When do we receive the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is the person of the Trinity who
lives inside all believers.
When and how He enters our hearts is debated for a
couple of reasons.
The first is the confusion over the terms "indwelt with the Holy Spirit,"
"filled with the Holy Spirit," and "baptized by the Holy Spirit."
The second reason is the tendency of some to see
the receiving the Holy Spirit in the early church as recorded in the book of
Acts as the model for us today.
Scripture clearly indicates that believers are indwelt with the Holy
Spirit—that is, the Holy Spirit moves into their hearts—at the moment of
conversion. "For in one Spirit we
were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were
made to drink of one Spirit" (1 Corinthians 12:13).
All believers have the same spirit—the Holy Spirit.
Ephesians 1:13 is more specific about the exact moment we receive
the Holy Spirit: "In him you also,
when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in
him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit."
Romans 8:9 explains simply that "Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to
him."
If the Scriptures so plainly state that all believers have the Holy Spirit, why
the controversy?
There is a distinct difference between the Holy
Spirit "indwelling" us and
the Spirit "filling" us.
The filling of the Holy Spirit was a tool used by
God since the Old Testament.
- In Deuteronomy
34:9, Joshua is filled with
the Holy Spirit to take on Moses' responsibilities.
- In 1
Samuel 19:18-24, King Saul and his
servants are filled with the Spirit and prophesy.
- And in Luke
1:15, the angel explains to
Zacharias that his son, John the Baptist, will be filled with the Spirit.
- After Jesus' death and resurrection the Holy Spirit
continued to fill people, including Peter (Acts 4:8), Paul (Acts 13:9), and the
other disciples (Acts 13:52).
This is different from the simple indwelling of the
Spirit experienced by all believers.
Some also confuse the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
We believe it is the same as the indwelling of the Spirit, although others
think it is more similar to the filling of the Spirit.
The book of Acts is a fascinating look into the change from the age of Judaism
to the age of the Church. Jesus was a Jew. The disciples were Jews. But the
Church is distinctly Christian.
The disciples did not become Christians until John 20:22 when Jesus breathed the Holy Spirit into them.
In Acts 2:4, they were filled with the Holy Spirit.
In Acts
8:14-17, however, God waited to
give the Samaritans the Holy Spirit until Peter and John could see. We are not
told why, although perhaps it was so these devout Jews could witness the coming
of the Spirit upon a group of people so despised by them.
Acts 10:45 seems to corroborate this as the "circumcised believers" (Jews)
"were amazed, because the gift of
the Holy Spirit was poured out even on the Gentiles."
Today and always, we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we accept Jesus as our
Lord and Savior.
In John 3:5, Jesus says, "…unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the
kingdom of God."
When
we accept Christ, God immediately seals us with His Spirit” (2 Corinthians 1:22 ).
Would you want to have a deeper relationship with
God?
God has made it possible for you to know Him and experience an amazing change in your own life
by receiving His Son,
Jesus Christ, and have eternal life.
Say the following prayer:
“Father God, I confess I am a sinner and
my sins have separated me from You.
I am truly sorry. I now want to turn away from my past
sinful life and live a new life pleasing to You.
Please forgive me, and help me avoid
sinning again.
I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ died
for my sins, was resurrected from the dead, is alive, and hears my prayer.
I invite Jesus to become the Lord of my
life, to rule and reign in my heart from this day forward. Thank You that
according to your Word, I am now born again.
Please send Your Holy Spirit to help me
obey You, and to do Your will for the rest of my life. I promise to study Your
Word – the Bible.
Please use me for Your glory.
In Jesus' Name I pray. Amen.”
Related Posts:
“Surely
The Presence Of The Lord”
Lanny
Wolfe
lyrics
Surely the presence of the Lord is
in this place.
I can feel God's mighty power and God's grace.
I can hear the brush of angel's wings,
I see glory on each face.
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
In the midst of His children
The Lord said He would be.
It doesn't take very many
It can be just two or three.
And I feel that same sweet spirit
That I felt oft times before.
Surely I can say
I've been with My Lord
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
I can feel God's mighty power and God's grace.
I can hear the brush of angel's wings,
I see glory on each face.
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
There's a holy hush around us,
As God's glory fills this place.
I've touched the hem of God's garment,
I can almost see God's face.
And my heart is over flowing
With the fullness of God's joy.
And I know, without a doubt,
That I've been with the Lord.
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
I can feel God's mighty power and God's grace.
I can hear the brush of angel's wings,
I see glory on each face.
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place
I can feel God's mighty power and God's grace.
I can hear the brush of angel's wings,
I see glory on each face.
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
In the midst of His children
The Lord said He would be.
It doesn't take very many
It can be just two or three.
And I feel that same sweet spirit
That I felt oft times before.
Surely I can say
I've been with My Lord
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
I can feel God's mighty power and God's grace.
I can hear the brush of angel's wings,
I see glory on each face.
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
There's a holy hush around us,
As God's glory fills this place.
I've touched the hem of God's garment,
I can almost see God's face.
And my heart is over flowing
With the fullness of God's joy.
And I know, without a doubt,
That I've been with the Lord.
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place.
I can feel God's mighty power and God's grace.
I can hear the brush of angel's wings,
I see glory on each face.
Surely the presence of the Lord is in this place
“For
where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of
them."
Words
and Music by Lanny Wolfe
compellingtruth.org
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