THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT IN THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER

There are 3 separate and distinct stages in the work of the Holy Spirit in the life of a believer. They can be defined by the use of three little words. He comes “to us”, then He comes “in us”, and finally He comes “upon us”.

First in (John 16:7-15) Jesus told His disciples that when He went back to the Father He would send the Spirit to the world to convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. No one could ever come to God unless the Holy Spirit draws them by His convicting power! He reveals Jesus to the sinner as the only Savior from sin.

Next when the sinner is fully convinced they need to accept and receive Jesus as their own personal Savior, the Spirit comes into their life, and they are “born again”. In (John 14:16-18) we hear Jesus telling His disciples “I will pray the Father and He will give you another helper, that He may abide with you forever-----for He dwells with you, and will be in you”. Here we see the promise of eternal life “He will abide with you forever”. The Spirit comes to stay with the true believer “forever”! That gives us the assurance of eternal security! He comes to stay, and His “presence” remains with us always.

The third stage is when He comes “upon us” at the time of our baptism in the Spirit, to give us the power to live a life pleasing to God, (Acts 1:8). This results in what we call “the anointing” of the Spirit, as opposed to “the presence” of the Spirit. His presence never leaves us, but his anointing can, and does when we as a believer are disobedient, or fall into sin. This has caused much confusion in the church, because people fail to make this distinction. The “filling” of the Spirit is not the same as the “baptism” of the Spirit. We receive the filling at the moment of salvation when He comes in to our spirit, or heart, to bring the assurance of salvation. He comes in to abide forever, and he comes in His fullness and not only partly!

This confusion is caused by “man’s doctrine” that is not based on the word of God, but only on some man's theory. If you just take your Bible and check out the scriptures I have mentioned, and perhaps any cross reference scriptures you may find, I’m sure you will be able to receive revelation from The Spirit as to the truth on this subject. A clear understanding of these three stages of the Holy Spirit’s work in your life as a believer will greatly enhance your effectiveness as a citizen of the Kingdom!

Sincerely submitted.

Gramp