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The Indwelling Presence of Christ Through the Holy Spirit

Who is the person actually dwelling within the heart of a believer?

AdventAI

The Holy Spirit is said to be a person, a divine person, a divine personality ... according to Ellen White. Who then, specifically, is this indwelling "person" according to Scripture alone, who is it that dwells within us and makes us partakers of the divine nature?

AdventAI

The indwelling presence that transforms us and makes us partakers of the divine nature is Jesus Christ Himself, acting through the agency of the Holy Spirit. 🌟

To understand this beautiful mystery, we must look at how the Scriptures describe the relationship between Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the believer. In this Bible study, we will see that while there are three living persons in the heavenly trio—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit Matthew 28:19—the Spirit comes to us as the personal presence of Christ.

1. Christ as the Indwelling Life

The Scriptures are very clear that the goal of the Christian experience is to have Christ living within the heart. This is not a mere feeling, but a literal connection where His life becomes our life.

  • Christ in You: The great mystery of the gospel is "Christ in you, the hope of glory" Colossians 1:27.

  • The Source of Power: Paul describes his own experience by saying, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me" Galatians 2:20.

  • The Door of the Heart: Jesus personally invites us to this union, saying, "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him" Revelation 3:20.

2. The Holy Spirit as Christ’s Representative

Jesus explained to His disciples that He would not leave them comfortless. While His physical humanity ascended to heaven, He returns to us through the Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the "Comforter" who brings the actual presence of Jesus to the soul.

  • The Manifestation of Christ: Jesus said of the Spirit, "I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you" John 14:18. He further explained that the Spirit "shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you" John 16:14.

  • A Divine Unity: The Spirit is the "Spirit of Christ" Romans 8:9. When the Spirit dwells in you, it is the means by which "Christ is in you" Romans 8:10.

  • The Anointing: Just as Jesus was "anointed... with the Holy Ghost and with power" Acts 10:38 to fulfill His mission, He shares that same Spirit with us so we can reflect His character.

3. Becoming Partakers of the Divine Nature

The purpose of this indwelling is to restore the image of God in humanity. By having the mind and Spirit of Christ within us, we are elevated above our natural, sinful inclinations. 🌿

  • The Precious Promises: We are given "exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" 2 Peter 1:4.

  • A New Birth: This process requires being "born of the Spirit" John 3:8, which creates a new nature within us.

  • The Fruit of the Union: When we "abide in the vine" John 15:4, Christ’s own life-blood flows into our souls, enabling us to "bring forth much fruit" John 15:5. Without this direct connection to Him, we can do nothing.

4. The Result of the Indwelling Presence

When Jesus dwells in the innermost being through the Holy Spirit, He sanctifies and ennobles our human nature with His own divine attributes.

  • The Temple of God: Your body becomes a "temple of the Holy Ghost" 1 Corinthians 6:19, a sacred place where God Himself dwells.

  • Unity with the Godhead: Through this indwelling, we are brought into a fellowship so close that Jesus prays we may be one with Him and the Father, "as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee" John 17:21.

In summary, the "person" who dwells within you is the Lord Jesus Christ, reaching you through His representative, the Holy Spirit. He is the one who purifies the soul, works by love, and conforms you to His own beautiful likeness John 14:23. 🙏

Is the Holy Spirit called the representative of Christ because the Spirit represents the man Christ Jesus who is in heaven yet He is present with us by the omnipresence of His own divine Life or Spirit?

AdventAI

Yes, the Holy Spirit is the personal presence of Jesus Christ, as the Savior is present with His people through His representative while His humanity remains in the heavenly sanctuary. While Christ is the minister in the sanctuary above, He is also, through His delegates and the agency of the Spirit, the minister of His church on earth. This indwelling presence is the divine life of Christ Himself, for He promised His disciples that He would be with them always, even unto the end of the world Matthew 28:20.

The Nature of Christ’s Presence

Jesus Christ, our Great High Priest, has not left us as orphans but remains our constant support through the Spirit. This relationship reveals the beautiful mystery of His character:

  • A Personal Presence: Christ is with His people through His representative, and the voice of the Savior is to be heard in those He sends.

  • The Spirit of Christ: The Holy Spirit is specifically called the Spirit of Christ, and it is by this Spirit that we are armed with more than mortal energy.

  • Combining Humanity and Divinity: While on earth, Christ retained His divine nature while living in the guise of humanity, and He continues to unite His divine-human nature to the humble, believing soul.

How We Become Partakers of the Divine Nature

Becoming a partaker of the divine nature is the highest form of education and the only way to gain victory over sin. This occurs as we allow the life of Christ to flow into our own:

  • A Spiritual Union: Just as a branch is united to the vine, the soul that is one with Christ absorbs the elements of His life.

  • Transforming the Character: By partaking of the Spirit of God and conforming to His law, man becomes a partaker of the divine nature, and his crooked human peculiarities disappear.

  • Escaping Corruption: Through the provisions Christ made, every facility is provided so that human nature can come into union with His divine nature to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust 2 Peter 1:4.

The Mission of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit acts as Christ's representative to fulfill the work of redemption in the heart of the believer.

  • Guidance into Truth: The Spirit of truth guides us into all truth and glorifies Christ by taking of His things and showing them to us John 15:26.

  • A Sustaining Power: Christ was sustained in His earthly conflict by divine power, and man is sustained in the same way by being a partaker of the divine nature.

  • Restoring the Image of God: The only model for human character is the character of Christ, and the Holy Spirit works to reflect His image in the polished character of the human agent.

When we submit to Christ, His righteousness is placed on our side, and our very lives are hid with Him in God. By this divine connection, Christ is made all in all, and we are enabled to represent His character to a world in need.

Sources · 20
  1. 1TT 523.1Testimony Treasures, vol. 1Ellen Gould White
  2. T30 7.1Testimony for the Church — No. 30Ellen Gould White
  3. Ev 15.2EvangelismEllen Gould White
  4. 5MR 10.1Manuscript Releases, vol. 5 [Nos. 260-346]Ellen Gould White
  5. RH January 27, 1903, Art. A, par. 9The Review and HeraldEllen Gould White
  6. Ev 616.4EvangelismEllen Gould White
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  8. Te 124.4TemperanceEllen Gould White
  9. 21LtMs, Ms 145, 1906, par. 13Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 21 (1906)Ellen Gould White
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  11. KC 47.6The Kress CollectionEllen Gould White
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  13. 18LtMs, Ms 111, 1903, par. 9Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 18 (1903)Ellen Gould White
  14. 6MR 112.1Manuscript Releases, vol. 6 [Nos. 347-418]Ellen Gould White
  15. 16MR 183.3Manuscript Releases, vol. 16 [Nos. 1186-1235]Ellen Gould White
  16. YI January 3, 1895, par. 4The Youth’s InstructorEllen Gould White
  17. 6LtMs, Lt 15a, 1890, par. 29Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 6 (1889-1890)Ellen Gould White
  18. 9LtMs, Lt 13, 1894, par. 14Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 9 (1894)Ellen Gould White
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Is it true and biblical that the Holy Spirit, which is the very life and omni(presence) of God the Father, which is called the Spirit of God, proceeds from God the Father (the Source of all being) and dwells fully in the person of His only begotten Son, and through the Son (the divine Channel), comes to us in the name of the Son, as the Spirit of Christ, the indwelling omnipresence, the Spirit and Life, of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?

AdventAI

Amen! This understanding is absolutely true and biblical, revealing the beautiful and perfect harmony of the plan of redemption. 🌟

The Scriptures teach that all revealed light and truth proceed from the Father, who is the Christian’s lawgiver John 14:26. This divine life and Spirit flows from the Father, the Source of all, dwells in the Son, and is imparted to us as the personal presence and life of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

1. The Father as the Source of All

The Bible identifies the Father as the ultimate Source from whom all things proceed. The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of the Father, His own personal presence and power.

  • The Proceeding Spirit: Jesus plainly stated, "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me" John 15:26.

  • The Father's Life: The Father has life in Himself, and He is the "one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all" Ephesians 4:6.

2. The Son as the Divine Channel

The only-begotten Son of God is the appointed channel through whom the Father’s life and Spirit reach the creation. The Father has given all things into the hands of His Son, including His own life-giving Spirit.

  • Life Given to the Son: "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself" John 5:26.

  • The Fullness of the Godhead: In Christ "dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily" Colossians 2:9. Because the Father's Spirit dwells fully in Him, He has the authority to breathe that Spirit upon His followers.

  • The Circuit of Beneficence: Through the beloved Son, the Father's life flows out to all; and through the Son, it returns in praise and joyous service to the great Source of all John 8:28.

3. The Spirit of Christ in Us

Because the Son is the "express image" of the Father's person Hebrews 1:3, the Spirit that proceeds from the Father and dwells in the Son comes to us in the name of the Son. This is why the Holy Spirit is called both the "Spirit of God" and the "Spirit of Christ" Romans 8:9.

  • Sent in Jesus' Name: Jesus promised, "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things" John 14:26.

  • The Presence of Jesus: This is how Jesus fulfills His promise, "Lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world" Matthew 28:20. He is not with us in His physical humanity, which is in the heavenly sanctuary, but through His own divine Spirit and life.

  • Spirit and Life: Jesus explained that the words He speaks to us "are spirit, and they are life" John 6:63. When we receive the Spirit, we are receiving the "unborrowed, underived" life of Christ John 1:4.

4. A Personal Relation to a Living Saviour

This truth is not merely a technicality of doctrine; it is the foundation of our personal relationship with God. The Holy Spirit establishes a bond of relationship, the "Spirit of adoption," whereby we cry, "Abba, Father" Galatians 4:6.

  • Partakers of the Divine Nature: By receiving this indwelling omnipresence, we are made "partakers of the divine nature" 2 Peter 1:4.

  • The Spirit's Agency: It is the Spirit's work to regenerate the heart and "fix the affections of men" upon the eternal inheritance. Without this agency, the sacrifice of Christ would have been of no avail to us personally.

The Godhead—the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit—all work together in this divine arrangement for your salvation. You are invited to enter into a covenant with these three heavenly powers through baptism, knowing that they are pledged to give you more than mortal energy to overcome every temptation Matthew 28:19. 🙏✨