Eternity Daily Bible Study No. 226

Life In Christ – 4

THE HOLY SPIRIT

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Ephesians 1:13-14
(13)  in whom also you, hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of our
salvation, in whom also believing, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit ofpromise,
(14)  who is the earnest of our inheritance, to the redemption of the
purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.

Life in Christ is a life sealed with the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is an “earnest” a down payment a sign of things to come, so we are meant be aware of Him, the Christian should be conscious of the personal ministry of God the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit, in this aspect, is God indwelling human personality, with the power to change it. If God enters your life and dwells there you should know about such a momentous event. You should know the power of the anointing and sense the river of living water in your soul.

The Holy Spirit is holy, that is He is God resident in human personality - with the power to make us into saints.  The Holy Spirit wants to work within us so that we can belong in Heaven and be a true son of God and be at home among holy things and happy around God.

Thus the Holy Spirit wants to rid you of your sins and impure lusts. He
wants you to love God, and he wants you to love your neighbor. You cannot be full of the Holy Spirit and resent your neighbor. God the Holy Spirit wants you to obey all God’s commandments and to follow all the teachings of Jesus. (Matthew 28:19-20).  

The Holy Spirit is holy and He wants you to be holy as God is holy.
1 Peter 1:14-16
(14)  as obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the
former lusts in your ignorance,
(15)  but according to the Holy One who has called you, you also become holy in all conduct,
(16)  because it is written, "Be holy, for I am holy."

The Holy Spirit is part of God redeeming you (Ephesians 1:14 above). He
enters into you to make you a redeemed person, He does not leave you alone, nor is He there just for comforts and experiences.  The Holy Spirit has a redemptive agenda for your life and commands you to cooperate (He is God and He does give orders).

Lets go back a step – how do we receive the Holy Spirit? Verse 13 above says that being sealed with the Holy Spirit follows hearing the Word of Truth, the gospel of our salvation, and believing it. An example of this is the reception of the Holy Spirit by the twelve Ephesian disciples in  Acts 19:2-7
(2)  he said to them, Have you received the Holy Spirit since you believed? And they said to him, We did not so much as hear whether the Holy Spirit is.
(3)  And he said to them, Then to what were you baptized? And they said, To John's baptism.
(4)  And Paul said, John truly baptized with the baptism of repentance,
saying to the people that they should believe into Him coming after him, that is, into Jesus Christ.
(5)  And hearing, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.
(6)  And as Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke with tongues and prophesied.
(7)  And all of the men were about twelve.

The key verses are 5 & 6 – (5)  And hearing, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. (6)  And as Paul laid his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them…..

The Holy Spirit comes upon those who hear the gospel and believe in the Lord Jesus Christ.

The laying on of hands is often part of the process in the New Testament. The Holy Spirit is a Person and seems to be often best imparted by personal means.

The Holy Spirit is closely connected with the creative power of the Word of God. In Genesis the Holy Spirit hovers over the waters until the creative Word is spoken.  In Ephesians the Word of Truth brings repentance and faith so the Holy Spirit can indwell the new born Christian. This connection between the Word and the Spirit is a frequent one as the following verses illustrate:
John 3:34
 For He whom God has sent speaks the Words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.

- The spirit enables Jesus to speak the very Words of God.

John 6:63
It is the Spirit that makes alive, the flesh profits nothing. The words that I speak to you are spirit and are life.
-  The word of God is spirit and life – that is the Word itself is
spiritual.

Ephesians 6:17
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God,

- The Spirit uses the Word as a sword to win spiritual battles.

Acts 4:31
And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the Word of God with boldness.

- A person filled with the Spirit will speak the Word of God boldly.

Act 10:44  While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell on all those hearing the Word.

-  The preaching of the Word can result in the Spirit falling on people.

Thus life in the Holy Spirit is also life in the Word of God. The two cannot be separated. A love of Scripture is essential to the Spirit-filled life. If a person claims to be spiritual they must also be a student of the Word. If they say the Bible is unnecessary, then they are not truly spiritual. People who have the Holy Spirit will love the Word of God.

How then can we go deeper in the Holy Spirit? By prayerfully going deeper in the Word! The Holy Spirit will use the Word to change you and the Word believed will resonate with the Spirit received to make you a holy Christian.

Blessings,

John Edmiston <johned@aibi.ph>

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