THE HOLY SPIRIT IN US

“We received the Spirit of adoption
by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.”
The Spirit Himself bears witness
with our spirit
that we are children of God.”
Romans 8:15-16 NKJV
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No matter at what age we put our trust in Jesus as Savior, God gave us His Holy Spirit. In fact Paul tells us, “if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” As we grow in our understanding of God’s Word, we become more and more aware of the significance of the presence of the Spirit in our lives.

THE SPIRIT BEARS WITNESS:
One of the first things the Holy Spirit does in us when we become believers is, “He bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God.” When we put our faith in Christ we believed the promise that we had become children of God. The Holy Spirit speaks to our spirit reaffirming the truth that we indeed are children of God – in fact we have been officially adopted as joint heirs with His only begotten Son. And now, like His only begotten, we can call God Abba, Father. (“Abba” is the Aramaic term for “Daddy”) - an indication of an incredibly intimate relationship!

THE SPIRIT IS OUR SEAL:
Paul writing to the Ephesians said, “having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” In ancient times a king marked important documents with the imprint of his signet ring. The “seal” was a sign that the document was authentic. When timbers were shipped, the buyer’s “seal” was imprinted on each log, signifying ownership. A similar practice takes place in cattle country where ranchers brand their cattle and ship them to market. At market they are mixed with other cattle, but the brand or “seal” always settles the issue of ownership. The Holy Spirit living in us is God’s authentic seal which settles the question of ownership! We belong to God!!

THE SPIRIT IS THE DOWN PAYMENT:
When Paul wrote the Ephesians, “having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise,” he added, “who is the guarantee (down payment or first installment) of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.” Making a down payment on a house implies that we will make full payment in the future. By giving us the Holy Spirit, God has given us the first installment of our inheritance and has committed Himself to give us the rest of it in the future. Presently we experience only part of it, but in the future we will have it all to enjoy forever! What a matchless secure inheritance!!