But Don't All Believers Have the Holy Spirit?
Some Scriptures are twisted to "prove" all believers automatically receive the Holy Spirit, the moment they come to faith in Christ.
But what do these passages actually say?
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
1 Corinthians 12:13 "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."
Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."
Galatians 4:6 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."
Romans 8:9 "...Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
Let's examine these one by one.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
The Holy Spirit will draw a sinner to repentance.
Does this mean they are born again?
No.
But as soon as that person allows the Spirit to LEAD them, then they become born of God.
Why? Because "repentance" is actually "a change of direction."
If you turn from walking away from God, and turn toward Him, you are repenting.
And at the point of true repentance, you are born again.
At the point that you turn toward God, you are being led by the Spirit.
Does being "led of the Spirit" mean you are "filled with the Spirit"? No.
If I take you by the hand and lead you, do I necessarily get inside of you? Of course not.
Same with the Holy Spirit. (John 14:17)
On to the next one...
1 Corinthians 12:13 "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body..."
Like the verse we just looked at, this one is also an action performed by the Holy Spirit, on a person.
Now, if you perform an action on another person, do you automatically enter that person? No.
Nor does the Holy Spirit automatically enter the people He baptizes into the Body of Christ.
Next one...
Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."
Look closely. There is a progression of three events.
First, you heard the word of truth.
Second, you trusted in Christ, AFTER you heard.
Third, AFTER you believed, you were sealed with the Spirit of promise.
Not "when" but "after."
Newer versions mistranslate the Greek to say "when". That is a mistranslation.
Literally, the Greek says, "having believed, you were sealed."
Clearly, "having believed" is the condition to meet, before sealing can happen.
This verse DOES NOT SAY that the moment you believe, you are sealed with the Spirit.
It says AFTER the Ephesians believed, THEN they were sealed.
If you check this out in Acts 19, you will see this is exactly how it happened.
First, the Ephesians heard the gospel. Second, they believed and were baptized.
And THIRD, Paul laid his hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
They did NOT receive the Holy Spirit the moment they were born again.
They received it after they believed and after they were baptized.
God doesn't always wait until after someone is water-baptized.
But the condition for being filled with the Holy Spirit is first being born again.
Next...
Galatians 4:6 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."
Look carefully. First, we are sons. And BECAUSE we are sons, then the rest of the verse happens.
And now...
Romans 8:9 "...Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
To correctly understand this verse, we must see the difference between similar terms in the passage.
And we must also must put it in context.
First, here's the context:
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Romans 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
This is all one cohesive thought.
But we must remember, punctuation and verse divisions are not inspired!
And in this passage, the verses are not divided correctly, because those verse divisions easily confuse the meanings of terms.
Verse 9 ought to be divided in the middle. The last part of verse 9 belongs with verse 10.
First, it says if you don't have the Spirit of Christ, you don't belong to God at all.
What is the Spirit of Christ?
When the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, and she conceived, it was the Spirit of Christ that entered her womb. The Second Person of the Trinity.
The Second Person is not the Third Person.
If you don't have the Second Person of the Trinity, you don't belong to God at all.
And (v. 10) if CHRIST is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit in you is alive, because of HIS righteousness.
Remember Romans 7? (This is about context, so we can rightly understand chapter 8.)
Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Romans 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
This is not a sinner talking. Sinners do not delight in the law of God in their inward hearts.
This is one who is born again, who in his spirit, loves God!
But there's a great battle going on, between his spirit, and his flesh!
And this is the setup for Romans 8, the passage we are discussing.
There's a dead body here, that a new believer needs deliverance from.
There's a bondage that needs broken. A bondage to the flesh.
This new believer has repented from his past.
But he wants power to live free from the fleshly lusts, that war against his soul!
Where does this power come from?Paul is telling us, in Romans 8!
Look at Romans 8:11.
" BUT if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you"
This is a big contrast. That word BUT signals a change from one concept to another.
If you are born again, your inner man is new, because the Spirit of Christ is in you.
BUT!
"But" is a disjunctive conjunction. It links together two OPPOSING thoughts.
BUT means a new thought is introduced, to offset the first idea.
Thank about that, in light of this verse!
On the one hand, if you have the Spirit of CHRIST, you are HIS,
BUT, on the other hand, if you have the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead... THEN more happens!
There's another level. There's another Spirit.
There's more than the Spirit of the Second Person of the Trinity, available to a believer!
There's the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead!
And when that Spirit enters you, it gives power to rise victorious, though still in your mortal body.
"...shall also quicken your mortal bodies!" (Not immortal bodies!)
This verse is usually taken out of context, and applied to the "sweet-by-and-by," when our mortal flesh "will have put on immortality." And yes, it's true in that sense also. But that's not the primary meaning. That's not the context.
The Romans context is the struggle with our flesh, in this body.
The context is how to access consistent victory over a besetting sin.
And this key is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, subsequent to salvation.
The power to overcome sin, is the Holy Spirit.
And it's important to know you can follow the Holy Spirit, without having been baptized in the Spirit.
In fact, that's how we are led to faith in Christ.
It's how we are born again, by following the lead of the Holy Spirit.
But only the children of God can receive the Holy Spirit.
You have to first be born again, before you can receive this.
Luke 11:13 "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"
New believers are baptized BY the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ.
They have been put into the Body of Christ.
The Holy Spirit is WITH them, and speaks to them. They already know His voice.
But He has not yet entered them.
Here is a very important verse, spoken to the disciples:
John 14:17 "...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."
Jesus said that before Pentecost, His disciples already had the Holy Spirit WITH them!
On this basis, they already KNEW the Holy Spirit!
They knew what it felt like, to be touched by Him.
They knew what His voice sounded like.
They already recognized His work.
But He was yet only WITH them. Not IN them.
And this is where many Christians today exist. They recognize the Holy Spirit's touch, and His voice. They KNOW the Spirit of God! And they are LED by the Spirit! They are truly born again. Truly God's children. They love the Lord, and follow as closely as they know how.
But they are living FAR below their privileges!
God has so much more available for them... but they've been taught to be scared of what God has offered.
Fear. A major tool of the enemy, casting doubt upon God.
We need to deal with this.
Stay tuned...
But what do these passages actually say?
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
1 Corinthians 12:13 "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."
Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."
Galatians 4:6 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."
Romans 8:9 "...Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
Let's examine these one by one.
Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.
The Holy Spirit will draw a sinner to repentance.
Does this mean they are born again?
No.
But as soon as that person allows the Spirit to LEAD them, then they become born of God.
Why? Because "repentance" is actually "a change of direction."
If you turn from walking away from God, and turn toward Him, you are repenting.
And at the point of true repentance, you are born again.
At the point that you turn toward God, you are being led by the Spirit.
Does being "led of the Spirit" mean you are "filled with the Spirit"? No.
If I take you by the hand and lead you, do I necessarily get inside of you? Of course not.
Same with the Holy Spirit. (John 14:17)
On to the next one...
1 Corinthians 12:13 "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body..."
Like the verse we just looked at, this one is also an action performed by the Holy Spirit, on a person.
Now, if you perform an action on another person, do you automatically enter that person? No.
Nor does the Holy Spirit automatically enter the people He baptizes into the Body of Christ.
Next one...
Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise."
Look closely. There is a progression of three events.
First, you heard the word of truth.
Second, you trusted in Christ, AFTER you heard.
Third, AFTER you believed, you were sealed with the Spirit of promise.
Not "when" but "after."
Newer versions mistranslate the Greek to say "when". That is a mistranslation.
Literally, the Greek says, "having believed, you were sealed."
Clearly, "having believed" is the condition to meet, before sealing can happen.
This verse DOES NOT SAY that the moment you believe, you are sealed with the Spirit.
It says AFTER the Ephesians believed, THEN they were sealed.
If you check this out in Acts 19, you will see this is exactly how it happened.
First, the Ephesians heard the gospel. Second, they believed and were baptized.
And THIRD, Paul laid his hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
They did NOT receive the Holy Spirit the moment they were born again.
They received it after they believed and after they were baptized.
God doesn't always wait until after someone is water-baptized.
But the condition for being filled with the Holy Spirit is first being born again.
Next...
Galatians 4:6 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."
Look carefully. First, we are sons. And BECAUSE we are sons, then the rest of the verse happens.
And now...
Romans 8:9 "...Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
To correctly understand this verse, we must see the difference between similar terms in the passage.
And we must also must put it in context.
First, here's the context:
Romans 8:9 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Romans 8:10 And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Romans 8:11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.
Romans 8:12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh.
This is all one cohesive thought.
But we must remember, punctuation and verse divisions are not inspired!
And in this passage, the verses are not divided correctly, because those verse divisions easily confuse the meanings of terms.
Verse 9 ought to be divided in the middle. The last part of verse 9 belongs with verse 10.
First, it says if you don't have the Spirit of Christ, you don't belong to God at all.
What is the Spirit of Christ?
When the Holy Spirit overshadowed Mary, and she conceived, it was the Spirit of Christ that entered her womb. The Second Person of the Trinity.
The Second Person is not the Third Person.
If you don't have the Second Person of the Trinity, you don't belong to God at all.
And (v. 10) if CHRIST is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the spirit in you is alive, because of HIS righteousness.
Remember Romans 7? (This is about context, so we can rightly understand chapter 8.)
Romans 7:22 For I delight in the law of God after the inward man:
Romans 7:23 But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members.
Romans 7:24 O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death?
This is not a sinner talking. Sinners do not delight in the law of God in their inward hearts.
This is one who is born again, who in his spirit, loves God!
But there's a great battle going on, between his spirit, and his flesh!
And this is the setup for Romans 8, the passage we are discussing.
There's a dead body here, that a new believer needs deliverance from.
There's a bondage that needs broken. A bondage to the flesh.
This new believer has repented from his past.
But he wants power to live free from the fleshly lusts, that war against his soul!
Where does this power come from?Paul is telling us, in Romans 8!
Look at Romans 8:11.
" BUT if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you"
This is a big contrast. That word BUT signals a change from one concept to another.
If you are born again, your inner man is new, because the Spirit of Christ is in you.
BUT!
"But" is a disjunctive conjunction. It links together two OPPOSING thoughts.
BUT means a new thought is introduced, to offset the first idea.
Thank about that, in light of this verse!
On the one hand, if you have the Spirit of CHRIST, you are HIS,
BUT, on the other hand, if you have the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead... THEN more happens!
There's another level. There's another Spirit.
There's more than the Spirit of the Second Person of the Trinity, available to a believer!
There's the Spirit that raised Christ from the dead!
And when that Spirit enters you, it gives power to rise victorious, though still in your mortal body.
"...shall also quicken your mortal bodies!" (Not immortal bodies!)
This verse is usually taken out of context, and applied to the "sweet-by-and-by," when our mortal flesh "will have put on immortality." And yes, it's true in that sense also. But that's not the primary meaning. That's not the context.
The Romans context is the struggle with our flesh, in this body.
The context is how to access consistent victory over a besetting sin.
And this key is the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, subsequent to salvation.
The power to overcome sin, is the Holy Spirit.
And it's important to know you can follow the Holy Spirit, without having been baptized in the Spirit.
In fact, that's how we are led to faith in Christ.
It's how we are born again, by following the lead of the Holy Spirit.
But only the children of God can receive the Holy Spirit.
You have to first be born again, before you can receive this.
Luke 11:13 "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?"
New believers are baptized BY the Holy Spirit into the Body of Christ.
They have been put into the Body of Christ.
The Holy Spirit is WITH them, and speaks to them. They already know His voice.
But He has not yet entered them.
Here is a very important verse, spoken to the disciples:
John 14:17 "...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."
Jesus said that before Pentecost, His disciples already had the Holy Spirit WITH them!
On this basis, they already KNEW the Holy Spirit!
They knew what it felt like, to be touched by Him.
They knew what His voice sounded like.
They already recognized His work.
But He was yet only WITH them. Not IN them.
And this is where many Christians today exist. They recognize the Holy Spirit's touch, and His voice. They KNOW the Spirit of God! And they are LED by the Spirit! They are truly born again. Truly God's children. They love the Lord, and follow as closely as they know how.
But they are living FAR below their privileges!
God has so much more available for them... but they've been taught to be scared of what God has offered.
Fear. A major tool of the enemy, casting doubt upon God.
We need to deal with this.
Stay tuned...
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