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"Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

~ Matthew 28:19-20

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How the Holy Spirit Dwells in the Christian

By Mark Larson

The Christian’s relationship with God is meant to be the most blessed of all relationships that he or she has in life. Our love and devotion to God should exceed our love for any other person in the world. Jesus gave the command: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind” (Mat. 22:37, NASB). By loving God as we should, we fulfill an inherent need we all have to have a close and meaningful relationship with Deity (Ps. 42:1-2; 63:1; cf. Acts 17:26-28; Gen. 1:26-27).

If our relationship to God is right, this will mean that the Lord God will abide or dwell in us.

According to Scripture, all three persons that comprise God (the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit – Mat. 28:19) dwell in the Christian (1 John 4:12-16; Eph. 3:17; 1 Cor. 3:16). What this means is that God, in a figurative, but spiritual sense, influences us for good and inhabits or resides in us. God indwelling us is closely related to the idea of God having fellowship or communion with us. In fact, if we have a right relationship or fellowship with God, then the Lord will also choose to dwell in us and be our God and a Father to us (2 Cor 6:14-7:1).

The Holy Spirit is God (Acts 5:3-4) who is meant to dwell in every Christian (Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19; 2 Tim. 1:14; James 4:5). Despite the controversy that surrounds this issue, every Christian should desire the indwelling of the Holy Spirit because of its eternal importance. It is essential for us to recognize what the indwelling of the Holy Spirit actually involves and on what basis we can know, for sure, that He dwells in us each day.

The Holy Spirit Does Not Dwell in Christians Directly or Miraculously Today.

The apostles, unlike Christians today, experienced a direct and miraculous relationship with the Holy Spirit. Only the apostles were given the promise to be baptized with the Holy Spirit (John 14:26; 15:26; 16:13; Acts 1:5, 8). Baptism of the Holy Spirit for the apostles meant that they were overwhelmed or “clothed with power” (Luke 24:49) and as a result, they were given many powers such as the ability to speak all truth or the revelation of God, speak in tongues, cast out demons, and heal the sick (Acts 2:4; Mark 16:17-18). The powers the apostles possessed demonstrated they were apostles who spoke the words of God (Mark 16:20; Heb. 2:4; 2 Cor. 12:12). The miracles they performed proved to their skeptics that they were obeying God’s will, not fulfilling their own, in the preaching of the gospel: "And we are witnesses of these things; and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey Him" (Acts 5:32; cf. vs. 16-32).

Only through the laying on the apostles hands were miraculous spiritual gifts given to others (e.g., Acts 6:5-8; 8:14-17; 19:6; Rom. 1:11; 2 Tim. 1:6). The only exception to this was the time when the Holy Spirit’s power was poured out upon the household of Cornelius, giving them the same gift the apostles had to speak in tongues. This was for the special purpose of demonstrating that salvation through the Gospel is for both Jews and Gentiles (Acts 10:44-46; 11:15-18).

Spiritual gifts were for the purpose of inspiration, confirmation of God’s word, and the edification of saints (Mark 16:20; Acts 2:4; 1 Cor. 14:26). Once God’s revelation or New Testament was completed or “the perfect” had come (1 Cor. 13:8-10) there was no longer a need for them.

The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit is Accomplished Through the Word of God.

The easiest way to understand how the Holy Spirit dwells within Christians is to do a comparative study of Him with the word of God. What we soon discover is that whatever the indwelling of the Holy Spirit does for the Christian today, He does through the word of God.

Whatever work the Holy Spirit does for us, the Word also does. For example, the Holy Spirit gives us instruction (Neh. 9:30), so does the word of God (2 Tim. 3:16-17). The Holy Spirit gives us a new spiritual birth (John 3:5), so does the word of God (James 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23). Time and again we find the Spirit and the Word doing the same work in Scripture (e.g., Jn. 14:26/ Jn .6:45; Jn. 16:8/ Tit. 1:9; Jn. 6:63/ Ps. 119:50; Jn. 16:13/ 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 1 Cor. 6:11/ 2 Thes. 2:13; etc.). Thus, the word of God must be the instrument the Holy Spirit uses to do His work (Eph. 6:17b) and indirectly dwell in Christians today. How, for instance, is God’s love “poured in our heart by the Spirit”? (Rom. 5:5). Is it by a “better felt than told” experience? No, but by our hearing God’s word in faith (e.g., John 3:16). How does “the Spirit strengthen us with power in the inner man”? (Eph. 3:16). Not by a “divine injection” from above, but by our knowledge of God’s word (Col. 1:10-11). The Father and the Son dwell in Christians in the exact same way, through the Word of God (2 Jn. 9; 1 Jn. 2:24; Eph. 3:17/ Rom. 10:17; Gal. 2:20/ Jn. 8:31).

How Can Christians Know for Sure That the Holy Spirit Dwells in Them?

By Hearing God’s Word, “the Faith”: “This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Gal 3:2, NKJV -- cf. Eph. 4:5; Jude 3).  For the Holy Spirit to dwell in us and thus have a positive influence upon us, we must hear or listen to God’s word (Rom. 10:17; 2 Tim. 3:16-17). If we truly want to be “led by the Spirit” (Gal. 5:18a), then we will follow His lead and take heed to God’s instructions as revealed in the New Testament Scriptures.

By Obeying God’s Word: Spiritual transformation of our lives won’t happen without obedience. We must not wait until, as some have put it, we’ve “got the Spirit” for change to occur. Only as we study “the law of the Spirit” (Rom. 8:2) and obey it will we bear the fruits of the Holy Spirit (Gal. 5:22-23). If we sincerely want the Holy Spirit to dwell in us, it will be our conduct that will determine this: “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. And be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you” (Eph. 4:30-32, NASB; cf. 1 Cor. 6:19-20). When Christians “walk in the truth” (3 John 4), they “walk in the Spirit” (Gal. 5:25) and as a result the Holy Spirit dwells in them. For true confidence that the Holy Spirit dwells in you, that your relationship with Him is genuine and right, render faithful obedience to the gospel of Jesus Christ.