In the most simple unmistakable terms we have here the great essential of Christian blessing, "If so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you." A mistake on this point, therefore, is a mistake about the very vitals of Christianity. Pause, then, my reader, before we proceed. Face this matter honestly, and solemnly consider how you stand.
A real Christian is one who has received the Holy Spirit; and you are, this moment, really indwelt of the Holy Spirit, or you are not. Your body is actually the temple of the Holy Spirit, or it is not. And if not, wherein, let me ask, do you differ from the foolish virgins of Matt. 25:1-121Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom. 2And five of them were wise, and five were foolish. 3They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them: 4But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps. 5While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept. 6And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him. 7Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps. 8And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out. 9But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves. 10And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. 11Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us. 12But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not. (Matthew 25:1‑12)? save in this, that they were, at the moment of waking up, too late to procure the "oil," while you, thank God, are not. Do not, I beseech you, be content with knowing a great deal about this subject. A mind well stored with Scriptural teaching is, as far as it goes, a boon; but if this is all you have, it will no more avail you at the great crisis, when the Lord comes, than knowing where the necessary oil could be obtained availed the foolish virgins. Their knowledge could only intensify their bitter remorse, only deepen the gloom of their outside position.
Oh, beware, my reader, lest in the twinkling of an eye such calamity overtake you, lest "want" come upon you "as an armed man" (Prov. 6:1111So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man. (Proverbs 6:11)) and your destitution be laid bare beyond remedy, your destiny fixed beyond hope. What a deplorable coming short would this be!
It is the writer's purpose, in these pages, to answer, by God's help, five questions:
1. WHO ARE INDWELT?
2. WHEN INDWELT?
3. WHEREFORE INDWELT?
4. FOR HOW LONG INDWELT?
5. WHAT IS IT TO BE FILLED?
1.—Who Are They That Are Indwelt of the Spirit?
"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" John 7:37-3937In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.) (John 7:37‑39).
Here, then, we have, in a general sense, the answer to our first question, Who are they that are indwelt of the Spirit? They that believe on Him—that believe on Him whom God has glorified in heaven, because He has glorified God on the earth. But as this bears so immediately upon our second question, we cannot, perhaps, do better than proceed at once to consider it.
2.—When Does the Believer Receive the Holy Spirit?
There is a point in every believer's history when he gets the Holy Spirit. Our question asks, When? For a divine answer, turn to the first chapter of the epistle to the Ephesians, and read verses 13 and 14: "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; 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, unto the praise of his glory."
God has been pleased to express His mind very plainly on this point in connection with a company of disciples who, in a certain sense of the word, were believers when Paul first met them, yet had not received the Holy Spirit, because they had not then believed what the apostle speaks of in writing to them afterward, as the gospel of their salvation. It becomes an important question therefore as to what I believe. Are there not many professing Christians to-day who have believed such a defective gospel, a gospel so mutilated, so shorn of its glorious fullness and simplicity, that if you were to ask if they have received the Holy Spirit, they would look as much astonished as if they had never heard that He had come at all.
Have we any means of ascertaining what this "gospel of... salvation" really was?
Yes. The same apostle, in writing to the Corinthians (1 Cor. 15:3, 4, 83For I delivered unto you first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; 4And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: (1 Corinthians 15:3‑4)
8And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. (1 Corinthians 15:8)), gives, in a few simple words, the substance of the gospel he had preached to them, and by which, as he says, they were "saved."
First. "That Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures."
Second. "That he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures."
That is, the gospel of salvation testifies of two great facts:
1. The death of Christ, of which the blood-shedding is the witness.
2. God's satisfaction in that death, of which the exaltation and glory of the Risen One are the witness.
According to 1 Cor. 15 Peter, with the apostles and the rest of the witnesses, saw Him in resurrection. Paul saw Him in glory.
"Last of all He was seen of me also," he says, "as of one born out of due time," 1 Cor. 15:88And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time. (1 Corinthians 15:8). If the gospel of salvation includes all this, is it not at once self-evident that the disciples of John had not yet believed it?
What, then, it may be asked, had they believed?
We must turn to Acts 19:1-61And it came to pass, that, while Apollos was at Corinth, Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, 2He said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed? And they said unto him, We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost. 3And he said unto them, Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism. 4Then said Paul, John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. 5When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. 6And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and they spake with tongues, and prophesied. (Acts 19:1‑6) for an answer to this. We read that "Paul having passed through the upper coasts came to Ephesus: and finding certain disciples, he said unto them, Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?" We are not told what it was that prompted such an inquiry, but their answer fully justified him in asking it. "We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost" ["if the Holy Spirit was come"], was their reply.
"Unto what then were ye baptized? And they said, Unto John's baptism." Now let the reader carefully note Paul's next remark, for a great deal hangs upon it. "John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus."
That is, John the Baptist could not give them the gospel of a finished work: he had not got it to give. He could say, "Behold the Lamb of God," but he could not preach the gospel of an accomplished redemption. Why? Because redemption was not accomplished until after John was beheaded. It was promised, but it was not possessed. John's testimony, it is true, could impart a hope of salvation, but it is important to see that this is a very different thing to having the present knowledge of it. This the gospel gives. Let me give you a suggestive illustration as to this difference.
The Queen, we will suppose, hears that an old household servant of hers has been overtaken by a succession of serious losses, that she is in financial difficulty, that she owes money to some local creditor, and that payment will become due in a few days. Her Majesty writes a kind letter to her old servant, the substance of which is that she will make a special call on her creditor, and cancel the debt.
The very next day, while passing along a thoroughfare of the city, her companion draws her attention to a particular carriage saying, 'Is not that Her Majesty?' It is, indeed!' she joyfully exclaims; 'and I think I know what she has come for.'
Call at the old servant's house that evening, and ask her one or two questions. 'Is it true that you have been saved out of that difficulty of yours?'
`No, not yet.'
`But we heard that your Royal Mistress, our Most Gracious Sovereign, had written offering to pay your debt.'
`True, and I am hoping every hour to hear that she has fulfilled her promise and done it.'
`But what good is this hope of yours?'
`What good is it? It is as good as Her Majesty's word is faithful; as strong as her Royal ability to keep her promise. Indeed, to-day my hope is stronger than ever, for Her Majesty is already in the city! I saw her myself as she drove through the street, and although I am not, even yet, beyond hoping, I have felt ever since I saw her as though her gracious promise had been half-fulfilled already.'
Leave her at this point, and call again to-morrow.
`Are you still resting on the Royal promise, still rejoicing in that good hope of yours?'
`No. I am doing neither.'
`Then has Her Majesty disappointed you after all?'
`By no means. For instead of resting on her promise, as I was doing yesterday, I am now rejoicing in the actual fulfillment of it. The Queen called upon my creditor as I expected, and he in return has furnished me with abundant proof that he is perfectly satisfied with the settlement, and, still more, one of Her Majesty's lords-in-waiting was entrusted with the welcome news this very morning. This being so, how could I hope any longer?' Hoping to-day would be as much to her dishonor, as not hoping would have been yesterday.
Let us now turn to that to which our figure has reference; the reader will be well able, as we go on, to apply it for himself.
There have been three distinctly marked periods in connection with God's provision of a Savior for man.
First there was the day of promise—a day which stretched from His promise in Eden to the birth of Jesus.
This was followed by a short transitional period, which we may call the day of confirmation, when the promised One Himself was actually present among men, and His herald, John the Baptist, had the privilege of pointing Him out to His disciples with those memorable words, "Behold the Lamb of God," John 1:29-3629The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world. 30This is he of whom I said, After me cometh a man which is preferred before me: for he was before me. 31And I knew him not: but that he should be made manifest to Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water. 32And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him. 33And I knew him not: but he that sent me to baptize with water, the same said unto me, Upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending, and remaining on him, the same is he which baptizeth with the Holy Ghost. 34And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God. 35Again the next day after John stood, and two of his disciples; 36And looking upon Jesus as he walked, he saith, Behold the Lamb of God! (John 1:29‑36).
Greater was John, therefore, than all the messengers of promise that had preceded him, and yet, withal, he was less than the "least in the kingdom of heaven," Matt. 11:1111Verily I say unto you, Among them that are born of women there hath not risen a greater than John the Baptist: notwithstanding he that is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. (Matthew 11:11). He never saw the work of redemption finished, nor heard the Holy Spirit's testimony to its worth. He could not point to a risen Savior, and say, "Through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins" (Acts 13:3838Be it known unto you therefore, men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins: (Acts 13:38)) nor could he write to those who had believed the message and, putting himself with them, say, "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins," Eph. 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7).
Like the old servant, of whom we have been speaking, a hope of deliverance was all that John's disciples could then reach to.
But at last came the day of realized fulfillment—the Holy Spirit's day.
The great transaction at the cross had taken place. The question of God's holy claims against sin and sins, and of man's deep need as a sinner had not only been righteously settled, but God had been glorified in the settlement. Blessed result for God. But what of man? Was he to be left in ignorance of what had been wrought? Ah, no! This would not satisfy the heart of the blessed God. He would have man neither ignorant of what had been done for him, nor insensible to the love that had brought it all about.
But who could be entrusted with the work of leading man's heart into the full knowledge and enjoyment of that which there was for him in God's heart? Who could adequately extol the work, or unfold the worth of Him in whom the Father found His delight? Could an angel? Impossible. Gabriel, more than once, had been commissioned with important tidings, but he was no more equal to this great work than he would have been able to accomplish eternal redemption.
For consider all that was to be brought about. It was not merely a matter of bearing certain tidings-an angel or prophet might have done that. This mission involved the making effectual in the souls of men the divine message brought to them, for it was the will of God that all that had been accomplished on the cross for man should be made good in man, and that after a divine fashion. Man's heart must be conducted into the apprehension of God's love to him, and of His eternal purposes about him.
The One who undertook this mission must be able to bring the life of Christ risen into a believer on earth, and be Himself the power of that life, giving him the conscious knowledge that he is no longer in the flesh, but in the Spirit.
He must be able to impart the sense of relationship with God as Father, and give the needed liberty of access into His holy presence.
He must be the link of union with the glorified Head, and be the means of the members deriving all they require from Him.
He must be able to guide the believer into all truth, and be his ability to discern what was not according to it.
He must be able to distribute the spiritual gifts to the servants of the ascended Lord, and be their abiding resource in the exercise of them.
He must be the Christian's power to worship and work with acceptability; his power to sing and pray with spiritual intelligence; to watch and wait with patience.
Who save One, and He the Spirit of God Himself, could undertake such a mission? So we read in Heb. 10:15,15Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us: for after that he had said before, (Hebrews 10:15) "Whereof the Holy Ghost also is a witness to us." [Mark, He is not looked at in this passage as a witness in us, but a witness to us.] Again, Peter says that the things which "the angels desire to look into" "are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven," 1 Peter 1:1212Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into. (1 Peter 1:12).
It was henceforth no longer a matter of hoping for what was going to be done, but of believing in Him who had done it. Hear the great apostle of the Gentiles, as he sounds forth this very truth. "The promise which was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children." "To you is the word of this salvation sent," Acts 13:32, 33,32And we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which was made unto the fathers, 33God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children, in that he hath raised up Jesus again; as it is also written in the second psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee. (Acts 13:32‑33) with v. 26. Listen, too, to the apostle of the circumcision in the house of Cornelius, "To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins," Acts 10:4343To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. (Acts 10:43).
According to Acts 11:17,17Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God? (Acts 11:17) they did believe, and after that they received the gift of the Holy Spirit. For "while Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word," Acts 10: 44.
What a glorious day of realized blessing had now dawned! The precious blood could be shed no more—death could have no more dominion over the risen Deliverer. What an advance on John the Baptist's testimony! The one who listened to, and received, that testimony could, at best, only go forward with a brighter hope of what was about to be accomplished, like the old servant who saw that the Queen had arrived in the place where the promised payment was to be made. But the one who listens to the gospel of salvation must either believe on the Savior therein presented, and be saved "through his blood," or, refusing Him, be "damned" for his sins, Mark 16:1616He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. (Mark 16:16).
What, then, is the answer to our second question? It is this. Wherever there is a heart that receives in faith God's testimony concerning the Person and work of the now risen and glorified Savior, there the Holy Spirit can take up His abode.
Not by the works of the law, nor even by the testimony to the presence on earth of an Incarnate Savior, blessed as that was, but by a reception, in faith, of the word of truth concerning Him whom God has raised from the dead.
God grant, my reader, that the light of this gospel may enter your soul, and that you may not settle down with that which gives you, at most, only a hope of salvation.
Resting upon God's acceptance of the One who shed His precious blood for you, upon His thought of the worthiness of His risen Son, you will be able to sing,
`O gracious Savior, Thou hast given
My trembling soul to know
That trusting in Thy precious blood,
I'm washed as white as snow.
Since Thou hast borne sin's heavy load,
My guilty fear is o'er;
Made Thine, by virtue of Thy blood,
I'm sealed for evermore.
What wait I for, most gracious Lord
Except Thy face to see?
If such the earnest Thou hast given,
What must Thy presence be?
To hear Thy voice, and see Thy face,
And grieve Thy heart no more;
But drink the fullness of Thy grace,
Thy love for evermore.'
3.—for What Purpose Is the Believer Indwelt, and With What Result?
"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, unto the praise of his glory," Eph. 1:13, 1413In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, 14Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory. (Ephesians 1:13‑14).
There are two sides to the truth of the Spirit's indwelling, and both are brought before us in these scriptures, namely, the side of His possession and of ours. If Joseph said, "The man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant" (Gen. 44:1717And he said, God forbid that I should do so: but the man in whose hand the cup is found, he shall be my servant; and as for you, get you up in peace unto your father. (Genesis 44:17)), God has claimed as His the one in whose heart His Spirit dwells.
We are sealed with the Spirit because we belong to God; we are His treasure; while the same Spirit is the earnest of what, through our connection with Christ, belongs to us. He is our treasure, and all that He has is ours.
When you have finished a letter, not before, you seal it to secure it to its destination, and in like manner God says, 'I secure you for that for which I have destined you.' If this world, as it is, is not good enough for Jesus, it is not good enough for those who are His, for they have been called to the obtaining of His glory; chosen to share His own peculiar pleasures in His own peculiar place. How marvelous that God should want us for His own delight. How little we thought of it when, as destitute beggars, we came only wondering if we could induce Him to take the slightest interest in us. Yet all the time God wanted us, and when He had reached us, He sent the Spirit into our hearts to secure us for the day when all His rich purposes concerning us would be realized.
It is important to see that the sealing does not make us His. When we are sealed, it is because we are His already. "Because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father," Gal. 4:66And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. (Galatians 4:6).
A maid-servant once came to the door of the room in which a visitor was sitting, and holding up a pocket-handkerchief inquired, `Is this yours, sir? It has come from the laundry this morning.' Without examining the handkerchief, he asked, 'Is my name marked upon it?'
`No, sir, that is why I brought it for you to see.'
`There is no need, then, for me to see it,' he replied. 'I can tell you at once, It is not mine.'
Now, what, think you, made him so sure that it was not his?
If you had asked him, he would have said, 'My wife is so careful of my property, that before I left home she plainly marked with my name every handkerchief that belonged to me. Therefore I say, "No mark, not mine. If mine, marked because mine."'
A stray queen bee with her swarm may take possession of an empty hive, and because she has chosen to dwell there, it may, ever afterward, be counted hers. But not so the indwelling of the Spirit. It is because I am God's property that the Spirit of God takes up His abode in me, and marks me off as His.
Something, therefore, must necessarily precede the indwelling. No person could be a fit dwelling-place for the Holy Spirit of God apart from the precious blood of the Lord Jesus Christ! Aaron (type of Christ) could be anointed with the holy oil without the application of blood; that is, Christ could receive the Holy Spirit because of His own personal excellence (Lev. 8:1212And he poured of the anointing oil upon Aaron's head, and anointed him, to sanctify him. (Leviticus 8:12); Luke 3:2222And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased. (Luke 3:22); Acts 10:3838How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him. (Acts 10:38).). But when Aaron and his sons (type of the heavenly family) are brought before us, then the blood must precede the oil (Lev. 8:23, 24, 3023And he slew it; and Moses took of the blood of it, and put it upon the tip of Aaron's right ear, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot. 24And he brought Aaron's sons, and Moses put of the blood upon the tip of their right ear, and upon the thumbs of their right hands, and upon the great toes of their right feet: and Moses sprinkled the blood upon the altar round about. (Leviticus 8:23‑24)
30And Moses took of the anointing oil, and of the blood which was upon the altar, and sprinkled it upon Aaron, and upon his garments, and upon his sons, and upon his sons' garments with him; and sanctified Aaron, and his garments, and his sons, and his sons' garments with him. (Leviticus 8:30); Acts 10:4444While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. (Acts 10:44)). Before Cornelius and his household could receive the Holy Spirit they must receive the forgiveness of their sins.
What lovely consistency there is in all the ways of God, whether in connection with Old Testament shadows, or the prefigured realities of the New.
Before ever God came down to dwell with a people on the earth, that people was sheltered by the sprinkled blood, and brought from under the yoke of the taskmaster. Read Ex. 15:22The Lord is my strength and song, and he is become my salvation: he is my God, and I will prepare him an habitation; my father's God, and I will exalt him. (Exodus 15:2); and Ex. 38.
Then again, if you read Deut. 16 carefully, you will find that before Pentecost must come the feast of Passover.
I should like, at this point, to enlarge somewhat on an illustration made use of some years ago by a valued servant of Christ, in connection with the subject now before us.
When a farmer asks his shepherd to brand his newly purchased lambs, it is because he has already bought and paid for them. He does not command his shepherd to brand them, as they stand in the market-pens, in order to make them his, before the price has been laid down for them. The shepherd puts his master's mark upon them, because he knows they are his-his by righteous purchase. Now, if it were possible, after this had been done, that a feeble one in the flock could express a misgiving as to whether or not he really belonged to the master, and if it were equally possible for the others to answer it according to the master's thoughts of his faithful shepherd, what, think you, would they say in reply? Why, something like this. `Did you not see the transaction settled by the master on your account in the public market-place?'
`Yes; but that was a matter outside of me. I had to look away from myself to see that, but the question which troubles me, is this: "Have I, or have I not, after all, really got the right mark?"'
`Which man, then, do you now stand connected with, the old master in whose flock you were born, or the new, who paid so much to bring you into his?'
`Oh, the new master, of course.'
"Then you are surely forgetting that there is one left here with us- left by the master himself, for the very purpose of taking charge of his interests in connection with us. If you really belong to the new master, the marking you off as such is the faithful shepherd's business, not yours, and YOU may SAFELY LEAVE IT WITH HIM.'
So it is with the believer. He is indwelt of the Spirit, because he now stands connected with another Man, not Adam fallen, but Christ glorified. So we read, "If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" [more correctly, "not of him."], Rom. 8:99But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. (Romans 8:9). He has not yet been marked off as such. The anxious exercises of such a soul may give the spiritually minded onlooker every hope that he will ultimately be marked off as "of him," but till a man becomes indwelt of the Spirit, this marking off has not yet taken place. He does not stand in the full Christian position. This, I think, is clear from Scripture.
Should such an exercised one chance to read this, we would again press upon you the important truth that the Spirit is only received by the hearing of faith-a faith that rests in the gospel of salvation-and that gospel is the testimony of God concerning His Son Jesus Christ, whom He raised from the dead. (Rom. 1:1, 3, 41Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an apostle, separated unto the gospel of God, (Romans 1:1)
3Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of the seed of David according to the flesh; 4And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead: (Romans 1:3‑4).)
But if you do believe on Him; if you do, in the confidence of your soul, stand connected with the last Adam, whom God has righteously exalted, and not with the first Adam, whom He has righteously driven out, then do not worry yourself about the "sealing," as though it were the Spirit's office to occupy you with the evidence of your own feelings, rather than with Christ.
An old hymn, speaking of the Spirit's testimony, puts it thus:
`He does not make my soul to say,
"Thank God, I feel so good;"
But turns the eye another way,
To Jesus and His blood.'
There is a story told of a worthless, runaway son, who, in his extremity, and with hard feelings against his father, returned one night, and broke into his father's house, in search of money. In his father's bureau he found sundry papers, and at last came across a copy of his will. By the light of the candle he read it through, and what he read completely broke him down. He found that instead of cutting him off 'with a shilling,' as he deserved, he had left him a very rich portion of his property! Now, what was it, do you think, that engaged that young man's heart at that moment? Not the light of his candle, nor yet how he felt. His thoughts went straight to the heart of his father, and in the light of that love he hated himself. Yet, it was only by means of the candle that he was able to read the will, and only through the "will" to get a look into his father's heart.
It is a poor figure, but all I want you to get hold of is that it is with the blessedness of Another that the Holy Spirit occupies the heart which He has entered, not with what He Himself is doing, or the way He is doing it. He does not, when He enters my soul as an abiding Comforter, occupy me with His own entrance—wondrous as the reception of such a heavenly Guest really is—but causes me to say with peace and comfort, `What a Father is mine! How deep His love! How precious the Savior His grace has provided! What must it be to be with Him forever!' And though, as to myself naturally, I was never before so conscious of my utter worthlessness, yet I am now conscious that I stand connected with One in whom every wish of God's heart finds eternal satisfaction. I can sing,
`Oh, Christ, He is the fountain,
The deep, sweet well of love.'
I can say, 'The river of God's pleasure has become the fountain of my delights.'
I do not, of course, wish to convey that this will be the exact language of each person indwelt of the Spirit. But I do believe that Christ will be his theme (not a spiritualized self), and that God will be known through grace as his Father, and not feared in the cold spirit of legal bondage.
The Spirit gives us the enjoyed sense of our relationship to the Father, and to Christ. We have not received the Spirit of bondage again to fear, but we have received the Spirit of adoption, "whereby we cry, Abba Father. The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God," Rom. 8:15, 1615For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. 16The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: (Romans 8:15‑16).
"At that day [the Holy Spirit's day] ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you," John 14:2020At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you. (John 14:20). It is the Spirit that sheds abroad in our hearts the love of God-God's love, remember, not ours. It is the Spirit of whom Jesus said, "He will show you things to come... He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you," John 16:13-1513Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come. 14He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. 15All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you. (John 16:13‑15). And in showing us the things of Christ, He is showing us what through grace are our own things.
But it may be asked, How does the Comforter cause His presence to be realized in the life of a Christian? Well, take just one common instance.
After a day of toil and earthly care, or, perhaps, of perplexing business annoyances, a Christian repairs to his usual evening meeting, almost overwhelmed by what he has had to battle with. The Spirit of God brings Christ so preciously before his heart, and draws his affections so thoroughly to the place where He now sits that, without thinking of how it took place, every single care has vanished and, indeed, to hear him praise the Lord that night, you might think he had never known a disturbing care all the days of his life. As the flowing tide erases all the marks of the day's doings from the sand, the Spirit of God has rolled in a wave of heavenly blessing into his soul, and given him a little foretaste of what it will be to be in the place where Christ is everything, and where all that is of man is out of sight and out of mind forever. How blessed to be possessed of such a Comforter!
Before closing this part of our subject, let me remind you that all figures must necessarily fall short of the thing illustrated. You could more easily measure the heavens with a twelve-inch rule, or express all that the moon is by a quarter-plate photograph, than find an earthly figure to cover the greatness, or express the fullness of heavenly and spiritual realities.
At best a figure is but a feeble suggestion of the truth to be conveyed. Thus, while it is true that we are marked off as His, it is the presence of the Spirit Himself that really marks us off. And while by the Spirit's presence we get a foretaste of heaven-as Caleb and Joshua got, in the bunch of grapes from Eshcol, a taste of Canaan before they actually became possessors of the inheritance—yet it is the Spirit Himself who is the "earnest." His presence is the guarantee for our possessing our inheritance, the guarantee of the future resurrection of our bodies, and of our fitness for heavenly glory. God "shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you," Rom. 8:1111But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you. (Romans 8:11).
What better proof could possibly be given of my fitness for the presence of God in glory, than that His Holy Spirit can dwell in my body even here?
4—HOW LONG DOES HE REMAIN When Once He Takes up His Dwelling Place in the Believer?
In order to rightly understand this part of our subject, it will be necessary to revert to what has been before us already, namely, that it is because of the value of the precious blood of the now Risen One that the Holy Spirit takes up His abode in the believer. An Old Testament type may help us. In the account of the cleansing of the leper (Lev. 14:14-1814And the priest shall take some of the blood of the trespass offering, and the priest shall put it upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot: 15And the priest shall take some of the log of oil, and pour it into the palm of his own left hand: 16And the priest shall dip his right finger in the oil that is in his left hand, and shall sprinkle of the oil with his finger seven times before the Lord: 17And of the rest of the oil that is in his hand shall the priest put upon the tip of the right ear of him that is to be cleansed, and upon the thumb of his right hand, and upon the great toe of his right foot, upon the blood of the trespass offering: 18And the remnant of the oil that is in the priest's hand he shall pour upon the head of him that is to be cleansed: and the priest shall make an atonement for him before the Lord. (Leviticus 14:14‑18)) two things (immediately bearing upon what is now before us) were done to him. The tip of his right ear, the thumb of his right hand, and the great toe of his right foot, were touched with the blood of the trespass offering.
Then upon the blood on the tip of his right ear, and upon the blood on his right hand, and upon the blood on the great toe of his right foot, was placed the oil.
Mark the blessed accuracy of Scripture. The oil was not put directly on the man's flesh, but upon the blood, proclaiming as loudly and distinctly as typical language could speak, that the only ground on which the Spirit could dwell in the body of a believer, is the precious efficacy of the blood of Christ. The blood was applied because of what the leper was; the oil, because of what the blood was.
How deeply important is this! For if, on the ground of law-keeping and good behavior, I could become possessed of the Spirit, then law-breaking and bad behavior would forfeit His presence. But clearly this is not the ground, look where you will at type, or history, or New Testament doctrine. If the Holy Spirit could dwell in a sinner's heart apart from the blood of Christ, then that sinner would be fit for the presence of God without Christ's death, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit would be the proof of it, as witnessing that the blood-shedding of Jesus was totally unnecessary; indeed, that He had died in vain.
If good conduct or personal merit were the ground of the Spirit's indwelling, then the verse we have quoted (Eph. 4:3030And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. (Ephesians 4:30)) would have read something like this: `Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, lest He leave you and you perish in your sins after all.' But mark how it does read: "Grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption."
That is, Because He never will leave you, DON'T GRIEVE HIM. If He seals you because of the value, in God's sight, of the precious blood of Christ, He will never leave you.
But I thought, says some reader, that "the day of redemption" was passed already for the Christian, and if so, how can it be said that he is sealed unto the day of redemption as though it were still future?
It is because there is a "day of redemption" still future—the day when He will as surely redeem our bodies by His mighty power, as He has already redeemed our souls by His precious blood.
Looking backward we see the one, looking forward the other. Read Rom. 8:23:
"And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body." "We have redemption through His blood," Eph. 1:77In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; (Ephesians 1:7). That we have now; but we wait for the redemption of our body.
A poor widowed mother, we will suppose, has been toiling with her needle until nearly midnight. She is a Christian, and delights in the word of God. But on this particular night she feels, after opening her Bible, too weary to read with profit, so she says, "I will just commend myself and little ones to God's care for the night and retire to rest." She kneels down and remains on her knees for more than an hour—but, alas! fast asleep! How was this? Why did she desire to read the word of God and pray at such a late hour?
Because her soul was redeemed.
Why did she, spite of her best wishes to the contrary, fall asleep on her knees?
Because her body was not redeemed.
But will it always be thus with her and with the rest of God's chosen ones? Far from it. The believer will, at the coming of the Lord, get a body of power—a body as well fitted for the enjoyment of heavenly blessedness as Christ's body is fitted for it. He will be planted in the likeness of His resurrection. He will, in every respect, be conformed to the image of God's Son and have a body just like His; and he is sealed (that is, secured by the Spirit's indwelling) until that day. Read Phil. 3:20, 2120For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: 21Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself. (Philippians 3:20‑21).
`But,' says one, 'I have always thought that the Spirit could leave a believer. Indeed, I have grave fears sometimes that He has left me! The joy and comfort I once experienced are mine no longer, my heart is cold, my so-called spiritual exercises formal and lifeless, my testimony to others utterly powerless, even if, through an effort, I speak at all.'
This is unquestionably a most deplorable state of things; there is no wonder that you should be alarmed at such symptoms, and be it far from me to treat such a case lightly. But even a condition like this is no proof, in itself, that the Spirit of God has left you. Who but yourself and God can say whether you were ever indwelt of the Spirit? But if ever He did indwell you, He still remains true to His sacred charge. Take a simple illustration. You have, we will suppose, a family of young children, and a trustworthy nursemaid in attendance upon them. In the absence of their mother from the nursery, you have entrusted your nurse with their entire control. Should they misbehave themselves, she is to insist upon their going to their mother, and confessing what they have done, and till they do this every kind of amusement is to be withheld. I happen to go one day into the nursery, and find one of them looking woefully miserable. In reply to my inquiry as to the cause of his unhappiness, he complains that the nurse has taken away all his sources of enjoyment. No toys now, no picture-books, no looking out of the nursery window, and even his brothers and sisters are not allowed to speak to him as they used to do! The fact is, this little fellow is an offender under discipline, and yet determined not to go to confess his fault. He wants to go on as though nothing had happened, and to this his faithful nurse cannot consent.
I say to him, ‘But I thought the nurse was here to be a comfort to you?'
`I thought so too,' he replies, 'but she does not comfort me now as once she did.'
`Then has she left you?'
`Left me? No! I might get a bit of pleasure if she had. It is because she has not left me that I can't get it.'
See to it, my reader, if this is not a picture of your own case. You have no joy in your soul, no power to witness of Christ to others. But there is one thing you have power to do. Are you doing it? What is that?
Power to confess to the Father your self-pleasing, worldly ways, power to bring to the light of His holy presence that sinful something which you are holding back.
Let me entreat you to go and empty out your heart before Him. Keep nothing back. Judge your behavior in the light of His love, in view of the unspeakable agony of the cross, and if, when you have put the probe to the bottom, you still lack the comfort, it will be time enough then to talk of the Comforter not dwelling within you.
Perhaps you forget that, like the faithful nurse in our illustration, the Holy Spirit is not only a "Comforter" when you walk uprightly, but that He is a Griever when you do not. There is a great difference between the abiding of the heavenly Comforter, and your being in a state to enjoy His heavenly comfort. It was only when the disciples walked "in the fear of the Lord" that they enjoyed the comfort of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:3131Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied. (Acts 9:31)).
Could you even wish for His support in a course of self-will, or ask for His comfort while bringing dishonor to the name of Him whom it is His mission to glorify? Surely not.
If you have not proved yourself to be a "foolish virgin" that never had the oil, in all probability the secret of your lack of comfort is the absence of honest-hearted confession, and not the absence of the Comforter Himself, as you have supposed.
5.—What Is It to Be Filled With the Spirit?
A Christian once asked at a small meeting in a lady's drawing-room, if it would be right to ask to be filled with the Spirit.
The one to whom the inquiry was addressed replied, 'Since we are exhorted to be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:1818And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; (Ephesians 5:18)) we may surely pray that it may be so. But in asking for it we must be fully prepared for God's answer. If the lady of this house, for example, requested me to fill her drawing-room with chairs, she must be prepared to part with the sofa, table, piano, and, indeed, everything in the room except chairs. And if you pray to be filled with the Spirit you must be prepared to part with everything that is not of the Spirit, for you are asking God to remove them.'
A man filled with the Spirit has but one object—a risen and glorified Christ, whom the Spirit came from heaven to glorify. Such a person will not be filled with thoughts of his own attainments in holiness, but out of the abundance of a heart delighting itself in Christ, he will speak of Him and magnify His precious grace. If you are thinking of your friend's love you are not thinking of your own, and when you are thinking of God's love you are not thinking of yourself. Stephen is a lovely sample of such a man; and was he occupied with his own spiritual attainments? No. "He, being full of the Holy Ghost," we read, "looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God," Acts 7:5555But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, (Acts 7:55). He saw Christ, he spake of Him, he expressed his dependence upon Him, and in "beholding," he was changed into His moral likeness, "into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord," Acts 7:55-6055But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, 56And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God. 57Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord, 58And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul. 59And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. 60And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep. (Acts 7:55‑60); 2 Cor. 3:17,1817Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty. 18But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2 Corinthians 3:17‑18).
Oh, the blessedness of having the heart engrossed with such an Object. May such blessedness be the daily portion of both reader and writer for His name's sake.
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