“But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.” Romans 8:9
It is one thing to be IN the Spirit, and quite another to be filled WITH the Spirit. What is the difference, and what can be the results of coming to grips with a true understanding of “Life in the Spirit?”
First of all, in considering the message of the Gospel, we are confronted with the permanency of the work of Christ. It is an imperative that the believer come to grips with the complete and finished work of Christ on the cross, and that work applied to the believer. What do we mean by this?
When Jesus had fulfilled all things, keeping the Law perfectly and offering His spotless life as a sacrifice for the sins of man, indeed for the whole world, He concluded His work by declaring: “It is finished.” There would be nothing that one could add to it, nor could anything be taken away from it. It was God’s gift to man, the masterpiece of the revelation of His glory, the perfect unveiling where “… heaven’s love, and heaven’s justice meet.” No man or creature could ever do, or be able to do what Christ did, first of all for the glory of the Father, and then, for the perfect salvation of men from sin and death. What does this have to do with the Spirit, and life in the Spirit?
Christ died according to the Scriptures for all men. When He had paid the price for the sins of all men, He entered into the very throne-room of heaven, “into heaven itself,” to present to the Father the eternal proof of redemption. He claimed that day all that would truly come to Him, and be saved. He had secured a perfect, unchangeable work by which every soul which would repent and believe, could be saved perfectly, eternally. Not only did Christ deal with sin and the sinner, but He brought in a new era, one where the promises of the covenant God were revealed in a most glorious fashion. It was the Lord Jesus who told HIs disciples: “For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days hence.” (Acts 1:5) Why did He say this? He was the revelation of the great mystery hid from the foundation of the world, but now revealed, that of the Holy Spirit at the conversion of the soul, who comes to indwell the heart and soul. It is not a small thing, for in that “baptism” whereby the Father places the believer irrevocably IN CHRIST, He puts him not only in close proximity to Christ, but in living union with Him. This salvation which was won for mankind on the cross is a full salvation, meant to meet every need of man in heart, spirit, soul, and body. The day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God was poured out upon all flesh, was the monumental day when the church, the body of Christ was brought into being. That day, Christ came to dwell in the hearts of individual believers, to be their very life, and the answer to every need that they might have Life for time and eternity. The glorious gospel, this simple and yet infinitely profound message from God of His goodness and love, is at the same time, a declaration of the realization of a perfect work that Christ accomplished, sealed it with His shed blood, proved and affirmed it by the resurrection of the dead, and the present calling upon every believer to “taste and see” that the Lord is good. His call is to KNOW Him, by the Spirit. The baptism of the Spirit of God makes knowing God possible, for all becomes possible by the Spirit.
In Paul’s letter to the Romans, he reveals that to be born of the Spirit is to belong to Christ. The certain seal of this eternal union with Christ is the Spirit of Christ’s indwelling.
Dear Father, Fill us with Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen.