The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

It would seem that Acts 2: 38 is one of the most mutilated passages in present day Christendom. Many minimize or ignore the command for baptism. Others ignore for all practical purposes the second of the two promises made by inspiration; "and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit." To whom was the promise given? Is the gift the Holy Spirit per se, or is it a gift "of" in the sense of "from" the Holy Spirit? These questions and others are the con­cern of this lesson. The final lesson will also deal with these queries to some extent.

1.    Christ and the Giving of the Holy Spirit

A.   To whom did Christ promise the Spirit?

Lk 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?"

Jno. 7: 37‑39 "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

Jno. 14: 16,17 "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; even 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."

B.   Did He give the Holy Spirit before "Pentecost"?

Lk. 24: 49 "And, behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high."

Jno. 7: 39 (above); Jno. 20: 22 "And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost."

Acts 1: 8 "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

C.   What was the Spirit to do for the disciples?

John 14: 26 "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."

Jno. 15: 26 "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me‑."

Jno. 16: 7‑11 "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away; for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: of sin, because they believe not on me: of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged." vs. 13‑14 "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak; and he will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you."

II.   The Spirit and the Early Church

A.   On what condition was the Spirit promised? Acts 2: 38

B.   To whom and by whom was He given?

Acts 5: 32 "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him."

C. What are some relations of Christians to the Spirit?

2 Cor 13: 14 "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen."

Heb. 6: 4‑6 "For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance; seeing the crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame."

Romans 8:

III.   The Indwelling of the Spirit

A.   What persons prior to Pentecost are described as being "filled" with the Spirit?

Luke 1: 15 "For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb." (vs. 41,42) "And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: and she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." (vs. 67) "And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,"

Lk 4:1 "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness,"

B.  What persons after Pentecost are so described?

Acts 2:3,4 "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

Acts 4: 7‑9 "And when they had set tem in the midst, they asked, By what power, or by what name have ye done this? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole;"

Acts 6: 3‑5 "Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business. But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word. And the saying pleased the whole multitude: and they chose Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost, . . ."

Acts 9: 17 "And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost."

Acts 11: 24 "For he (Barnabas) was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord."

Acts 13: 9,10 "Then Saul, (who also is called Paul) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him (Elymas), and said, 0 full of all subtlety and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?"

C.   How does Paul describe the Spirit's dwelling place?

I Cor 3: 16 "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of god dwelleth in you?"

I Cor 6: 19,20 "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's"

Gal. 4: 6 "And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father."

Eph. 2: 19‑22 "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."

D.   Is the filling by the Holy Spirit ever a command, or always a promise?

Eph. 1: 13,14 "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, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."

Eph 5: 18 "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;"

E.   Who else is said to dwell in the believer?

Eph 3: 17 "That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love,"

Col 3: 16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."

2 Cor 6: 16 "And what agreement hath the temple of the living God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."

I Jno 4: 12,15 "No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us." . . . "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God."

Eph 2: 22 "In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit."

IV. Results of the Indwelling

A.   What does the Spirit bring? Rom 5: 5 "And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us."

B.   How many blessings, present and future, are described in Romans 8?

C.   The Spirit is also the earnest (down payment, guarantee) of many other Spiritual blessings.

2 Cor. 1: 21,22 "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God: who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts."

2 Cor 5: 5 "Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit."

D.   The Spirit is the seal of ownership and approval.

Eph 1: 13,14 "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, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory."

E.   Who else was anointed and sealed?

Luke 4: 18 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; . . ."

John 6: 27 "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed."

Acts 4: 27 "For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together."

F.   From what is one who is led by the Spirit free?

Gal 5: 18 "But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law."