Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

The indwelling of God the Holy Spirit begins immediately at salvation and is permanent. This ministry is unique to the Church Age. It is this ministry that assures our royal status, since all believers, regardless of their spiritual health, are equally indwelt by the Holy Spirit. This ministry also creates a temple in the body of each believer for the indwelling of Christ, the Shekinah Glory. It is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit that sets up the potential for believers to understand spiritual truth, to glorify Christ, to be comforted, to be guided through life, and to witness for Christ. It is still up to the individual believer to use their free will to choose to allow God the Holy Spirit to empower and guide their lives. (Galatians 3:2-3; 4:6; Acts 1:8; Romans 8:9; I Corinthians 2:12; 3:16-17; 6:19-20; John 14:16-20; Colossians 1:27)

Understanding Spiritual Truth

Since God does not force truth upon us, we must make the choice to learn, believe, and apply spiritual truth. Under the filling of the Holy Spirit, academic understanding of God’s Word is converted into spiritual understanding. (I Corinthians 2:10-16: II Peter 1:20-21) We must always keep in mind that God’s wisdom and understanding is far superior to ours.

Therefore, it is imperative for each believer to tap into the only source of absolute truth, God’s the Bible.

Unique to the Church Age is the utilization of the pastor-teacher to teach Bible doctrine. Other ages relied on the head of the household, a priest, a prophet, angels, or in some instances theophanies (preincarnate appearances of Jesus Christ). Under a pastor-teacher who teaches accurate Bible doctrine, a believer is taught the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit makes the teaching clear so that it can be believed. Once believed, the information is transferred to our human spirit where it becomes usable spiritual knowledge. (Galatians 5:16-18; Ephesians 4:11-16, 5:18)

Glorifying Christ

There is much being said about the Holy Spirit these days, to the point of glorifying Him instead of Christ. Anytime the Holy Spirit is glorified, a “red flag” should immediately go up for a believer. Jesus made it perfectly clear that when the Holy Spirit came to earth that He (the Holy Spirit) would not speak of Himself but would testify of Christ. This is not to say that the Holy Spirit, as God, is any less deity than Christ. However, in function, He never seeks to glorify Himself, only Christ. We must remember that it is Christ Who is the focal point of all that God is doing on behalf of mankind. Therefore, all glory has been given to Christ. (John 16:13-14, 17:1-5; II Peter 1:16-18)

It is arrogance when believers attempt to bring glory or attention to themselves. When attention is given to any human being, God cannot be glorified. Making an idol of a person is contrary to the teachings of God’s Word. We must be careful not to place ourselves or others on a pedestal. All of us have a sin nature and we all have “feet of clay.” All glory belongs to our Savior, Jesus Christ. (II Corinthians 10:14-18)

The Comforter

The word in Greek for comforter is “parakletos,” and means to call to one’s aid. It is the ministry of God the Holy Spirit to bring comfort to believers in time of distress. Originally a legal term for an advocate or defense attorney, the word for comforter came to mean much more. Its meaning was expanded to include consolation, encouragement, alleviation of grief, or giving comfort; things perhaps an advocate would do for a client. It is this word that the Holy Spirit inspired the writers of Scripture to use to describe His ministry. (John 14:16,26, 15:26; 16:7; Philippians 2:1-2; II Thessalonians 2:15-16; I John 2:1)

Since God no longer speaks directly to human beings, there must be a way in which He communicates His comfort. It is very clear from Scripture that God the Holy Spirit uses the Bible doctrine that we have stored in our souls to bring comfort, encouragement, and alleviation of grief. The Holy Spirit guides us to the truth when we need it, in order to accomplish His ministry of comfort. The key is to have this information stored in our souls, so that we have a frame of reference for the purpose of using the Problem-solving Devices. (John 14:26, 16:12-15; Hebrews 1:1-2)

Guidance of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit indwells believers as our guide. The Holy Spirit guides believers to truth, and it is this truth that becomes the source for all guidance. Without spiritual truth stored in your soul, you cannot be properly guided by the Holy Spirit. You must first learn and believe accurate Bible doctrine before you can apply it. And it can be applied only when we are filled with the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit will guide you, but He will never force you to make the right decision. You must make the right decision based on the accurate Bible doctrine in your soul. This process is grace living, since it is God Who is guiding you; first to the truth and then to the proper application of that truth.

We are told that the Holy Spirit is the Person Who not only teaches us truth but also brings truth to our remembrance. It is this recall of truth that allows us the opportunity to make good decisions from a position of strength. The key to proper guidance for a believer is spiritual growth. Spiritually maturing Christians have greater potential for making right decisions than spiritually immature Christians. (John 14:26; Ephesians 4:13-16; Hebrews 5:11-14)

Power to Witness for Christ

One of the many privileges that we have as believers is to share the good news of the Gospel with others. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to empower us to carry out our responsibility to be witnesses for Christ. (II Corinthians 5:18-20) Acts 1:8 tells us that when the Holy Spirit was permanently given to the early apostles, they also received the accompanying power to be effective witnesses for Christ. It is our job to present an accurate Gospel message that can be used by the Holy Spirit to win a person to Christ. Therefore, it is imperative that every believer learns how to present the Gospel message clearly. An unclear presentation of the Gospel will only confuse unbelievers and make it difficult for them to make a positive decision to believe in Christ as Savior. (I Corinthians 14:7-9; Galatians 1:6-9)

So, let me state what the clear, concise, and correct Gospel message is from the Word of God.

Here are some unclear phrases used by many well-meaning Christians to explain the Gospel:

1. Invite Jesus into your heart
2. Give Jesus your heart
3. Repent of or turn from your sins
4. Ask Jesus to forgive you of your sins
5. Ask Jesus to come into your life
6. Make (or be willing to make) Jesus the Lord of your life
7. Turn your life over to Jesus
8. Commit your life to Christ
9. Surrender your life to Christ
10. Become a follower of Christ

These are all nice sounding phrases, perhaps even spiritual sounding. However, they are all unclear and are false information regarding salvation. Salvation is a matter of faith alone in Christ alone. (Galatians 1:8-9)

God the Holy Spirit indwells us in order to establish our identity as Royal Family of God, to help us understand spiritual truth, to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in our lives, to comfort us, to guide us, and to empower us. What a wonderful blessing we have as believers in the Church Age — the permanent indwelling of God the Holy Spirit. (I Corinthians 6:19-20)