The Holy Spirit's Indwelling

I'm not sure if I am the only one that does this or not. Growing up, if I was ever walking down a dark country road by myself, I found myself whistling, or singing, or humming an old familiar gospel song. It seemed like it made everything safer. It made me feel protected as I drew myself closer to Jesus in praise songs.

I also find myself today, when in heavy traffic, turning up the radio and singing along to praise music to God. It seems to lower my blood pressure, reduce my anxiety, and it simply calms my spirit.

I will sing most every Christian song I hear on the radio. I still may have been all by myself on that dark country road, or I am still in heavy traffic just as much as I was before, but the darkness of my heart faded. The tangled emotions of the heavy traffic seem to smooth out. I felt as if God was walking with me. I feel like Jesus is sitting next to me as we travel along.

I think that we have all had times when we've felt alone, but as followers of Christ, we're never truly alone. The presence of God in the person of the Holy Spirit is always with us. Jesus promised that, before He left this earth. Today we will be using the 8th chapter of the book of Romans to talk about the Holy Spirit's indwelling us. Prayer

As I deliver this message, I want you to silently ask yourself, “Can I truthfully say that the Holy Spirit lives in me.” Jesus taught us that once we have accepted Him as our personal Savior, the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in us from that moment on. The Apostle Paul's message in Rom. 8 has a lot to say about how the Holy Spirit works in our lives as Christians.

Romans 8: 9 – “You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to him.”

The first thing I noticed when I read verse 9 is that Paul contrasted two ways of living: “in the flesh” and “in the spirit.” In the first 8 verses of this chapter, Paul described those who live in the flesh as focused on their own pleasures. They focus only on their own needs and their own concerns. But life in the Spirit is different.

People who live by the Spirit have repented of their sins and embrace the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus took the penalty of our sin. Those of us who belong to Him are no longer under the law of the flesh. Because of our relationship with Jesus Christ, we will never experience the condemnation of God.

Romans 8:10-11 – “10 Now if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead lives in you, then he who raised Christ from the dead will also bring your mortal bodies to life through his Spirit who lives in you.”

In verse 10, Paul describes our bodies as dead because of sin. You see, as believers, we have many advantages and benefits in this life, but we still cannot escape physical death. Our mortal bodies are breaking down, and one day they will perish.

Death is inevitable and is the inevitable outcome of sin in the world. But we can experience eternal life because of righteousness. That righteousness is not our own, we are far from good enough to be called righteous. Paul was referring to the righteousness of Christ, and we’re given His righteousness when we belong to Him.

The Holy Spirit assures us of a new life that we can have in Christ. God raised Christ to life at the resurrection, and through the indwelling Holy Spirit, He raises us to a new life in Christ. Even though our bodies will die, the Spirit is an assurance that He has breathed new life into us, and we live because now we have eternal life.

When Paul says to the Roman Christians, “You, however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit,” he was identifying the second way of life for them, life in the Spirit. But then he says, “If indeed the spirit of God lives in you.” That word “if” in the Greek text carries the same assurance of it being absolutely true. So what Paul was saying was those who belong to Christ indeed have the Holy Spirit indwelling them.

When a person receives Christ, the Lord places his Holy Spirit within that person. That Spirit is what comforts us, guides us, corrects us, and assures us. But the counterpoint that Paul makes is also true. If a person is not indwelled by the Holy Spirit, he or she is not a follower of Christ.