The Holiness of God the Holy Spirit, part 4

“You however, are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him” Romans 8:9 CSB. This verse speaks both to the sanctifying work of the Spirit, not living in the flesh but in the Spirit and the assurance He brings. If He is living in us we are saved and being sanctified.
 

We have looked at the Holy Spirit’s role in Conviction and truth: He is The Spirit of Conviction; He is Our Guide into All Truth; He is the One who Sanctifies. Now, let’s look at
 

The Spirit of Assurance

Yes, when a person repents of their sin and trusts in Jesus as Lord and Savior, they have a measure of the Holy Spirit - but they are not filled with the Spirit. John Wesley called salvation “initial sanctification,” saying, “A person may drink some alcohol and not be drunk – not completely under its control. Similarly, one may have the Spirit living in them, and not be filled with the Spirit – not completely under His control.” When one is filled with the Holy Spirit, every part of their moral being becomes open to being guided and directed by the Spirit; with the goal of yielding full control of their life to the Holy Spirit. This does not mean that our free-will is violated or removed, but it does means that we do not do things any longer to glorify ourselves, but to glorify God. 
 

It is by the Holy Spirit’s witness that He assures us of our salvation and ongoing sanctification. In Acts 10:44-47, Peter was invited to a Roman Centurion’s house, a place filled with Gentiles, to share the Gospel. Even as he preached to them, the “gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out on the Gentiles…  they heard them speaking in other tongues and declaring the greatness of God…” - leading Peter to have them all baptized in water as well. 

Then, in Acts 15, as Peter was recounting the outpouring of the Holy Spirit at Cornelius’ house, he compared the event to what had happened to the believers on the Day of Pentecost. In verses 8 and 9, Peter explained, “And God, who knows the heart, bore witness to them by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as He did to us. 9 He made no distinction between us and them, cleansing their hearts by faith” CSB. 
 

In witness to the cleansing of their hearts by faith, God gave them the Holy Spirit.  It was the Spirit Himself that witnessed to their hearts that they were cleansed from sin and filled with the Spirit. Peter was an observer and participant on both the Day of Pentecost and at Cornelius’ house and he tells of how God gave a witness and that witness was the Holy Spirit Himself! 
 

As we begin to wrap up this week’s devotional, let me say that it is the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of Sanctification, who empowers us for a holy life of service. The highest purpose under God is to glorify God; we can do this in and through our lives and by spiritually reproducing (leading others to Him). This task is impossible without the enabling power of the Holy Spirit.

Continued tomorrow