The Holy Spirit And The Believer

Theme: The Holy Spirit and the believer

Text: Romans 8:14; Gal. 5:16-23

When Adam sinned the Scriptures teach us that his sin contaminated the whole human race so that “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God” (Rom 3:23). The result is that every human being is born spiritually dead. God gave the Law on Mount Sinai to point man to sin. It was not to show the way to salvation as no one was capable of keeping the Law. The only one who ever kept the Law is our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ who, though He was God, became a man to save us. “God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life” John 3:16. Jesus Christ did what the Law could not do He paid the penalty for sin with His blood to give us eternal life “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” Rom 6:23. The Holy Spirit is the seal of our eternal life “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all will be made alive” 1Co 15:22. He indwells every believer to lead them into Christ’s abundant life.

The Holy Spirit convicts unbelievers of sin and the need for forgiveness. The first sermon Jesus preached was to repent and believe the gospel (Mark 1:15). We have to acknowledge we are sinners and are not capable of saving ourselves and avail ourselves of the sacrifice of Christ “For by grace you are saved through faith, and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God” Eph. 2:8. Salvation is a free gift of God. We do not have to do anything to receive it because Jesus Christ has already paid the price for it. You are saved by grace but “You should know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things, like silver or gold, but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot” 1 Peter 1:18-19.

The Holy Spirit is God’s supernatural gift to the believer to enable him live a supernatural life. Christ does not want us to come to Him and then continue to live a life of defeat and discouragement. He did not save us and then leave us alone as orphans. He gave us all that was necessary for a successful and victorious life. He wants to show us off to the world as His own special people as we live the abundant life in the power of the Holy Spirit. Have you received Christ’s gift of salvation? Have you welcomed the Holy Spirit into your life? Do you have a relationship with the Holy Spirit?

The Holy Spirit is a person and not a force or a thing as some believe. The Scriptures confirm this by the personal ways in which He responds and the personal things He does. The Bible also makes it clear that the Holy Spirit is God and we rightfully speak of God Almighty, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. This is seen in the attributes that are given to Him and which are without exception, the attributes of God. He is eternal, omnipresent, omnipotent and omniscient. It is only the Holy Spirit that can make us feel what Christ feels and see what He sees and know what He wants. Christ wants us to be led by the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit is the only way who can lead us to understand how the flesh functions and how to deal with it. The flesh is a way of thinking that is contrary to the word of GodThe only way to deal with the flesh is to put it to death by walking in the Spirit. Walking in the Spirit is to have a way of thinking that is in accordance with God’s Word.

“Has God said” are the words the enemy often uses to change our way of thinking. It is a very subtle way to make us believe what is contrary to the word of God. When Jesus faced Satan in the wilderness He had just heard God’s words “This is my beloved Son”. Satan immediately wanted to change His way of thinking that would be contrary to God’s word with the words “If you are the Son of God”. A person walking in the Spirit will not accept anything contrary to the word of God. There is this story of a man, an unbeliever, who had two dogs, a black one and a white one. He trained them to fight and made a good living from them because he always knew which dog would win. When asked about how he knew which dog would win he was reluctant to reveal his secret. Eventually he told them that the dog that wins is the dog he feeds. We can either be feeding the flesh or the Spirit and the one we feed is the one who will win. Who is controlling your life? Is it the flesh or is it the Spirit? God knows how much we need a helper and the Holy Spirit is God’s gift to the believer. Are you, as a believer, being led by the Holy Spirit to walk in the Spirit or are you still dependent on the flesh?