognizing His blessings, both big and small, in daily life. This can include tangible things like provision, protection, and love, as well as intangible things like peace, joy, and hope. 

Believing in the goodness of the Lord often leads to expressions of gratitude, praise, and a desire to reflect His goodness in our own lives. This may involve our acts of kindness, compassion, and service to our fellowman also. Certainly, we will be more convinced than ever of the goodness of God.

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^[1] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 598.

^[2] Allen P. Ross, “Psalms,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 1 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 819.

^[3] William MacDonald, Believer’s Bible Commentary: Old and New Testaments, ed. Arthur Farstad (Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 1995), 598.

^[4] Louis A. Barbieri Jr., “Matthew,” in The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures, ed. J. F. Walvoord and R. B. Zuck, vol. 2 (Wheaton, IL: Victor Books, 1985), 33.

The Power of Our Faith

Ephesians 1:15-23

Subject: Faith

Theme: pray that we believers will appreciate the privileges we have in Christ, experience God deeply, have hope in His grand calling, and daily experience His matchless power by faith.

Introduction:

Can you think of someone who has a powerful faith? What are the evidences of his or her faith? At the very foundation of Christian belief and behavior, we find ‘faith.’ Like the Washington Monument in the District of Columbia clearly looms over all other structures in the city, Christ regards faith as the supremely desirable quality. It far surpasses all others except charity (1Cor. 13:13).

To understand its significance to Christian experience we only need to perceive the value Christ placed on it. The superiority of faith is demonstrated by the Syrophoenician woman who possessed incredible determination as she appealed to the Lord Jesus for her daughter’s deliverance (Matt. 15:21-28). Faith’s weight can be seen when the Roman centurion who was distinguishingly humble approach the Lord on behalf of his sick servant (Matt. 8:5-13). And you may also recall the supremacy of faith as Bartimaeus, the blind man, who was conspicuously earnest and sincere despite the obstacles asked Jesus for sight (Mark 10:46-52). But what about each of them captured Christ’s attention? He was even delightfully amazed in some of these instances! What is it that repeatedly opens His generous hands to grant requests? Unmistakably, it was their powerful faith. It was this Christ centered confidence that brought them to Him in the first place—a conviction that Jesus will make all the difference in the world. Faith will evidence perseverance, faithfulness, humility, earnestness, and myriads of other holy qualities. But, essentially faith crafts and cultivates a certain lifestyle—one in which the believer daily experiences God in powerful ways. 

Message:

Now, because we possess monumental spiritual blessings in Christ, we need enlightenment regarding them. Like all believers, these blessings include election, predestination, adoption, purpose, acceptance, redemption, forgiveness, grace, insight into the mystery of God’s will, an inheritance, and sealing by the Spirit for additional assurance (Eph. 1:3-14). Beyond this we like Paul should yearn to know God most personally, intimately, experientially, and powerfully. In fact this is what he prayed for the Ephesians. Note…

I.       How Paul Responded to the Ephesian Believers’ Privileges (Eph. 1:14b-16).

A.    He praised God for their salvation blessings (v. 14b, 15a).

B.    He heard of their faithfulness in the Lord Jesus (v. 15).

C.    He heard of their love for all the saints (v. 15).

D.    He thanked God for them ceaselessly (v. 16a).

E.     He prayed for their spiritual enlightenment constantly (v. 16b).

II.     What Paul Prayed for the Ephesian Believers’ Progress (Eph. 1:17-23).

A.    Whom He Prayed to: He Addressed God for Them (v. 17).

                                                  1.     To the God of our Lord Jesus Christ (v. 17).

                                                  2.     To the Father of Glory (v. 17).

B.    What He Prayed for: He Appealed to God for Them (v. 17-23).

                                                  1.     That God would give them knowledge of Himself through the Spirit (v. 17b).

i.       A deep and practical knowledge of Himself (v. 17).

ii.     An experiential and intimate knowledge of Himself (v. 17).

                                                  2.     That God would enlighten them to know the hope of His calling for believers (v. 18).

                                                  3.     That God would give them factual knowledge of the wealth of glory in His inheritance (v. 18).

i.       God’s inheritance is within the sphere of His saints.

ii.     God views His inheritance as valuable and precious.

                                                  4.     That God would give them knowledge of His dynamic power towards believers (v. 19-23).

i.       God’s mighty power glorified Christ as Supreme (v. 19b-22a).

a.      This is resurrection power (v. 20).

b.     This is ascension power (v. 20).

c.      This is enthroning power (v. 20).

d.     This is supreme, universal, and enduring power (v. 21).

ii.     God’s mighty power placed Christ as the comprehensive Head over all creation (v. 22a).

iii.   God’s mighty power gave Christ to the church to be its glorious Head and share His kingdom dominion (v. 22b-23).

a.      To be Christ’s body (v. 22, 23).

b.     To be filled by Christ like He fills the universe (v. 23).

Conclusion:

Today we should be using the power of faith to believe, accept, and live in light of the fact that God’s dynamic power is immediately available to us believers (Eph. 1:19-23). Like Paul, we must cry out to God in prayer to grasp this life transforming reality. Not that we might receive this power, but that we would recognize it is already available to each of us by faith. Personally, I want an entire catalog of accounts of the powerful faithfulness of God through multiplied experiences with him throughout my life. Don’t you want to experience God in powerful ways?

Can I Be Sure God's Spirit Lives Within Me?

In the light of certain movements within the ranks of Christianity and certain emphasis about the Spirit living in Believers, we must entertain the questions that some people and even Believers are asking. Here is a question in connection with the Holy Spirit’s indwelling; “How can a believer know the Spirit of God lives within?”
First understand that being filled with the Spirit is not the same as being indwelt by the Spirit. Receiving the Spirit and being controlled by the Spirit are two entirely different spiritual experiences. To be Spirit-filled means that the Spirit of God is freely working in and with you to achieve the will of God through you. To be Spirit indwelt simply means that God lives in us as a result of our repentance and faith in Christ the Lord. To be Spirit-filled is to be quite spiritual since the Spirit of God has incredible control of your life. To be Spirit indwelt does not necessarily mean that you are holy, set apart for God, nor consecrated to His will. It simply means that the individual is saved. All Believers are indwelt by the Spirit, but not all are Spirit-filled. Every Believer ought to walk in obedience and submission to the Spirit, but not all do. These two very different spiritual dynamics must never be confused; unfortunately many fail to recognize this important difference. In the New Testament, when we see terms like "filled""fullness" or "full" in relation to the Spirit of God generally it is referring to the Spirit-filled lifestyle. However, when we see terms like "receive," "have," or "dwell" these generally refer to being a Christian--Spirit indwelt. Actually this simple observation while reading the New Testament can clarify a great deal of confusion.
In addition a Believer can be filled with the Spirit repeatedly according to Ephesians 5:18, and we find this happening several times in the Book of Acts where Believers asked God to fill them afresh and anew for new power, standing for Christ, continuing in the will of God, and witnessing with boldness (Acts 4:23-37).Clearly some of these Christians were filled on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2, but in Acts 4 they are being filled again with the power and grace of God for life and service. We also know that Believers receive the Spirit once and only once that the Spirit may remain with us forever. He never leaves nor forsakes the Believer once He begins to live in us (John 14:16-18). We can grieve, vex, and quench the Holy Spirit, still He will not leave New Testament Believers as He did with some Old Testament Believers. With these preliminary observations established, we can now explore whether a genuine Believer can KNOW they are indwelt by God's Spirit.
Another way of asking this question is "Can we be sure we are indeed saved?" Since being indwelt by the Spirit is the same as being saved this is a good question. According to Max Anders (1995, Chapter 3) and Charles Ryrie (1995) there are two ways a Christian can know that he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit. First, simply take the Scripture at face value. If they have believed in and received Christ as their personal Savior, then they have the Spirit living within. Note John's exact words,

In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (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.) (John 7:37-39).

Here the Lord Jesus predicted that those who receive Him and believe on Him will receive the Holy Ghost as a result of their faith in Him. This reception of the Savior would transpire after the Lord Jesus was glorified. He was glorified through His resurrection, and through His glorious ascension to Heaven to His Father's right hand (John 17:1-10). Once there He and the Father sent the Holy Spirit to indwell all true Believers permanently.

Several scholars and Bible Commentators agree with this conclusion that the Spirit begins to indwell Believers at the moment we believe on Christ the Savior. Note just one insightful observation,

It is clearly stated that the expression “living water” refers to the Holy Spirit. Verse 39 is very important because it teaches that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ also receive the Spirit of God. In other words, it is not true, as some claim, that the Holy Spirit comes to indwell people sometime after their conversion. This verse clearly and distinctly states that all who believe on Christ receive the Spirit. At the time the Lord Jesus spoke these words, the Holy Spirit had not yet been given. It was not until the Lord Jesus went back to heaven and was glorified that the Holy Spirit descended on the day of Pentecost. From that moment on, every true believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has been indwelt by the Holy Spirit. (MacDonald, W. (1995). Believer’s Bible Commentary)

Notice  furthermore the promise of our wonderful Lord Jesus. He indicated in clear terms the Spirit will pick up His work where Christ left off. He wanted to assure His disciples and us that we will not have to serve and labor alone! He was not abandoning His people!

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. 18 I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you (John 14:16-18).

Our Lord promised another Comforter, one like Himself to remain with us Believers forever. The Comforter dwells in each Believer as Christ our Lord promised. This is clearly what the Lord Jesus taught in unmistakable terms. I believe Him and every Christian should take His words seriously! John 7:37-39, are clear about when a Believer is indwelt by the Spirit, and the Lord Jesus said it is when we believe. You see Christ has been glorified and is living today in Heaven as He predicted. He has sent the Spirit just as He promised He would. The Spirit is here and we are assure the Lord Jesus is back in Heaven and is glorified with the Father. Since He is glorified, and the Spirit is here operating in the world we now receive the Spirit the moment we believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. This wonderful promise of Christ continuing with His people through the indwelling Spirit is true for EVERY genuine Believer today with zero exceptions. 

Now there were a few exceptions to this in the Book of Acts when God sovereignly delayed the Spirit's indwelling the Samaritans (Acts 7), and the disciples of Apollos and John the Baptist (Acts 19). These were exceptions and not the standard or the rule. God had specific reasons for delaying the Spirit's indwelling these people groups. Because of these delays, His Apostles were assured of the truth that the Gospel is for all peoples, all nations, and the message was to be taken to the uttermost parts of the globe (Acts 1:8). Apostle were present to witness what God was doing internationally regarding the Gospel and the salvation of anyone who repented and believed the Gospel. The Gospel is for Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles; God desires to save all and is not willing that any should perish. To signify this God delayed the Spirit's indwelling in these few instances to demonstrate this truth to His leaders the Apostles. Again these were exception and not the rule. The standard procedure is for a person to repent believing the Gospel of Christ, and they are saved, regenerated, and indwelt by the Spirit of God exactly as the Lord Jesus said it would be. This is the standard as demonstrated in Acts 10 when Cornelius and his household are marvelously saved. Peter preaches the Gospel, they listen with believing receptive hearts and God's mighty Spirit fell upon them all. As new Believers they received the Spirit of God in a manner that was obvious to the Apostle Peter--they were genuine Believers. Yes, God was signifying that even Gentiles should hear the Gospel and be saved by grace. Peter would later explain all of this to the church in Jerusalem and they finally accepted Gentiles as true Believers (Acts 11). The order again is simple: the Gospel is preached, sinners listen with repentant and believing hearts, and God saves them giving them the Spirit of God to indwell them. Beloved this is the rule; yes, there are a few historical exceptions, but this is the rule.   

We can stand on the clear statements of God’s Word. In fact, Romans 8:9 makes it clear that if we do not have the indwelling Spirit then we are not saved at all. In contrast, if we do have the indwelling Spirit, we are truly saved. Indwelling is a normal consequence of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as Savior. It is not a "second blessing" of some sort; it is the reception of Jesus Christ through the Spirit of Grace upon our repentance and faith in Christ.

The second way is to look for the evidence of His work in one’s life (Ryrie, C.). This too can afford assurance of the Spirit’s indwelling. When I became a Christian, I was certain I was, because things within me were changing. Though I struggled later with assurance issues rooted in bad theology, initially I had great assurance. New desires, motives, and ambitions were beginning to emerge. Over the next few weeks, I would continue my work at the aircraft support equipment shop of Plattsburgh, AFB, New York. But now it really bothered me when my co-workers and fellow airmen were swearing or using vulgarities. This in spite of the fact that a few weeks before I was the ring leader in that circus, but now I wanted everybody to stop. Before my conversion I freely participated in the generous usage of expletives, gutter language, and filthy statements. Now God was cleaning up my speech and I wanted others to clean theirs up also.  

I could recall also changing my TV and Cable watching selections and habits; I seemed to know instinctively that my previous selections were inappropriate for a Believer. I also embraced new friends and curtailed my involvement with old friends who could influence me to live the old life. On the other side of things, I found myself reading my new Bible and loving it, especially the Book of Genesis; I truly was fascinated and thrilled. The Spirit began to teach me and formulate wholesome values within. I began attending the church I was saved in on Sundays, and developed a desire to be with and talk to other Christians about spiritual things. I recall the emergence of desires to be more loving, less prideful, holy, and more patient springing up deep within me. I also felt burdened to reach my old friends with the Gospel and I began inviting them to church. My life was far from holy and consecrated to God, but these small changes within evidenced the Holy Spirit’s internal work.

The Spirit had indeed moved in and was about the work of growth and transformation.  Not everyone’s experience will be the same as this, but such positive “changes” are indications of the indwelling Spirit of God. With regard to experiences, it would be wise to think on the words of Charles Ryrie (1995) in A Survey of Bible Doctrine,

Experience may not always be convincing since sin may hinder His work, and in the normal process of Christian development one’s growth will be slow but steady with no unusual demonstrations of the power of God. This unspectacular kind of progress should never be diagnosed as indicating the absence of the indwelling Spirit. He does abide forever in every believer’s life (Jn. 14:16–17).

Finally, because the Spirit indwells Believers, we are never alone. Prisoners in concentration camps or prisoners of war camps testify that the presence of God kept them going during the grueling hours, days, and even years of solitude. This is because they knew they were not really alone. Praise the Lord for His eternal Presence in and with His people always (Anders 1995, Chapter 3)! Even after exploring these very clear passages and examining the biblical facts, the Spirit’s indwelling is still mysterious in some regards. Obviously there are some things we Christians know for certain, but others evade our understanding heretofore. The concept of indwelling is such a mystery that probably no one fully understands specifically what happens in that instant the Spirit of God moves inside. But indwelt Believers truly are if they have given their lives over to faith in Christ. The Scriptures makes it clear that the Holy Spirit lives in us, and based on that fact, we should glorify God with our bodies.

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.

The Proof of Christ's Resurrection!

    “For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3)

    “To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3)

The important place of this doctrine in the Christian system cannot be overstated!  These two verses clearly declare how Christ literally died and arose again. All Christian teaching rest upon the fact of Christ’s resurrection:

• In that wonderful chapter on the resurrection (1 Cor. 15) Paul makes Christianity answer with its life for the literal truth of the resurrection of Jesus Christ. That the body of the founder of the Christian religion did not lie in the grave after the third day is fundamental to the existence of the religion of Christ: “And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain” (v. 14). “If Christ be not raised … ye are yet in your sins” (v. 17). …Remove the resurrection from Paul’s Gospel, and his message is gone. –Evans, W. 1998, c1974. The Great Doctrines Of The Bible

The gospel shows how completely the resurrection of Christ had been demonstrated (1Cor. 15:1-11). It is the foundation and hope of Christianity—everything soundly rests on the resurrection of Christ.  Let us explore four areas of Christ’s resurrection and its significance to our Christian faith:

1. The nature of the resurrection of Jesus Christ
2. The proof of the resurrection of Jesus Christ
3. The necessity for the resurrection of Jesus Christ
4. The results of the resurrection of Jesus Christ

I.  THE NATURE OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

Answering the question, What?

A. The meaning of credibility

1. Credibility is the quality or power of inspiring belief.  –Merriam-Webster
2. When we say something is credible, we mean it offers reasonable grounds for being believed.
3. Credibility refers to the acceptance of a fact in a manner that deserves belief; it is belief based upon good authority, reliable facts, and competent witnesses…. The resurrection of Christ is a fact proven by competent evidence, and is deserving of intelligent acceptance and belief. It is a doctrine buttressed by “many infallible proofs.”  --Evans, W. 1998, c1974. The Great Doctrines Of The Bible
4. 1 Cor. 15:3-4, For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; [4] And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures:

B. The meaning of Christ’s resurrection

Negatively:

1. Not a swoon.
1. Some believe Jesus merely swooned on the cross, and in the cool air of the tomb He revived and came forth from the tomb as though He had really risen from the dead. But, the disciples believed that He had really died and risen again (John 19:33–37; Matt. 27:57, 58).
2. Jesus definitely died on the cross. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people witnessed it. The Romans were not careless executioners; they knew when a person was dead. They had ways of making sure. They broke the legs of the person so he could not support himself to breath any more, and he asphyxiated. But Jesus needed no bones broken. He was already dead. To be sure, the Roman speared his side. No reaction. Blood and water came out, a sign of legal death. The executioner had to verify the death to Pilate. If he had gotten it wrong, it would have meant his death. 
3. In fact, when Jesus Christ appeared to the disciples after the third day, he was not a weak, suffering, half-dead man, but a conquering, triumphant victor over death and the grave. He never could have made this impression upon the disciples if He was Himself a half-dead man.
2. Not a resuscitation.
1. Jesus had suffered much even before He was nailed to the cross. He had undergone the horrible ordeal of a Roman scourging which shredded His back by a whip with pieces of glass and metal at the end of the leather strands. The pilot’s soldiers had struck Him on the head repeatedly. He had been forced to carry the cross from pilot’s headquarters toward His place of execution until, due to Jesus’ weakened state, another man was compelled to carry the cross the remainder of the way.
2. But suppose for a minute that the Roman executioners were wrong and Jesus had somehow survived and was buried alive. How likely would He have endured another seventy-two hours in a cold, damp tomb without food, water, or medical attention? Would He have survived being wound in heavy, spice-laden grave clothes weighing an estimated seventy pounds? Would He have had the strength to free Himself from the grave clothes, roll away the heavy stone sealing the mouth of the tomb, overpower the Roman guards, and then walk several miles on feet that had been mutilated with nails?

3. Not continued existence of only the soul of Jesus.
1. According to this theory, belief in Christ’s resurrection only means faith in the survival of the soul of Jesus.  That is Jesus was spiritually alive, and lived with God, while His body decayed in the grave.
2. But, all the facts in the Gospels sharply contradict this theory.  Jesus could be touched and examined by His disciples and He even ate with them to prove He literally physically and bodily rose from the dead (Luke 24:37-44;John 20:26-31; Acts 1:3).
3. Jesus’ resurrection, which was a divine act involving all three Persons of the Godhead (John 10:17-18; Acts 13:30-35; Rom. 1:4), was not just a resuscitation of the ruined physical frame that was taken down from the cross for burial. It was, rather, a transformation of Jesus’ humanity that enabled him to appear, vanish, and move unseen from one location to another (Luke 24:31, 36). It was the creative renewing of his original body, the body that is now fully glorified and deathless (Phil. 3:21; Heb. 7:16, 24). The Son of God in heaven still lives in and through that body, and will do so forever.  –Packer, J. I. 1995, c1993. Concise Theology

Positively:

A literal resurrection of the physical body of Jesus Christ from the tomb in Joseph’s garden

1. The resurrection of our Lord is portrayed in the NT as the miraculous restoration of His physical life, and the reunion of His spirit with His body! Christ Resurrection in the deepest sense was not unnatural but entirely natural; He had to be raised from the dead.
1. Acts 2:24, Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it.
2. Acts 1:3, To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:
3. Romans 1:4, And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead:

2. In addition, the risen Lord’s body was real; the same the disciples had seen Him with before His crucifixion, and that which had died (Luke 24:39; John 20:24-29). But, Christ lived in such a way that the natural limitations that previously confined Him were set aside.  Christ’s resurrection was wrought by the miraculous power of God (Acts 13:30; Rom 1:4; 1 Cor 15:15); therefore it presents no difficulty for faith to one who really believes in God.
1. Christianity is the only religion that bases its claim to acceptance upon the resurrection of its founder. For any other religion to base its claim on such a doctrine would be to court failure. Test all other religions by this claim and see. –Evans, W. 1998, c1974. The Great Doctrines Of The Bible
2. The Living One

A Muslim and a Christian were discussing their religions and had agreed that both Mohammed and Christ were prophets. Where, then, lay the difference? The Christian illustrated it this way: “I came to a crossroads and I saw a dead man and a living man. Which one did I ask for directions?” The response came quickly, “The living one, of course.” “Why, then,” asked his friend, “do you send me to Mohammed who is dead, instead of Christ who is alive?” This is the basic difference between Christ and every other religious leader. All the others came into the world, lived, and died—but none of them lived again. The resurrection of Christ was the one event that persuaded His disciples once for all that He was the Christ, God’s Son.

II. THE PROOF OF THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST

Answering the question, Why?

A. Cause and effect:

Here are certain effects, the cause for which can be traced only to the fact of Christ’s resurrection.

1. The empty tomb.
1. The Jews demanded and received from Pilate a Roman guard outside the tomb for the period of three days. In addition, a Roman seal was placed on the tomb, which meant a death sentence to anyone breaking the seal. Nevertheless, on Sunday morning after the crucifixion, Jesus’ followers went to the tomb and found it open. Jesus was gone, though His grave clothes lay as though Jesus’ body had evaporated from them.
2. The fact of the empty tomb was confirmed to by solid witnesses—from friends and foes (Matt. 28:6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:3, 12; John 20:1, 2).
3. The condition in which the linen cloths were found lying by those who entered the tomb excludes the possibility of the body being stolen.
4. Then the testimony of angels to the fact that Jesus really arose as He predicted is totally trustworthy (Matt. 28:6; Mark 16:6; Heb. 2:2).
5. It is not surprising that critics of Christianity have zeroed in on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. If they can cast doubt upon it, they can destroy Christianity entirely. But, as best-selling author Paul Little once said before he died, “After 2000 years, no one is going to ask a question that will bring Christianity crashing.”
6. If you apply the same tests to the resurrection as you would to any other historical event, you come away concluding that Jesus actually rose from the dead. Only those who do not want to believe it come to another conclusion, and must wrench the arm of historical research to do it.

2. The Lord’s Day.
1. The Lord’s Day is Sunday, the first day of the week; the day especially associated with the Lord Jesus Christ to celebrate His resurrection from the dead. Clearly the early churches assembled on Sunday, the Lord’s Day (1 Cor. 16:2).
2. The divinely-inspired apostles, by their practice and by their precepts, preserved the Lord’s Day for meeting together for meals, for worship and spiritual instruction, for giving offerings for the ministry, for concentration on spiritual disciplines.
3. The Lord’s Day is not the original Sabbath. Why was it changed?  In the New Testament the converted Jews changed their time-honored seventh day to the first day of the week—the Lord’s Day.
4. What is the cause of this tremendous effect? The resurrection of Christ Jesus was the cause for this great change in the day of worship.

3. The Christian Church
1. The Christian Church is a glorious effect; what is its cause?
2. Once again, the resurrection of Christ is the obvious answer. If the resurrection did not occur, how can one account for the transformation of Jesus’ discouraged and defeated disciples into dynamic, joyful people willing to suffer and die to preach a risen Savior? Why didn’t they save themselves by recanting the story, or salve their conscience by a death-bed confession of the deception? How did this message gain so many adherents among people who had contact with the events spoken of and would have detected falsehood? (For example, in 1 Corinthians 15:6, Paul refers to more than five hundred people who saw the risen Jesus and were still living more than twenty years later).
3. When the risen Christ appeared unto the discouraged disciples and revived their faith and hope, they went forth, under the all—conquering faith in a risen and ascended Lord preaching His gospel. All over the world people believed on Christ, assembled to study the Scriptures, to pray, to worship Christ, and to extend His kingdom in the souls of men. It is the resurrection of Christ that inspired and empowered these endeavors.

4. The New Testament.
1. If Jesus Christ had remained buried in the grave, the story of His life and death would have remained buried with Him.
2. The 27 books of the New Testament describes the birth of Jesus Christ, His life, death, resurrection, and ascension to Heaven. It also contains the teachings Christ has given His Apostles for the churches, as well as prophecies of the end of this age. The New Testament embodies the new covenant of which Jesus was Mediator sealing it with His atoning death (Jer. 31:31–34; Heb. 9:15). The second half of the Bible has been use by spiritually sensitive Christians for nearly two thousand years.
3. The New Testament is an effect of Christ’s resurrection. It was the resurrection that put heart into the disciples to go forth and tell its story. The New Testament is the book of the resurrection.

B. Testimony:

1. The number of witnesses (1 Cor. 15:3–9).
1. The resurrection of Christ is a historical fact clearly verified by over five hundred witnesses.

1.      Surely this is sufficient to establish a fact of evidence in any court of law.

2.      The sheer number of eyewitnesses, more than five hundred, should cause doubters to stop and think before dismissing the Resurrection accounts of a few followers. All these people saw him at one time, and at the time of Paul’s writing, most of them were still alive.

3.      The resurrection story was undisputed, so far as we know, twenty-five years later!

2. Paul could invite his readers to check his facts if they doubt his words.

2. The credibility of the witnesses.
1. The value of the testimony of a witness depends much upon his character; if that is discredited, then the testimony is rejected. Scrutinize carefully the character of the men who bore witness to the fact of Christ’s resurrection. They are unassailable on ethical grounds.
2. “No honorable opponent of the Gospel has ever denied this fact. Their moral greatness awakened an Augustine, a Francis of Assisi, and a Luther. They have been the unrivalled pattern of all mature and moral manhood for nearly two thousand years.” --Evans, W. 1998, c1974. The Great Doctrines Of The Bible
3. The nature of the fact witnessed (Luke 24:36-48).
1. Christ’s resurrection is fully stated in each Gospel record.
2. The apparent differences in the testimony of the witnesses to the resurrection may be clarified with a correct knowledge of the manner and order of the appearances of Christ after His resurrection.

4. The lack of motive for perjury.
1. Every one of them (except one) died a martyr’s death for his loyalty to the story of Christ’s resurrection. What had they to gain by fraud? Would they have sacrificed their lives for what they themselves believed to be a lie?

b.      The first disciples had scattered like quail before hunters when Jesus was crucified. Some had gone back home to Galilee. But now, they could not be silenced. What made the difference?

c.       If the resurrection could have been refuted, would thousands of Jews have risked being cut off from family and regular Jewish society?

C. Experience: (1Cor. 15:17)

1. Paul’s (15:8-11).
1. Some have debunked this Resurrection appearance as simply the pious vision of believers seeing with the eyes of faith. But Paul could have cited the testimony of two for whom that was not true, James, the half brother of Jesus, and himself. Like Paul, James probably came to faith (cf. John 7:5 with Acts 1:14) because of an appearance of the resurrected Christ (Acts 9:3-6; 22:6-11).  –Walvoord, J. F. 1983-c1985. The Bible Knowledge Commentary
2. But one of the greatest witnesses of the Resurrection was Paul himself, for as an unbeliever he was soundly convinced that Jesus was dead. The radical change in his life—a change which brought him persecution and suffering—is certainly evidence that the Lord had indeed been raised from the dead.  –Wiersbe, W. W. 1996, c1989. The Bible Exposition Commentary
2. Corinthians’ (15:1-4, 12-20)
1. 1 Cor. 15:17, And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins.
2. If there is no resurrection, then Christ was not raised. If He was not raised, there is no Gospel to preach. If there is no Gospel, then you have believed in vain and you are still in your sins! If there is no resurrection, then believers who have died have no hope. We shall never see them again!
3. The conclusion is obvious: Why be a Christian if we have only suffering in this life and no future glory to anticipate? (In 1 Cor. 15:29–34, Paul expanded this idea.) The Resurrection is not just important; it is “of first importance,” because all that we believe hinges on it. –Wiersbe, W. W. 1996, c1989. The Bible Exposition Commentary   
3. Ours
1. Christ has saved us, our sins are forgiven, and He is changing our lives daily!
2. How Do I Know He Lives?

How do I know that Christ has risen?

What proof have I to give?

He touched my life one blessed day,

And I began to live.

How do I know he left the tomb

That morning long ago?

I met Him just this morning,

And my heart is still aglow.

How do I know that endless life

He gained for me that day?

His life within is proof enough

Of immortality.

How do I know that Christ still lives,

Rich blessings to impart?

He walks with me along the way

And lives within my heart. –A Treasury of Bible Illustrations