Let's see further to our last post. As explained in the earlier post about New Creation - Born again, this is the second step in born again. God sends His Holy Spirit to those who acknowledges Jesus as their Lord and Savior and this happens for every truthful and sincere believer. This is where the new creation actually begins. Paul wrote to Titus about the renewal or new creation as "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost;" Titus 3:5.
The new creation is the new life that we start to live along with the Holy Spirit slowly yielding ourselves to God and we are no longer the old. Living this new life by ourselves not difficult but it is impossible. Jesus said to His disciples that "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 shew you things to come." John 16:13 and that's why we read one who doesn't have the spirit of Christ, he doesn't belong to Him. Romans 8:9. Holy Spirit is the helper through whom we will be able to live life in Christ's way and then we could please God.
How to get the Holy Spirit? To answer this, first we need to know who is Holy Spirit? If you would have gone through my second post, Trinity, you would have an understanding that Holy Spirit is God but in the form of Spirit. Holy Spirit is a person and we could see in many places that the Holy Spirit is mentioned as "He" instead of "It". Let's see few verses to explain more about Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Triune God. II Corinthians 3:17 says "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty". The Lord Himself is Spirit and when Jesus spoke about the Father God to the Samarite woman, He said "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." From here, we learn some truths. Firstly, God dwells in a place that is called as Spiritual realm which is not visible to human eyes whereas the universe, the planets, the stars and the satellites are physical. The earth that we live in is called physical realm which is visible to us and when the invisible God came into earth to live among us, He took the physical body and His name is Jesus Christ.
Now, if Jesus Christ is still living among us, He will be able to live at just one place at one point of time. But, by going back and seated at the Father's right hand, Jesus was able to send back the Holy Spirit so that He can dwell among men. To do that, first He need to sacrifice Himself at cross to remove the barrier (sin nature), and once the price was paid, God was able to live among people who accepts Him through Holy Spirit. This is symbolized by "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" Matthew 27:51 when Jesus died on cross. I think I have written this already on my post of Tabernacle but just want to quote the scripture again from Acts, "Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet" Acts 7:48. There is a prophetic verse that specifies Holy Spirit indwelling from Psalms. "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them." Psalms 68:18 so the Lord received the gift from God to so that He can dwell among people. Praise the Lord, He Himself became our Redeemer, the Peace Maker, the Wisdom, the Sanctification, the Righteousness and the Redemption. I Cor 1:30, Eph 2:14, 15.
Now, as we know the Holy Spirit is God Himself in the form of Spirit who could indwell among people, we will try to answer how to get Holy Spirit? Peter answered this question during his first anointed sermon. "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Peter 2:38. Even now, this is the answer. Repent completely and baptized in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. Now a days, we are not able to see the public manifestation of the Holy Spirit as in the days of Apostles. But, God's word is truth and even if heavens and earth gone away, the Word will stand. So, even if the one who truly repents and sincerely accepts Jesus Christ and takes baptism, whether he knows or not, the Holy Spirit started to live inside him. He may not be aware of that.
There is a second clue in Acts that for whom God gives Holy Spirit. From Acts 5:32, "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.". Whoever obeys God and His word will have the Holy Spirit by default. The third one which I could think about is the verse, "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63. Jesus told to His disciples that the words are spirit and life. So, if you meditate the word of God regularly, give importance to it, you have the Word of God indwelling inside you which is nothing but the Holy Spirit.
Now, having answered the question of How to get the Holy Spirit, let me answer another intriguing question, How to know whether we have Holy Spirit? This is a tricky question and there is no direct answer. I could find a straight one from John 14:17, "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." So, we know that if we have the Holy Spirit, we know Him, we know the one who dwells in us. You may not aware of Him immediately after baptism or for some time (may be years) until He reveals Himself to you. The revealing of Holy Spirit is a beautiful experience. In my personal experience, if someone asks me, do you have the Holy Spirit? my answer is YES because I here His small still voice often and in the beginning I was not able to differentiate between the voice of Holy Spirit and my mind voice and satan's voice. But, now after some time, I could differentiate between those voices. Jesus said in John 10 that His sheep hear His voice and recognize Him. So, I am aware of the God's presence in me, I am aware of the indwelling spirit. Now, someone might ask, what is the proof that you have Holy Spirit? A very valid question. I may not be able to perform miracles, heal others, prophecy or cast out demons, but I know the one who lives in me. But, how to prove to others. My works, my thoughts and how I act shows Holy spirit works through me. The spiritual fruits of love I bear shows it to others. This blog posts show to others that Holy Spirit lives inside me. Not to boast about myself but just I wrote it as an example. I started this blog some 4 or 5 years back and I just put my first title Word of God and just wrote one scripture verse John 1:1 there and then it has been idle for 2-3 years. But, when I decided to recommit my life to the Lord 2 years back, the Holy Spirit gave me the articles and now I have written over 20 posts. That itself is a huge miracle. I know rarely one reads my articles but, I still continue to write because I know God loves these posts and He is the most sincere viewer and anyone who might accidentally got into these posts will go through a great transformation if he has time to go through these posts and the verses because these posts have been inspired by Holy Spirit. So, there will be a same kind of transformation in one's life who had been led by Holy Spirit and that is the real sign he is a new creation of God in Christ.
Let's see more about the nature of Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God Himself but dwelling inside us. Jesus said He is the comforter because He comforts us during losses. John 14:16. The Holy Spirit intercess for us and prays in the right way on behalf of us. Romans 8:26. Jesus helps us through Holy Spirit when we go through temptations and troubles Heb 2:18. He carries out our spiritual battle and He lifts up the banner against the enemy when he comes like a flood. Isaiah 59:19. He leads us when we have difficulties in decision making and shows us the right path. Isaiah 30:21. Above everything, he renews the new creation in us each and every day II Cor 4:16, makes us grow and fulfill the will of God in our lives and He has sealed us for redemption unto the praise of His glory when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appears again. Ephesians 1:13,14. The Holy Spirit is a prized possession and He can be easily grieved when we walk against the will of God and when we deliberately sin. The Holy Spirit will initially reproach if we sin and grieve him. But, if we don't hear and if we backslide and continuously walk against God, the Holy Spirit will be grieved and leave you completely. I Chronicles 28:9. That is a worst thing that could happen to anyone. Classic example is Solomon. You will be aware when Holy Spirit reveals Himself to you but you won't realize when He leaves. Another example for this is Samson. "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Eph 4:30. Don't quench the spirit I Thess 5:19 instead be fervent in spirit. Romans 12:11. If you are careful to please the Holy Spirit in all your ways, He will continue to abide with you and perfect you in every way and finally He will make you Christ alike so that you will get the eternal life and glory with our Lord.
This has been another big post and thanks for reading through. Receiving the Holy Spirit is the point of the beginning of new creation process in every truthful and sincere born again Christian. There is one more type of baptism, that is the anointing of fire which is used to do powerful things for Jesus Christ and to be a stand out testimony and witness for the Lord. We will see that in next chapter and then we will see how to sustain the new creation, how to grow and what are the practical difficulties in upcoming chapters. May God be with you, bless you, protect you and give His Shalom peace for now and for ever. Amen.
All honor, glory and praise to the God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit for now and for ever. Amen.
The new creation is the new life that we start to live along with the Holy Spirit slowly yielding ourselves to God and we are no longer the old. Living this new life by ourselves not difficult but it is impossible. Jesus said to His disciples that "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 shew you things to come." John 16:13 and that's why we read one who doesn't have the spirit of Christ, he doesn't belong to Him. Romans 8:9. Holy Spirit is the helper through whom we will be able to live life in Christ's way and then we could please God.
How to get the Holy Spirit? To answer this, first we need to know who is Holy Spirit? If you would have gone through my second post, Trinity, you would have an understanding that Holy Spirit is God but in the form of Spirit. Holy Spirit is a person and we could see in many places that the Holy Spirit is mentioned as "He" instead of "It". Let's see few verses to explain more about Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Triune God. II Corinthians 3:17 says "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty". The Lord Himself is Spirit and when Jesus spoke about the Father God to the Samarite woman, He said "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." From here, we learn some truths. Firstly, God dwells in a place that is called as Spiritual realm which is not visible to human eyes whereas the universe, the planets, the stars and the satellites are physical. The earth that we live in is called physical realm which is visible to us and when the invisible God came into earth to live among us, He took the physical body and His name is Jesus Christ.
Now, if Jesus Christ is still living among us, He will be able to live at just one place at one point of time. But, by going back and seated at the Father's right hand, Jesus was able to send back the Holy Spirit so that He can dwell among men. To do that, first He need to sacrifice Himself at cross to remove the barrier (sin nature), and once the price was paid, God was able to live among people who accepts Him through Holy Spirit. This is symbolized by "the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" Matthew 27:51 when Jesus died on cross. I think I have written this already on my post of Tabernacle but just want to quote the scripture again from Acts, "Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet" Acts 7:48. There is a prophetic verse that specifies Holy Spirit indwelling from Psalms. "Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the LORD God might dwell among them." Psalms 68:18 so the Lord received the gift from God to so that He can dwell among people. Praise the Lord, He Himself became our Redeemer, the Peace Maker, the Wisdom, the Sanctification, the Righteousness and the Redemption. I Cor 1:30, Eph 2:14, 15.
Now, as we know the Holy Spirit is God Himself in the form of Spirit who could indwell among people, we will try to answer how to get Holy Spirit? Peter answered this question during his first anointed sermon. "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." Peter 2:38. Even now, this is the answer. Repent completely and baptized in the name of Lord Jesus Christ. Now a days, we are not able to see the public manifestation of the Holy Spirit as in the days of Apostles. But, God's word is truth and even if heavens and earth gone away, the Word will stand. So, even if the one who truly repents and sincerely accepts Jesus Christ and takes baptism, whether he knows or not, the Holy Spirit started to live inside him. He may not be aware of that.
There is a second clue in Acts that for whom God gives Holy Spirit. From Acts 5:32, "And we are his witnesses of these things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey him.". Whoever obeys God and His word will have the Holy Spirit by default. The third one which I could think about is the verse, "the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life." John 6:63. Jesus told to His disciples that the words are spirit and life. So, if you meditate the word of God regularly, give importance to it, you have the Word of God indwelling inside you which is nothing but the Holy Spirit.
Now, having answered the question of How to get the Holy Spirit, let me answer another intriguing question, How to know whether we have Holy Spirit? This is a tricky question and there is no direct answer. I could find a straight one from John 14:17, "Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you." So, we know that if we have the Holy Spirit, we know Him, we know the one who dwells in us. You may not aware of Him immediately after baptism or for some time (may be years) until He reveals Himself to you. The revealing of Holy Spirit is a beautiful experience. In my personal experience, if someone asks me, do you have the Holy Spirit? my answer is YES because I here His small still voice often and in the beginning I was not able to differentiate between the voice of Holy Spirit and my mind voice and satan's voice. But, now after some time, I could differentiate between those voices. Jesus said in John 10 that His sheep hear His voice and recognize Him. So, I am aware of the God's presence in me, I am aware of the indwelling spirit. Now, someone might ask, what is the proof that you have Holy Spirit? A very valid question. I may not be able to perform miracles, heal others, prophecy or cast out demons, but I know the one who lives in me. But, how to prove to others. My works, my thoughts and how I act shows Holy spirit works through me. The spiritual fruits of love I bear shows it to others. This blog posts show to others that Holy Spirit lives inside me. Not to boast about myself but just I wrote it as an example. I started this blog some 4 or 5 years back and I just put my first title Word of God and just wrote one scripture verse John 1:1 there and then it has been idle for 2-3 years. But, when I decided to recommit my life to the Lord 2 years back, the Holy Spirit gave me the articles and now I have written over 20 posts. That itself is a huge miracle. I know rarely one reads my articles but, I still continue to write because I know God loves these posts and He is the most sincere viewer and anyone who might accidentally got into these posts will go through a great transformation if he has time to go through these posts and the verses because these posts have been inspired by Holy Spirit. So, there will be a same kind of transformation in one's life who had been led by Holy Spirit and that is the real sign he is a new creation of God in Christ.
Let's see more about the nature of Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God Himself but dwelling inside us. Jesus said He is the comforter because He comforts us during losses. John 14:16. The Holy Spirit intercess for us and prays in the right way on behalf of us. Romans 8:26. Jesus helps us through Holy Spirit when we go through temptations and troubles Heb 2:18. He carries out our spiritual battle and He lifts up the banner against the enemy when he comes like a flood. Isaiah 59:19. He leads us when we have difficulties in decision making and shows us the right path. Isaiah 30:21. Above everything, he renews the new creation in us each and every day II Cor 4:16, makes us grow and fulfill the will of God in our lives and He has sealed us for redemption unto the praise of His glory when our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ appears again. Ephesians 1:13,14. The Holy Spirit is a prized possession and He can be easily grieved when we walk against the will of God and when we deliberately sin. The Holy Spirit will initially reproach if we sin and grieve him. But, if we don't hear and if we backslide and continuously walk against God, the Holy Spirit will be grieved and leave you completely. I Chronicles 28:9. That is a worst thing that could happen to anyone. Classic example is Solomon. You will be aware when Holy Spirit reveals Himself to you but you won't realize when He leaves. Another example for this is Samson. "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." Eph 4:30. Don't quench the spirit I Thess 5:19 instead be fervent in spirit. Romans 12:11. If you are careful to please the Holy Spirit in all your ways, He will continue to abide with you and perfect you in every way and finally He will make you Christ alike so that you will get the eternal life and glory with our Lord.
This has been another big post and thanks for reading through. Receiving the Holy Spirit is the point of the beginning of new creation process in every truthful and sincere born again Christian. There is one more type of baptism, that is the anointing of fire which is used to do powerful things for Jesus Christ and to be a stand out testimony and witness for the Lord. We will see that in next chapter and then we will see how to sustain the new creation, how to grow and what are the practical difficulties in upcoming chapters. May God be with you, bless you, protect you and give His Shalom peace for now and for ever. Amen.
All honor, glory and praise to the God, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit for now and for ever. Amen.
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