holyspir

DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVE IN US?

 

INTRODUCTION

Most Christians today believe that the Holy Spirit, dwells in the heart of each believer. I have questioned that belief for some time. This paper is an attempt to explain why I questioned this view and my conclusions, based, of course, on Scripture.

I must say at the outset that both the NIV and the King James translations are not very helpful in the study of this subject. The reason I say that is because, as I’m sure most students of God’s Word are aware, the Greek rarely capitalizes proper nouns. When we read of the Holy Spirit (with upper case letters) in English translations, we are reading an interpretation of the text, not a translation. That is to say, when the translators put capital H, capital S they are not translating the text, they are interpreting it. The same is true when the translators put small h, small s. As students of God’s Word we have the privilege and the responsibility of studying the passages that have to do with the Holy Spirit and decide, with His help, when “He” is meant and when it is not.

One reason that I question that the Holy Spirit lives in the heart of man, is that basically, man is sinful and as such can not dwell with God. We read in Psalm 5: 4, “…….with You (God) the wicked can not dwell“. But in Rom.7:17-18 we read where Paul writes, “As it is, it is no longer I myself who do it, but it is sin living in me. I know that nothing good lives in me, that is in my sinful nature …..”. Can God, in His office of Holy Spirit dwell in the heart of Man with a sinful nature?

Another reason for my question centers on Is. 48:16, “And now the sovereign Lord has sent me and His Spirit”. Isaiah was a prophet of God, it is clear that he was anointed with power from the Holy Spirit. In this passage however, he tells us that he has been sent by God with the Holy Spirit to preach God’s message. That implies that the Holy Spirit is accompanying him, not in him. If the Holy Spirit was in Isaiah then it would not have been necessary for the Holy Spirit to accompany Isaiah.

Another reason I have questioned the idea of the Holy Spirit dwelling in the heart of the believer has to do with Paul describing the Holy Spirit as “a deposit” in passages such as Eph. 1:13-14 and II Cor. 1:22 and 5:5. In my opinion, to speak of God, the Holy Spirit as a “deposit” demeans Him.

Another reason for my questioning is found in Eph. 4:24, which reads, “put on the new self created to be like God”. If the Holy Spirit dwells in the hearts of believers, why is it necessary for us to “put on the new self”? Surely nothing else is required if the Holy Spirit Himself were indwelling the believer.

Let us also consider I Jn. 3:24, “He abideth in us by the spirit He hath given us”. What this verse says is that the Holy Spirit abides in us by the new nature. If, as this verse says, the Holy Spirit abides in us by the new nature, then obviously it is not God in His office of Holy Spirit that abides in us, it is the new nature. And if the Holy Spirit dwells in us “by” the new nature, why would He Himself also abide in us?

Yet another reason is found in Rom. 8:16, “The Spirit testifies with our spirit….”. Is Paul saying here that the Holy Spirit Who lives in our hearts testifies with the Holy Spirit Who lives in our hearts? That makes no sense. I believe that he is saying that the Holy Spirit testifies with the new nature, which is given to each believer.

One more reason is found in II Peter 1:3-4, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires”. This passage tells us that through the new nature, we participate in the divine nature. If the Holy Spirit dwells in us, why would we need a new nature?

I pray the reader will not misunderstand what I am saying here. I know that the Holy Spirit lives among believers and guides us in our walk with God every moment of our lives. What I am questioning is whether He lives in the hearts of the individual believer. What I do believe, is that the Holy Spirit sends the gift of a spirit that is holy to each believer in Christ, and through that spirit God communes with, sheds His love upon, teaches, leads, etc. His children. That gift is the new nature.

We will first look at Who the Holy Spirit is in the Old and New Testaments with the view of knowing the Holy Spirit.

  THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Holy Spirit was involved in the creation of the earth. Gen.1:2 “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters”.

The Holy Spirit was involved in the creation of Man. Job 33:4, “The Spirit of God has made me; the breath of the Almighty gives me life”.

The Holy Spirit put in the mind of David all the plans for the temple of the Lord. “He gave him the plans of all that the Spirit had put in his mind for the courts of the temple of the Lord….”(I Chron. 28:12)

God sent the Holy Spirit to instruct Israel when they wandered in the desert. Nehemiah 9:19-20, “Because of your great compassion you did not abandon them in the desert…….You gave your good Spirit to instruct them.”

The Holy Spirit leads in the lives of believers. Ps. 143:10, “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground”.

The Holy Spirit speaks through the prophets. Zech. 7:12. “They made their hearts as hard as flint and would not listen to the law or to the words that the Lord Almighty had sent by His Spirit through the earlier prophets”.

Is. 48:16, “And now the sovereign Lord has sent Me and His Spirit”.

The Holy Spirit is the arm, the power of God. Isaiah 63:11-12, “Then His people recalled the days of old, the days of Moses and his people- where is He who brought them through the sea, Where is He Who set His Holy Spirit among them, who sent His glorious arm of power to be at Moses’ right hand, who divided the waters before them, to gain for Himself everlasting renown,…”

The Holy Spirit gives rest to God’s people. Is. 63:14, “Like cattle that go down to the plain, they were given rest by the Spirit of the Lord….”.

The Holy Spirit remains with God’s people. Haggai 2:5, “This is what I covenanted with you when you came out of Egypt. And My Spirit remains among you. Do not fear.”

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The Holy Spirit did not change in the New Testament. We see many of the characteristics described in the Old Testament repeated in the New Testament, and as the Word of God is revealed we learn some new things about the Holy Spirit.

In the Old Testament we have seen that the Spirit was involved in the creation of the world. In the New Testament we read that He is the creator of the spirit in Man. John 3:6, “Flesh gives birth to flesh but the Spirit gives birth to spirit

Again, as in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit speaks through God’s servants. Mark 13:11, “Whenever you are arrested and brought to trial, do not worry beforehand about what to say. Just say whatever is given you at the time, for it is not you speaking, but the Holy Spirit.”

As in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit instructs. John:14:26, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit who the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”.

As in the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit leads in order to accomplish the will of God, Matt. 4:1; “Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil”.

In Matt. 12:31 we have a further revelation about the Holy Spirit; The blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven“.

In Mark 13:11 we see that, as in the Old Testament the Holy Spirit speaks through God’s people; “….it is not you speaking but the Holy Spirit.”.

John 14 is a very rich and beautiful passage about the Holy Spirit. Jn. 14:16-17, “And I will ask the Father and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever-the Spirit of truth“. Jn. 14:26, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit Whom the Father will send in My name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”.

Jn. 15:26, “When the Counselor comes Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth, He will testify about Me”.

Jn. 16:13, “But when He, the Spirit of truth comes He will guide you into all truth”.

Acts 9:31 tells of another way in which the Holy Spirit cares for the believer; “It (the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria) was strengthened and encouraged by the Holy Spirit and it grew in numbers

Rom. 8:16, “The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are the children of God“. This verse shows without a doubt that the Holy Spirit and our spirit are two different things,.

Rom. 8:26, “The Spirit helps us in our weakness, we do not know what we ought to pray, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express”.

Rom. 8:27, “And He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God’s will”.

I Cor. 2:10, “The Spirit searches all things even the deep things of God”.

I Cor. 2:11, “….no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.” And the Spirit reveals those thoughts to us.

I Cor. 3:16, “Don’t you know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you?” E.W.Bullinger has the following note in his Companion Bible on the Greek preposition “en”, translated here “in”: “with plural = among”. His note on I Cor. 3:16 reads, “The Spirit dwells in the shrine formed by the collective body of believers”. Eph. 2:21-22 gives more insight into the idea of the Holy Spirit dwelling among believers, “In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit”. Verse 21 gives us the sense that the dwelling place of God is a combination of bricks as verse 22 is a combination of, or a coming together of, believers with whom He dwells. By combining I Cor. 3:16 with Eph. 2:21-22 we learn that the Holy Spirit dwells among believers, not in them.

The Holy Spirit is involved in our salvation. I Cor. 6:11, “…..But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of God“. Also II Thess. 2:13, “…..from the beginning God chose you to be saved through the sanctifying work of the Spirit and through belief in the truth”.  

The verses quoted above tell us of the “personality” of the Holy Spirit. I believe that it would be fair to say that, in large part, the Holy Spirit is the “care giver” of His children.

POWER FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

As we look at many of the passages in the Old Testament that speak of the Holy Spirit, we must be careful to see the difference between the Holy Spirit and the power from the Holy Spirit. We will look at several verses that speak of the Holy Spirit “filling” or “coming upon” or the Holy Spirit being “poured out”. One is not “filled” with one of the manifestations of God, i.e. the Holy Spirit. God is not “poured out”, nor do we speak of God “coming upon” another. These verses use the figure of speech, metonymy, i.e. when the cause is put for the effect. We use the figure of speech, metonymy, when we say for example, “Joe really pours himself into his work”. Obviously, Joe does not “pour himself”. Joe is the cause, the effect is that he shows himself to be a dedicated worker.

As with all figures of speech, metonymy is used to enhance the meaning. We could say that Joe is a dedicated worker, but it does not have the same force as when we say that Joe pours himself into his work. The same is true of the figure of speech when used of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit does not simply empower one to do His will, His power “fills” it is “poured out” Similarly, His power is not simply “sent”, it “comes upon” the one who is to be empowered. So when we read, for example in Judges 14:6, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him with power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands”, we are reading of the power from the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit, the cause, is put for the effect, Samson being filled. Just as Joe does not “pour” himself, but his energies, so the Holy Spirit does not pour Himself, but His power.

I believe that the student of God’s Word will have a better understanding of the Holy Spirit once he/she understands that God does not “come upon”, nor is He “poured out”, nor is one “filled” with Him. Let us look at some passages in the Old Testament that will help us to understand our topic better.

Exodus 31:3, “and I have filled him (Bezalel) with the Spirit of God, with the skill, ability and knowledge in all kinds of crafts- to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze.” These artistic designs were for the Tent of Meeting, i.e. the place where God would meet with His people, Israel until the Temple would be built. I believe that this verse is important in that it helps us to see that the Holy Spirit fills people with His power in order to accomplish the will of God. In this case the Holy Spirit was accomplishing the will of God by helping these men to make things for the Tent of Meeting as beautifully as it should be made for the house of God.

As mentioned above, we are not “filled” with God, we are filled by Him. So in this verse we see the figure of speech, metonymy where the cause (in this case the Holy Spirit) is put for the effect (the spirit of skill, ability, etc.). This verse is an excellent example of the translators interpreting, that is, it was their interpretation that Bezalel was filled with the Holy Spirit. The reader must decide for himself, with the help of our Teacher, the Holy Spirit, whether Bezalel was filled with the Holy Spirit, or by the Holy Spirit. May I suggest that the reader save his/her conclusion until the end of this study.

Numbers 11:17, “I will come down and speak with you there, and I will take of the Spirit that is on you and put the Spirit on them. They will help you carry the burden of the people so that you will not have to carry it alone”. The context will show that Moses told God that the burden of leading the people was too much for him, so God determined that 70 of the elders of Israel should help Moses with the burden. I do not believe that it was God, the Holy Spirit that was being taken and given, it was a spirit of leadership that came as a gift from the Holy Spirit. Again, the capital “S” is an interpretation, and in my opinion, an incorrect one. Again, the cause (the Holy Spirit) is put for the effect (the spirit of leadership).

Judges 3:10, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him so he became a judge of Israel and went to war“. The King James and the NIV both have Spirit but I believe that it should be spirit. In this verse we have, once again, the figure of speech, metonymy. The Spirit is the cause, the spirit from Him is the effect. That is to say, the Holy Spirit (the cause) sent a gift (the effect) to come upon Joshua which enabled him to accomplish God’s will. In this case it was to judge Israel and lead them in war.

Judges 11:29, “Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah. He crossed Gilead ….he advanced against the Ammonites”. Again, we have the figure of speech metonymy where the cause is put for the effect. It was a spirit sent from the Holy Spirit (the cause) to come upon Jephthah which enabled him to accomplish God’s will. In this case also, it was to lead Israel to war.

Judges 14:6, “The Spirit of the Lord came upon him with power so that he tore the lion apart with his bare hands”. This is a very interesting verse about the Holy Spirit. Most Christians have in mind that when the Holy Spirit comes upon a person, that person becomes more spiritually mature. In this verse we see that this is not the meaning at all. Again, it was a spirit from the Holy Spirit that enabled Samson to accomplish God’s will. In this case it was to tear the “lion apart with his bare hands”. Once again, the cause is put for the effect.

Judges 15:14,”….The Spirit of the Lord came upon him in power. The ropes on his arms became like charred flax and the bindings dropped from his hands”. This is another example of the spirit from the Holy Spirit coming upon Samson with the result of added physical strength, not any kind of spiritual maturity. Again, the cause is put for the effect.

I Sam. 11:6, “When Saul heard their words the Spirit of God came upon him and he burned with anger“. This verse also shows that the spirit sent from the Holy Spirit simply enables one to accomplish God’s will. In this case it was to save His people, Israel from being disgraced. Again, the Holy Spirit does not come upon one, it is the spirit (the effect) that comes from the Holy Spirit (the cause) that comes upon a person.

I Sam. 16:14, “Now the Spirit of the Lord had departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord tormented him”. This is an important verse to understand correctly because if misunderstood could lead to serious doctrinal problems concerning the question of whether a child of God can lose his salvation. It is, in my opinion, a mistake to believe that this verse enhances the doctrine which teaches that one can lose his salvation. As seen in the verses quoted above, when we read of the spirit coming upon a person it is a spirit sent from God, the Holy Spirit to empower someone to accomplish His will. The cause is put for the effect. We will see in the New Testament that the believer is given a spirit from God which empowers him to be called a child of God and enables that child of God to partake in all the many blessings that accompany that relationship. In Saul’s case however, the spirit that was taken from him was not that spirit that empowers him to become a child of God, it was the spirit that had empowered him to do God’s will.

II Chron.20:14, “Then the Spirit of God came upon Jahaziel …. . He said … .” This is an example of the many, many times where the cause (the Spirit of God) is put for the effect. The effect being the power to prophesy.

Is. 11:2, “The Spirit of the Lord will rest on Him (this is a prophesy concerning Christ) the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord”. Again, we see the figure of speech, metonymy. The cause (the spirit from the Lord) is put for the effect (the various manifestations of His power). The capital “S” leads the reader to conclude that the Holy Sprit is meant here. But these are not separate Spirits, they are simply several manifestations of the power of the One Holy Spirit. Also, we should not be surprised that our Lord was so anointed, all the prophets were given power from the Holy Spirit.

Is. 61:1, “The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good news to the poor”. This verse tells us that one, in this case Jesus Christ, is anointed with power from the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish the will of God..

In these passages from the Old Testament we have a picture, of the Holy Spirit taking care of God’s people and empowering some to accomplish God’s will. He does this by filling them with power that He sends, not by filling them with Himself.

Let us now look at some verses in the New Testament that will help us in our understanding of the Holy Spirit and of how He empowers God’s anointed to accomplish His will.
 

POWER FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

Luke 1:41-42, “When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. In a loud voice she exclaimed, ‘blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear’”. As in the Old Testament, people were filled with power from the Holy Spirit, not with God the Holy Spirit Himself. In this case Elizabeth was filled with that power in order to speak a word of prophesy concerning Mary and the baby she was carrying. Again, we see the figure of speech, metonymy, where the cause is put for the effect. The reader will recall that all through the Old Testament, prophets were filled with the holy spirit, a gift from the Holy Spirit.

Luke 1:67, “His father Zechariah was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied”. This is one of many, many examples in the New Testament where one was filled with power from the Holy Spirit (the cause being put for the effect) in order to prophesy.

Luke 11:13, “If you then though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?” Is Christ referring to the Holy Spirit here, or is He referring to the gifts from the Holy Spirit? Our Lord tells His disciples in John 14:26, “But the Counselor. The Holy Spirit Whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you”. This was an unconditional promise, i.e. the disciples did not have to fulfill any kind of condition, including asking Him to send the Holy Spirit. This leads me to conclude that Luke 11:13 refers to the gifts from the Holy Spirit, the cause put for the effect.

John 20:22, “And with that He breathed on them and said, ‘Receive the Holy Spirit”. Christ spoke these words after His resurrection but before His ascension. In order to understand whether our Lord was speaking of the Holy Spirit or about the power from the Holy Spirit we must understand John 16:7, which reads, “…..Unless I go away the Counselor (i.e. the Holy Spirit) will not come to you, but if I go I will send Him to you.” We learn from this verse that Christ will send the Counselor, the Holy Spirit after He “goes away”, i.e. after the ascension. Also, we read in Acts 1:8, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you”. This was said just before His ascension and obviously they had not yet received the Holy Spirit or Christ would not have said “You will receive power…”. Christ did not send the Holy Spirit from the Father until after the ascension. So when we read in John 20:22 that when Christ breathed on them (this happened before the ascension) they could not have received the Holy Spirit as He was not to be sent until after the ascension. John 20:22 must then, refer to the power from the Holy Spirit: the cause being put for the effect.

Acts 1:8, “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you“. This promise was fulfilled at Pentecost, in order to understand this verse we must understand Acts 2:4; please see the note below on Acts 2:4.

Acts 2:4, “All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them”. I believe that this passage speaks of the power from the Holy Spirit which enabled people to speak in tongues unfamiliar to them. Note they were filled with this power. May I remind the reader that many times we read in the Old Testament of one being filled with the spirit in order to accomplish the will of God, whether it was to tear apart a lion or to lead Israel to war or to prophesy. In each of these cases the cause was put for the effect. The New Testament did not come from a vacuum, it is a continuation of the Old Testament. So when we read that the people at Pentecost were filled with the holy spirit we must conclude that, just as in the Old Testament, they were filled with power from the Holy Spirit. So also in the New Testament the phrase “filled with” means power from the Holy Spirit. In Acts, as in the Old Testament, they were filled in order to accomplish the will of God. Once again, we have the figure of speech, metonymy where the cause is put for the effect. The power from the Holy Spirit was the effect, and the Holy Spirit was the cause. So, whereas the translators interpreted this verse to say that they were filled with the God in His office of the Holy Spirit, I believe that this verse is saying that they were filled with power from the Holy Spirit. In my opinion this makes more sense for two reasons; 1) they were not filled with God and 2) if they were filled with the Holy Spirit Himself then the rest of this verse (“and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them”) is redundant. That is to say, if they were filled with God, the Holy Spirit, they would not need to be enabled by the Spirit to speak in other tongues.

Acts 4:8, “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit said,…”. This is another example of one being filled with the power from the Holy Spirit in order to accomplish God’s will, in this case it was for prophecy. Again, the cause (the Holy Spirit ) being put for the effect, (the power from the Holy Spirit). The same could be said of Acts 4:31, Acts 6:3, Acts 7:55, Acts 9:17, Acts 10:38, Acts 10:44, Acts 10:45 (in this verse the phrase is “poured out upon” but the same can be said of this phrase as “filled with”), Acts 11:24, Acts 13:9, Acts13:52, Acts 19:6 (this verse uses the phrase “came on” but the same can be said of that phrase as is said of “filled with”).

Acts 8:15-17, “When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon them; they had simply been baptized into the name of our Lord Jesus. Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit”. This is a very helpful passage. Note that these were believers that had not received the holy spirit, they had been baptized in the name of Jesus, i.e. they had accepted Jesus. Surely we can not imagine that the Holy Spirit Himself would not give sanctification to believers simply because they had not had hands laid on them. As we study the gift from the Holy Spirit (the new nature) given to all believers, we will not find any mention at all of this gift coming upon them, or filling them or coming as a result of having hands laid on them. This gift comes as a result of one believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. (This gift will be studied in detail in the next section of this paper). What these believers received was the gift from the Holy Spirit. Verse 18 is also helpful. “When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of hands, he offered them money…”. Obviously Simon was not a spiritual man and was not interested in buying the sanctification of the Holy Spirit, he was interested in buying the power from the Holy Spirit that he had just seen Peter give to believers. As mentioned earlier, when we read of the holy spirit “coming upon” a person then it is the gift not the Giver. Also, when the holy spirit is received by the laying on of hands it is His gift that is received.

I Cor. 6:19, “What? Know ye not that your body is the Temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God and ye are not your own”. The KJV has capital letters indicating the Holy Spirit Himself. And the Companion Bible note points the reader to Appendix 101 II 3. That suggests that this verse because it has the definite articles for “pneuma” (spirit) and for “hagion” (holy) teaches us that it is the Holy Spirit that lives in us. However, when we consult number 14 of the Appendix mentioned above, we see in the list of verses that has no definite articles I Cor. 6:19, the verse under discussion. That is to say, while the note implies that the articles are in the Greek in I Cor. 6:19, in reality they are not there.

It should be pointed out however, that the Companion Bible also informs us that “the article is sometimes to be understood as being latent”. I would like to quote part of the entry of number 14 from the Companion Bible, Appendix 101. “This usage (without the articles) occurs 52 times in the N.T. and is always wrongly rendered “The Holy Spirit” (with the definite article, and capital letters). Consequently there is no stronger rendering available when there are two Articles present in the Greek (to Pneuma to Hagion ) which means ‘the Spirit the Holy”. Hence the English reader can never tell which of the two very different Greek expressions he is reading. Pneuma hagion (without Articles) is never used of the Giver (the Holy Spirit) but only and always of His gift“.

Let us try to bring this together so that we may come to a correct understanding of I Cor. 6:19. There are no definite articles in this verse in the Greek texts. That tells us that the phrase refers not to the Giver but to the gifts. But sometimes the articles are latent, so it is possible that it can refer to the Giver, i.e. the Holy Spirit. How are we to discover whether or not the articles in this verse are latent? As always, we can discover the truth in God’s Word by the context and by comparing Scripture with Scripture.

I Cor. 6:19 continues with the phrase, “which is in you, which ye have of God“. What is it that these believers had “of God”? Did they have God in His office of the Holy Spirit, or did they have the gifts from the Holy Spirit. The answer to that question is found again as we compare Scripture with Scripture.

In the Scriptures quoted above under the section having to do with the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, we have read that God will send the Holy Spirit. Note that believers will not have the Holy Spirit. He will be sent. Is there a difference between having and sending? I believe that there is a great deal of difference. Even in everyday life there is a difference between having and sending. We send a person, but we have gifts. We do not have a person. And, in my opinion, neither do we have the Holy Spirit.

Furthermore, we read in Jn, 14:26, “But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit Whom the Father will send in My name…”. And Jn. 15:26, “When the Counselor comes Whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth…..”. God, in His office of Holy Spirit is sent, but not given.

Consider also John 14:16-17. In this passage we are told that the Holy Spirit will be “with them”. The Greek word translated “with” is “meta”. The Companion Bible gives, in the Appendix 104, the following definition: “denotes among, amid or in company with“. To be “with ” is not the same as being “in”. If the prepositions in this passage mean anything, and I believe that in God’s Word they mean a great deal, then for the Holy Spirit to be with believers is not the same as to be in them.

There are no definite articles to suggest that individual believers are the temple of the Holy Spirit. If those definite articles are latent we should expect to find other Scriptures that tell us that He does live in us. But we do not. Furthermore, as the Scriptures quoted at the very beginning of this study will show, there are many reasons to believe that the Holy Spirit does not live in us, but among us. Therefore, I believe that the articles are not latent, and that what Paul is saying is that the Corinthian believers were recipients of the gifts from the Holy Spirit, which made their bodies a temple of those gifts which they received from God.

I Cor. 7:40, “In my judgment, she is happier if she stays where she is – I think that I too have the Spirit of God”. What does Paul mean here by the phrase “Spirit of God”? Does he mean that he thinks that the Holy Spirit is dwelling in him? I think not. I’m sure Paul would have known if the Holy Spirit were in him. The fact that Paul uses the phrase “in my judgment” leads me to conclude that the “spirit of God” is a spirit from God, which enables Paul to teach his children in Christ with the authority of one sent by God.

II Cor. 6:3-8, “We put no stumbling block in anyone’s path, so that our ministry will not be discredited. Rather as servants of God we commend ourselves in every way: in great endurance; in troubles, hardships and distresses; in beatings, imprisonment’s and riots; in hard work, sleepless nights and hunger; in purity, understanding, patience and kindness; in the Holy Spirit and in sincere love; in truthful speech and in the power of God; with weapons of righteousness in the right hand and in the left; in glory and dishonor, in good report and bad report; …The phrase “Holy Spirit” comes in the midst of many, many attributes of Paul’s life as an apostle in which he commends himself and his ministry by these attributes and by the hardships he had endured as a result of his ministry. In my opinion, if “Holy Spirit” referred to God, in His office of Holy Spirit, all Paul would have needed to say was that he “commended” himself in the Holy Spirit. I believe that, in so far as the holy spirit is found in the midst of other Christian attributes, it refers to the gift from the Holy Spirit, that is, the gift that enabled him to speak and minister as one called by God. Again, the cause is put for the effect.

THE GIFT OF THE NEW NATURE GIVEN BY THE HOLY SPIRIT TO EACH BELIEVER

I have tried to show why I believe that the Holy Spirit does not dwell in each believer but that He lives among believers. But what God does do, in His infinite grace and wisdom, is to give each believer a gift from the Holy Spirit so that through this gift God communicates with His own and we communicate with Him.

In John 3:6 we read, “Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit”. Let us examine the scriptures that have to do with the spirit living in the believer and then see what we can learn about this wonderful and gracious gift from the Holy Spirit, i.e. the spirit to which the Spirit gives birth.

I will first quote the verses that concern this gift and where needed offer a different translation and my reasons for it. Then, in the next section, I will try to pull all these verses together so that we can have a scriptural idea of the Holy Spirit’s gift to each believer.

Rom. 5:5, “….the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us” . Is God, in His office of Holy Spirit, given to the believer? Only one that is owned can be given to another. In my opinion, that concept is demeaning to God. That is to say, I do not believe that God is given to anyone. This verse can, and, in my opinion should, read “the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts through the holy spirit ( i.e. the new nature) which He has given us”.  

Rom. 8:3-6, ” …. And so He condemned sin in sinful man, in order that the righteous requirements of the law might be fully met in us, who do not live according to the sinful nature but according to the Spirit. Those who live according to the sinful nature have their minds set on what the nature desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit (can also read spirit) have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind of sinful man is death, but the mind controlled by the Spirit is life and peace.” The contrast here is between the “sinful nature” and the spirit. I believe that this spirit is the new nature. that is to say, the old nature is put in contrast to the new nature.

Rom. 8:9-14, “You however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit (can also be spirit) of God lives in you. And if any one does not have the Spirit (can also be spirit) of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. And if the Spirit (can also be spirit) of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give you life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit (can also be spirit) who (K. J. has “that”) lives in you. Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation – but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit (can also be spirit) you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, because those who are led by the Spirit (can also be spirit) of God are sons of God”. May I remind the reader that the Greek language rarely uses capital letters for proper nouns, not even for God, so the capital letters and the lower case letters are interpretations, not translations. Here again the spirit is put in contrast with the old nature. Is it God Who is being contrasted with our old nature? I cannot believe that it is. I believe it is the new nature that is being put in contrast to the old nature. Again, as we put all these passages together, we will, I hope, have a clearer understanding of the spirit given to the believer and therefore be better able to determine when the scripture refers to the gift and when to the Giver.

Rom. 8:23, “… we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies”. The “firstfruits of the Spirit” is not God in His office of Holy Spirit. How can God be a firstfruits? In my opinion, that concept is demeaning to God. I believe the new nature is the firstfruits. The “of” is the Genitive of origin, which the Companion Bible Ap. 17 defines as, “This marks the source from which anything has its origin”. So Paul is saying that we have the firstfruits from the Spirit”.

I Cor. 2:9-12 reads, 9) “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him. 10) But God hath revealed them unto us by His spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11) For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the spirit of God. 12) Now we have received not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.”

Let us first consider the phrase in verse 10, ” the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God”. The translators interpreted that as God in His office of Holy Spirit and therefore put the “s” of the word “spirit” in upper case letters. But that means that God in His office of Holy Spirit was searching out the deep things of God. That makes no sense to me. The Holy Spirit is God, He certainly would not need to “search out” His own deep things. I believe that it is the spirit given to all believers, i.e. the new nature that searches out the deep things of God.

In that same line of thought, please note that verse 11 contrasts the spirit of man with the spirit of God. Obviously this is not a contrast between the sinful spirit of man and God in His office of Holy Spirit. The “of” in this case is in the Gentive of origin and means “the source”, i.e. the spirit coming from God. It is a contrast between the old nature of man and the new nature which comes from God. In other words, this verse also leads to the conclusion that it is the spirit from God, i.e. the new nature which searches out the deep things of God as that is the subject of this context.

Also, note in verse 12 that there is once again a contrast, this time between “the spirit of the world” and “the spirit which is of (should be “from”, Genitive of origin) God”. Again, I believe that the contrast is between the old nature and the new nature. And note what that new nature is said to do for those who have it, “that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.” Given that the context is about knowing the deep things of God, I think we may conclude that the things freely given are those deep things of God. In short, the new nature, i.e. the spirit given to believers from God, helps us to search out the deep things of God.

I Cor. 2:14, “The man without the Spirit (can also be spirit) does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned”. The “things that come from the Spirit” is not God in His office of Holy Spirit. That would be the Holy Spirit sending Himself. In this case, it makes much more sense to see that the man without the new nature which is sent from the Holy Spirit can not understand the things of God.

II Cor. 1:22, “Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts”. What is the “earnest of the Spirit”? The Greek word translated “earnest” is used only here, II Cor. 5:5 and Eph. 1:14. Let us consider these verses together.

II Cor. 5:5, “Now He that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, Who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit”.

The Companion Bible gives the following definition of the Greek word translated “earnest”: “a foretaste or pledge of some future benefit”. Does the phrase “earnest of the Spirit” refer to the God in His office of Holy Spirit? I think not for two reasons. 1) We read in II Cor. 1:22 and 5:5 that this earnest was given. Can God be given? 2) Can God be a “foretaste or a pledge”? I believe that the answer to both questions must be no, absolutely not. But the new nature as a gift from God can be given,and it can be a pledge

Now let us look at Eph. 1:13b-14, “In Whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession…”.

The Greek word translated “with” in Eph. 1:13 in the phrase, “ye were sealed with” is in the dative case and should be translated “by” or “unto”. So we were sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise. The context tells us that “the promise” was the promise of resurrection. II Cor. 5:5 is also in the context of resurrection. Therefore, by putting these three verse in which the Greek word translated “earnest” is used we can see that the Holy Spirit has sealed all believers unto the day of resurrection by giving each of us the new nature.

Gal. 5:16-17, “So I say, live by the Spirit, (can also be spirit) and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature. For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, (can also be spirit) and the Spirit (can also be spirit) what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want”. Are we to believe that Paul is contrasting the old sinful nature with God? I don’t believe he is. I believe that the contrast is between the old sinful nature and the new nature which is a gift from God. .

Gal. 6:8 and 25, “The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit (can also be spirit), from the Spirit will reap eternal life”. Again, I do not believe that Paul is contrasting the old nature with God. I believe the contrast is between the old and new nature.

Eph. 3:16-19, “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His Spirit (can also be spirit) in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God”. Is Paul saying that God in His office of Holy Spirit is in our inner being so that Christ may dwell in our hearts? That makes no sense. I believe Paul is saying that the new nature is in our inner being so that the spirit of Christ may dwell in our hearts.

Eph. 4:22-24, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”. If the Holy Spirit lived in us, there would surely be no need to “put on the new self”. I believe that the “new self” is the new nature, the gift from the Holy Spirit.

Eph. 4:30, And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with Whom you were sealed for the day of redemption”. The Greek word translated “with” is “en” and can also be translated “by”. “Do not grieve the Holy Spirit by Whom you were sealed”. As we saw in the discussion of Eph. 1:13-14 above, the Holy Spirit sealed us not by giving Himself, but by giving us the new nature unto the day of redemption.

Eph. 5:18, “Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit”. Again, could be translated “be filled by the Spirit”. Is the contrast here between being drunk and being filled with God in His office of Holy Spirit? I can not believe it is. I believe the contrast is between being drunk and being filled by the Spirit.

II Tim.1:14, “Guard the good deposit that was entrusted to you – guard it with the help of the Holy Spirit Who lives in us”. This should read “Who lives among us” as it is addressed to “us” plural. The note on I Cor. 3:16 in the previous section of this paper should prove this point.

II Peter 1:3-4, “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires”. It is through the new nature that believers “participate in the divine nature”.
 

CONCLUSIONS ABOUT THE GIFT GIVEN TO EACH BELIEVER BY THE HOLY SPIRIT

Now that we have listed, and in some cases offered alternative translations, let us study these verses in order to learn what we may about the gift from the Holy Spirit that He gives to each believer.

Rom 8:11, “He Who has raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his spirit which lives in you”. This verse has to do with resurrection, therefore let us look at a few verses that have to do with resurrection and the spirit (i.e. the gift from the Holy Spirit) in order to determine whether Rom. 8:11 is speaking of the gift or the Giver.

Rom. 8:23, “…we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies”. What is the “firstfruits of the Spirit”? Surely it is not a portion of God in His office of the Holy Spirit, as the firstfruits of a harvest are. As mentioned in the section above, the firstfruits is from the Holy Spirit and it guarantees our resurrection. This earnest or firstfruits or seal etc. is not the Holy Spirit Himself, how can God be spoken of as the firstfruits, etc? It is the gift sent by the Holy Spirit to each believer.

What else can we learn of this gift from the Holy Spirit? If Rom. 8:11 refers to the gift, not the Giver, so then does Rom. 5:5, “God has poured out His love through the holy spirit which He has given us”. This verse answers the dilemma presented in Psalms 5:4, “With You the wicked can not dwell“. The wicked can not dwell with God, so He gave those who believe in His Son a gift, i.e. a spirit which is holy, sent by the Holy Spirit, through which He may pour out His love to us.

We learn more of this gracious gift from Rom. 8:3-6. “Those who live in accordance with the spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires”. That is to say; by nature we are sinful and can, in the flesh, do nothing to please God. But through this gift of the spirit, i.e. the new nature, we are able to live according to what the Spirit (God) desires. “For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the spirit, and the spirit is contrary to the sinful nature” (Gal. 5:16-17). Note the contrast between natures, i.e. the spirit (referred to by Paul in Eph. 4:24 as the “new self”) and the sinful nature.

Consider also Eph. 4:22-24, “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; to be made new in the attitude of your minds; and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness”. If the Holy Spirit, Himself were living in each believer, Paul would not have needed to tell us to “put on the new self”. That which enables us to live in accordance with the spirit is not the Holy Spirit Himself living in us, but the spirit He has given us as His gift. We also read of the “new self” in Col. 3:9-10, “Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off your old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in the image of its Creator“. The new self is, obviously, the spirit, which is the gift from the Holy Spirit. The new self can not be the Holy Spirit, He is its Creator, it is His gift to us.

II Peter 1:3-4 also sheds light on this subject. “His divine power has given us everything we need for life and godliness through our knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness. Through these (i.e. “His own glory and goodness) he has given us His very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires”. But we have already read where we still have sinful desires. This shows us that we may participate in the divine nature, we are not divine, that is to say, the Divine Holy Spirit does not live in us.

Eph. 3:16-19 tells each of us, i.e. believers in Christ, that it is through the spirit in the inner being that allows us to have Christ dwell in our hearts. “I pray that out of His glorious riches He may strengthen you with power through His spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge – that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God”. This passage also tells us that through this spirit in our inner being we can know the love of Christ. Note also the last phrase, “that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God”. If we were filled with God, the Holy Spirit, we would already be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. But Paul’s prayer is that we be filled, obviously Paul would not pray for something that has already been accomplished.

I Cor. 2:11 tells us of yet another very important function of the spirit living in us. “For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the spirit of God”. I Cor. 2:14 also speaks of the fact that our new self, the gift from the Holy Spirit to each believer, enables us to understand spiritual things. “The man without the spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him, and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually discerned”. Because the believer has this spirit, God is able to communicate to each of us the things concerning Him, even the deep things of God.

Each believer in the Lord Jesus Christ has been given a gift from the Holy Spirit Who is the creator of this gift. This gift is called several things, but it is a spirit which enables us to lead lives pleasing to God, one that allows us to participate in the divine nature. It allows us to understand spiritual things. It serves as God’s guarantee that we will be resurrected. It allows us, as sinful creatures to be in communion with God, the creator of the universe. It allows us to have the love of Christ shed in our hearts and also to know the love of Christ.

This is a miraculous and gracious gift from a loving Holy Spirit. Speaking personally, I can not be disappointed that the Holy Spirit Himself does not live in me, His gift, as is His love, is more than sufficient.

APPENDIX

A CONSIDERATION OF VERSES OTHER THAN THE ONES ALREADY DISCUSSED THAT SEEM TO SAY THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT LIVES IN US

Jn. 14:17, “for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you”. The Companion Bible note on the Greek word translated “with” takes us to the Ap. 104 xii 2 which reads, “with the dative it denotes beside and at a person….”. The Greek word translated “in” is “en” which once again, when used with a plural can be “among”. In point of fact, why would the Holy Spirit dwell in us and “beside” us at the same time? I believe that this verse is saying that the Holy Spirit dwells with us and shall be among us.

Gal. 4:6, “….God hath sent forth the spirit of His Son into (Gr. eis, with respect to) your hearts, crying Abba Father”. First of all, the “spirit of His Son” is not the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is an entirely different office (or Person, if you would rather) than is the office of His Son. Secondly, The purpose of this sending forth is given in the verse, i.e. so that we might recognize that God is our Father. In other words, it is the spirit of Christ as Son, not God as Holy Spirit that is sent forth that we might recognize God as our Father.

Phil. 2:13, “it is God Which worketh in you”. Does God work in us by dwelling in us or does He work in us through the new nature? Rom. 8:16 says, “The Spirit testifies with our spirit…”. Let us consider Rom.8:16. The “Spirit” that testifies with our spirit is obviously God in His office of Holy Spirit. Now let’s ask, what is the spirit with which He testifies? Does the Holy Spirit testify with the Holy Spirit living in us? Of course not. The Spirit testifies with the new nature that He gave us so that a holy God does not have to dwell with, shed His love upon, teach etc. a purely sinful nature, i.e. the old nature. So too, it is the new nature through which God works in us.

II Tim. 1:13-14, “the Holy Ghost which dwelleth among (en”) us”.

I Jn. 3:24, “And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us”. What does the phrase “and He (God) in him (the one who keeps His commandments)” mean? To answer that question I believe it will be helpful to determine what the phrase “he that keepeth His commandments (believers) dwelleth in Him (God)” means. Obviously, the believer or in the words of this phrase “he that keepeth His commandments” does not literally live inside God. Therefore, logic dictates that this verse does not tell us that God literally lives inside the believer.

Let us continue with the phrase, “He abideth in us by the Spirit which He hath given us”. Again, the Greek preposition “en” is used and with a plural is often translated “among”. But how are we to know if this might be an exception and should be translated “in” rather than “among”? The phrase “the Spirit which he hath given us” will answer that question. As mentioned in the sections above, God is not given. The new nature is given, but to say that God is given is greatly demeaning. For that reason I believe “en” should be translated “among” in this phrase so that it reads, “the spirit (the new nature) which He hath given us”.

I Jn. 4:13, “Hereby know we that we dwell in Him and He in us, because He hath given us of His spirit”. There are three things in this verse that point us to the truth that it is not the Holy Spirit that dwells in us.

1) Again, what does it mean for the believer to dwell “in Him”? It certainly does not mean that we literally dwell in God. Therefore, logic dictates that God does not literally dwell in us.

2) The Greek word translated “of” in the phrase, “hath given us of His spirit” is “ek”. The Companion Bible defines “ek as, “It means out from….”. So God hath given us out from His spirit”.

3) What does “His spirit” mean? Does it mean that His spirit is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is not “His spirit”, it is an entirely different office (or Person). “His spirit” means the spirit that He gives, i.e. the new nature.

I Jn. 4:15, “God dwelleth in him, and he in God”. What does it mean that one dwells in God? Again, whatever it means it must mean the same as the phrase “and he in God”. We do not literally dwell in God and again, logic dictates that God does not literally dwell in us.

This paper was written by Joyce Pollard. If you would like to respond to the thoughts expressed in this paper please e-mail me at: [email protected]
.
HOME