I will ask how you know you are in the Spirit later.
On our delayed honeymoon, Jill and I enjoyed upstate New York, Niagara Falls, Canada and drove across Michigan. Driving in Michigan’s heartland, we crossed an invisible line. Having passed hundreds of farms, suddenly all of them displayed beautiful order. Trees lined up in rows. Hay from mown pastures filled perfect barns beside perfect houses. We both said, “We crossed into another world!” We were correct. These farms were settled by German immigrants. It could not have been clearer if they had put up signs, “German Chamber of Commerce welcomes you! Deutchsland loves America!”
In New York City, the signs are unmistakable: if unreadable. The Hebrew, Chinese, Japanese, Lebanese, and Puerto Rican shops and languages scream: you’re on our turf!
I don’t know about you, but, when I heard that the Holy Spirit is in us along with this lower nature, this sarx, this squishy area, I got confused. I wondered, “When am I working in the Spirit, and when in the flesh?” How do I recognize these lands?
Let’s (re)examine some verses.
Step One: God invites me to move from condemnation to being “in Christ.” In Romans 8:1, God delivers astonishing news, there is now no condemnation to those who are IN Christ Jesus.
Step Two: I see two powers (laws) in me. I can choose the power God put in me to live for Him.
He is the Power of the Spirit of Life in Christ Jesus (Verse 2).
He is the Spirit (verse 5).
The Spirit is life and peace (verse 6).
Step Three: In Texas they ask, “How ‘bout chew?” (How about you?) Choose to live in the Spirit. Either way, we ALL choose. What we choose is the rest of our life. You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, she does not belong to Christ Romans 8:9.
Why is this Spirit so important? As a Baptist I did think much about Him. Religion, denominations politicize truth, and are poorer for it. Hear Paul. If you are not IN the Spirit, or He is not IN you then:
Romans 8:9b He or she does not belong to Christ. (NIV)
He or she is none of his. (KJV)
He or she does not belong to Him. (NASB)
He or she is not His. (NKJV)
He or she does not belong to him. (NRSV)
If you don’t have the Spirit of Christ living in you, you are not a Christian at all. (The Message)
[Without Him you] won’t know what you’re talking about. (Living)
What word means all of these possibilities? The word is eimi; I exist, I am. It is translated: am (142 times), been (45), being (26), belong (12), come (8), exist (8), or mean (11). If you do not have the Spirit, God’s third person on planet earth today in you, then you do not exist in God. You have never been in Christ. You don’t belong to the Father. If you think Christianity is exclusive because of Christ; THIS is the exclusive clause!
Paul throws us a sideways question: Where you at? To help answer it, let’s see some signs to better help us see where we live.
The way I tend to answer this question is how I was instructed to answer in my Ph.D. orals. “If anyone asks you a question you do not know, reflect on how good a question it is, and answer another question you do know.” Do you also do that with “the Spirit” question?
Someone asks, “Is the Holy Spirit living in you?” If we have no answer, we answer another question. “Yes, I ‘got saved’ as a child, and was baptized at such-and-such a church.”
Consider another question, “Are you alive?”
Now get this answer: “Of course, I’m alive. My birth certificate’s on file in Garfield County. I was born at Bass Hospital there.” The answer does not touch the question.
Consider yet another question.
“Did you and your spouse have a wonderful time last night on your date?”
And see this answer: “Of course, we’re married. We got married in St. Joseph’s Catholic Church 20 years ago! We keep a copy of the marriage certificate in our safe deposit box!”
These questions explore the nature of our lives. The sad answers are book-keeping answers: I am legal in my life and marriage. I am religious. Who cares? Are you ALIVE? God Spirit? Feel any Power? How about some joy?
The questions ask after hope, joy, or power and wonder in our relationship. Our answers are theological and pasty.
The question is, are you controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit?[1]
Whether you are legally married does not answer how you treat each other or if you’re happy. Whether you have a birth certificate does not answer if you were thrilled to be alive this week.
Whether you are saved is an interesting question. The more important question today is, if saved, do you have power to live for God? Are you alive in what Christ calls you to do?
Let’s have a grammar lesson. Am I “in” Christ, or is the Holy Spirit “in” me? Hmm. I get confused with the prepositions. Let’s look at God’s Word.
Jesus lived, died and came alive again “in” the Spirit.
Luke 4:14 “Jesus returned to Galilee
in the power of the Spirit.”
1 Peter 3:18 “For Christ also died for sins once for all . . .
having been put to death in the flesh,
but made alive in the spirit.”
What about us?
Scripture talks about the Holy Spirit being IN us.
1 Cor. 3:16 “You are a temple of God.
The Spirit of God dwells in you!”
2 Tim. 1:14 “Guard the treasure which has been entrusted to you
through the Holy Spirit who dwells in us”
2 Cor. 1:22 “[God] also sealed us and
gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.”
But Scripture equally talks about us being IN the Holy Spirit.
Ephes. 1:13 “[Having believed],
you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit — ”
Ephes. 2:22 “In whom you also are being built together
into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.”
Ephes. 6:18 “With all prayer and petition
pray at all times in the Spirit — ”
Both are true at the same time!
I’m IN the Holy Spirit and He is in me!
1 John 3:24 “You who keep His commandments abide in Him,
and He in you.”
1 John 4:13 “By this we know that we abide in Him and
He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit.”
Romans 8:9 “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit,
if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you.”
Paul, John, and Peter agree. We are In the Spirit AND He is in us.” God’s envoy, the Holy Spirit, invades us to seal us against all claims, and empower us to good works!
Hear both parts. When you ask God to save you in Jesus’ name, the Holy Spirit invades you, takes up residence, and never leaves. He saves & keeps you. Cool. When you obey and accept God’s invitation, you step into God’s sphere, His world running on Holy Spirit laws. Can the Spirit leave you? No. Can you act like stupidly rather than IN the Spirit? Yes.
I must do two things.
One: I hope to make you uncomfortable at the idea of living in the flesh. I do so because living in the flesh kills you in pieces. Always has, always will.
Two: I want you to try all God has for you. Why? He placed His Spirit IN you so you can live life in the Spirit. Chapter 8 spells out “in the Spirit” Nothing can conquer you! Nothing can separate you from God’s love in Christ! Nothing can steal your status as His child! … So… “Stay in the Spirit!”
IN the Spirit or IN the flesh? See more markers to tell whose “hood” you’re in. John: Those who obey Christ’s commands live in Him, and He in them. And this is how we know He lives in us: We know it by the Spirit He gave us.[2] How do I know I’m in a real surgical unit? People dress and act like doctors and nurses, yes. More importantly they operate on patients, who get better when they stay until healed.
IN the Spirit or IN the flesh? See more markers to tell whose “hood” you’re in. If anyone obeys God’s word, God’s love is truly made complete in him or her. This is how we know we are in Christ.[3] Notice two terms blurring together. Is it that I am in the Spirit, or is He in me? Which is it? The answer is “yes.”
Paul paints the neighborhoods. It’s common sense, but read So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature.[4]
(19) The acts of the sinful nature are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like.” Paul warns, those who live like this will not inherit God’s kingdom. Grace does not excuse these behaviors. They lack love. My horror if I see this garbage in you is if you feel comfortable with this because God’s Spirit hates it!
Can I tell if the Spirit is in me, and I am in Him? The Spirit’s fruit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.[5]
James sketches in more of the landscape. You can tell where you live by your mouth: The tongue is a small part of the body, but it makes great boasts. Consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark. The tongue also is a fire. It corrupts the whole person, sets the whole course of a life on fire, and is itself set on fire by hell.[6] James, John and Paul say, “Saved people are not comfortable with horrors.”
I ask others how they know they quit depending on God to operate in their flesh. They share these things. “I have fear and anxiety in the night. I stagnate. I know I’m living by my own efforts — alone — so I get tired, defeated, broken easily. My anxieties swarm. My powerlessness hits me.”
What about in the Spirit? What are your answers?
Can a church be “in” the Spirit? After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly![7] They spoke God’s Word boldly. Wow. Everyone.
Jesus died and rose, and the twelve gathered the church to say, it will not be right for us to neglect the ministry of God’s word in order to wait on tables.[8] They ordained seven deacons. The deacons ministered, caring for those in Christ. How well did they do? So God’s word spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem increased rapidly, and a large number of priests became obedient to the faith.[9]
Over and over you see a phrase in Acts. “The Word of God continued to increase and spread! Those words whet a hunger in me! Imagine: everywhere YOU go, the Word of God continues to spread!
Are you in the Spirit, yet? Is your small group in the Spirit yet? This goes beyond a wonderful feeling. We can know. God meant for us to be able to tell if a place is filled with the Spirit: if we are.
[1] Romans 8:9
[2] 1 John 3:24
[3] 1 John 2:5.
[4] Galatians 5:16ff
[5] in Galatians 5:22f
[6] James 3:5-6
[7] Acts 4:31
[8] Acts 6:2
[9] Acts 6:7
Another Traveler 