1 Corinthians 12:13 “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.”
Without the Holy Spirit we cannot be baptized into Christ, for as revealed in the above quoted passage of scripture, He is the one who immerses us into the body of Christ. This same passage also reveals to us that as believers, that we have all been made to drink into one Spirit. What that means is that just as every born-again believer has been baptized into Christ, so it is that every born-again believer has also become a partaker of the Holy Spirit. In other words every born-again believer has in effect received the Holy Spirit, and they therefore have the Holy Spirit residing on the inside of them.
Romans 8:14-16 “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. … (16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.”
So what is the role of the Holy Spirit for one who is baptized into Christ? Scripture reveals several roles that the Holy Spirit fulfils in the life of the believer. One of those roles, as revealed in the above quoted passage of scripture is that the Holy Spirit witnesses with our spirits that we are children of God. And so no Christian should ever doubt their salvation, because the Holy Spirit, Who is the third person of the Godhead, assures our spirits within us that we are His children. This same portion of scripture also reveals to us that as sons of God that it is the Holy Spirit Who leads us, and He does so by bearing witness with our spirits. So what does that mean? It simply means that the Holy Spirit guides us in all the affairs of life, for God is interested in every area of our lives. And so as we learn to follow His leading and guidance, we will begin to walk in His perfect will for our lives.
John 16:13 “However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come.”
Another role that the Holy Spirit plays in the life of the believer, as revealed in the above quoted passage of scripture, is that the Holy Spirit teaches us the word of God, as He guides us into all truth. And so as believers when we spend time in God’s word, we must learn to ask the Father to open our understanding to His scriptures by the Holy Spirit. As we do this we will begin to see new truths in God’s word, for the Holy Spirit is sent by God the Father to lead us and guide us into all the truth of His word. We also see from this portion of scripture that the Holy Spirit shows us things to come. In other words, there should be no major event that befalls the believer that they were not prepared for, either good or bad, because the Holy Spirit is sent by God the Father to show us those things before they happen. And so for those things which are unpleasant in this life, He forewarns us before the time so that we can either avoid them or, if they cannot be avoided, so that we can be prepared for them when they do happen. There are many more roles that the Holy Spirit fulfils in our lives, and because He is God, the list of that which He does in our lives is endless.
John 4:13-14 “Jesus answered and said to her, "Whoever drinks of this water will thirst again, (14) but whoever drinks of the water that I shall give him will never thirst. But the water that I shall give him will become in him a fountain of water springing up into everlasting life.”
In all the actions that we have looked at that the Holy Spirit accomplishes in believers who have been baptized into Christ, we can see that He blesses the life of the believer and not the lives (directly) of those around them. Obviously however, as the individual believer becomes more like Jesus then they in turn bless those around them by their changed lifestyles that reflect Christ in them. But nevertheless, the Holy Spirit does not manifest Himself through these individuals in order to bless those around them. Jesus used the above quoted analogy to describe the blessing of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer who has been baptized into Christ. Our Lord Jesus likened the indwelling presence of the Holy Spirit to a fountain of living water residing on the inside of the believer. This fountain of water, which is an analogy for the Holy Spirit, is solely for the individual believer’s benefit so that they may never thirst again. It is not however, a fountain of water that quenches the thirst of others around them. There is one other aspect that needs to be mentioned regarding the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in the believer that has been baptized into Christ, which is that there is no tangible evidence (other than a changed lifestyle) that they have the Holy Spirit residing on the inside of them, and it is by faith alone that they believe that He resides on the inside of them. As we will see later in this teaching, both of these points are different when we experience the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Michael E.B. Maher
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