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.

Our Rapture Hope

John 13:36-14:6

We Christians have wonderful assurance and unfailing hope, because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ and His promised return for us in the Rapture. Our aim here is to understand thoroughly the primary passages on the Rapture so that the biblical message about this event will not be a complete mystery to us. Each Christian must develop truly Biblical convictions about this event and live consistently with those convictions until our Lord comes for us.

“Many Christians long for the Rapture, not because of their intense love for the Lord, but because it gives them an escape from the distress of our age.” • Erwin Lutzer

I am the first to admit that I sometimes ardently long for the Lord to come for us because of the problems we sometimes face! We are often misunderstood, sometimes deeply disappointed, discouraged because our dreams seem to be shattered, and we wonder what now or what next or even what if…. But even in such dark hours we still can pray with real hope as David did in Psalm 69:13, “But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time: O God, in the multitude of thy mercy hear me, in the truth of thy salvation.”

Hopelessness is an opportunity to trust God, not time to quit. When we are completely beaten down, we are tempted to turn from God, give up, and quit trusting Him. When our situation seems hopeless, we must determine that no matter how bad things become we will continue to pray and trust the Lord. God will hear our prayer, come to our aid, He will rescue us, or meet our needs. When life seems to reject us, we need God most. It is time to cling to Him! Don’t turn from your most faithful Friend in your darkest hours. Cling to the hope He promised. 

The first mention of our Rapture Hope came from the lips of our Lord Jesus Himself (John 14:3). It was introduced to comfort the disciples’ troubled hearts and to impart hope in the midst of their pain. Here Christ reveals the secret to a trouble-free heart in a troubled world: it is keep trusting Him and God (Jn. 14:1). Through faith in God and Christ we can overcome the painful stresses we must face. More specifically we trust Him to keep His promise to return for us in the Rapture. Notice quickly though, how the Rapture is different from the Return of Christ to the earth,

This was an entirely new revelation to be contrasted to Christ’s earlier revelation concerning His second coming to judge the world. This was a coming with an entirely different context, and its purpose was to take them out of the world and take them to the Father’s house which clearly refers to Heaven where Jesus has gone before to prepare a place for them. This is the first instance in the New Testament to what Paul later referred to as the Rapture… (1Cor. 15:51-58; 1Thess. 4:13-18).—John Walvoord

I.                  What Did Jesus Actually Promise Concerning the Rapture? (John 13:36-14:6)

To tormented souls Jesus gave this loving encouragement, “Let not your heart be troubled” (John 14:1, 27). We are not surprised that the Apostles were completely bewildered and discouraged—troubled. After all, Jesus had announced that one of them was a traitor (John 13:21), and then He warned Peter that he was going to deny his Lord three times (John 13:38). Jesus certified that Satan was at work against all of them (Luke 22:31-32), and that all the disciples would fall away (Matt. 26:31). Self-confident Peter was certain that he could not only follow his Lord, but even die with Him and for Him. Alas, Peter did not know his own heart, nor do we really know our hearts, except for one thing… our hearts easily become troubled. The cumulative weight of these revelations must have greatly depressed them. The were crushed.

Perhaps the heaviest blow of all was the realization that Jesus was going to leave them (John 7:34; 8:21; 12:8, 35; 13:33) and that He would die (John 12:32-33). Where was He going? Could they go with Him? How could they get where He was going? These were some of the perplexing questions that tumbled around in their minds and hearts. These disconcerting thoughts were tossed back and forth in their conversations at the table.

How did Jesus calm their troubled hearts? By giving them wonderful assurances to hold on to; assurances that we today may claim and thus enjoy trouble-free hearts. If you are a Believer in Jesus Christ, you may claim every single one of these assurances.

A.   Jesus Promised That Believers Will Go to Heaven (John 14:1, 2).

1.      Handle Life's Troubles With Faith (John 14:1).

                                                                           i.      Take the Lord’s Counsel to Heart. Jesus did not rebuke Peter for asking Him where He was going, but He gave this message to calm the disciples’ troubled hearts (John 13:36-38).

                                                                         ii.      Remember David Encouraged Himself in the Lord (1Sam. 30:6).

                                                                        iii.      Take Responsibility for the Condition of Your Heart. Our heart is the center of our personality. Each of us as believers is responsible for the condition of our own heart. 

a.       Proverbs 3:1, My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my commandments:

b.      Proverbs 3:3, Let not mercy and truth forsake thee: bind them about thy neck; write them upon the table of thine heart:

c.       Proverbs 3:5, Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  

d.      Proverbs 4:23, Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life.

e.       Proverbs 20:9, Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

                                                                       iv.      Place Your Faith in the Lord’s Love, Grace, Wisdom, and Power. By a firm trust in God the Father and Jesus the Son, we can relieve our soul-sorrows and be sustained in our coming tests and trials of life. 

a.       We must keep on trusting God and Christ, because the secret to an trouble-free heart is complete trust in God. This know as the peace of God. It is never caving in under the pressure to quit.

b.      Isaiah 26:3-4, Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. [4] Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength:

c.       Many times we feel our faith cannot equal the test before us.

1)      But instead of giving up we turn to the Lord as the father in Mark 9:24, did when he cried unto Jesus, “And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief.”   

2)      Weak faith can become strong faith with God’s help. The attitude of trust and confidence that the Bible calls belief or faith (Heb 11:1,6) is not something we can obtain without help. Faith is a gift from God as we take the Bible's statements, commands and promises seriously (Eph 2:8-9; Rom. 10:17).

3)      No matter how much faith we have, we will never reach the point of being self-sufficient. Faith is not stored away like money in the bank. Growing in faith is a constant process of daily renewing our trust in Jesus. God can use the troubles of life to strengthen our faith!   

2.      Set Your Heart on a Real Place Called Heaven (John 14:2).

                                                                           i.      Take This Heavenly Hope Seriously. Heaven is not a product of religious imagination or the result of a psyched-up mentality, looking for “pie in the sky by and by.”

                                                                         ii.      Think About Heaven Biblically. Heaven is the place where God dwells and where Jesus sits today at the right hand of the Father. Heaven is described as a kingdom (2 Peter 1:11), an inheritance (1 Peter 1:4), a country (Heb 11:16), a city (Heb 11:16), and a home (John 14:2).The thing that makes Heaven such a wonderful anticipation is the fact that God is there. The Lord Jesus will come for us in the Rapture and we will forever be with Him. What wonder it will be to finally behold our precious Christ Jesus!

                                                                        iii.      View Heaven as Home. Heaven is “My Father's house,” according to the Son of God. It is “home” for God’s children!

a.       Some years ago, a London newspaper held a contest to determine the best definition of “home.”

1)      The winning entry was, “Home is the place where you are treated the best and complain the most.”

2)      The poet Robert Frost said that home is the place that, when you arrive there, they have to take you in. A good definition!

b.      The “mansions” in John 14:2 are the places prepared for Believers in Heaven.

1)      It is unfortunate that some unbiblical songs have perpetuated the error that faithful Christians will have lovely mansions in glory, while worldly saints will have to be content with little cottages or even shacks.

2)      Jesus Christ is now preparing places for all true Believers, and each mansion will be beautiful. We may not ever have a beautiful home here on earth, but we will over there. 

3)      When He was here on earth, Jesus was a carpenter (Mark 6:3). Now that He has returned to glory, He is building His churches on earth and a home for the “glorious church” in Heaven. I cannot wait to finally fly away unto that place to move in!

B.   Jesus Promised He Will Personally Escort Believers to Heaven (John 14:3-6).

1.      Jesus Promised to Return for a Prepared People (John 14:3, 4). 

                                                                           i.      Believe His Promise. John 14:3 is a clear promise of our Lord’s return for His people.

a.       Some will go to Heaven through the valley of the shadow of death.

b.      But those who are alive when Jesus returns will never see death (John 11:25-26).

1)      They will be changed to be like Christ and will go directly to Heaven in the Rapture (1 Thess 4:13-18).

2)      The Lord made it clear that He was going to the Father, and that He was the only way to the Father.

                                                                                                                                                   i.      Heaven is a real place, a loving place, and an exclusive place. Heaven is more real and substantial than the Grand Canyon, Paris France, Sydney Australia and Tokyo Japan. We must be born into the kingdom of God in order for it to be our place of eternal citizenship (John 3:3-7; Phil. 3:20, 21).

                                                                                                                                                 ii.      Not everybody is going to Heaven, but rather only those who have trusted Jesus Christ (Acts 4:12; 1 Tim 2:4-6). I realize that may be shocking to some readers, but it is absolutely true. Only people who have repented of their sins trusting Christ as their Savior will actually live in Heaven. The rest, unbelievers, will be finally and eternally lost. They will be sentenced to the Lake of Fire forever (Rev. 20:11-15). It is most wise to trust Christ Jesus for the forgiveness of sins. 

                                                                         ii.      Clarify His Promise.  Christ’s promise to return does not refer to His Resurrection or to a Believer’s death, but to the Rapture of the saints! 

                                                                        iii.      Be With Christ as Promised. Christ will return for His sheep and we will be with Him. This is what makes this promise so wonderful and fills it with the most precious hope. We will be with Christ!

a.       John 17:24, Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.

b.      Jesus is not emphasizing the nature of Heaven, where He was going, but that Believers will be with the Father and Himself.  This is enough for the troubled hearts of us Believers!

1)      2 Cor. 5:8, We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

2)      Philip. 1:23, For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better:

3)      1 Thes. 4:17, Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

   

2.      Jesus Will Personally Take Us to our Father’s House (John 14:5, 6).

                                                                           i.      Note Our Destination.  Since Heaven is the Father’s house, it must be a place of love and joy.

a.       When the Apostle John tried to describe Heaven, he almost ran out of symbols and comparisons! (Rev. 21-22)

b.      Finally, he listed the things that would not be there: death, sorrow, crying, pain, night, etc. What a wonderful home it will be - and we will enjoy it forever!

                                                                         ii.      Note a Question.  Thomas’ question revealed his keen desire to be with Jesus (see John 11:16), and this meant that he had to know where the Master was going and how he himself would get there.

                                                                        iii.      Note the Direction.

a.       Jesus does not simply teach the way or point the way, He is the way.

1)      Jesus is the “Way” because He is the “Truth” and the “Life.” As the Father is Truth and Life, Jesus is the embodiment of God so people can come to the Father (John 1:4, 14, 18; 11:25).

2)      By His words, "No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me," Jesus stressed that salvation, contrary to what many people think, is not obtainable through many ways. It is a lie to say that there are many ways to God and Heaven. Jesus clearly taught this incredible reality. 

3)      Only one Way exists (Acts 4:12; 1 Tim. 2:5). Our Lord’s statement wipes away any other proposed way to Heaven good works, religious ceremonies, costly gifts, etc. There is only one way, and that way is Jesus Christ.

4)      Jesus is the only access to the Father because He is the only One from the Father (John 1:1-2, 51; 3:13). All other world religion are false, wrong, and gross deception. It does not matter how noble or sincere the participants and adherents are. There is no salvation in any other faith. It is our Christian responsibility to reach the world with the only real hope--Jesus Christ.

b.      In fact, “the Way” was one of the early names for the Christian faith (Acts 9:2; 19:9, 23; 22:4; 24:14,22). Not many ways, but "the way."

3.      Jesus Desires to Assure our Hearts Also. How Should This Assurance Of Going To Heaven Calm Our Troubled Hearts?

                                                                           i.      Dr. James M. Gray put it beautifully in a song he wrote years ago: “Who could mind the journey, when the road leads home?”

                                                                         ii.      The assurance of a heavenly home at the end of life’s road enables us to bear joyfully with the obstacles and battles along the way.

a.       It was this assurance that even encouraged our Lord, “who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross” (Heb 12:2).

b.      Paul had this truth in mind when he wrote, “For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us” (Rom 8:18).

Believers have hope in Jesus Christ and specifically in the much anticipated Rapture of Believers. There is comfort and grand assurance to experience as we allow ourselves to fully embrace the hope of the Rapture. Remember, hope in this respect refers to a sure expectation—a guaranteed event that will transpire in the future. Hope is not merely anticipating something that may or may not happen. There is zero chance of the Believer’s Rapture hope not occurring as God promised. Yes, we are facing and will face some troubling times throughout life, but all the while we have this precious and very real hope. Heaven is your home with God! The Lord Jesus will return for us and carry us back home with Him. Embrace it; believe it; be comforted by it!