Carol Swenson
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The Spirit Indwelling
The Spirit does certain new and special things since His “coming” on the Day of Pentecost. At the heart of these distinctive ministries lies the ministry of dwelling in believers, for it is foundational to all His ministries to Christians in this age.
I. THE PEOPLE INDWELT
To express indwelling Paul not only used the preposition en but also the verb oikeō, to dwell (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; though, of course, sometimes he used only the preposition as in 6:19). He related this ministry of the Spirit to all believers.
A. The Indwelling Spirit Is a Gift from God to All Believers
A number of passages clearly teach that the Spirit is given to all believers rather than selectively to some (John 7:37-39; Acts 11:16-17; Rom. 5:5; 1 Cor. 2:12; 2 Cor. 5:5). One would expect this to be so since a gift is not a reward and no merit is involved in receiving this gift.
B. Not to Possess the Indwelling Spirit Indicates an Unsaved Condition
Not to have the Spirit is the same as not belonging to Christ, Paul declared (Rom. 8:9). Jude also described apostates as those who did not have the Spirit (Jude 19) and who were “natural” (NIV). This is the same word used in 1 Corinthians 2:14, another verse that describes an unsaved individual. To be natural is to be unsaved and not to have the Spirit. Therefore having the Spirit characterizes all born again people.
C. Sinning Believers Are Indwelt by the Spirit
The acid test of whether or not the Spirit indwells all believers is whether or not He lives in sinning Christians. Clearly He does. First Corinthians 6:19 was written to a very spiritually mixed group, some fine, spiritual believers, but many who were carnal and worldly; yet Paul did not say that only the spiritual group were indwelt by the Spirit. One brother, who in Paul’s judgment was a believer (5:5) was living in gross sin. Others were at legal swords’ points with each other (chap. 6). Still Paul said that the Spirit was “in” all of them (1 Cor. 6:19). Not only did he make no exceptions to his statement, but he made the indwelling of the Spirit the ground for his exhortation to holy living. Clearly then, all believers, but only believers, have the Spirit living in them.
II. THE PERMANENCE OF INDWELLING
Some who agree that the Spirit is given to all believers feel that He may withdraw from those who commit certain sins. Thus they acknowledge His indwelling but deny its permanence.
Whatever sins could cause His departure would have to be more grievous than the fornication of chapter 5 or the legal disputes of chapter 6, for Paul did not exclude these believers from his statement that the Spirit dwelt in them (v. 19).
Furthermore, if the Spirit leaves sinning Christians, then they are no longer Christians according to Romans 8:9. The Spirit cannot leave a believer without throwing that believer back into a lost, unsaved condition. Disindwelling has to mean loss of salvation, and loss of salvation must include disindwelling. The security of the believer and the permanent indwelling of the Spirit are inseparable doctrines.
But we also have the positive promise of the Savior that He would pray to the Father who would give another Helper in order “that He may be with you forever” (John 14:16). To be sure, sin affects the effectiveness of the Spirit in the believer’s life, but it does not remove His presence from believers.
(Basic Theology: A Popular Systematic Guide to Understanding Biblical Truth)
Posts: 6787 | From: Colorado | Registered: Dec 2007
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