For many today, Christ is very appealing but living the Christian life seems all but impossible. Do you sometimes feel that way? Let me tell you a secret...it is impossible to “live a life in Christ” without help... HIS help. Hey, its okay if you feel this way, from time to time we all have feelings that our “walk in the Spirit” is off track. First thing we need to understand and accept... is that we can’t walk with Him, His way, on our own.
Trying to live the Christian life by your own efforts is like a ship trying to move on dry land... just doesn't work very well. For a ship to get anywhere, it needs to be sitting in water. And to enjoy an immersive Christian life, one needs to learn on how live “set apart” immersed in God’s formula for living. Paul knew this intimately... “For I can do everything God asks me to with the help of Christ who gives me strength and power” (Philippians 4:13).
The Christian's formula to a consistent life is for Christ to work His plans and ways through us... “I have been crucified with Christ: and I myself no longer live, but Christ lives in me. And the real life I now have within this body is a result of my trusting in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).
It was during Christ's final evening with His disciples that He told them He would be leaving them, but they would not be left alone... “But the fact of the matter is that it is best for you that I go away, for if I don't, the Comforter won't come. If I do, he will – for I will send him to you” (John 16:7).
We have been given someone who will enable us to live the Christian life bravely, courageously – The Holy Spirit. He isn't just some inanimate guide at the information booth along life’s trail... He is the Living God, in the person of the Holy Spirit. For those of us who are committed, all-in for Christ, He dwells within us... our partner, our companion along life’s narrow and often challenging road.
Who is the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is God, as are the Son and the Father. Much of the confusion surrounding the Holy Spirit occurs when people fail to view Him as a person. He has a personality. He is a divine person with a will and emotions.
The Holy Spirit possesses all the attributes that the Son and the Father have. He is omnipotent (all powerful), omniscient (all knowing), immutable (unchanging) and eternal. He is the third person of the Godhead... the trinity.
What is the Mission of the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit is a major part of your Christian life. Let's look at some of His roles and see why He is so vitally important.
The Holy Spirit convicted you of your sin and your need for Christ (John 16:8-11). The Bible explains that without the Holy Spirit's help, people think Christianity is foolishness (1 Corinthians 1:18). Those around you may think it's crazy you've made such a commitment to Christ! You don't see it that way at all because the Holy Spirit has revealed the wonder of a life in Christ to you.
At your baptism, the Holy Spirit indwells and gives you a fresh start in life. Flesh gives birth only to flesh, Jesus said. It takes the Holy Spirit to give a spiritual birth (John 3:6). And it is through that Spirit that God's love was poured into your heart (Romans 5:5). The Holy Spirit also provides an inner witness (an assurance) that you are a Christian (Romans 8:16).
The Holy Spirit is a teacher and enabler. He leads you to the truth of God's Word. As you study the Scriptures, He illuminates the Bible so you are able to understand and apply its truth (John 16:13,14). He gives power and spiritual effectiveness in your witnessing (Acts 1:8). He intercedes for you before the Father when you feel like you don't know what or how to pray (Romans 8:26,27).
The Holy Spirit was sent by Christ to enable you to live the Christian life! As Paul wrote, “…the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you” (Romans 8:11). The Christian life is possible only with the power of the Holy Spirit.
You may be thinking, I need the Holy Spirit in my life. If you are a devoted and committed Christian, He is already there: “You are controlled by your new nature if you have the Spirit of God living in you (Romans 8:9). The Holy Spirit resides in you, but you may not be yielding your life to His direction. He may be a resident – without being CEO.
Paul distinguished between two types of Christians: the spiritual Christian and the carnal Christian. Consider the differences and where you might see yourself.
1. The Spiritual Christian “The spiritual man makes judgments about all things, but he himself is not subject to any man's judgment…” (1 Corinthians 2:15).
The spiritual person has accepted Christ and lives a Christ-centered life. He is not sinless and he faces problems and temptations every day, just like everyone else. But as a way of life, he trusts Christ with each detail and problem that comes along. His greatest desire is to please Christ, and he doesn't covet the approval of others.
2. The Carnal Christian “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly – mere infants in Christ. I gave you milk, not solid food, for you were not yet ready for it. Indeed, you are still not ready. You are still worldly. For since there is jealousy and quarreling among you, are you not worldly? Are you not acting like mere men?” (1 Corinthians 3:1-3).
Carnal means “fleshly.” The carnal Christian is a Christian (he has committed his life to Jesus Christ at some point), but his life is oriented around himself and his needs. He may show some evidence of being a Christian, but the work of the Holy Spirit is blunted, suppressed either through conscious disobedience and resistance to the Holy Spirit's attempt to work in your life.
What distinguishes the carnal Christian from the spiritual Christian? It isn't that the carnal Christian lacks part of Christ or the Holy Spirit – he possesses the same spiritual resources as the spiritual Christian. But the spiritual man relies on Christ's power to live his Christian life while the carnal man relies on his own power. Trying to live the Christian life on your own efforts is as futile as trying to get around town by pushing your car.
The Bible talks about being “led” by the Spirit. That implies we obey what He says... He leads, we follow. Simple enough. But usually we don't like anyone telling us what to do – even if it's God. Yet the filling of the Holy Spirit means allowing the Spirit of God and the Word of God to guide us in all we think and do.
We have the choice each day... Will we let the Holy Spirit lead us, or will we be controlled by something else? Will fear about the future, or our desire to get what we want, become more important than obeying Christ? When the Holy Spirit fills you, He controls your thoughts and your actions. You can't be filled with hatred, fear or worry while you are filled with the Spirit. There isn't room for both.
“Don't act thoughtlessly, but try to find out and do whatever the Lord wants you to. Don't drink too much wine, for many evils lie along that path; be filled instead with the Holy Spirit, and controlled by Him.” (Ephesians 5:17). Unlike alcohol, the changes the Holy Spirit produces aren't artificial. They don't wear off with time. The Bible calls these lasting changes the fruit that is produced from a Christ-centered life: “But when the Holy Spirit controls our lives He will produce this kind of fruit in us: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control; and here there is no conflict with Jewish laws” (Galatians 5:22.23).
How Can I Be Filled with the Holy Spirit? Submitting, surrendering to control of the Holy Spirit in your life is our choice. It's voluntary, but it's not by osmosis. People don't become drunk by handling unopened bottles of Jack Daniels or working in a liquor store. It's after drinking the liquor that things begin to get fuzzy. As a Christian you can be surrounded by Bibles and Christians without being filled with the Holy Spirit. Or you can be alone, but Spirit-filled.
Some people equate the Holy Spirit with a mystical religious experience. It's not mystical. It is a decision of faith: a response to what God says in His Word. Being filled with the Holy Spirit isn't dependent upon feelings you think you have, but upon the Bible you have studied and the promises of God you trust and believe.
Why aren't more Christians being led by the Holy Spirit? In a word, sin. We choose to ignore God, thereby disobeying Him. This can take the form of pride: wanting things our way. We don't give God control of our finances; we've worked hard for our money and it's ours. We don't give God control of our relationships; why forgive that person when it's really their fault? We don't give God control of our personal morality; that's nobody's business but our own—not even God's. That's pride talking. Scripture says, “He [God] mocks proud mockers but gives grace to the humble” (Proverbs 3:34).
Sin can take another form: fear. Proverbs states, “Fear of man will prove to be a snare...” (Proverbs 29:25). Is there something [holy living] you know you should be doing, but you haven't done it because you're afraid of what people will think? It's easy to think... I can't do that. I would look foolish if I did that. God can't possibly want me to do that.
The last half of that verse in Proverbs teaches... “but whoever trusts in the Lord is kept safe.” It's easy to put the approval of people above the approval of God, but isn't pleasing God what we really want? Our lives will be different than those around us... but with eternity in view... it's worth it.
Can you be filled with the Spirit and still struggle with sin? It depends on what you mean by “struggling with sin.” If you are consistently giving in to sin, then the Holy Spirit can't be controlling or filling your life. But if you are concerned... “Will I still sin after the Holy Spirit enters my life?”— the answer is an emphatic yes.
You may find yourself committing sin and confessing it several times throughout the day. That's not spiritual weakness... it is evidence that you're living and breathing spiritually. Becoming aware of sin and dealing with it immediately is essential if we are to be living “in-step” with the Holy Spirit.
We never become immune to sin in this fallen world. Sinlessness is reserved for heaven. As we grow to know God better, we will grow in seeing life from His perspective, and sin less. We will also learn to battle temptation. But even then there will be occasions when we sin and need to seek His forgiveness, whether we're in the first year of a Christian life or in the seventieth.
What if your life hasn't changed much yet? We've looked at two types of Christians, the carnal and the spiritual. But there is a third category... the new Christian. Remember what Paul told the Corinthians? “Brothers, I could not address you as spiritual but as worldly—mere infants in Christ.”
Several years earlier, Paul had led many of those Corinthian believers to Christ. At that time he didn't expect them to be immediately mature, spiritually minded believers. Instead of following a normal growth pattern towards spiritual maturity, the believers at Corinth became carnal. If you're a new believer, you're still a “baby” Christian—not carnal... just young in your faith and only just learning to walk with the Spirit.
If you are obeying Christ today and trusting His power to change you, then you are exactly where God wants you to be. Don't agonize over the “fruit” you feel you lack. Growth is a process, and each part of the process is vital.
Obey Christ and don't worry about comparing myself to other Christians... if you do that, you will enjoy being a Christian.
