Holy Spirit Indwelling Part 1
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Introduction
Introduction
Greetings…
Theme: The Godhead.
Hope: To draw closer to each personality of the Godhead through an understanding of their perfect unity and their individual roles.
Over the last few weeks, I have made mention, through passing or through a little bit deeper explanation, that the Holy Spirit indwells every Christians.
As we notice, it should be without doubt that this is the case.
9 You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him. 10 But if Christ is in you, although the body is dead because of sin, the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Today, I want us to consider the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
This topic has, in recent years, been boiled by many to be a topic that is said to be “simple” to understand and easy to grasp.
But the reality is this is far from the case and not even in the realm of reasonable.
After all, if brother Goebel Music’s reference book on the “indwelling of the Holy Spirit” doesn’t demonstrate the vast scope of this study nothing can really.
Show the book and its size.
The Controversy
The Controversy
Figurative Indwelling.
Figurative Indwelling.
This is often called the “representative view” or the “word only” view of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
This has been a very popular view in the brotherhood and a position held by gospel preachers of the past such as Alexander Campbell, H. Leo Boles, Foy Wallace Jr., Guy N. Woods, and Perry Cotham.
Those that hold this view typically believe that when a believer allows God’s word to live within them, it can be said that the Spirit dwells in them.
You will hear such illustrations as “If I said, ‘I see your father in you,’ I would be speaking figuratively and mean that you have certain character traits and mannerisms which identify you with your father.”
Here is a common argument in scripture used to illustrate this point.
Ephesians 5:18–20 (ESV)
18 And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, 19 addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart, 20 giving thanks always and for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ
Colossians 3:16 (ESV)
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.
Therefore, the conclusion drawn is that one is filled with the Spirit through the word of Christ dwelling in us richly.
Literal Indwelling.
Literal Indwelling.
This is often called the “personal view” of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit.
This is the most popular view in the brotherhood and a position that many gospel preachers have believed such as Gus Nichols, Hugo McCord, Roy Lanier Sr, Johnny Ramsey.
Those that hold this view typically believe that at baptism the Holy Spirit literally takes up residence within the believer.
That he resides with in the actual Christian physically.
Here is a common argument in scripture used to illustrate this point.
Acts 2:38–39 (ESV)
38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”
Romans 8:28 (ESV)
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
Every Christian is “called by God” and therefore everybody that obeys the gospel receives the gift of the Spirit which is the dwelling of him personally.
Summary
Summary
The question of literal vs figurative indwelling has gone on for centuries and is not going to, most likely, be settled any time soon.
It has only been in more recent times that brethren have started establishing this issue as a matter of fellowship.
Like with many matters the reason for this becoming a fellowship issue is because of what a “few” not the majority believe.
Some, of the literal indwelling, have started a movement in the last 20 years of suggesting that the Holy Spirit “illuminates the scriptures” to Christians and gives them “special understanding.”
This has led the “word only” doctrine to grow in popularity but at the expense of both fellowship and study.
So, with that in mind what is the…
Undeniable Truth
Undeniable Truth
The Spirit Does Not Go Beyond The Word.
The Spirit Does Not Go Beyond The Word.
As I said earlier, there is no doubt that the personal or literal indwelling of the Holy Spirit within Christians is the most popular view but because of the recent movement by those such as Mac Deaver to push the literal indwelling to suggest a special illumination and even going so far as to suggest we are also “baptized by the Spirit” we have conflict wherein there used to not be.
I personally believe in the “literal indwelling” and yet am friends with many faithful gospel preachers that believe in the “figurative indwelling.”
We have had many a study together but one thing we all agree on is that the “Spirit does not go beyond the word.”
What does that mean though, that the Spirit does not go beyond the word; simply put it means that the Holy Spirit cannot do something the word of God does not say he can do.
The word of God says there is only “one baptism.”
Ephesians 4:4–5 (ESV)
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism
Therefore, there cannot be both water baptism and Holy Spirit baptism today, and hence the Spirit does not go beyond the word.
The word of God says, “anyone can understand the word.”
John 8:32 (ESV)
32 and you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.
Therefore, there is no special illumination as all, even the simple can understand it.
130 The entrance of Your words gives light; It gives understanding to the simple.
So, as we can see there will never be a point wherein the Spirit “goes beyond” the word he inspired.
Why is this the case, because…
The Spirit Works Through The Word.
The Spirit Works Through The Word.
God’s holy writ makes it abundantly clear that the Holy Spirit and the word are linked through their actions thoroughly.
Faith is a fruit of the Spirit and comes by the word of Christ.
Galatians 5:22 (ESV)
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness…
Romans 10:17 (ESV)
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
We are born of the Spirit through the word of God.
John 3:5 (ESV)
5 Jesus answered, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.”
1 Peter 1:23 (ESV)
23 since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God
We are led by the Spirit through the word of God.
14 For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
105 Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path.
We are sanctified by the Spirit through the word.
Romans 15:16 (ESV)
16 to be a minister of Christ Jesus to the Gentiles in the priestly service of the gospel of God, so that the offering of the Gentiles may be acceptable, sanctified by the Holy Spirit.
John 17:17 (ESV)
17 Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.
We are washed by the Spirit through the word.
1 Corinthians 6:11 (ESV)
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
Ephesians 5:26 (ESV)
26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word
Summary
Summary
You might, after looking at all that come to the conclusion that the “figurative” or “word only” indwelling must be true but what I have just demonstrated isn’t meant to prove either or but to simply point out that the two are inseparable.
You cannot have one without the other and whether you are talking about a literal or figurative indwelling this fact cannot be denied nor should it ever be abandoned.
The Holy Spirit will never “go beyond” the written word he was delivered by the Son and inspired me to write down for all of humanity.
Conclusion
Conclusion
There are certainly good arguments that can be made for each doctrine.
There are also, admittedly, limitations with each doctrine.
This doesn’t tell me God is unable to give us a clear answer to the question but that he purposefully limited the information on this topic for whatever reason.
Because of this we do not have the right to make this a fellowship issue unless one starts placing a arguing for a work of the Spirit that goes beyond the word.
Now, due to the nature and scope of what a sermon is meant to be I am not going to go into the specifics about arguments for and the limitations to the different doctrines.
If you are interested in that study let me know and we can do a class on it.
Next week we endeavor to answer the question “What does the Holy Spirit do in our lives after we obey the gospel?”
Is his work done after our salvation or is he involved in our lives still?
Invitation
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.
6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7 but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men.
17 So faith comes from hearing, and hearing through the word of Christ.
6 And without faith it is impossible to please him, for whoever would draw near to God must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him.
30 The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent,
32 “Therefore whoever confesses Me before men, him I will also confess before My Father who is in heaven.
8 in flaming fire, inflicting vengeance on those who do not know God and on those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus.
1 Now I would remind you, brothers, of the gospel I preached to you, which you received, in which you stand, 2 and by which you are being saved, if you hold fast to the word I preached to you—unless you believed in vain. 3 For I delivered to you as of first importance what I also received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the Scriptures, 4 that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the Scriptures,
3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his.
7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.