Living by the Spirit
The Permanent Indwelling of the Spirit
In the Old Testament when the Spirit of God came upon someone it was an exception. The Spirit of God came upon a select few people, and only then for a limited amount of time (1 Chronicles 12:18, 2 Chronicles 15:1, 1 Samuel 10:10).
It is altogether different for us though, in Christ. We have this assurance that through faith in Christ, He comes into our lives to dwell permanently in us. He is simply waiting for our permission and openness to receive Him into our life, and when He has that He begins an incredible work of restoration in our hearts.
Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.
Revelation 3:20
What we receive through faith in Christ isn't a temporary blessing that is with us one day and gone the next. It is the permanent indwelling of the Spirit of God. In John 14:23 the Lord Jesus said,
If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him.
John 14:23
The Lord Jesus speaks of making His home within us. The Greek word that is translated as "home" in English is "monḗn" and it refers to the place where one dwells permanently.
Some wealthy people have multiple houses. Some of those houses might only be used for a few weeks each year, lying empty for the rest of the time. This however is not how the Lord views us. The Lord Jesus doesn't come for some time each year and then leave us empty and vacant for the rest. He has come to dwell in our hearts. He has made Himself so near to us.
that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…
Ephesians 3:17a
Accepting this Reality by Faith
But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness.
Romans 8:9-10
Do we know this, that the Spirit of the living God dwells in us? Do we know this, that Christ is in us? The apostle Paul wasn't wishfully hoping that someday in the future the Spirit of God would enter into his life. It was a present reality for him that he was walking in. So it is for us who have received Christ into our life, it is a present reality! Christ is in us!
It may well be that our thoughts or experience lead us to think otherwise. "This seems too good to be true... is it really so?" we might ask. Or we might also say, "I don't feel like the Spirit of God dwells in me, so can I really believe this?"
Well yes, it is true. God has said so, and I know Him to be entirely truthful. Reality isn't based on my thoughts or feelings, but rather on what God has done. God has made it so, He has established it in reality! Hallelujah!
I don't look forward to the day when the Spirit of God may enter my life. For I have already put my faith in the Lord Jesus and received Him into my life, and therefore upon this basis, I know with confidence that Christ dwells in me!
Living by the Spirit
We now know that the indwelling of the Spirit is not a momentary experience reserved for a few, but rather a permanent reality for us. We know this by faith, for God has said it is so.
This means then that the empowerment of the Spirit isn't for a select few times but for all of the moments of our daily life. Paul was therefore urging us to "live in the Spirit" and "walk in the Spirit".
If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit.
Galatians 5:25
The life of walking in the Spirit is something wonderful that God desires to bring His dearly beloved people into, hence its repeated emphasis throughout the New Testament. In this life of walking in the Spirit is a continual fellowship and communion with God (2 Corinthians 13:14, 1 John 1:3). There is a steady and constant peace that abides through every circumstance of life, both outwardly pleasing and challenging (Isaiah 26:3, Philippians 4:11-13). There is a joy that brings delight and meaning to every day, as we come to know and treasure our Father even more (John 15:11, 1 Corinthians 2:9).
The life of walking in the Spirit is the life that God intended for His people. He doesn't wish for us to live a defeated and dry life, aimlessly moving through our days. Neither does He want us to live a life that is at the mercy of our circumstances or emotions, where one day we are happy and the next sad. He dearly wants something better for us, and further He provides something better.
This is why we have titled this blog "The Good Land". It is in reference to the good land (or the promised land) that God had prepared for His people, for them to enter into. It was a rich land, with vines and fig trees and pomegranates. It was a land of abundance. And it is a figure of the true Good Land that He cares to bring His people into, which is not a location on the earth that one can travel to, but rather a life that is found in Christ.
There is much that has been said about walking in the Spirit, and rather than making a vain attempt at including all of that in this blog post, we would like to direct you to search for that yourself. Make it your aim in life to seek after Christ, to truly know Him, just as Paul himself had said (Philippians 3:10). Seek Him with all of your heart. Pray to Him and ask Him to open up this life to you, for He waits to answer your prayer (John 15:7, John 14:13-14, James 1:5).
Be assured that this life offered to you in Christ, a life of walking in the Spirit, is incomparable in beauty and joy. It is unlike anything that this world can offer you. In this life is fullness of joy.
We would also like to include some other literature that has been helpful to us.