Replies

Cvengr, thank you for posting those excellent additions to our discussion on the person and work of the Holy Spirit.

For sake of clarity, I think your point that "salvation itself is evidence of that indwelling [of the Holy Spirit]" is an excellent one, but it would help to have some scriptural passages to demonstrate this. Personally, I have not come across any passages that clearly promises the indwelling of the Holy Spirit upon salvation, but the lack of scripture on this point does not mean that it does not occur.

However, we do have several Biblical accounts of people who put their faith in Christ without the benefit of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. This took place while Jesus was on earth, and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit was yet to be given. So it certainly is possible, from a scriptural standpoint, to believe in Jesus and yet not have the benefit of the indwelling of the Spirit!

Now, did that change after Pentecost? The answer is clearly "no." As evidence, we have Acts 8, where we have people who put their faith in Jesus, but did not receive the Holy Spirit! It was only after they were specifically prayed for that they received it:

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria.
He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, “This man is the divine power known as the Great Power.”
They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his magic. But when they believed Philip as he preached the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women.
Simon himself believed and was baptized [by water]. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw.
When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to them.
When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus.
Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit.
- Acts 8:9-17 NIV

In this passage, and many others, the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a distinct event from believing in the gospel and water baptism.

In fact, in charismatic/pentecostal meetings around the world, this is still the case. People will put their faith in Jesus, get water baptized, and will receive prayer for the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is never assumed that the Holy Spirit is given simply via belief in the gospel message.

I personally believe it is a terrible presumption to assume that someone has recieved the indwelling Holy Spirit upon their intellectual acceptance of Jesus. We have no passages of scripture that promise this, and it is not wise to believe in a promise from God that scripture does not fully support.

But scripture does support the idea that the Holy Spirit will be poured out if one specifically asks for Him in prayer, or if someone prays for you to recieve Him who already has the indwelling.

Now in Paul's epistles, he speaks as if the believers he is writing to recieved the indwelling of the Holy Spirit upon their acceptance of the gospel. However, this is not proof that it happens this way. The simple truth is we don't know how, exactly, these people received the Holy Spirit. Was it poured out upon them when they believed the gospel? Was it given to them as Paul and his helpers prayed for people? Paul doesn't say. And since Paul does not discuss exactly how people received the Holy Spirit, his letters do not give us any reassurance that the Spirit is given simply upon intellectual acceptance of Jesus.

However, as you correctly point out, Paul's letters do give us insight as to certain aspects of theology surrrounding the work of the Holy Spirit, especially in regards to sealing.