If the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, he who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit who dwells in you.
Romans 8:11 ESV
Recently, I was reading through Romans 8 again. I was reminded of a chorus we used to sing, something like, “If that same Spirit who raised Christ from the dead dwells in you, dwells in you, He will quicken your mortal body, if that Spirit dwells in you.” I was struck by the idea that the Person of the Holy Spirit, the One who hovered over the deep in the day of creation, the One who descended as a dove on Jesus at Jordan, and the One who exercised the power that brought Christ out of the grave is personally present inside of me. What does that even mean? It must be important because Paul prayed that the church at Ephesus would get a revelation of it:
I also pray that you will understand the incredible greatness of God’s power for us who believe him. This is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him in the place of honor at God’s right hand in the heavenly realms.
Ephesians 1:19-20 NLT
For many of us, the Spirit on the inside is a theory, a sentence in our creed or doctrinal statement. For others He is a little warm feeling when we sing familiar hymns. For some He is the goosebumps that occasionally come when we pray in tongues. I’m sure He is more than that.
He is God. He is a person, the 3rd Person of the Godhead. He is the One who is progressively and intentionally transforming us into the image of Christ:
Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. And we, who with unveiled faces all reflect the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into His image with intensifying glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 BSB
He is the source of the assurance that we are saved by grace. He puts things directly into our hearts.
The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.
Romans 8:16 BSB
He is the One who reminds me that I belong to God. He prompts me to take care of this body. It is God’s property, and He is a live-in landlord, inspiring holy living from the inside out.
Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20 BSB
He is the One who gifts us to serve Jesus in concert with other believers. My every ability is by His provision. He decides, provides, then reveals it through me.
All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, who apportions them to each one as He determines.
1 Corinthians 12:11 BSB
He is the same Spirit that moved in the tabernacle like a cloud of glory. When we gather as God’s people, He is present in each and every one of us. He has prepared and equipped us for this moment. He moves among us connecting us with one another to construct a holy residence for God in the earth realm. It is a temple where He can display His glory in a truly unique and miraculous way. It is a sacred space.
In Him the whole building is fitted together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together into a dwelling place for God in His Spirit.
Ephesians 2:21-22 BSB
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