What is the role of the Holy Spirit? 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And when the disciples of John the Baptist first received this blessing from God after Paul preached to them and prayed with them, they all “spoke in tongues and prophesied” (Acts 19:6). The verse goes on to say, “But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive….” Here the Holy Spirit is seen as a river. "And let no one say 'I have received Christ through holy baptism'; instead, let them learn that all those who become baptized do not receive Christ through their baptism, except if they are firm in faith and possess perfect knowledge, or have previously tended to their self and have cleansed it *, and have thereafter proceeded to be baptized. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.'" but you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth.” John 7:39. We receive the Holy Spirit through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. With the Holy Spirit, we have power and help in all situations. So, no one is a Christian if he does not have the Holy Spirit. 14. Why does Jesus breathe on them and tell them to "Receive the Holy Spirit" (John 20:22) now? Amplified Bible the Spirit of Truth, whom the world cannot receive [and take to its heart] because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He (the Holy Spirit) remains with you continually and will be in you. You Can Receive The Gift Of The Holy Spirit * It is God's will for you. On this basis that argue that everyone should seek to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Eph. What is the seal of the Holy Spirit? There is no promise in the book of Acts that everyone who receives the Spirit will speak in tongues or prophesy. As I see it to "invite" the Holy Spirit is not to say that he is somehow absent. Believing that the power of the Holy Spirit is not available to all who He has called does not only fall tragically short of our promised abundant life, but is also unbiblical. While there are some who contend that a believer must wait to receive the Holy Spirit at some time after their conversion, this is not what the Bible teaches. And so Paul was inspired to write, "Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. The Holy Spirit is that part of the Trinity that lives inside all believers. I have been considering this very topic and wondering. He had just given them their marching orders - “As the Father has sent Me, I also send you ” (John 20:21) - and the Holy Spirit will empower and guide them to accomplish what they are being sent out to accomplish. 39 But this He spoke concerning the Spirit, whom those believing in Him would receive . Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” Elsewhere the same apostle says, “The natural man does not receive the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; nor can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned” (1 Corinthians 2:14). This seems like a reasonable inference, but the question is whether it holds up to scrutiny. In fact, the filling of the Holy Spirit often has to do with the bold and clear proclamation of truth. Exploring the content and application of incarnational Trinitarian theology (the Nicene faith). Copyright 2011-2021 Got Questions Ministries - All Rights Reserved. The apostle Paul clearly taught that we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. A Christian without power is a Christian who needs a baptism in the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a beautiful and powerful part of who God is. Great post Ted. The second reason is the tendency of some to see the receiving the Holy Spirit in the early church as recorded in the book of Acts as the model for us today. Do you teach something different? Theologians have filled untold pages with their thoughts on the subject, but the simplest answer is that the Holy Spirit is the presence of God, and it was sent to guide us after Jesus ascended to heaven. . And great fear seized everyone who heard about it. If you'd like to send me a personal message you can email me at ted.johnston@gci.org. For example, the Prophet Micah says: “On the other hand I am filled with power – With the Spirit of the Lord – And with justice and courage To make known to … Power, boldness, and confidence: Jesus says in Acts 1:5, 8 that baptism in the Spirit means, “You shall receive power. Amasing.Its incredible how the things I cried about thorough meditating in the Holy spirit.To see the feelings i felt and feel the connections i have made and the paths God has showed feeling the presence and love getting washed by the blood feeling the breath of life and the spring of that is faith of salvation through Christ to get prufied to get accepted to God`s kingdom.Seein all that written in well organised words the exact results and thinking processes i have made.No words.Only Truth. Frankly, many things we have been taught must be ‘untaught’ because it simply is not true. All true believers possess the Holy Spirit as a seal marking them as a child of God. The Holy Spirit Is a Gift The fact that the word “gift” is used of the Holy Spirit in the New Testament has the idea of a permanent indwelling and abiding. This list is so small compared to what He does for us, God’s people, but I wanted to share with you a few things that will get you started on a journey studying the Spirit of the Lord. While there are some who contend that a believer must wait to receive the Holy Spirit at some time after their conversion, this is not what the Bible teaches. We all, with unveiled faces, are looking as in a mirror at the glory of the Lord and are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory; this is from the Lord who is the Spirit. They are still in their sins and they do not have the Holy Spirit. This passage in Romans seems to clearly state that there are two categories of people: those who possess the Spirit and thus belong to God, and those who do not possess the Spirit and thus do not belong to God. First Corinthians 12:13 declares, “For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.” Romans 8:9 tells us that if a person does not possess the Holy Spirit, he or she does not belong to Christ: “You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And the Holy Spirit is the One who does the work of making you a born-again person. (Eph. I want to talk about a few things that the Holy Spirit does for the Church today. God gives different spiritual gifts to different believers so that we will be able to bless and edify one another. 1 Some people believe that baptism is necessary for salvation and reference Acts 238 where it seems to suggest that the Holy Spirit is received after baptism. . What is the relationship between doctrine and theology. Does a person receive the Holy Spirit when they believe in Jesus Christ or sometime after they believe in Jesus? See Romans 8:But you are not in the flesh; you are in the Spirit, since the Spirit of God dwells in you. Thank you Lord for Ted's helping us. They had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Hi Ted. 2. I did some research on this, and in Acts 8:12-19, it says, “But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the Kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Answer: The apostle Paul clearly taught that we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we receive Jesus Christ as our Savior. . Hey Andy, when does somebody receive the Holy Spirit? However, now Jesus is sending the Holy Spirit to humanity in a new, personal way—the personal presence of Jesus himself with all people. The Holy Spirit helps us know that we are children of God and that God abides in us and we in Him. That is the question about which this article is concerned. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him" (Romans 8:9). Galatians 3:5. Baptism Of The Holy Spirit Gift Of The Holy Spirit The Water Of Life Promises Of The Holy Spirit. Not Everyone Has Received the Holy Spirit Not everyone has received the Holy Spirit because they have not repented and really sought after the Lord Jesus with all of their heart. . These are not "disagreeing words" but refer to two aspects of the same experience. "And let no one say 'I have received Christ through holy baptism'; instead, let them learn that all those who become baptized do not receive Christ through their baptism, except if they are firm in faith and possess perfect knowledge, or have previously tended to their self and have cleansed it *, and have thereafter proceeded to be baptized. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.” Ephesians 1:13-14 teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the seal of salvation for all those who believe: “Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession—to the praise of his glory.” (that 'we' are those who had believed, having been enabled by god, but I'm perceiving this is saying everyone already has it? When and how He enters our hearts is debated for a couple of reasons. When we believe that He died for our sins and that He was raised from the dead, at that moment we are born again.At that same moment we receive the Holy Spirit. Let me explain how I understand these passages to work together. As mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles, outpourings of the Holy Spirit can include healing, prophecy, exorcism, and speaking in tongues. The answer that is presented in this article considers what various Bible versions say and concludes with what the Bible teaches. Then Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and let everyone one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. What does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit. Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as the Spirit of truth for a reason, since the Spirit is the one who “ will guide you into all truth ” (John 16:13). I am thinking of Jesus statement, "The things I do you will do and even greater things shall you do.". Anyone can receive the Holy Spirit when they are in tune and so he can confirm the truth. Certainly one of the considerations here is what is often referred to as "the ministry of all believers," in the sense that all followers of Jesus are called to be the healing presence of Jesus in the lives of others through what we might refer to as "pastoral care." 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