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.

Fallacies Related to Receiving The Spirit!

There are serious fallacious teachings related to the Holy Spirit’s indwelling of genuine Believers (Acts 1:8; 19:2). This article makes an honest attempt to clarify the biblical teaching to at least reduce the amount of ambiguity on this subject. The content in this article will be difficult for some readers. I ask that you suspend your conclusions until you have examined all the passages and the central arguments I have presented here. My aim is to get to the truth because I know the truth will set each of us free!

In previous articles we observed the facts and explored the functions of the Spirit’s indwelling. We need to now consider the fallacies related to this subject. This fallacy surrounds when the Spirit takes up habitation in the believer. Is it something to be sought and prayed for repeatedly until God give us the Spirit?  Is it dependent upon my life being clean enough and then the Spirit will see fit to indwell me?

Some of the confusion on this issue stems from misunderstanding and misinterpreting the Book of Acts.  Some have even manipulated the Book of Acts to substantiate some rather strange teachings about the ministry of the Spirit of God.  So the best thing to do is to look at some of these very same passages and seek to shed light on this with other portions of the Bible.

1.      Should a believer seek the indwelling of the Spirit today?

                                                   i.      No, I believe a person receives the Spirit immediately upon receiving Christ as Savior.

                                                 ii.      Eph. 1:13-14; Gal. 3:2; 4:4-7; Rom. 8:9.  This is universally true with all believers today, but it was not so during the early years of Christianity.

                                                iii.      There is not even one command to seek the indwelling the Holy Spirit in the NT!

                                               iv.      There was a period of transition from Judaism to Christianity—from Jewish ideas to Christian ideas, from Jewish practices to distinctively Christian practices, from Jews only to Jews and Gentiles together (John 7:38-39; Gal. 3:26-28). 

                                                 v.      God’s people were slow to accept the idea of “world” evangelism; therefore, God used several approaches to confirm His intentions for the gospel and to guide his apostles and the early churches.

                                               vi.      But, why does the Book of Acts seem to teach differently? 

2.      Note the Emphasis and Command of Acts 1:8. 

                                                   i.      This verse is the theme and key verse of the entire Book of Acts.

                                                 ii.      The indwelling Spirit would empower the church to take the gospel to their city, their country, their region of the world, and also the rest of the world.

a.       They like us must receive power—the power of the Holy Spirit. This power is the grand indispensable of Christian witness. A man may be highly talented, intensively trained, and widely experienced, but without spiritual power he is ineffective. On the other hand, a man may be uneducated, unattractive, and unrefined, yet let him be endued with the power of the Holy Spirit and the world will turn out to see him burn for God. The fearful disciples needed power for witnessing, holy boldness for preaching the gospel. They would receive this power when the Holy Spirit came upon them.

b.       Their witness was to begin in Jerusalem, a meaningful prearrangement of the grace of God. The very city where our Lord was crucified was first to receive the call to repentance and faith in Him.

c.       Then Judea, the southern section of Palestine with its strong Jewish population, and with Jerusalem as its chief city.

d.       Then Samaria, the region in the center of Palestine, with its hated, half-breed population with whom the Jews had no dealings.

e.       Then the uttermost part of the then-known world—the Gentile countries which had hitherto been outside the pale as far as religious privilege was concerned. In this ever widening circle of witness, we have a general outline of the flow of history in Acts.

1.       The witness in Jerusalem (Chaps. 1–7)

2.       The witness in Judea and Samaria (8:1–9:31)

3.       The witness to the uttermost part of the earth (9:32–28:31)

                                                iii.      Paul felt obligated, “I am a debtor,” to the entire human race to proclaim God’s good news (Rom. 1:14-15).

a.       It did not matter if they were educated or uneducated, cultured or uncultured, Jew or Gentile; they all need Christ.  He was eager (“I am ready,” Rom. 1:15) to evangelize the world, including Rome, capital of the empire.

b.       Because the Jews were God’s Chosen earthly People (11:1), possessed God’s Word (3:2), and the people through whom Christ came (9:5), they had the first privilege or priority to hear the gospel. Paul characteristically sought out the Jews first in every new city (Acts 13:5, 14; 14:1; 17:2, 10, 17; 18:4, 19; 19:8).

c.       Today evangelism of the world must include the Jews, and Gentiles because the “Jew first” priority was satisfied in the Book of Acts (Rom. 1:14-17).

                                               iv.      Though Christ made this very plain, the believers were slow to accept the idea. But, Christ promised the Holy Spirit would guide them into all truth (John 16:13).

3.      Note the Execution of Acts 1:8 Missionary Endeavor.

                                                   i.      Jews in Jerusalem were saved (Acts 2:1-4, 37-41).

a.       The church witnessed with great power in Jerusalem and three thousand Jews were saved initially.

b.       Unfortunately the earlier Jewish churches were very slow to take the gospel to all peoples, therefore God sent persecution to force them out of Jerusalem and into the rest of the world (Acts 8:1).

                                                 ii.      Then Judeans and Samarians were saved (Acts 8:1-12; 9:31).

a.       The Samaritans’ salvation immediately raises the question, “Why the difference between the order of events here and on the day of Pentecost?”

1.       At Pentecost the Jewish people:

                                                                                                                           i.      Repented.

                                                                                                                         ii.      Were baptized.

                                                                                                                        iii.      Received the Holy Spirit.

2.       Here the Samaritans:

                                                                                                                           i.      Believed.

                                                                                                                         ii.      Were baptized.

                                                                                                                        iii.      Had the apostles pray for them and lay their hands on them.

                                                                                                                       iv.      Received the Holy Spirit.

b.       Of one thing we can be sure: they were all saved in the same way—by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. He is the only Way of Salvation.

c.       However, during this transitional time, bridging Judaism and Christianity, God chose to act sovereignly in connection with various communities of believers.

1.       Jewish believers were asked to dissociate themselves from the nation of Israel by baptism before they received the Spirit.

2.       Now the Samaritans must have special prayer and the apostles’ hands laid on them. But why?

d.       Perhaps the best answer is that it was intended to give expression to fellowship between Jews and Samaritans “in Christ.” There was a real danger that the church in Jerusalem might retain ideas of Jewish superiority, and that they might continue to have no dealings with their Samaritan brethren. To avoid the possibility of such prejudice, God sent the apostles to lay their hands on the Samaritans. This expressed full fellowship with them as believers in the Lord Jesus. They were all members of the family of God, through the same Lord Jesus Christ.

                                                iii.      Then Gentiles in Judea, and throughout the Mediterranean world were saved (Acts 8:26-40; 10:43-48; 13:1-5).

a.       The eunuch from Ethiopia was saved (Acts 8:35-38).

b.       Cornelius with his family and friends in Caesarea were saved—these were Romans (Acts 10:43-48).

1.       While Peter was still preaching, “the Holy Ghost fell on” these Gentiles. They all spoke with tongues, praising God. This was a sign (1Cor. 1:22; Jn. 2:18; 4:48; Matt. 12:38-39) to those present that Cornelius and his household had indeed received the Holy Spirit.

                                                                                                                           i.      The Jewish-born visitors from Joppa were astonished to think that Gentiles could receive the Holy Spirit as such, without becoming Jewish proselytes.

                                                                                                                         ii.      But Peter was not bound to the same extent by Jewish prejudices. He sensed immediately that God was making no distinction between Jew and Gentile, so he proposed that the household of Cornelius should be baptized.

2.       Notice the expression, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? These Gentiles had been saved in the same way as the Jews—simple faith. There was no suggestion of law-keeping, circumcision, or any other ordinance or ritual.

3.       Notice, too, the order of events in connection with the reception of the Holy Spirit by the Gentiles:

                                                                                                                           i.      They heard the word, that is, they believed (v. 44).

                                                                                                                         ii.      They received the Holy Spirit (v. 44, 47).

                                                                                                                        iii.      They were baptized (v. 48).

4.       This is the order of events that prevails for Jew and Gentile alike in this dispensation, when God is calling out of the nations a people for His Name.

c.       The gospel went out to the then known world through Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:1-5).

4.      Note that the Spirit’s Indwelling served as a confirmation of salvation to other believers.

                                                   i.      An example of delayed indwelling with the Samaritans (Acts 8:1-25).

a.       Since a deacon and evangelist preached the gospel to the Samaritans, it was needful that the apostles witness what God had done (8:14-17).

b.       The purpose of the Spirit’s delay to indwell these Samaritans was to confirm to the apostles that the Samaritans were genuine converts. 

c.       God wanted to give salvation to Samaritans also.

                                                 ii.      An example of immediate indwelling with the Gentiles (Acts 10:40-45).

a.       Since an apostle preached this message, there was no delay regarding the Spirit’s indwelling. 

b.       God confirmed to Peter and his companions that salvation was for the Gentiles also.

c.       Then Peter had to explain his evangelistic campaign among the Gentiles to the church in Jerusalem (Acts 11:1-18) and they finally realized and accepted what God was doing!

                                                iii.      What about the disciples of Apollos in Ephesus (Acts 19:1-7)?

a.       Apollos preached an incomplete message (Acts 18:25) “the baptism of John” the Baptist which was still anticipating the Christ.  These men seem only partially informed of God’s way of salvation, the ministry of the Spirit, and faith in Jesus Christ.

1.       Paul explained they needed to believe on Christ (Acts 19:4-5).

2.       Then they were baptized before they received the Holy Spirit (19:5).

3.       Afterwards they received the Spirit through the laying on of the hands of Paul (19:6).

b.       When the apostle Paul raised the question of baptism, he found out that these men knew only about John’s baptism. They knew Messiah was at hand, and they had signified their repentance by baptism as a necessary preparation for receiving Him as King. They did not know that Christ had died, had been buried, and had risen from the dead and ascended back to heaven, and that He had sent the Holy Spirit. Paul explained all this to them. He reminded them that when John baptized with the baptism of repentance, he urged them to believe on Christ Jesus (19:3, 4).

1.       When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus (19:5). Throughout the Book of Acts the emphasis is distinctly on the lordship of Jesus. Therefore, the disciples of John here were baptized by the authority of the Lord Jesus and as a public acknowledgment that in their lives they accepted Jesus Christ as Lord (Jehovah).

2.       Paul then laid his hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit (19:6, 7). This is the fourth distinct time in Acts when the Holy Spirit was given. The first was in chapter 2, on the Day of Pentecost, and involved the Jews primarily. The second was in Acts 8, when the Spirit was given to the Samaritans through the laying on of the hands of Peter and John. The third time was in Acts 10, at the household of the Gentile, Cornelius, in Caesarea. We have previously pointed out that the order of events leading up to the reception of the Holy Spirit is different in each case.

3.       Here in Acts 19 the order is:

                                                                                                                           i.      Faith.

                                                                                                                         ii.      Re-baptism.

                                                                                                                        iii.      Laying on of the apostle’s hands.

                                                                                                                       iv.      Reception of the Holy Spirit.

c.       By giving the Holy Spirit to John’s disciples through the laying on of Paul’s hands, the Lord forestalled the possibility of a charge being made later that Paul was inferior to Peter, John, or the other apostles.

d.       When the disciples of John received the Holy Spirit they spoke with tongues and prophesied. Such supernatural powers were God’s method of working in the days before the NT was given. Today we know that we receive the Holy Spirit at the time of conversion, not by signs and wonders, or even by feelings, but by the testimony of the NT Scriptures.

                                               iv.      Note that Paul was filled with the Spirit after his conversion (Acts 9:15-18). 

a.       He may or may not have received the Spirit at his conversion, but God sent Ananias to minister to him and he was filled with the Spirit and healed of blindness. 

b.       This was a confirmation to the church in Damascus (Acts 9:11-16, 19-22).  Nobody would have received Paul as a true believer without this confirmation experience.

5.      What is the normal pattern for today? (Acts 10:24-48)

                                                   i.      I believe this is the pattern for today.  The gospel is preach, sinners repent and believe, the Spirit indwells the new believers, and they follow the Lord in believer’s baptism.

a.       The moment a person believes on the Lord Jesus Christ, he is indwelt by the Holy Spirit; he is sealed by the Holy Spirit; he receives the earnest of the Spirit; he receives the anointing of the Spirit; and he is baptized by the Spirit into the Body of Christ.

b.       However, this does not deny that in a believer’s life there are subsequent crises of the Spirit. There is no denying that the Holy Spirit often comes on individuals in a sovereign manner, empowering them for special ministries, giving them great boldness in the faith, and pouring out upon them a passion for souls.

                                                 ii.      Throughout the NT Epistles it is universally assumed, yea even taken for granted, that all believers are indwelt by the Spirit of God without exception.

                                                iii.      We are no longer transitioning from Judaism to Christianity.  The Christian faith is well established today and is afforded guidance through the written Word (NT).

Prayerfully some of the confusion related to when Christians are indwelt by the Spirit of God has been removed.  I realize some will read this article and reject it because they know what happened to them. Others will refuse it because they trust more what they have seen and what people they respect have told them. Some folks are fully convinced what they experience or have witnessed is from God and totally of God. I wish only to say to these that we must measure every teaching by the Scriptures. We have an obligation to try the spirits to determine if they are indeed of God. I am afraid God receives a great deal of unwanted credit for things He has nothing to do with. We must not permit our feelings, denominations, preferences, ideologies, or personal philosophies take precedence over the written Word of God.