I. HE IS A PERSON

Denial that the Spirit is a Person often takes the form of substituting the concept that He is a personification of, say, power—much like claiming that Satan is a personification of evil. This denial of His personality has occurred throughout church history, first by the Monarchians, the Arians, the Socinians and today by Unitarians, liberals, and some neoorthodox theologians.

A. He Possesses and Exhibits the Attributes of a Person

1. He has intelligence. He knows and searches the things of God (1 Cor. 2:10-11); He possesses a mind (Rom. 8:27); and He is able to teach people (1 Cor. 2:13).

2. He shows feelings. He can be grieved by the sinful actions of believers (Eph. 4:3—an influence cannot be grieved).

3. He has a will. He uses this in distributing gifts to the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:11). He also directs the activities of Christians (Acts 16:6-11).

Since genuine personality possesses intelligence, feelings, and will, and since the Spirit has these attributes, He must be a Person.

B. He Exhibits the Actions of a Person

1. He guides us into truth by hearing, speaking, and showing (John 16:13).

2. He convicts of sin (John 16:8).

3. He performs miracles (Acts 8:39).

4. He intercedes (Rom. 8:26).

These are activities which an influence or personification could not do but which Scripture shows the Holy Spirit can do.

C. He Receives Ascriptions which Would Be Given Only to a Person

1. He is One to be obeyed (Acts 10:19-21).

2. He can be lied to (Acts 5:3).

3. He can be resisted (Acts 7:51).

4. He can be grieved (Eph. 4:30).

5. He can be blasphemed (Matt. 12:31).

6. He can be insulted (Heb. 10:29).

To think of acting and reacting to an influence in these ways is incongruous.

D. He Relates as a Person to Other Persons

1. To the apostles. He relates to the apostles in a manner which shows His own distinct personality (Acts 15:28). He is a Person as they are persons; yet He is a distinct and identifiable Person.

2. To Jesus. He relates to the Lord Jesus in such a way that if the Lord has personality one must conclude that the Spirit does also. Yet He is distinct from Christ (John 16:14).

3. To other Trinity members. He relates to the other Persons of the Trinity as an equal Person (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14).

4. To His own power. The Spirit is related to His own power yet distinguished from it so that we may not conclude that He is merely a personification of power (Luke 4:14; Acts 10:38; 1 Cor. 2:4).

E. A Grammatical Consideration

Several times the writers of the New Testament will use a masculine pronoun to refer to the Spirit (which is a neuter). The clearest example of this exception to normal grammatical usage is John 16:13-14 where the masculine demonstrative pronoun is used twice to refer to the Spirit mentioned in verse 13. Other references are less clear since the masculine pronouns used may refer to the word “Paraclete” (which is masculine, 15:26; 16:7-8) or to the word “earnest” (which is also masculine, Eph. 1:14-15, KJV). Nevertheless, the clear exception to normal accidence in John 16:13-14 does support the true personality of the Spirit.

Each of these lines of scriptural evidence leads to the conclusion that the Holy Spirit, even though a spirit being, is as real a Person as the Father, or the Son, or as we are.

II. HE IS GOD

Not only is the Spirit a Person, but He is a unique Person, for He is God. Proofs of personality are not necessarily proofs of Deity; but proofs of Deity are also proofs of His personality. If God is a Person, and if the Spirit is also God, then He is a Person also.

A. His Appellations Show Deity

The divine names of the Spirit reveal His Deity. Sixteen times He is related by name to the other two Persons of the Trinity (Acts 16:7—“the Spirit of Jesus” and 1 Cor. 6:11—“the Spirit of our God.”

Further, promise of our Lord to send “another Helper” (John 14:16) uses the word for “another” which means another of the same kind. In other words, if Christ is God, then the Spirit, the other Helper of the same kind, is also God.

B. His Attributes Are Those which Belong to God Alone

As we have seen, the Spirit has attributes which show that He is a genuine Person, but He also possesses attributes which only God has which shows, therefore, that He is Deity. These attributes are omniscience (Isa. 40:13; 1 Cor. 2:12), omnipresence (Ps. 139:7), and omnipotence by virtue of His work in Creation (Job 33:4; Ps. 104:30).

He is also truth, love, life-giver, but man can be these things in a relative sense as well.

C. His Actions Are Those which Only God Can Perform

1. He was the cause of the Virgin Birth (Luke 1:35).

2. He was the Agent in giving the inspired Scriptures (2 Peter 1:21).

3. He was involved in the Creation of the world (Gen. 1:2). Here as with other uses of the “Spirit of God” in the Old Testament we may ask if the references clearly are to the third Person of the Trinity or to God as spirit (which He is). Leupold, commenting on verse 2, gives a thoughtful answer to the question. “Absolutely none other than the Holy Spirit is here under consideration. . . . It may require the full light of New Testament revelation to enable us to discern that the Spirit of God here is the same as He who in the New Testament is seen to be the Holy Spirit; but having that light, we need not hesitate to believe that it sheds clear light back on the Old Testament usage of the expression. . . . Does it not seem reasonable that the Spirit of inspiration should have so worded the words that bear upon His activity that, when the full New Testament revelation has come, all statements concerning the Spirit are in perfect harmony with this later revelation?” (H.C. Leupold, Exposition of Genesis [Columbus: Wartburg, 1942], pp. 49-50)

D. His Associations with the Other Persons of the Godhead Demonstrate Deity

1. Spirit as Yahweh. The New Testament identifies the Spirit as Yahweh of the Old Testament, particularly when quoting an Old Testament passage which God spoke and attributing it to the Spirit (cf. Acts 28:25 with Isa. 6:1-13 and Heb. 10:15-17 with Jer. 31:31-34). This is strong evidence that the New Testament writers considered the Spirit to be God.

2. Spirit and God. Blasphemy of and lying to the Spirit are the same as doing these things to God (Matt. 12:31-32; Acts 5:3-4).

3. Equality. The Spirit is associated on an equal basis with the Father and Son (Matt. 28:19; 2 Cor. 13:14). In the Matthew reference the use of the singular “name” strengthens the proof.

He is a Person and He is God.

(THE HOLY SPIRIT IN OLD TESTAMENT TIMES

The approximately 100 references to the Spirit of God in the Old Testament give evidence of His working during that period. All, however, do not see these references as indicating the third Person of the Trinity. P.K. Jewett, for example, believes that in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit is never used to indicate “a Person distinct from the Father and the Son,” but rather “the divine nature viewed as vital energy” (“Holy Spirit,” The Zondervan Pictorial Encyclopedia of the Bible [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1975], 3:184). While it is true that the Old Testament does not reveal the doctrine of the Trinity, still it seems to convey the idea that the Spirit is a Person, not simply vital energy (Ps. 104:30). Leon Wood correctly observes that “it is also important to recognize that the matter of the identity of the Holy Spirit in the Old Testament is not so much a question of what people thought regarding this member of the Godhead as it is what the intention was of God Himself who inspired the writers” (The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1976J, p. 19). And we do know from the New Testament that it was the Holy Spirit who was at work in Old Testament times (Acts 7:51; 2 Peter 1:21).

I. THE SPIRIT’S WORK IN CREATION

A. The Evidence

Seven verses speak of various aspects of the Spirit’s work in Creation. They are: Genesis 1:2; Job 26:13 (?); 27:3; 33:4; Psalms 33:6; 104:30; and Isaiah 40:13. While some feel these are not clear references to the Spirit, there really are no good reasons for not considering them to be (even though in some of these verses translations will use “breath” instead of Spirit).

B. His Activity

The Spirit was involved in the general planning of the universe (vv. 12-14).

He was also active in relation to the creation of the stars of heaven (Ps. 33:6).

The Spirit participated in the Creation of the earth (Gen. 1:2). The word “moved” (KJV) (found elsewhere only in Deut. 32:11, “hovers” or “flutters;” and Jer. 23:9, “shake”) means that the Spirit hovered over and cared for the yet unfashioned and uninhabited earth.

The Spirit worked in creating the animals (Ps. 104:30) and in the creation of man (Job 27:3; 33:4). Thus the range of His activity included all the basic facets of Creation.

II. THE SPIRIT’S WORK IN REVELATION AND INSPIRATION

That the Holy Spirit was the Agent of revealing and recording God’s message to man in Old Testament times is clearly taught in both the Old and New Testaments.

Peter provides the most inclusive statement on the subject in 2 Peter 1:21. Prophecies were not borne by man’s will but the writers were borne or carried along by the Spirit. The same verb appears in both parts of the verse, indicating that the will of man was not the carrier but rather the Spirit of God was. The men who wrote acted as agents but their wills did not control or interfere with what God wished to communicate; the Spirit was the One who carried them along.

Specific Old Testament verses like 2 Samuel 23:2 and Micah 3:8 indicate that the prophets spoke by means of the Spirit.

Further, the New Testament assigns certain Old Testament quotations to the Spirit as their author. When debating the Pharisees, Christ quoted from Psalm 110 which He acknowledged was written by David but given by the Spirit (Matt. 22:43). Peter quoted from Psalm 41 in connection with the replacement for Judas and said that the Holy Spirit foretold this concerning Judas by the mouth of David (Acts 1:16). Later Peter also stated that Psalm 2 was given “by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of our father David” (Acts 4:25). Paul also quoted from the Old Testament and assigned the authorship to the Holy Spirit (28:25 from Isa. 6:9-10), and the writer to the Hebrews did the same in two places in that epistle (Heb. 3:7; 10:15-16). Clearly, then, these New Testament references indicate that the Spirit acted in giving God’s truth in Old Testament times.

III. THE SPIRIT’S WORK IN RELATION TO PEOPLE

The Spirit’s ministry to people in Old Testament times was not the same as it has been since the Day of Pentecost. Whatever it was, the Lord made it quite clear it would be different after Pentecost. Notice how repeatedly the Lord spoke of the “coming” of the Spirit (who was already present) in His conversation with the disciples in the Upper Room (John 15:26; 16:7-8, 13). This indicates both that the Spirit was at work then and that His work would take on a different character after Pentecost. When the Lord summarized that contrast He said the Spirit “abides (present tense) with (para) you and will be (future tense) in (en) you” (14:17). While there is an alternative reading of the present tense in the second clause, i.e., is in you, most commentators prefer the future tense.

This, of course, delineates the contrast between the ministry of the Spirit at the time the Lord spoke these words and the future ministry after Pentecost. Buswell, wishing to blunt that contrast, translates the en as “among,” making the promise mean that the Spirit would be among the company of disciples. He does acknowledge that it might be construed to mean “in you individually” (Systematic Theology [Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962], 1:115). Many commentators simply seem to be unaware of any distinction being made here. F. Godet’s comment is to the point.

“The preparatory operation of the Spirit upon the disciples is expressed by the words: ‘He dwelleth with you’; and the closer relation into which He would enter with them at Pentecost by: ‘He shall be in you.’ Hence we must be careful neither to read with the Vulgate, menei in the future, He shall dwell in the first proposition, nor with some Alexandrines, esti, is, in the second. The whole meaning of the phrase consists in the antithesis of the present dwelleth (comp. menon in v. 25) and the future shall be. The contrast of the two regimens with you (comp. Par’ humin of v. 25) and in you corresponds exactly with that of the tenses” (Commentary on the Gospel of St. John (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1881], 3:141).

With this contrast in mind, we need to try to delineate and systematize what the Spirit did for people in Old Testament times.

A. The Nature of His Work

Three words seem to explain the Spirit’s ministry to people in the Old Testament.

1. He was in certain ones. Pharaoh recognized that the Spirit was in Joseph (Gen. 41:38). Likely Pharaoh did not understand this was the Holy Spirit, but later revelation seems to make this clear. The Spirit was in Joshua which is why God chose him (Num. 27:18). The Spirit was in Daniel (Dan. 4:8; 5:11-14; 6:3). In these instances the preposition used is beth, “in.”

2. The Spirit came upon some. The preposition used to depict this is al. A number of people experienced this ministry of the Spirit (Num. 24:2; Judges 3:10; 6:34; 11:29; 13:25; 1 Sam. 10:10; 16:13; 2 Chron. 15:1). These included judges, Saul, and the prophets Balaam and Azariah.

3. The Spirit filled Bezalel. (Ex. 31:3; 35:31). This seemed to be a special enablement to lead the craftsmen as they worked on the tabernacle.

B. The Extent of His Work

1. Limited as to people. After God chose Israel to be His people, the Spirit’s work was with that group primarily if not exclusively. Israel, of course, was a spiritually mixed nation with unbelievers as well as believers. Yet the Spirit ministered to the entire nation by being present and guiding the people (Neh. 9:20; Isa. 63:10-11, 14). This seemed to be a general relationship. There were apparently closer relationships He had with some within the nation (see above and Num. 11:29).

However, we do not have clear revelation of the Spirit’s ministry outside of Israel. Genesis 6:3 may be an exception if the verse means that the Spirit judged mankind for its wickedness in the days of Noah. But the verse may be a warning that the human spirit God placed in human beings would not always abide because mankind would be wiped out in the Flood. Certainly there was no indication that the Spirit convicted the world of sin in Old Testament times (as He does now, John 16:8), and no other nations enjoyed His general presence among them as Israel did. As far as the record is concerned His ministry was to Israel and individuals in Israel.

2. Limited as to kinds of ministry. As stated above, we find no ministry of general conviction, no indwelling and empowering as after Pentecost (7:37-39), no sealing, and certainly no baptizing (it is still future in Acts 1:5). Regeneration of the Spirit is not mentioned specifically, though some feel that the Spirit was regenerating in the Old Testament because believers give evidence of a struggle within their beings brought on by the presence of both the old and new.

3. Limited as to eternality. The Spirit empowered Samson; later the Lord left him (Judges 13:25; 16:20). The Spirit came on Saul and later left him (1 Sam. 10:10; 16:14). Apparently there was no guarantee of permanent presence of the Spirit in Old Testament times.

Perhaps I could draw an analogy between the Spirit’s ministry in the Old Testament and grace in the Old Testament. Both were present during that period, but the Spirit who worked in the Old Testament would “come” in new and fuller ministries after Pentecost, just as the displays of grace in the Old Testament were dim compared with grace that flooded the world when Christ came (John 1:17; Titus 2:11).

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE LIFE OF OUR LORD

I. THE BIRTH OF CHRIST

The Holy Spirit was involved in the conception of our Lord in the womb of the virgin Mary. The result was His Incarnation (Luke 1:35).

II. THE LIFE OF CHRIST

A. The Aspects of the Ministry of the Spirit

1. Christ was filled with the Spirit (Luke 4:1). The word here indicates that this was the characteristic of His life (as in Acts 6:3, 5). It was not a momentary thing, but a relationship He had all of His life.

2. Christ was anointed with the Spirit (Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38; Heb. 1:9). This signified that He is the Messiah (Anointed One) and empowered Him for His prophetic ministry.

3. Christ rejoiced in the Spirit (Luke 10:21). This was perhaps an evidence of His being full of the Spirit.

4. Christ was empowered, by the Spirit throughout His life. This was predicted by Isaiah (Isa. 42:1-4; 61:1-2) and experienced by Jesus of Nazareth in His ministries of preaching (Luke 4:18) and doing miracles (Matt. 12:28).

B. The Areas of the Ministry of the Spirit

1. The Spirit’s ministry in the life of our Lord was related to His office as a Prophet. At the beginning of His public ministry He declared that the Spirit of the Lord was upon Him to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord (Luke 4:18).

2. The Spirit’s ministry also enabled Him to perform some of His miracles. Some of the Lord’s miracles were undebatably done in the power of the Spirit. This claim was what evoked the incident concerning the unpardonable sin (Matt. 12:28, 31). He also gave sight to the blind because the Spirit was upon Him (Luke 4:18). In the Old Testament giving sight to the blind was a prerogative of God (Ex. 4:11; Ps. 146:8) and something Messiah would do (Isa. 29:18; 35:5; 42:7). Thus when the Lord restored sight to blind people He was making a clear claim to be Israel’s long-awaited Messiah. One would expect the ministry of the Spirit (anointing and empowering) to be connected with this kind of miracle which demonstrated that Jesus was the anointed Messiah.

In all the Old Testament there is no account of any blind person receiving sight. None of the Lord’s disciples was involved in restoring sight to any blind person. Only Ananias’ involvement in Paul’s regaining his sight is somewhat relevant, though this was different from what our Lord did when He gave sight to those who had never seen. Thus when Christ came on the scene of history and gave sight to so many blind people, this was a strong claim to His messiahship.

More miracles of Christ in this category are recorded than in any other. Matthew records the healing of two particular blind people (9:27-31), the general healing of the blind (11:5), the healing of blind people which provoked the unpardonable sin (12:22), additional unspecified numbers of blind cured (15:30), and the healing of blind people in the temple on Palm Sunday (21:14). Mark records the opening of a blind man’s eyes at Bethsaida (Mark 8:22-26) and the restoration of sight to Bartimaeus and his friend at Jericho (10:46-52, also recorded in Matt. and Luke). John records the healing of the man who was born blind (John 9:1-41). And all of these were done in the power of the Spirit.

But some of our Lord’s miracles were evidently done in His own inherent God-Man power. The woman with the continual hemorrhage was healed through His own power (Mark 5:30). The healing of the paralytic who was let down through the roof by his friends is attributed to the power of the Lord (Luke 5:17). The mass healing of the multitude after the choosing of the disciples was the result of His own power (6:19). Those who came to arrest Him in the Garden of Gethsemane were thrown back for the moment by a display of the power of His own deity when He said, “I AM” (John 18:6).

Some would say that these miracles were attributed to Christ but actually empowered by the Spirit within Him. While that could be true, it does not seem to be the normal way to read the texts. So it is better to acknowledge that He did some of His miracles in the power of the Spirit (particularly those which gave evidence of His claim to be Messiah by restoring sight to the blind) and some in His own power.

C. The Conflict over the Ministry of the Spirit

Matthew 12:22-37 and Mark 3:22-30 record the conflict over the power of the Spirit which occurred in Galilee, while Luke records a similar incident in Judea about a year later (11:14-23).

The conflict recorded in Matthew and Mark arose because the Lord healed a man who was blind and dumb (which probably meant that he was also deaf). However, the real cause of his problems was demon possession. While Jewish exorcists could cast out demons, they would have a very difficult time with this case because how do you communicate with a person who is blind and dumb and likely also deaf? When the Lord healed all the maladies at once the people were astonished and began to suggest that Jesus was really their Messiah. This provoked the Pharisees’ blasphemous accusation that Satan was obliging his friend Jesus by withdrawing demons from people to make it look like Christ Himself had that power. So, they said, who would want to follow a person who was a friend of Satan as Jesus obviously was?

The Lord’s reply consisted of three statements. (1) A kingdom or house which is divided against itself cannot stand. In other words, Satan would not destroy his own kingdom by aligning himself with Jesus’ kingdom. True, Satan might allow Jewish exorcists to cast out demons, but that would not create the kind of basic rift in Satan’s kingdom which Jesus’ doing it would, if indeed He were doing it by Satan’s power.

(2) The Lord then pointed out that the charge was absurd since the Pharisees recognized that the Jewish exorcists did not cast out demons by the power of Satan. So why should they accuse Him of doing it that way?

(3) The only logical conclusion to be reached from these facts is that the kingdom of God had come, since Christ was defeating Satan by taking his victims from him and doing so in the power of the Spirit of God.

Now, by accusing Jesus of being in league with Satan, the Pharisees were putting themselves on the side of Satan. Furthermore, they were accusing the Holy Spirit in whose power Christ cast out demons. What did the Lord mean when He said that a sin against the Son of man was forgivable but not against the Spirit? He meant that though they might misunderstand His claims, such ignorance, though deplorable, was forgivable. But to misunderstand the power of the Spirit was unforgivable since the Spirit’s power and ministry was well known from Old Testament times.

Speaking against the Spirit was not merely a sin of the tongue. The Pharisees had not sinned only with their words. It was a sin of the heart expressed in words. Furthermore, theirs was a sin committed to His face. To commit this particular sin required the personal and visible presence of Christ on earth; to commit it today, therefore, would be impossible. But to show wickedness of heart is unpardonable in any day if one dies persisting in his or her rejection of Christ. A person’s eternal destiny is determined in this life, but no sin is unpardonable as long as a person has breath. As a matter of fact, the Lord urged the Pharisees to side with Him rather than against Him (Matt. 12:30), to show repentance of heart (vv. 33-35), and to speak words which would demonstrate a righteous heart and not those which would result in their condemnation (vv. 36-37). Paul himself is evidence that blasphemy is forgivable (1 Tim. 1:13).

D. The Significance of the Ministry of the Spirit

1. Development of humanity. We may reasonably assume that the Spirit played a role in the development of the humanity of Christ (Luke 2:52; Heb. 5:8). His growth must have been related to the Spirit who filled and anointed Him.

2. Christ’s dependence. He did depend on the Spirit for leading and for power in some of the miracles at least.

If the sinless Son of God used these ministries of the Holy Spirit, how can we expect to live independently of His power?

III. THE DEATH OF CHRIST

Usually Hebrews 9:14 is cited as evidence that our Lord offered Himself in His death through the Spirit. The evidence as to whether or not this is a reference to the Holy Spirit is fairly equally divided, making a definite conclusion difficult.

The evidence that this is a reference to the Spirit is as follows. The lack of the article (literally, through eternal spirit) points to the Holy Spirit just as the lack of the article in 1:1 points more clearly to Christ.

Theologically it is reasonable to expect that if the Spirit played a role in Christ’s birth and life He would also be involved in His death.

The evidence that this is not a reference to the Holy Spirit but to Christ’s own eternal spirit which His deity had is as follows. The lack of the article would more naturally refer to other than the Holy Spirit since the designation Holy Spirit usually includes the article.

If this refers to Christ’s eternal spirit then it is not a reference to the divine nature offering up the human nature, but to the entire Person offering up Himself by the action of the highest spirit-power within Him. His own divine spirit was involved in the offering of the God-Man.

Another verse, 1 Peter 3:18, may refer to an action of the Spirit with respect to the death of Christ. Usually, however, it is thought that this verse relates the Spirit’s work to the resurrection of Christ. Two major problems emerge in the exegesis of it. One concerns the identification of “spirit” whether it refers to the Holy Spirit or to Christ’s own eternal spirit. If the former then the form is instrumental, “by the [Holy] Spirit”; if the latter then it is locative, “in the [Christ’s] spirit.” The parallel with “flesh” may give preference to the idea of Christ’s spirit. If so, then we have no record of the Holy Spirit’s ministry in relation to Christ’s death (unless Heb. 9:14 applies) or to His resurrection.

But even if the reference is to the Holy Spirit, another problem still exists. It concerns the use of an aorist participle, “quickened by the spirit” (KJV). Normally, the aorist participle indicates activity simultaneous or antecedent to that of the main verb, but not subsequent. (Acts 25:13 is not an exception since their “coming” may be a period of time in which the saluting was a part, or since greetings were often sent ahead of arrival.) If the main verb is “died” then the action of quickening cannot refer to the Resurrection which was subsequent to His death. It would refer to some quickening at the time of the Crucifixion (simultaneous action). However, if the main verb is “bring” in the clause, then conceivably the quickening could refer to the Resurrection which was antecedent to our being brought to heaven. In this case, the reference is to the resurrection of Christ. In the first option it refers to some kind of quickening or empowering on the cross. But in either case it is not clear that the Holy Spirit was involved, rather than Christ’s spirit.

Finally, some cite Romans 1:4 to show that the Holy Spirit had a part in the resurrection of Christ. Again two exegetical problems exist. One concerns the identification of “spirit of holiness.” The parallelism with “according to the flesh” argues that it refers to Christ’s own spirit, rather than the Holy Spirit. The second problem concerns identifying what resurrection(s) is in view. Literally, the text says “a resurrection of dead [p1.].” This could refer (a) to Christ’s resurrection from among dead persons, or (b) to the resurrections He did while on earth, or (c) to all of them, including His own. But in any case it is far from certain that the Spirit was directly involved.

Actually no clear evidence exists for the Spirit’s direct working in the death or resurrection of our Lord. Of course, in the sense that these activities relate to the second Person of the Godhead, all the Persons are involved.

I. THE PEOPLE INDWELT

To express indwelling Paul not only uses the preposition en but also the verb oikeo, to dwell (Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 3:16; though, of course, sometimes he uses only the preposition as in 6:19). He relates this ministry of the Spirit to all believers.

A. The Indwelling Spirit Is a Gift from God to All Believers

A number of passages clearly teach that the Spirit is given to all believers rather than selectively to some (John 7:37; Acts 11:16-17; Rom. 5:5; 1 Cor. 2:12; 2 Cor. 5:5). One would expect this to be so since a gift is not a reward and no merit is involved in receiving this gift.

B. Not to Possess the Indwelling Spirit Indicates an Unsaved Condition

Not to have the Spirit is the same as not belonging to Christ, Paul declared (Rom. 8:9). Jude also described apostates as those who did not have the Spirit (Jude 19) and who were “natural” (KJV). This is the same word used in 1 Corinthians 2:14, another verse that describes an unsaved individual. To be natural is to be unsaved and not to have the Spirit. Therefore having the Spirit characterizes all born again people.

C. Sinning Believers Are Indwelt by the Spirit

The acid test of whether or not the Spirit indwells all believers is whether or not He lives in sinning Christians. Clearly He does. First Corinthians 6:19 was written to a very spiritually mixed group, some fine, spiritual believers, but many who were carnal and worldly; yet Paul does not say that only the spiritual group were indwelt by the Spirit. One brother, who in Paul’s judgment was a believer (5:5) was living in gross sin. Others were at legal swords’ points with each other (chap. 6). Still Paul says that the Spirit was “in” all of them (v. 19). Not only does he make no exceptions to his statement, but he makes the indwelling of the Spirit the ground for his exhortation to holy living. Clearly, then, all believers, but only believers, have the Spirit living in them.

III. SOME PROBLEMS CONCERNING THE INDWELLING OF THE SPIRIT

A. Is Not Obedience a Condition for Indwelling?

Peter spoke of the Holy Spirit “whom God has given to those who obey Him” (Acts 5:32). Does this mean that obedience is a condition for the giving of the Spirit and thus only certain (i.e., obedient) believers have the Spirit? Yes, if obedience is understood in the way Peter used it. He was addressing the unbelieving Sanhedrin and concluded by pressing the matter of their obedience. Obedience to what? Certainly the obedience of the Sanhedrin had nothing to do with obedience to matters in the Christian life, for they were not Christians. The obedience Peter called them to was to obey (believe) the truth that Jesus was their Messiah. Shortly some of the priests in Jerusalem did believe and Luke describes them as “a great many of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith” (6:7).

Two other references use obedience as a synonym for receiving Christ’s salvation. Paul described the purpose of his mission as “for obedience to the faith among all nations for His name” (Rom. 1:5, KJV). The writer to the Hebrews said that Christ became the Source of eternal salvation to all who obey Him (Heb. 5:9). Therefore, if obedience is understood correctly (as obeying the Gospel), it is a condition for receiving the gift of the Spirit.

B. Are There Not Illustrations of the Temporariness of Indwelling?

Yes, there are, but they are all before the Day of Pentecost (1 Sam. 16:14; perhaps Ps. 51:11; Luke 11:13; John 20:22). But there are no such examples after the coming of the Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Since those before Pentecost relate to a different economy of the Spirit they cannot be used to prove that the same thing happens after Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came to indwell believers permanently.

C. Does Not the Delay in Giving the Spirit to the Samaritans Show That It Is Subsequent to Salvation and Thus Selective?

That there was a delay in giving the Spirit to the Samaritans is clear; the question is why? Some say it shows that indwelling comes subsequent to salvation and not necessarily to all believers. Others equate this giving of the Spirit with the filling of the Spirit. Still others say the procedure was different in this instance because the Samaritans were the first non-Jewish group to be taken into the church. The latter is partly true: Samaritans were part Jewish and part Gentile. The purely Gentile pattern for the giving of the Spirit is found in Acts 10:44 where the Spirit was given to the Gentiles in Cornelius’ house at the moment they believed.

The best explanation of this delay in the case of the Samaritans lies in the schismatic nature of Samaritan religion. Their worship rivaled Jewish worship in Jerusalem; therefore, God needed to prove to them that their new Christian faith was not also to rival the Christian church in Jerusalem. The best way to show beyond doubt that the Samaritan Christians belonged to the same group as the Jerusalem Christians (and vice versa, to show the Jerusalem leaders that Samaritans were genuinely saved) was to delay the giving of the Spirit until Peter and John came from Jerusalem to Samaria. This delay and God’s use of Peter and John in conveying the gift of the Spirit saved the early church from having two mother or rival churches.

D. Does Not Acts 19:1-6 Show That Indwelling Is Subsequent to Salvation?

To answer yes to this question requires understanding that the twelve disciples of John the Baptist were already Christian believers before they met Paul at Ephesus. But this is not the correct understanding. They did not become believers in Jesus by believing John’s message and receiving his baptism; they became Christian believers only after Paul explained to them the difference between John and Jesus. In fact, it does not appear from the text that they even understood much about John’s message. But when they understood and believed what Paul explained to them, they immediately received the Spirit through Paul’s laying on of hands. There was no delay.

The normal Gentile pattern for receiving the Spirit was established in the house of Cornelius where the Spirit was given when the people believed which was while Peter was preaching and before they were baptized in water (10:44, 47).

E. What Is the Relation of Indwelling to Anointing?

Anointing in the Old Testament, a very solemn matter, made a person or thing holy and sacrosanct (Ex. 40:9-15). It was associated with the Holy Spirit and with equipping for service (1 Sam. 10:1, 9; Zech. 4:1-14). In the New Testament Christ was anointed (Luke 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38; Heb. 1:9) and believers are anointed (2 Cor. 1:21; 1 John 2:20, 27). As far as the anointing of believers is concerned, these passages seem to teach that it is not something repeated but something that abides. While Old Testament anointing was related more to service (as also was Christ’s anointing), New Testament believers’ anointing concerns a relationship that enables us to understand truth. Old Testament anointing seems closer to the idea of the filling of the Spirit, while believers’ anointing is akin to the indwelling of the Spirit. Not every believer experienced it in the Old Testament; all do today. It may have been repeated in the Old Testament; it abides on all believers today.

The New Testament clearly teaches that all believers are permanently indwelt. Let not our familiarity with this blunt the significance of it. This universal and permanent ministry to believers stands in sharp contrast with the indwelling ministry of the Spirit in the Old Testament (John 14:17). It means that whether or not we feel it God the Holy Spirit lives within our beings constantly. This ought to give us (a) a sense of security in our relationship with God, (b) a motivation to practice that presence of God, and (c) a sensitivity to sins against God.