What is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?

Answer

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the action by which God takes up permanent residence in the body of a believer in Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament, the Spirit would come and go from the saints, empowering them for service but not necessarily remaining with them (see Judges 15:14; 1 Chronicles 12:18; Psalm 51:11; Ezekiel 11:5). Jesus revealed to His disciples the new role the Spirit of Truth would play in their lives: “He lives with you and will be in you” «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. », (John 14:17). The apostle Paul wrote, “Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20).

These verses are telling us that the believer in Jesus Christ has the third Person of the Trinity, the Holy Spirit, living in him. When an individual accepts Christ as a personal Savior, the Holy Spirit gives the believer the life of God, eternal life, which is really His very nature (Titus 3:5; 2 Peter 1:4), and the Holy Spirit comes to live within him spiritually. The fact that the believer’s body is likened to a temple where the Holy Spirit lives helps us understand what the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is all about. The word temple is used to describe the Holy of Holies, the inner sanctum in the Old Testament tabernacle structure. ThHere, God’s presence would appear in a cloud and meet the high priest, who came once a year into the Holy of Holies. On the Day of Atonement, the high priest brought the blood of a slain animal and sprinkled it on the mercy seat of the Ark of the Covenant. On this special day, God granted forgiveness to the priest and His people.

Today, there is no Jewish temple in Jerusalem, and the animal sacrifices have ceased. The believer in Christ has become the inner sanctum of God the Holy Spirit, as the believer has been sanctified and forgiven by the blood of Jesus Christ “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;”, (Ephesians 1:7). The believer in Christ becomes the habitation of the Holy Spirit of God. In fact, Scripture also says that the believer is indwelt spiritually by Christ “to whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ in you, the hope of glory;”, (Colossians 1:27) and by God the Father “Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.”, (1 John 4:15)—the Trinity is involved.

As the Holy Spirit lives in the believer, He brings about some life-changing results:

1) The indwelling Spirit comes to a soul dead in sin and creates new life “not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;”, (Titus 3:5). This is the new birth Jesus spoke of in John 3:1–8.

2) The indwelling Spirit confirms to the believer that he belongs to the Lord and is an heir of God.d fellow-heir with Christ (Romans 8:15-17).

3) The indwelling Spirit establishes the new believer as a member of Christ’s universal church. This is known as the baptism of the Spirit, as mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:13.

4) The indwelling Spirit bestows spiritual gifts (God-given abilities for service) upon the believer to build up the church and effectively serve the Lord for His glory «but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will. », (1 Corinthians 12:11).

5) The indwelling Spirit assists the believer in comprehending and applying the Scripture to daily life «Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. », (1 Corinthians 2:12).

6) The indwelling Spirit enhances the believer’s prayer life and intercedes for them in prayer (Romans 8:26-27).

7) The indwelling Holy Spirit empowers the surrendered believer to live for Christ and fulfill His will « This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. », (Galatians 5:16). The Spirit guides the believer in paths of righteousness «For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. », (Romans 8:14).

8) The indwelling Spirit demonstrates new life by producing the fruit of the Spirit in the believer’s life (Galatians 5:22-23).

9) The indwelling Spirit is grieved

When the believer sins, “And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption.”, (Ephesians 4:30), and He convicts the believer to confess his sin to the Lord so that fellowship is restored “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”, (1 John 1:9).

10) The indwelling Spirit seals the believer unto the day of redemption so that the believer’s arrival in the Lord’s presence is guaranteed after this life (Ephesians 1:13-14).

When you accept Christ as your Savior (Romans 10:9-13), the Holy Spirit takes up residence in your heart, bringing with Him an entirely new life of love, relationship, and service to the Lord.