7.2 The Spirit of Christ indwells you - the New Covenant believer

Jesus told His disciples that it was better for Him to leave them. The disciples would rather cling on to Jesus. They depended on Him and they needed Him. Why did Jesus make such a statement? This is because if Jesus could complete His mission on the cross, He could come back in a different form – to live in every believer. When this happens, He would no longer be limited to one place at a time. He could be in everyone at the same time.

(John 16:7)
Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you.

The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of Jesus. He is in no way inferior to Jesus. He is no less divine than Jesus. The only difference is that He comes in a different form. Rom 8:9 says, “Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.” The Holy Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ. We know we belong to Him because He lives in us.

You see, the Holy Spirit could not indwell the Old Testament believer because of sin. In fact, no man attained to righteousness under the law. No one kept the law perfectly. Jesus had to go to the cross to pay for the sins of mankind and to give us His gift of righteousness. Once we have received this gift of righteousness by receiving Jesus, He can come to indwell us through His Spirit.

The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is a promise only for the New Covenant believer. Old Covenant believers never had that privilege. They never understood how it could happen. That is why this is called a mystery. Today, we are blessed and we are privileged.

In the Old Testament, God’s presence was found only in the Holy of Holies of the Temple. In the Gospels, Jesus came out from the Holy of Holies in heaven to walk among men. In the New Covenant, God lives in us – the living temple of God - through the Holy Spirit.

But many Christians are not even aware that the Holy Spirit lives in them. Some are not conscious of His presence. Others have not experienced being led by the Spirit, or the provisions of His power. When we do not embrace the ministry of the Holy Spirit, we are not living the way that God had designed us to live. Living by our own strength is simply living according to the system of the Old Covenant which results in failure.

Jesus says He stands at the door and knocks. This verse is talking about believers and the church. He wants Christians to let Him commune with them, and to let His Spirit rule in their lives. Declare, “It’s no longer I who lives but Christ lives in me.”