Galatians 5:16-26 · Romans 8:9 · Acts 2:38 · Acts 22:16 · 1 Corinthians 12:13 · Titus 3:5-6 · Romans 8:5-6 · Acts 5:32 · Galatians 5:22-23
How Do We Know We Have the Spirit?
The Spirit's presence in a believer is known not through emotions but through objective evidence: God's promises, a desire for holiness, obedience to God, and the development of Christian character traits.
Introduction
This is the last of six lessons concerning the Holy Spirit. In our study we have seen that the Spirit’s main purpose is to point us to Jesus. He does not want Christians to focus upon himself, but upon Jesus. He is constantly pointing to Jesus. I want to return tonight to a lesson from a couple of weeks ago and look a bit deeper at the question “how do we know we have the Spirit?” Some say that the Spirit’s presence ought to be so strong that we change how we feel and we increase in our level of emotions. Is that how we know we have the Spirit? Does having the Spirit mean that we subjectively know his presence, i.e., that we emotionally feel his presence, or can we objectively know that he is with us—that we trust God’s promises? We will look at these questions tonight and discover God’s will concerning the Spirit.
Feelings or Faith
There are some who believe that in order for us to know that we have the Spirit living within us, we know his presence by how we feel. Emotions carry the burden of proof. And the more emotional one is, the more of the Spirit he or she is. Thomas Barratt expresses the Spirit’s presence this way: “The Holy Spirit came in like a torrent, as though He would tear my body to pieces” or “Sometimes a wonderful shaking takes place…. When the Holy Ghost comes in, you will know it, for he will be in your very flesh.” So the Spirit is experienced. One feels the presence of the Spirit. This is the basis for knowing that the Spirit is in you.
If this be the case, then how would one know he or she is saved? Those who depend on feelings will tell us that salvation is felt as well. Then what do we do on those days when we don’t feel particularly close to God? Is our salvation in jeopardy on those days? On those days when we say “I just don’t feel close to God today,” are we in fact unsaved? Feelings are not reliable. Just remember the last time you received an unjust criticism. Remember the last time someone criticized you and their words hurt you. And when you asked an unbiased person about the remark, they told you that the criticism was unfounded. Remember still feeling the pain of the words even though they weren’t true. Feelings are unreliable, and while God created us with emotions, to base our salvation and the Spirit’s dwelling within us upon emotions is to go beyond scripture.
According to Romans 8:9, a person who has the Spirit is a Christian. According to Acts 2:38, a person receives the Spirit at his baptism, which is a faith response to Jesus. Then to say that one is a Christian and possesses the Holy Spirit is to say the same thing. They are identical. Being a Christian means one has the Spirit living within him. To say that one has the Spirit means the person is a Christian. Thus, we need real evidence demonstrating the Spirit’s presence.
Evidence
What evidence do we have then that the Spirit of God lives within us? First, there is the promise of God. Acts 2:38 says that all who repent and are baptized are forgiven of their sins and receive the Holy Spirit as God’s gift. Someone may say, “I hope I am forgiven” or “Did I fully repent?” These questions are never considered in scripture. These questions are not even invited. A person who is baptized as a faith response to Jesus can know assuredly that their sins have been washed away (Acts 22:16). One can assuredly know that he has received the Spirit in their baptism (Acts 2:38; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Titus 3:5-6). What is the basis for this confidence? The promises of God. To question these truths is to question the God who made the statements. These truths do not require some emotional attachment for them to be true. These truths require faith in the nature of God to be truthful and faithful in keeping his promises.
Second, we know we have the Spirit because of our desire to be holy. Romans 8:5-6 tells us that those with the mind of the Spirit desire what the Spirit desires, including life and peace. Those who live by the flesh have their mind set on fleshly things. The mind of the flesh sets itself against God and does not try to please God. But those with the mind of the Spirit will try to please God and will try to honor God with their lives. This is how we can know that the Spirit lives within us. This truth is not emotionally experienced. This truth is seen in objective reality as we live day by day. In words and deeds we demonstrate the truth that we have the mind of the Spirit living within us.
Third, in a similar way, we know we have the Spirit through our obedience to God. Acts 5:32 says that those who obey God have been given the Holy Spirit. The Spirit was given first, then the obedience comes. The evidence that one has the Spirit is obedience to God. This passage does not mean that obedience to God brings the Spirit, but rather that the Spirit’s presence leads one to obey. The context of this statement is that the apostle Peter is defending himself and the other apostles against the charge of disobeying the Sanhedrin. Having been ordered to no longer preach in the name of Jesus, the apostles are brought before this Jewish governing body to defend themselves. The apostles give the facts about the resurrection and ascension and back up these facts with their eyewitness accounts and that of the Spirit. The point of the statement is to demonstrate that the apostles have the Spirit, not the Sanhedrin. The apostles and all like them who demonstrate their obedience to God reveal that they have the Spirit living within them.
Finally, evidence of the Spirit is seen in the fruit of the Spirit. Galatians 5:22-23 says that because one has the Spirit, then certain characteristics in life will come because of the Spirit’s influence. The Spirit encourages and develops these character traits in the life of the Christian. In very simple language, what demonstrates the Spirit’s presence is not some ecstatic and rapturous event, but the development of virtues of the heart, disposition, and conduct which befit the Spirit’s presence.
Application
The Spirit’s presence is known because of truths which are not based upon our emotions, but based on biblical facts—the promise of God, our desire to be holy, obedience to God, and development of character traits befitting a Christian. These then demonstrate the Spirit’s presence. Only those who belong to God can claim these truths.
Emotions are dangerous when made to be the basis for our relationship with God. We do ourselves and our relationship with God great harm by trusting our feelings rather than the words which God has given to us in the Bible. The Spirit’s presence does not guarantee sinlessness, but his presence does assure us that we belong to God. The faith response of repentance and baptism guarantees that we receive the Spirit. Only those who belong to God can cry out to God in full assurance as sons and daughters. Do you have the Spirit? Have you demonstrated that faith response?
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