RESOURCES — SHORT ARTICLES

 

SHORT ARTICLES BY TOM ELSEROAD
	2020-07-15	How Do I Know the Holy Spirit is in Me?
		This question has to be asked by every believer at some time. We want to know for sure that we have the Holy Spirit dwelling within us. Scripture teaches that if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ he does not belong to Christ (Ro.8:9). Rom 8:9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. Many are challenged because they have not experienced the power of the HS in their life as they think it should be experienced. When someone asks this question they are in fact asking whether they are a true believer in Christ. There are a couple terms Christians often get confused over such as “indwelling” and “filling.” It is possible to be a true Christian and not be filled with the Holy Spirit. But it is not possible to be a Christian, if one does not have the Holy Spirit dwelling within. Filling of the Spirit involves a believers life and desire to serve the Lord. The question we want to address concerns the actual indwelling of the Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwelling occurs at the moment of salvation. We must acknowledge that some come to faith early in their lives. They may not see such a transformation in their lives. Thus it is important to remember the condition you were in before you were converted. That condition must come from the Bible and not someone else. The Bibles says we were:     (1) Spiritually dead (Ep.2:4)     (2) Unable to receive the things of the Spirit (1Co.2:14)     (3) Unable to please God (Ro.8:7) How did we receive the Holy Spirit? It was a miracle! It was sovereign grace. It was God's grace applied to our helplessness. Jesus said, “the wind blows where it wishes” (Jn.3:8). Joh 3:8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit." The Holy Spirit opened our hearts (Ac.16:14; 2Co.4:6) When this happened you saw the gospel as more important than anything this world has to offer. A real conversion takes place (2Co.5:17). 2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. Now you look at the world and everything around you so differently. Now instead of ignoring and rejecting God, you want to please Him. This is how you know you are alive in Christ. None of these blessings and change would be happening if the miracle of receiving the Spirit of God did not happen. It is utterly impossible to have this transformation without the life given Holy Spirit presence (Lk.18:26-27). Ask yourself, Are you amazed at the sovereign grace of God, that you wake up every morning as a believer in Christ? True saving faith is the number one evidence that you are born again (1Jn.5:1). 1Jn 5:1 Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God, and everyone who loves Him who begot also loves him who is begotten of Him. What is the discerning work of the Spirit in our lives? What is the central Biblical answer? He raised us from the dead and made Christ our supreme treasure (Ep.2:4-7). Eph 2:4 But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, Eph 2:5 even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), Eph 2:6 and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Eph 2:7 that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. So to ask the question if the Holy Spirit is in me is to ask if you are in the faith. 2Co 13:5 Examine yourselves as to whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Do you not know yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you?—unless indeed you are disqualified. If your answer is “yes, I trust Jesus alone for salvation”, as evidenced by a life of faith, then you have the Holy Spirit living inside of you. If your answer is “no” or “I do not know”, then Paul's exhortation to “examine yourself” is critical. Pastor Tom Elseroad

 

An Evangelical Free Church of America

23304 E Wellesley Ave. Otis Orchards, WA 99027 Church Office: 509.926.9552 Church Cell: 509.342.9145 Pastor Cell: 509.828.8843 tomelseroad@gmail.com