If you believe the gospel, does the Holy Spirit come to live in you?
Scripture teaches that if you have believed the Gospel and its truth, the Holy Spirit is in you. His indwelling presence is evidence that you are not in the flesh but are a believer, in Christ, with no condemnation, forgiven all trespasses.
Les explains that Romans 8 and Ephesians 1 present the same truth. The indwelling Holy Spirit is evident when a person is no longer in the flesh or under Adam's control. If someone has believed the Gospel and its truth, the Holy Spirit is in them; if the Holy Spirit is in them, they are a believer. Les says you can flip that back and forth, and both come to the same conclusion: you are in Christ, there is now no condemnation, you have been forgiven all trespasses, and you are a new creation. He then turns to 2 Corinthians 5:14-15, where the love of Christ constrains us because One died for all—meaning every human being was spiritually dead—so that those who live should not live unto themselves but unto Him who died for them and rose again. That, Les points out, is the Gospel.
But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.
Will the Holy Spirit live in me if I believe the Gospel?
Yes. Believing the Gospel, believing the truth of it, means the Holy Spirit is in you. If the Holy Spirit is in you, you are a believer, in Christ, and there is now no condemnation, because you have been forgiven all trespasses and are a new creation.
What does 'if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you' mean in Romans 8:9?
It means the indwelling Holy Spirit is the evidence that a person has genuinely experienced salvation. The phrase 'if so be' is a condition: if the Spirit of God dwells in you, that indwelling is the proof that you have eternal life and are no longer in the flesh.
More Questions
How can you know if the Holy Spirit lives in you?
The proof that you are Christ's is whether the Holy Spirit dwells in you; if you do not have the Spirit of Christ, you are none of His.
Does having the Holy Spirit in you mean you are a believer?
If the Holy Spirit is in you, then you are a believer, and the two statements can be flipped back and forth to the same conclusion.