Life with the Holy Spirit
This guest article is chapter four, “The Holy Spirit,” from Dean Schendel’s book, Oneness: A Call to Honor God in the Marriage Relationship.
Be Filled
In Ephesians, Paul instructed believers to be filled with God’s Holy Spirit.
Be very careful, then, how you live—not as unwise but as wise, making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit. Speak to one another with psalms, hymns and spiritual songs. Sing and make music in your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ (Ephesians 5:15–20).
“Notice Paul’s directive1 to ‘Be filled with the Spirit.’” Paul was instructing followers of Christ that God’s will for us was to be filled with His Holy Spirit. That should be the desire of every follower of Christ so he or she will live wisely during these days of evil.
Even Jesus informed us of God’s desire to give us the Holy Spirit.
So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him (Luke 11:9–13).
“You yourselves are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit lives in you” (1 Corinthians 3:16). Your body is meant to be a temple for God’s Holy Spirit to dwell in; this is the only way you will be able to commune with God. Who lives in you? God’s Holy Spirit or your selfishness? Living by the Spirit becomes an important part in the lives of Jesus’ followers. We sell ourselves short until we are filled with the Holy Spirit because with the Holy Spirit comes power. “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you” (Acts 1:8), and only by the power of the Holy Spirit will you have the ability to do the things of God and to live God’s way—to successfully live your life in and for Christ. This power becomes available to you only after you are reborn in the Spirit by believing in God’s Son as the crucified and risen Lord and Savior. Jesus died not only to bear the sins of mankind; He had to go away for the Holy Spirit to come. Jesus was God in the flesh and was limited to one location due to His being human. He could be with only the people in His vicinity. The Holy Spirit, however, is available to all followers of Christ, anytime and anywhere.
A Call to Be Holy
God’s desire is for us to be holy. We were created “in the image of God” (Genesis 1:27). God is holy, and He is concerned with our holiness. Listen to what God told Israel.
I am the LORD your God; consecrate yourselves and be holy, because I am holy. Do not make yourselves unclean by any creature that moves about on the ground. I am the LORD who brought you up out of Egypt to be your God; therefore be holy, because I am holy (Leviticus 11:44–45).
He told Israel to be holy like Him. God repeated this message in Leviticus 19:2, 20:7, and 22:31–33 because He was serious about holiness.
Hebrews 12:14 states, “Make every effort to live in peace with all men and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.” Do we truly want to see God? We don’t get to see God unless we are holy. Remember, God is a holy God who doesn’t allow sin and darkness into His presence. Therefore, His call to be holy is something we must take seriously. To be holy, we must move toward godliness.
For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men. It teaches us to say “No” to ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live selfcontrolled, upright and godly lives in this present age, while we wait for the blessed hope—the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good (Titus 2:11–14).
Holiness begins when we are redeemed by the cleansing blood of Jesus; that happens after we repent of our sins and choose Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior. Salvation through Jesus Christ is our only way to overcome sin and reestablish relationship with God. In Titus 2:14, Jesus’ purpose was to redeem and purify. Only through His blood can we become holy; it purifies us of our ungodly impurities.
When Jesus is our Lord, then the power of the Holy Spirit is available to assist and strengthen us to say “No” to ungodly living. The Holy Spirit will help us overcome living as the world does—selfishly—and help us live godly lives. Jesus Christ is our only way to overcome sin, and the Holy Spirit is our only way to overcome selfishness. Paul encouraged Timothy in 1 Timothy 4:7, “Train yourself to be godly,” which is possible only through the power of the Holy Spirit. “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has gone, the new has come” (2 Corinthians 5:17). Paul made it clear that if our lives have been reborn in Christ, our old sinful natures through Adam will be gone and our new lives in Christ will come. We will be called to live holy, not selfish lives.
The Spirit Produces Life and the Mind of Christ
In Romans 8:1–11, Paul wrote that there was life through the Holy Spirit and that “those controlled by the sinful nature cannot please God” (Romans 8:8). We must have God’s Holy Spirit in us to be able to live lives that please God. The Spirit of God must live in us to live as Christ did. Paul made it clear: “If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ” (Romans 8:9). His Spirit sets us free from the sinful nature: “The Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17). That is, freedom from death, because “the Spirit gives life; the flesh counts for nothing. The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63). True life is available to us only when God’s Holy Spirit is alive in us. Our selfish, ungodly ways don’t produce life; they produce death. The Holy Spirit is the guide in a believer’s new life. That is why Jesus told the disciples, “The Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you” (John 14:26) and
I have much more to say to you, more than you can now bear. But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you (John 16:12–15).
Jesus wanted His disciples to know He would guide them through the Holy Spirit after He returned to the Father, and He does so to this day in guiding His followers.
Our old, misguided lives were living the lie Satan sold us, but in our newfound lives in Christ Jesus, the Holy Spirit will guide us in God’s truth. Therefore, we must listen to what the Holy Spirit teaches us so we can receive direction from God the Father, for the Holy Spirit glorifies Jesus Christ. We must understand that
the kingdom of God is not a matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, because anyone who serves Christ in this way is pleasing to God and approved by men (Romans 14:17–18).
Colossians 3:1–17 and Galatians 5:16–26 contrast our selfish, sinful practices to holy living. We are admonished to “live by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16) because living a holy life is possible only through the Holy Spirit working in us. When we “live by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16), we will not satisfy our sinful nature; that will be impossible. That’s why Paul encouraged followers to “live by the Spirit” (Galatians 5:16). God’s Spirit does not participate in sin, evil, or disobedience; otherwise, God would be untrustworthy because there would be conflicting qualities in His nature. The conflict is between the Spirit and the flesh.
Jesus said, “If you love me, you will obey what I command. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever—the Spirit of truth” (John 14:15–17). The apostles echoed this same message as they addressed the Sadducees.
Peter and the other apostles replied, ‘We must obey God rather than men! The God of our fathers raised Jesus from the dead–whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him to his own right hand as Prince and Savior that he might give repentance and forgiveness of sins to Israel. We are witnesses of these things, and so is the Holy Spirit, whom God has given to those who obey him (Acts 5:29–32).
God’s Holy Spirit is available only “to those who obey” (Acts 5:32). The presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives depends on our obedience to God. We must listen to the Holy Spirit and obey God. If we want “the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16), the Holy Spirit must be involved so we can learn the “deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:10). Without God’s Holy Spirit working in us, we will not be able to understand spiritual truth or live godly lives. The Holy Spirit allows believers to “have the mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16). That’s why it’s important for believers to obey God, and that’s why believers are to listen to His Holy Spirit.
Temptation
James 1 deals with temptation and the struggles of the flesh.
When tempted, no one should say, ‘God is tempting me.’ For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death (James 1:13–15).
God hates sin and disobedience; He will never lead us into sin through temptation because He wants us to be holy. Our evil desires and selfish natures hand us over to sin. We have seen the sin process James spoke of here in the fall of man in the garden. Compare James’s writing with the stages of the fall in Genesis 3.
We will face temptation just as Adam and Jesus did. Paul was very stern with the Corinthian church when he wrote,
So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it (1 Corinthians 10:12–13).
Thank God that He has given us a way out. God is here for us. Listen to what the writer of Hebrews 4:14–16 encourages us to do.
Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has gone through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet was without sin. Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.
We may approach God with confidence and prayer when facing temptations in life. Jesus Christ victoriously conquered temptation by God’s Holy Spirit working in Him. You have that same power available to you through God’s Holy Spirit; it will help you make godly choices in your “time of need” (Hebrews 4:16) if you pray to God for help in resisting temptation. You will be free from the bondage of sin when the Spirit of God is at work in you. “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).
God Tests the Heart
God may not tempt, but He does test.
The LORD your God is testing you to find out whether you love him with all your heart and with all your soul. It is the LORD your God you must follow, and him you must revere. Keep his commands and obey him; serve him and hold fast to him (Deuteronomy 13:3–4).
God has a purpose for testing; He desires for you to see your commitment level to Him so you can show how much you love Him. Deuteronomy 8:2 states,
Remember how the LORD your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands.
Psalm 44:20–21 asks, “If we had forgotten the name of our God or spread out our hands to a foreign god, would not God have discovered it, since he knows the secrets of the heart?” God already knows your heart and where you stand with Him, but His desire is for you to learn where your heart stands. (For more on our all-knowing God, read Psalm 139.)
King Saul’s heart was not right before the Lord. God rejected him for his disobedience and eventually replaced him as king. Listen carefully to how God guided Samuel in anointing the next king of Israel, David; God instructed Samuel not to consider David’s brother Eliab as Saul’s successor.
But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7).
God is more interested in your heart and your willingness to follow and obey Him. You don’t have the ability to hide from the Lord, for He “knows the secrets of the heart” (Psalm 44:21). And the name of Jesus will force you to reveal where your heart is.
The child’s father and mother marveled at what was said about him. Then Simeon blessed them and said to Mary, his mother: “This child is destined to cause the falling and rising of many in Israel, and to be a sign that will be spoken against, so that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed. And a sword will pierce your own soul too” (Luke 2:33–35).
Your life, actions, and words will reflect what you believe about Jesus Christ. His name separates those who follow Him from those who don’t.
In Psalm 66:10, the psalmist acknowledged, “For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver.” If God is refining you, He wants you to be purified. Testing allows you to demonstrate your love for God, and it allows God to refine you into the person He wants you to become. James 1:2–4 encourages us that during this testing, we should
consider it pure joy my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.
Testing helps us understand where we stand with the Lord and to develop needed qualities in our lives. Will we hang in there for Christ when things get tough? Are we willing to persevere and demonstrate our faith in God? That’s what God put before Solomon as He addressed him before the building of the temple.
And you, my son Solomon, acknowledge the God of your father, and serve him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every motive behind the thoughts. If you seek him, he will be found by you; but if you forsake him, he will reject you forever (1 Chronicles 28:9).
God was telling Solomon to evaluate his heart and admonished him to serve Him with a whole heart and to surrender everything in his life, including his thoughts, to God. Have you totally surrendered everything in your heart to God?
PR
Notes
1 Tim Lahaye, Spirit-Controlled Temperament (Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House, 1994), 112.
2 Ibid., 118–19.
From the publisher’s page:
Weddings are filled with hopes and dreams. For many, the promises made that day quickly fade with the ups and downs of everyday life. Shared goals may seem not so shared anymore. Before long, the love and closeness a couple felt fades into memory and divorce now seems like an option.
What caused the disintegration of a marriage? In his book Oneness: A Call to Honor God in the Marriage Relationship, author Dean Schendel approaches the relational issues marriages face from the standpoint that selfishness is the root cause of all problems. The situation doesn’t have to be hopeless, as Jesus Christ is the only solution. Schendel experienced divorce firsthand and knows the difficulties couples face in a marriage. He reminds us of our need for Christ, the roles and duties of the husband and wife, and how forgiveness plays an integral role in the marriage relationship. Finally, he discusses other factors that affect oneness in the marriage covenant.
Oneness: A Call to Honor God in the Marriage Relationship challenges you to obey what God has commanded for the marriage covenant. Discover what God wants you to know about yourself and His plan for your marriage. There is no fruit in living our own, selfish ways. Keeping the marriage covenant together according to God’s design is of utmost importance.
This chapter from Oneness: A Call to Honor God in the Marriage Relationship is used by permission of the author. Copyright © 2015 Dean Schendel, all rights reserved.
