If the Spirit of God truly does live in you, you’re not ruled by your desires—you’re ruled by the Spirit. Anyone who doesn’t have the Spirit of Christ doesn’t belong to Christ.
But truly I tell you, it’s for your good that I’m going away. Unless I go away, the Helper won’t come to help you. But if I do go, I’ll send him to you.
Even though you are evil, you know how to give good gifts to your children. How much more will your Father who is in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
“From the Father, I’m going to send you the Helper, the Spirit of truth, who comes out from the Father. When the Helper arrives, he’ll be a witness about me.
The Spirit of Christ in them was telling about the sufferings of the Messiah and the glory that would follow. They wanted to find out when and how this salvation would come.
When I heard this, I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, “Don’t do that! I’m God’s servant, just like you and your brothers and sisters who hold firmly to what Jesus taught. Worship God! The Spirit of prophecy tells the truth about Jesus.”
You also came to belong to Christ when you heard the message of truth, the good news about how you could be saved. When you believed, God stamped you with an official mark, the Holy Spirit that he promised.
When he said this, he was referring to the Holy Spirit. Those who believed in Jesus would later receive the Spirit. But at that time, the Spirit had not been given, because Jesus hadn’t been glorified yet.
If anyone refuses to accept this teaching, they’re not rejecting a human being. They’re rejecting God, the very same God who gives you his Holy Spirit.