Let
us consider the truth of the indwelling of the Spirit, which is one of the
characteristics of the Spirit’s presence and work during the present Church
age. In this indwelling of the Spirit lies all the possibility for practical
sanctification.

      We
shall look at four features that characterize the indwelling of the Spirit:(1)
The permanency of it, (2) the enlightenment of it, (3) the liberty of it, and
(4) the refreshment of it.

The Permanency of the
Indwelling

      “I
will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may
abide with you forever:even the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16,17). We note in
this verse the permanence of the indwelling:“He [shall] abide with you
forever.” All is stability and permanence in the present era, for all is based
upon a finished redemption and Christ taking His place on high.

      When
Christ died, He not only provided a perfect atonement, but by His death,
sentence was pronounced upon the whole human race. Sin in the flesh was
condemned; our old man was crucified with Him, and its worthlessness declared.
Now, “if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed
away; behold, all things are become new” (2 Cor. 5:17). I do not touch the fact
of the presence of the old nature, and the deeds of the body to be mortified;
but there is a new man who has eternal life. Everything here is of God, and the
Spirit will have no occasion to leave for there are no conditions upon which He
remains, save the fact of accomplished redemption.

      Did
you ever think of the awful dishonor done not only to the Spirit of God but to
Christ by the denial of the perpetuity of this abiding? If the Spirit could
leave after having taken up His abode in us, it would involve a denial of the
work of Christ. His work would have ceased to avail before God. It would drag
Christ from His throne in glory if the Spirit could depart from a believer.

      My
brethren, I am persuaded we little realize what it means for the Holy Spirit to
indwell us. If we did, what lowliness would mark us, what abhorrence of sin,
what quickness in the detection of the most subtle forms of evil, what
reverence toward our God! I pray that all of us may grow in our knowledge and
appreciation of the abiding of the Holy Spirit in us.

The Enlightenment of

the Indwelling

      “When
He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you into all truth; for He
shall not speak of [or from] Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear that shall
He speak; and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify Me; for He
shall receive of Mine, and shall show it unto you” (John 16:13,14). This
Scripture teaches us the character of this indwelling of the Spirit, how He
operates. Notice particularly that He works by the truth. He guides into all
truth, even as our Lord prayed, “Sanctify them through Thy truth:Thy Word is
truth” (John 17:17). Spiritual intelligence is the very cornerstone of piety.
The Word of God—the Scripture of the Old and New Testaments—is the vehicle of
the Holy Spirit, the instrument which He uses. The spiritual condition of a
person may largely be gauged by his estimation of the Word of God. If that be
neglected, or thought lightly of, no matter how ecstatic the feelings, how deep
apparently the piety, there is not much true work of the Spirit of God. What a
fullness there is in the Word of God! Let us not be slothful in making it our
own, under the guiding energy of the Spirit of truth.

The Liberty of the Indwelling

      “The
law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus, hath made me free from the law of
sin and death” (Rom. 8:2). Here we have the emancipating power of the
indwelling Spirit. The sixth and seventh chapters of Romans develop the truth
that emancipates. The cross is the end of me judicially:“Our old man is
crucified with Him that the body of sin might be destroyed, that henceforth we
should not serve sin” (Rom. 6:6; Gal. 2:20). Thus we are dead to sin in the
death of Christ, and are to reckon ourselves so, and alive unto God in Christ
Jesus. But this death puts me out of the reach of law, not only as that which
condemns, but as a rule for man in the flesh.

      In
the seventh chapter we find that so long as the soul seeking holiness turns to
the law, it finds the bonds of sin drawn tighter, for “the strength of sin is
the law” (1 Cor. 15:56). But in the beginning of the eighth chapter we see the
way of escape, that the life in Christ Jesus is a life of liberty. Instead of
the law we have the Spirit, and all through this chapter the Spirit is
prominent. Thus we have deliverance by the Spirit. “Where the Spirit of the
Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17).

The Refreshment of the
Indwelling

      “Whoever
drinks of this water shall thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water that I
shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be
in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life” (John 4:13,14). In
this interview with the woman of Samaria, our Lord used the water as a type of
the Spirit as that which ministers life and refreshing. No matter where man
turns for refreshment, he fails to find that which can truly quench thirst.
Pleasure, reputation, power, wealth—whatever the heart of man craves—can never
satisfy.

      To
the woman of Samaria, seeking satisfaction in the pleasures of sin and the
world, the Lord promised not only the gift of a draught of water, but a well
springing up evermore. As in new birth we have the bestowal of life by the
Spirit, so here we have Him dwelling in us, maintaining and developing the
life.

      In
Psa. 110 it is said of our Lord, “Thou hast the dew of Thy youth.” His vigor
and freshness are perennial, eternal. To Ephesus it was said, “You have left
your first love” (Rev. 2:4). They had lost the freshness that marked the early
stages of the divine life in the soul. Of how many, beloved brethren, must this
be said! No outward fall has marred their testimony; they are above reproach,
and in many ways commendably zealous; but there is no “dew.” Truth has taken
clear form, doctrines can be distinctly stated, a keen scent for error is
present; but Oh, where is that freshness that ever marked our adorable Lord?

      We
have looked at four features which characterize the indwelling of the Spirit:
(1) The permanency of it—“He shall abide with you forever”; (2) the
enlightenment of it—“He shall guide you into all truth”; (3) the liberty of
it—“The law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law
of sin and death”; and (4) the refreshment of it—“A well of water springing up
unto everlasting life.” Surely, with such abounding fullness, our
sanctification should be deep and full and complete.

      (From
The Person and Work of the Holy Spirit.)

      When
we consider the teaching of Scripture that the believer in Christ is sealed by
the Spirit, it is well to notice first of all that our Lord Jesus Christ
Himself was thus sealed:“Labor … for that meat which endures unto everlasting
life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you, for Him has God the Father
sealed” (John 6:27). This is the chapter in which Jesus speaks of Himself as
the “Bread of God,” “the Living Bread,” and “the True Bread from heaven”
(verses 32,33,51). This life-giving Bread came forth and was presented to men,
as sealed by the Father, that they might eat and live forever. The sealing of
the Son of Man was the Father owning Him as His well-beloved One, and declaring
His delight in Him.

      I
heard an illustration recently that is relevant. Often today we find bread
offered for sale with the maker’s name, or some trade name, either put upon it
by a label or literally baked into it. The bread is sealed with the name of the
baker. He practically says, “This bread is good. I put my name upon it, for I
stand back of it in every particular.” So has God the Father sealed the Bread
from heaven. He acknowledged and approved His blessed Son in everything.

      It
is wonderful to learn from Scripture that the same Spirit who sealed the
Saviour seals all who are saved by Him. In Eph. 1:13 the apostle addresses
those who “trusted in Christ … in whom also, after that you believed, you
were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise.” In J. N. Darby’s version it is
even clearer:“In whom also, having believed, you have been sealed.” How
soul-assuring is this! Sealing is not a question of experience. It is a
precious fact to be accepted on the authority of the Word of God. When you
believed the gospel, dear saved one, you were sealed by the Spirit. God the
Father put His stamp upon you, so to speak. He did this by giving you the
Spirit to dwell in you—He who dwells in us is the seal.

      In
the same Epistle we read:“Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby you are
sealed

      (Continued
on page 98)

      “In
the power of one Spirit we have all been baptized into one body … and have
all been given to drink of one Spirit” (1 Cor. 12:13 JND). On the day of
Pentecost the Holy Spirit took up 120 individual believers in Christ and
baptized them into one body, thus forming the Church of the new dispensation.
By this act He established the believers into Christ, making them one body with
their glorified Head and linking them one with another in a union as close as
members in the human body. The baptism of the Spirit is therefore collective.
It is not something to be sought or prayed for, nor tarried for, since the body
has already been formed.

      In
the four Gospels and the first chapter of Acts the baptism of the Spirit was
yet future. In Acts 2 the promise was fulfilled. In 1 Cor. 12:13 we have the
only reference to the Spirit’s baptism after Acts 11. It is a doctrinal
statement to be believed, not an exhortation to seek after an
experience.

      Four
times, as related in the Acts, special supernatural manifestations accompanied
the reception of the Spirit as various companies were incorporated into the
body of Christ. In chapter 2 all were Jews. In chapter 8 the same blessing came
upon regenerated Samaritans, adding them to the body of Christ. In chapter 10
the nucleus of Gentiles was baptized into the same body. And in chapter 19 a
remnant of John’s disciples were brought in. There was a special miraculous
endowment in each instance to confirm the souls of the saints and to make known
the truth that all distinctions were done away in Christ, and that there is but
“one body and one Spirit, even as you are called in one hope of your calling”
(Eph. 4:4).

      What
grace on God’s part to give this fourfold testimony in the beginning! But what
folly for Christians now to expect a duplication of these initiatory
manifestations. The body is formed; all believers have their part in it. And as
each individual is born of the Spirit, he or she receives Him as the indwelling
Guest and is thus brought into the good of the Spirit’s baptism.

      If
some Scriptures seem to indicate that the baptism of the Spirit is a blessing
to be received subsequent to conversion, it is well to examine them carefully,
noting the context, and asking, “Was this spoken before or after Pentecost?”
The difference is immense, for a new dispensation began when the Holy Spirit
descended to indwell the believer.

      Let
me mention several such passages and seek to help you to place them. Jesus
said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children,
how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask
Him” (Luke 11:13). Many take this as their authority for seeking the gift of
the Spirit by prayer. But this was spoken by our Saviour before the cross. The
Father gave the Spirit at Pentecost; He does not now wait for us to ask Him to
do so again, for the wondrous gift once given abides in the Church and indwells
every believer, having baptized all into one body, as we have seen.

      What
of the words, “He dwells with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:17)? Does it
not imply that some are only born of the Spirit, and others indwelt?
When did Jesus so speak—before or after Pentecost? Before! In this passage the
Lord contrasts the two dispensations. The Spirit was with believers
before the cross; He is in them now. “If any man have not the Spirit of
Christ, he is none of His” (Rom. 8:9).

      But
did not our Lord command His disciples to tarry till endued with power from on
high? He did, and He particularly indicated where they were to tarry—“in Jerusalem.” No other place would do, for there the Spirit came, just as the Son came to Bethlehem.

      As
the disciples waited at Jerusalem, the Holy Spirit came like a rushing, mighty
wind, sent from the Father and the Son to form the body of Christ. The Spirit
also endued the waiting disciples with power that they might bear testimony
concerning the risen Christ to those of many nations and languages gathered at Jerusalem to celebrate the feast of Pentecost.

      Let
me not be misunderstood. I am not insinuating that it is a vain thing for any
believer or company of believers to wait on God for power to overcome the enemy
or to preach the gospel or to serve the Lord in any other way. It is always
well to be thus before Him. “They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their
strength” (Isa. 40:31). This is true in all dispensations. But we wait, not for
Him to send the Spirit, for He is already here, and by His baptism we
have all been joined to the body. We need, however, to wait on God to show us
any hindrance in our lives that may be restraining His working in us to will
and to do of His good pleasure. As we judge ourselves, and learn from our past
failures to walk humbly and in self-distrust, we make room for the Holy Spirit
to fill us with divine power, and to use us for the glory of God and the
blessing of a needy world.

      To
tarry for the baptism of the Spirit is to evidence ignorance of God’s
dispensational ways. Remember, the only place where the baptism is mentioned in
the Epistles of the New Testament is this one verse, 1 Cor. 12:13; and here it
is distinctly spoken of as a past event. All who have put their trust in the
Lord Jesus Christ have been brought into the good and blessing of that baptism.

      (From
The Mission of the Holy Spirit.)

When
the world is crowded out, and the flesh is underfoot,

And
the Tempter is sent backward by the Word,

Then
the Spirit has control, over thought and word and soul,

Only
then it is that we can wield the sword.

Then
the subject mind can say to the Spirit, “Have full sway!”

And
the peace of God will rule in sweet accord,

And
the emptied heart say “Come,” for no other is there room,

But
the Father, Son, and Spirit, and the Word.

      (From
Help and Food, Vol. 49.)

      We
shall not lose the Holy Spirit when we are raised again (John 14:16). This,
perhaps, is a simple truth, but one that makes us feel how great will be our
capacity for happiness in that state. In this present life, a great portion of
our spiritual strength is employed to enable us to walk in integrity, in spite
of the flesh and the temptations of the enemy. But in our resurrection life,
neither the flesh nor the devil will exist. All the power of the Spirit in us
will then be employed in rendering us fit for the infinite happiness we shall
find there (Psa. 16:11). We shall enjoy it all according to the strength of the
Spirit.

      The
allowance of flesh in the least degree in a Christian is to grieve the Spirit
of God, by which he has been sealed until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30).
What a motive to holiness is the fact—true of every believer—that the Holy
Spirit of God dwells in him! He may, alas, grieve Him in many ways. Everything
that has not Christ for its motive and object must grieve God’s Spirit and
hinder our growth and communion.

      To
quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19) is to hinder His free action in the assembly.
While there are special permanent gifts in the Church (Eph. 4:11), there are
also the “joints and bands” (Col. 2:19) that work effectually in the measure of
every part, and by which the body of Christ increases. If they are hindered in
true spiritual service, the Spirit of God is quenched.

      There
are dangers to be avoided on both sides, especially by those who seek to walk
in the truth of the Church of God. On one side the danger is that because there
is liberty for all to “prophesy one by one, that all may learn, and all may be
comforted” (1 Cor. 14:31), there may be the undervaluing of special ministry
which is a permanent thing as long as the Church of God is here. On the other
side there is the danger of quenching the Spirit in the various helps—the
joints and bands by which nourishment is ministered in the body of Christ—by
putting special ministry in the place of the free action of the Holy Spirit in
the members of Christ. Both are to be cherished, and the most spiritual are
those who will value all that God gives.

      We
see in 1 Thess. 5:20,21 that it is ministry that the apostle has in his mind.
While in verse 12 he exhorts them to own those who labor among them and esteem them
highly in love for their work’s sake, in verses 19-21 they were not to quench
the Spirit in any, but at the same time to “prove all things” which were said
and “hold fast that which is good.”

      (From
Scripture Notes and Queries.)