Does the Holy Spirit Live in You? Romans 8:9 Explained

Welcome to Through the Bible with Les Feldman, a 30-minute walkthrough of the Scriptures teaching in-depth Bible truths that change people's lives. Now, here's your host, Les Feldman. One more program and I guess we can go home, huh? So those of you in the studio, you can be turning with me again to Romans chapter 8. We're going to pick right up where we've left off. And for those of you again on television, we'd just like to remind you that we are an informal group. We just come together and we just search the Scriptures, and we have no axe to grind. I think you're all aware I never attack anyone, I don't try to run anyone down or call them where they're wrong. We're just going to teach the Book and hope that the Holy Spirit will just enlighten folk. And as I've been stressing in all the five years that I've been teaching, that for this age of grace, which we call the Church Age, Paul of course is the designated Apostle of the Gentiles. And consequently I feel that it's in the Pauline letters that we have to garner basically the fundamental truths for salvation, for the Christian walk, for the operation of the local church. It all has to come from these letters of Paul. Now that never implies that the rest of the Bible is inappropriate, God forbid, because Paul himself writes of course that all Scripture is profitable, inspired of God and is profitable for reproof and for instruction in righteousness. But here in this book of Romans especially, we have so much that is fundamental for us as Gentiles. And so this is the only reason that we teach, as I've stressed so often. I do not do this for any kind of monetary gain, and we don't certainly hope to be famous. That would be the last thing I'd want. But whatever, if we can reach a multitude of people with the truth of God's Word, and He is blessing it, I've often said I wish I could let especially our class people who have been so instrumental in helping us financially, just listen in on our phone calls and be able to read our letters. It would just thrill your hearts, because God is touching a lot of hearts. Let's come back now if you will to Romans chapter 8, and we finished in our last program with verse 8. Romans 8. Romans 8. I don't care how good they are, and I don't care how much they dress up old Adam. You remember the illustration I gave a long time ago back there in chapter 3, like someone who may have a beautiful show horse, and how he can just prepare that horse for the parades and for the horse shows and what have you. But let something upset that animal, and he's going to show his true nature, and he's going to explode with all of his energy and everything. Well that's what we can do with old Adam. We can dress him up, we can make him look real nice on the outside, but when the Holy Spirit and the Word of God, the Law of God finally hits old Adam where it hurts, my, the veneer flies off, and we see him for what he really is, and of course that's what has to happen if we're going to come out of that darkness and come into the light of the Gospel. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God, but you, he says, you are not in the flesh. Now what have I always said about Paul's letters? They're all written to what class of people? Believers. Now you've got that down haven't you? Paul always writes only to the believer. He doesn't write to the unsaved world. Now that doesn't mean that it's not appropriate for them, but he's not writing it to them. He's writing it to the believer. And so all these things that we said in that last program concerning those who are under the control of old Adam, still comes from the pen of the Apostle, but he's writing it to us. And I guess I was mulling it over the other day. You know, why does Paul get into all of these ramifications of how we died with Christ, and how we've been raised from the dead with Him, when we're already saved? Do we have to know all these things for salvation? No. No, I don't expect a new person that has just been totally untaught in the Scriptures, and in fact they're the easiest ones to work with, and they know nothing of these things. They don't have to know all of these deep doctrinal things to be saved. Oh, heaven forbid! But once we become a child of God, now what does God expect? That we learn, and that we grow, and that we get a graphic understanding of all that God has done on our behalf. And then that's what makes us what we are. This is what I think is the problem with so much of mainstream Christianity. They've got maybe the elementaries, but they've never gone into the deeper things, and consequently they have no understanding of these deep doctrines that Paul is now privileged by the work of the Holy Spirit to give to us in his letters. So verse 9. He writes to us believers, and he says, that's not you. You're not in the flesh. You're not under control of old Adam, but you're in the Spirit. You're in Christ. Your position has changed. You're no longer in the flesh. You are now a child of God. You are in the body. You are in Christ. Now here's the condition. If so be, if it has happened, if you have genuinely experienced salvation, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now isn't that plain? That's the proof of the pudding. This is the proof that you have eternal life, is the indwelling Holy Spirit. Let's go to Ephesians. Ephesians to the right, not all that far. Through Galatians into Ephesians, chapter 1, and a verse that we've used several times on the program. I have been debating whether to put all of the verses that I like to use for the plan of salvation, which I alluded to in this first program this afternoon, but I'm not going to have time today, so maybe that'll wait until another month. But here is one of those verses that I like to use. Ephesians 1. Romans 1-16 Ephesians 1 -16 Ephesians 1, beginning at verse 13, "...in whom," that is in Christ again, "...in whom you also trusted," now that's in italics, so it's a interpreter's word, or translator's word I guess you should say. It's a translator's word that has been added, and it could just as well be the word believed, "...in whom you also believed, after," now watch this, "...after you heard the word of truth." Now there's the sequence. We have to hear the Word of Truth, and then read on. The Word of Truth is the Gospel, the Good News of your salvation. And then, "...in whom," again is repeated, "...in Christ, also after that you," and now look at all the things that aren't in there. After you what? Believed. See? Believed. And all the other things that are attached to salvation today, aren't in here at all. And they've been, I think, added by so many people, and they are refusing to look at how Paul puts it, and it's faith plus nothing. Alright, "...so in whom also after that you believed, you were," what's the next word? Sealed. See I could have used this verse when we were up there in verse 1. Why are we sealed? Because there is no condemnation on us. Why is there no condemnation on us? Because we're sealed. See it goes both ways. Alright, reading it on, "...and so you were sealed," you were branded with God's mark of ownership. You were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise. Now do you see why I came from Romans 8 over to Ephesians 1? Same thing. Come back to Romans 8 now again. You're not in the flesh, you're not in the control of Adam, if the indwelling Holy Spirit is evident. Because if you have believed the Gospel, if you have believed the truth of it, then the Holy Spirit is in you. If the Holy Spirit is in you, then you're a believer. And you can just flip that back and forth, and they both come to the same conclusion. You're in Christ. There is now no condemnation. You have been forgiven, Paul says, all your trespasses. We are now a new creation. That's another verse. 2 Corinthians, let's look at that one. Because the Scripture has to speak for itself. Don't go by what I say, go by what the Book says. How many times haven't I said that in the last 5 years? 2 Corinthians 5, oh let's start with verse 14. These verses are just too good to pass over. 2 Corinthians 5, beginning at verse 14. For the love of Christ constraineth us, it drives us, because we thus judge, or we conclude, that if one died for all, that is for every human being, then every human being was what? Dead, spiritually. Now verse 15. And that he died for all, that they who live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him who died for them, and rose again. Uh oh, what is that? The Gospel. See, there's the Gospel. It just keeps popping up all the time. Now verse 16. Wherefore, because of the work of the cross, his death, burial, and resurrection, wherefore henceforth we know no man after the flesh. Oh, now wait a minute. What's he talking about? Christ in His earthly ministry. And isn't that exactly where so much of our preaching is today? Oh, they preach about Jesus, and all His miracles, and His signs and His wonders. Sunday after Sunday after Sunday, that's all they preach about is Jesus in His earthly ministry. But what does Paul say? Hey, we're not following any man in the flesh. We are to now take Christ after the work of the cross, after His death, burial, and resurrection. Now He's ascended in the glory. Now that's the Christ that we are attached to. Oh, I grant you, it's the same man. It's the same God. But nevertheless, the Christ before the cross was not the object of our salvation that He is after the cross. That stands to reason, because it's the work of the cross that makes possible our salvation experience. So Paul says, we don't know anyone after the flesh. We're not preaching Jesus in His earthly ministry, but we have not known Christ after the flesh. That's why I know he's talking about Jesus in His earthly ministry. We have not known Christ after the flesh, yet or we have known Him, I'm sorry, yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh. In other words, Paul lived contemporary with Him. But yet now, henceforth, from that point on, from His death, burial, and resurrection, now we do not look back and know Him in His earthly ministry as such. Now there's nothing wrong with studying His earthly ministry, don't misunderstand me. But that's not the basis of our salvation today. Our salvation is not based on the earthly ministry of Jesus. That was His ministry to the nation of Israel. The name of Jesus was His name of humiliation. He was going to the cross, the sin bearer. And once He rises from the dead in power and glory, it's no longer appropriate to refer to Him as Jesus. But now He is the Lord Jesus, He's the Jesus Christ, He is the Lord Jesus Christ. All these things are now far more appropriate. Then verse 17 is the verse I wanted. It took me a long time to get there, didn't it? concerned with the Christ of the work of the cross, the Christ in resurrection power, the Christ who is now seated in the heavenlies at the right hand of the Father. If we are in Christ, that's the secret, and if He's in Christ as we saw in Ephesians, He's been sealed by the Spirit. As we saw in one of the earlier programs, if we're in Christ then the Holy Spirit is in us. Oh, I mean this is mind boggling. We're in Him, He's in us. Remember I used the marriage analogy, that as husband and wife become one, so you You and I and Christ are one, so therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new man." You can�t just fix up the old. I don�t know how many of you remember when we were way back in Genesis, I had the circles on the board, and we�re not going to have time to do that, but we�ll do that in our next taping. I gave the illustration that when Adam sinned, immediately his soul became a sin nature, and the spirit part of him died, and he lost fellowship with his Creator because it was now dead. Do you remember I made the analogy that that dead spirit in Adam was like a dead battery in your car? Some of you remember that? I think it�s a good illustration, and I�ve liked it ever since I�ve used it. This is exactly what people do, it�s just like if you had a dead battery in your car, and instead of just simply asking somebody to bring a jump cable and give you some energy from an outside source, you go get a basin of water, and some soap, and a rag, and you start cleaning up that old battery. You wash it, and you get it shining like a new dime. You get in your car, and you turn the key, and what? Nothing. Why? It�s still dead. Then when you bring in some outside energy, either from a jump, or you generate your battery, boom! You�ve got power. Now it�s the same way spiritually. We�ve been dead as a result of Adam�s sin, and it takes an outside source of power, or it takes the power of God to energize our spirit. And when He energizes the Spirit, He makes us a new person, or a new creation. It�s that simple. Let�s read on. Ephesians 2, verse 17. Ephesians 2, verse 17. So therefore if we�re in Christ, He is a new creation, old things are passed away, behold all things become new. What did I say in the last program? The evidence of salvation is a total change in lifestyle. Old things have changed. When we were still in Iowa, and he was an insurance company executive up in the Twin Cities, and we had a Saturday evening home Bible study in the home of his parents. They still watch the tapes, so he�s going to recognize the account, I know he will. They came home every Saturday evening, about a 150 mile drive, and it wasn�t until about six or seven months later, and unbeknown to me, we were having a cup of coffee at a break time in his parents� home now, and he said, �You know, Les, since we�ve come to know the Lord, my wife and I, a lot of things have changed.� He said, �We used to keep the refrigerator full of beer.� He said, �We had the wet bar well stocked.� Then one day my wife Patty said, �Now listen, this just doesn�t fit.� He said, �Well, let�s pitch it away.� So he said, �We just poured it all down the stool, flushed it away.� He said, �You know the amazing thing was that as time progressed, all of our previous drinking friends disappeared, and we had a whole new circle of friends that came in.� Now that�s exactly how it works. That�s exactly how it works. When you become a believer, the whole circle of your friendships will probably change. Your whole desire begins to change, and that�s as it should be, because it�s two different worlds, totally two different worlds. Now that doesn�t mean we get so heavenly minded that we�re no earthly good. I like that statement too. We still function, we still work, we still plan, there�s nothing wrong with that. In fact I always tell people, especially if they�ve accumulated some wealth, there�s nothing wrong with that. Paul says it in two different places. Let him who has a family take care of that family, because he said parents should lay up for the children, and children shouldn�t have to lay up for the parents. So what does that mean? There�s nothing wrong with accumulating some wealth, and there�s nothing wrong with accumulating an estate that your kids can fight over. There�s nothing wrong with that as long as it�s in God�s timetable and in His plan for your life. So we take all those things into consideration. But nevertheless, coming back again to the verse that we�ve got here, �All things are passed away, and behold, all things are become new.� That�s what the Book says. Now let�s come back again to Romans chapter 8, and I don�t imagine we�ve got too much time left. Romans chapter 8, reading on in verse 9. You�re not in the flesh, you�re not under old Adam, but you�re in the Spirit. You�re under His control instead of old Adam. That is conditional if the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you. Now here it comes. Now if any man, or woman, boy or girl, so let�s just use the one, if anyone have not the Spirit of Christ, which is the Holy Spirit, remember, then what? He�s not His. It�s that simple. Here is the criteria. If you have the indwelling Holy Spirit, you�re in Christ. And how do you get the Holy Spirit? By believing the Gospel. And when you believe the Gospel, God does it all. He puts Himself in us, He puts us in Him, and we have this assurance. Let me take you all the way back. You say, �Well, you�re in Paul all the time.� Alright, let�s go to John. Let�s go to his little letters at the back. First John chapter 3. Let�s just start with verse 1. First John chapter 3, and we�ll come right in at verse 1. And see how beautifully this fits with what Paul is writing in Romans and Ephesians. Now remember, this is written quite some time after Paul�s letters, so this is why it fits so beautifully. First John chapter 3, verse 1, verse 1, �Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,� now remember John 2 is writing to believers, �that we, believers, should be called the sons, or the children, of God. Therefore, therefore, as a result of what has happened to us, the world knoweth us not.� Have you experienced it? Yeah, you have. I know you have. I�ve had so many of my class people tell me, even their own church people. Their own church people will begin to sense that you�re different. You�ve somehow gained a knowledge of the Word that they don�t have, and so consequently they feel you�re kind of odd. Well the truth of the matter is, they�re the ones that are a little odd, because they don�t know what the Book says. But here it is, the world knoweth us not, because it knew Him not, that is the Lord Jesus. Now verse 2, �Beloved, now we are.� See that? It doesn�t say we hope to be, we think we might be. It says, �Now we are the sons, or the children, of God. And it doth not yet appear what we shall be.� In other words, we can�t comprehend that eternal future, but this much we know, that when He, the Lord Jesus Christ, that when He shall appear, what does that mean? He�s going to. The world may think that they�re going to keep going forever, and the United Nations and all these things are going to solve all the world�s problems. No it�s not. There�s not going to be peace on this earth until the Prince of Peace comes. In fact I�ve told my classes over the years, the Psalm says, �Pray for the peace of Jerusalem.� You know what that means? You pray for the Lord�s coming, because Jerusalem will have no peace until the Prince of Peace is back in Jerusalem. So when you pray for the peace of Jerusalem, you�re praying, �Lord come quickly,� as John does in Revelation. But this one thing we know, that when He comes, and He is coming, that we shall be like Him, for we shall see Him as He is. You know I had someone ask me the question again just the other night about our eternal state, and I had mentioned something I guess in the class about our bodies, and they said, �Now wait a minute. Are we going to have a body in eternity?� Absolutely! Absolutely! Never in all of Scripture does the human being operate without a body. The soul and spirit by itself does not operate as an entity. It has to have a body. Let�s just stop at Philippians, and I imagine that�s as far as we�re going to get. Philippians chapter 3. When John says that we�re going to see Him as He is, well how are we going to see Him? What�s He going to be like? Philippians chapter 3, beginning at verse 20 and 21. We�ve got a half a minute. Philippians 3, verses 20 and 21, where Paul writes again for our conversation, our citizenship, is in heaven. As a believer we�re already citizens up there. From that same heaven we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall change our vile body that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby is able even to subdue all things unto Himself. Thank you for watching Through the Bible with Les Feldick. Through the Bible is a partner supported ministry. If this program has been a help to your study of the Scriptures and you�d like to see others enjoy the teaching, your support would be greatly appreciated. Write to us at Les Feldick Ministries, Route 1, Box 760, Kinta, OK 74552 or call 1-800-369-7856. Remember, all programs are available in printed form, audio cassette and videotape. Be sure to tune in next time to Through the Bible with Les Feldick.