Spirituality - How To Be Filled With The Holy Spirit
(1 John 1:9)
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While the most confused issue for the unbeliever has to be the gospel with so many false choices and imitations, I believe that for the believer it is the doctrine of spirituality. Ask ten people what it means to be spiritual and you’ll likely get ten different answers. Ask the same people how to be filled with the Holy Spirit and they’ll probably think you’re asking a different question!
The purpose of this study is to present a clear and organized explanation of what the Bible says on this topic.
1. Spirituality is defined as the state of the believer who is filled with, controlled by, the Holy Spirit (Gal 5:16,18).
Gal 5:
16 So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. (NIV)
18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law. (NIV)
2. Carnality is defined as the state of the believer and the unbeliever who is controlled by the old sin nature (1 Cor 3:1-4).
1 Cor 3:
1 Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly-- mere infants in Christ.
2 I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready.
3 You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?
4 For when one says, "I follow Paul," and another, "I follow Apollos," are you not mere men? (NIV)
3. Spirituality and carnality are mutually exclusive states. They are opposites. A person can not be part spiritual and part carnal. At any given time, a person is either one or the other (Rom 8:5-7; Gal 5:17; 6:8; 1 John 1:5).
Rom 8:
5 Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what that nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires.
6 The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace;
7 the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so. (NIV)
Gal 5:
17 For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want. (NIV)
Gal 6:
8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (NIV)
1 John 1:
5 This is the message we have heard from him and declare to you: God is light; in him there is no darkness at all. (NIV)
4. Anything which an unbeliever can do is not spirituality. The Bible tells us that an unbeliever is not capable of spirituality because he does not have the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 2:14). The unbeliever is dichotomous, meaning that he has two parts: body and soul. He has no human spirit because he was born spiritually dead. The believer is trichotomous, with three parts: body, soul, and human spirit. The believer has a human spirit because at the moment of salvation, he became "born again". Additionally, the believer is indwelt by the Holy Spirit of God.
1 Cor 2:
14 The man without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned.
5. A believer must choose to be spiritual, "to have fellowship with Him", to "walk in the light as He is in the light" (1 John 1:6-7).
1 John 1:
6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
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, purifies us from all sin. (NIV)
6. The alternative to choosing spirituality is to choose carnality, choosing to "walk in the darkness" (1 John 1:6).
1 John 1:
6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
7. A believer chooses to be carnal, to be controlled by his old sin nature, when he commits any sin (Gal 6:7-8; 1 John 1:6-8).
Gal 6:
7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. (NIV)
8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. (NIV)
1 John 1:
6 If we claim to have fellowship with him yet walk in the darkness, we lie and do not live by the truth.
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, purifies us from all sin. (NIV)
8 If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. (NIV)
8. A believer chooses to be spiritual, to be controlled by the Holy Spirit, when he confesses his known sins (1 John 1:9).
1 John 1:
9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. (NIV)
IF - 3rd class condition in Greek. Maybe we will, maybe won’t.
WE - believers only.
CONFESS - "homolegeo" in the Greek. Means to name or to cite. Does not mean feeling sorry, confessing to others, making restitution, promising to never do it again.
OUR SINS - our known sins (overt sins, mental attitude sins, sins of the tongue)
HE - God the Father.
FAITHFUL - God always forgives the sins (His Immutability).
JUST - God is just in doing so based on work of Jesus Christ. Christ’s work satisfies God’s essence of Justice.
ALL UNRIGHTEOUSNESS - all of our sins, including unknown sin.
9. A believer who does not regularly confess his known sins is carnal, not spiritual. In this carnal condition:
a. A believer’s prayers are not heard by God (Psa 66:18-19; Eph 6:18; Jude 1:20).
Psa 66:
18 If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;
19 but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer. (NIV)
Eph 6:
18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. (NIV)
Jude 1:
20 But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit.
b. A believer can not please God, no matter what he does (Romans 8:8).
Rom 8:
8 Those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God. (NIV)
c. A believer is subject to divine discipline, and ultimately the sin unto death (1 Cor 11:28-32; Heb 12:5-11; 1 John 5:16-17).
1 Cor 11:
28 A man ought to examine himself before he eats of the bread and drinks of the cup.
29 For anyone who eats and drinks without recognizing the body of the Lord eats and drinks judgment on himself.
30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep.
31 But if we judged ourselves, we would not come under judgment.
32 When we are judged by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be condemned with the world. (NIV)
1 John 5:
16 If anyone sees his brother commit a sin that does not lead to death, he should pray and God will give him life. I refer to those whose sin does not lead to death. There is a sin that leads to death. I am not saying that he should pray about that.
17 All wrongdoing is sin, and there is sin that does not lead to death. (NIV)
Heb 12:
5 And you have forgotten that word of encouragement that addresses you as sons: "My son, do not make light of the Lord’s discipline, and do not lose heart when he rebukes you,
6 because the Lord disciplines those he loves, and he punishes everyone he accepts as a son."
7 Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father?
8 If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons.
9 Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live!
10 Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness.
11 No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (NIV)
d. All good produced is human good from the old sin nature, which will be burned at the judgement seat of Christ. Only divine good done while controlled by the Holy Spirit will be rewarded in eternity (1 Cor 3:11-15; 2 Cor 5:10; Eph 6:7-8; 2 John 1:8; Rev 11:18, 22:12).
1 Cor 3:
11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ.
12 If any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw,
13 his work will be shown for what it is, because the Day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man’s work.
14 If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward.
15 If it is burned up, he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames. (NIV)
Eph 6:
7 Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not men,
8 because you know that the Lord will reward everyone for whatever good he does, whether he is slave or free. (NIV)
2 John 1:
8 Watch out that you do not lose what you have worked for, but that you may be rewarded fully.
2 Cor 5:
10 For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad. (NIV)
Rev 11:
18 The nations were angry; and your wrath has come. The time has come for judging the dead, and for rewarding your servants the prophets and your saints and those who reverence your name, both small and great-- and for destroying those who destroy the earth." (NIV)
Rev 22:
"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. (NIV)
e. The believer can not grow spiritually by learning Bible doctrine in a way which renews his mind under the power of the Holy Spirit. Spiritual growth requires the teaching of the Holy Spirit. Otherwise, the learning of Scripture is merely an academic process (1 Cor 2:13; 2 Cor 3:18; Rom 12:1-2; Col 3:16; Eph 3:16, 5:18; 1 Pet 2:2-3; 1 Tim 4:15; 2 Tim 2:15).
1 Cor 2:
13 This is what we speak, not in words taught us by human wisdom but in words taught by the Spirit, expressing spiritual truths in spiritual words.
2 Cor 3:
18 And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit. (NIV)
Rom 12:
1 Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God--this is your spiritual act of worship.
2 Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is--his good, pleasing and perfect will. (NIV)
Eph 3:
16 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being,
Eph 5:
18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.
Col 3:
16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. (NIV)
1 Pet 2:
2 Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation,
3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.
1 Tim 4:
15 Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. (NIV)
2 Tim 2:
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. (NIV)
10. A believer who does not habitually practice confession of sins will not experience true Biblical spirituality, but will instead, follow one or more false concepts of spirituality (Eph 4:14; Col 2:16-23; 2 Thes 3:6; 1 Tim 1:6-7, 4:1-8; 6:3-5; 2 Tim 2:15-17, 4:2-4; Tit 1:10-11; Heb 13:9; 2 Pet 2:1-3; 2 John 1:9-10).
Col 2:
16 Therefore do not let anyone judge you by what you eat or drink, or with regard to a religious festival, a New Moon celebration or a Sabbath day.
17 These are a shadow of the things that were to come; the reality, however, is found in Christ.
18 Do not let anyone who delights in false humility and the worship of angels disqualify you for the prize. Such a person goes into great detail about what he has seen, and his unspiritual mind puffs him up with idle notions.
19 He has lost connection with the Head, from whom the whole body, supported and held together by its ligaments and sinews, grows as God causes it to grow.
20 Since you died with Christ to the basic principles of this world, why, as though you still belonged to it, do you submit to its rules:
21 "Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!"?
22 These are all destined to perish with use, because they are based on human commands and teachings.
23 Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. (NIV)
Eph 4:
14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. (NIV)
2 Thes 3:
6 In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, we command you, brothers, to keep away from every brother who is idle and does not live according to the teaching you received from us. (NIV)
1 Tim 1:
6 Some have wandered away from these and turned to meaningless talk.
7 They want to be teachers of the law, but they do not know what they are talking about or what they so confidently affirm. (NIV)
1 Tim 4:
1 The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons.
2 Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron.
3 They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth.
4 For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving,
5 because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.
6 If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, brought up in the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed.
7 Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly.
8 For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. (NIV)
1 Tim 6:
3 If anyone teaches false doctrines and does not agree to the sound instruction of our Lord Jesus Christ and to godly teaching,
4 he is conceited and understands nothing. He has an unhealthy interest in controversies and quarrels about words that result in envy, strife, malicious talk, evil suspicions
5 and constant friction between men of corrupt mind, who have been robbed of the truth and who think that godliness is a means to financial gain. (NIV)
2 Tim 2:
15 Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth.
16 Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly.
17 Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, (NIV)
2 Tim 4:
2 Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage-- with great patience and careful instruction.
3 For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
4 They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myths. (NIV)
Tit 1:
10 For there are many rebellious people, mere talkers and deceivers, especially those of the circumcision group.
11 They must be silenced, because they are ruining whole households by teaching things they ought not to teach-- and that for the sake of dishonest gain. (NIV)
Heb 13:
9 Do not be carried away by all kinds of strange teachings. It is good for our hearts to be strengthened by grace, not by ceremonial foods, which are of no value to those who eat them. (NIV)
2 Pet 2:
1 But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-- bringing swift destruction on themselves.
2 Many will follow their shameful ways and will bring the way of truth into disrepute.
3 In their greed these teachers will exploit you with stories they have made up. Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping. (NIV)
2 John 1:
9 Anyone who runs ahead and does not continue in the teaching of Christ does not have God; whoever continues in the teaching has both the Father and the Son.
10 If anyone comes to you and does not bring this teaching, do not take him into your house or welcome him.
11. Examples of some false concepts of spirituality are:
a. Human Morality - having a personal, religious, or societal code of ethics. Living according to standards of right and wrong.
b. Observing Taboos - avoiding certain activities which may not be labeled as sins in Scripture, but are considered wrong by a particular group. For example:
no drinking, no movies, no smoking, no gambling, no dancing, no "mixed bathing".
c. Nice Personality - developing a sweet or pleasant disposition.
d. Religious Talk - including in your normal speech a lot of phrases or words considered to be "spiritual language", using them in a repetitive manner as cliches. For example: praise God, amen, Lord willing, brother, hallelujah, sister.
e. Asceticism - self-sacrifice; giving up things such as modern conveniences; living poorly; wearing drab clothes and no makeup; walking around with a grim expression.
f. Emotionalism - spirituality by feeling good; getting a "warm rosy glow"; working yourself into an emotional frenzy or some ecstatic experience; crying.
g. Good Works - spirituality through human good works done in the energy of the flesh: attending church, giving money, praying, reading the Bible, witnessing.
h. Rituals - spirituality by participating in rituals such as Baptism, the Eucharist, re-dedications, fasting, singing, long church services, responsive readings, asking for the filling of the Holy Spirit.
i. Social Crusading - spirituality by crusading against some social or political issue such as abortion, pornography, or war.
These things can all be done by unbelievers, as well as by believers controlled by the old sin nature. While some of these things may not be wrong (although some clearly are), the issue for the believer is whether or not these things are done under the control or the filling of the Holy Spirit. These things do not cause spirituality.
12. The word "spirituality" begins with the word "spirit", which refers to the control of the Holy Spirit. Every believer has a human spirit (1 Cor 14:15; 2 Cor 7:1; Gal 6:18; Phil 4:23; 1 Thes 5:23; Heb 4:12; James 2:26, 4:5), and every believer is also indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 3:16, 12:13; 2 Cor 1:21-22, 5:5; Gal 3:2-3, 4:6; Eph 1:13-14). These are two permanent gifts which all believers receive at salvation. However, having a human spirit and being indwelt by the Holy Spirit does not make a person spiritual. If it did, then a believer could not be carnal since these two gifts are permanent. The issue involves each believer deciding who is going to control the life, the indwelling Holy Spirit or the old sin nature. When a believer sins, he relinquishes control of his life to the sin nature. When he names or cites his sins to God, he gives the control of his life back to the Holy Spirit. In this way, spirituality is a grace function depending entirely upon God, and not upon human work.
1 Cor 14:
15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my mind; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my mind.
2 Cor 7:
1 Since we have these promises, dear friends, let us purify ourselves from everything that contaminates body and spirit, perfecting holiness out of reverence for God. (NIV)
Gal 6:
18 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers. Amen. (NIV)
Phil 4:
23 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen. (NIV)
1 Thes 5:
23 May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. (NIV)
Heb 4:
12 For the word of God is living and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.
James 2:
26 As the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without deeds is dead. (NIV)
James 4:
5 Or do you think Scripture says without reason that the spirit he caused to live in us envies intensely?
1 Cor 3:
16 Don’t you know that you yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you? (NIV)
1 Cor 12:
13 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. (NIV)
2 Cor 1:
21 Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us,
22 set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (NIV)
2 Cor 5:5 Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose and has given us the Spirit as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. (NIV)
Gal 3:
2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by observing the law, or by believing what you heard?
3 Are you so foolish? After beginning with the Spirit, are you now trying to attain your goal by human effort?
Gal 4:
6 Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, "Abba, Father." (NIV)
Eph 1:
13 And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit,
14 who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession--to the praise of his glory. (NIV)
Copyright (c) 2000, Frank J. Gallagher
Abiding In The Word
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All materials are written by me and are copyrighted. These materials may be freely copied and distributed for the purpose of study and teaching, so long as they are made available to others free of charge, and my copyright is included. These materials may not, in any manner, be sold nor used to solicit "donations" from others, nor may they be included in anything you intend to copyright, sell, or offer for a fee. God the Holy Spirit freely provides this knowledge in grace, and so do I. My copyright is exercised to keep these materials freely available to all.
