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NASB | Ephesians 1:13 In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation--having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, |
AMPLIFIED 2015 | Ephesians 1:13 In Him, you also, when you heard the word of truth, the good news of your salvation, and [as a result] believed in Him, were stamped with the seal of the promised Holy Spirit [the One promised by Christ] as owned and protected [by God]. [John 7:39; Acts 2:33] |
Bible Question:
Hi, I am a 25 year-old female who was raised in a baptist church. Currently, I attend a "word-of-faith" ministry. In this ministry, tongues is considered evidence of the holy spirit. Due to my background, I am familiar with tongues and do not find it strange-but is this the only evidence of the Holy Spirit? If so, how do I recieve it? If not, what are other signs of recieving the Holy Spirit? |
Bible Answer: Rom 5:1 Therefore, having been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, Rom 5:2 through whom also we have obtained our introduction by faith into this grace in which we stand; and we exult in hope of the glory of God. Rom 5:3 And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; Rom 5:4 and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; Rom 5:5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Davis, First, as this passage above teaches, all believers in Jesus are given the Holy Spirit as a gift (who is a person, not a thing. Notice the pronoun "who" above.) As Brad pointed out, it is by Him we are "sealed" for salvation. It is also by Him that we are washed (baptized) and regenerated (born again) and renewed. Titus 3:5,6 says, "He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior," The Romans passage above also points out the big three evidences of the presence of the Holy Spirit, namely, faith, hope and love. Read it again. These big three are also repeated in the very passage where the Apostle Paul teaches the relative UNIMPORTANCE of tongues, 1 Cor 12 and 13, which concludes with, "But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love." The real evidence of the indwelling Holy Spirit is a life of faith, hope and love. As Titus 3:5,6 says you cannot get saved without the Spirit and Romans says that you cannot BE saved without the Holy Spirit: "However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." (Rom 8:9) So you don't receive the gift of the Holy Spirit sometime AFTER you're saved. God through Christ gives you the Holy Spirit WHEN you're saved. The Holy Spirit does not give everyone the gift of tongues. You DON'T have to read 1 Corinthians 12 and 13 very carefully to see this. He gives different gifts to different believers so that we can all use our different gifts to build up one another. Eph 4:11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, Eph 4:12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; Don't get caught up in seeking sensational experiences as proof of God in your life. God has not called us to a life of sensationalism (1 Tim 2:2 ... so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity.) A life of quite obedience is the way to experience God and be assured of his salvation. Listen to what Jesus says, "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father, and I will love him and will disclose Myself to him." (John 14:21) And loving God is impossible without the indwelling of His Holy Spirit. Peace, |