THIS HOLY SPIRIT - 6

'THE HOLY SPIRIT AND SIN'

It is commonly believed that the Holy Spirit and sin are opposites, and that when you commit a sin, you chase him out. Although this is true to some extent, however, according to the written word, it is not totally true. The Holy Spirit does not go in and out every time you sin. But before you raise an eyebrow, let us discuss further.

Now, in the last lesson, we discussed that every believer has the Holy Spirit. And that this Holy Spirit is God dwelling inside the body of the believer. Again we discussed that the Holy Spirit is not just dwelling in the believer, the main purpose of the Holy Spirit is to seal the believer, and to seal them for ever. This is because God's intention is to have a people for himself, sons and daughters who will be his ambassadors for his Kingdom here on earth. So when you believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit.

See how Paul puts it...

Ephesians 1:13 "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also AFTER THAT ye believed, YE WERE SEALED with that holy Spirit of promise"

Again he repeatedly said it in 2 Cor 1:21-22 "Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God;  WHO HATH ALSO SEALED US, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts."

So God did not save you and leave you to struggle to make heaven, he sealed you.

Did you understand the word "seal" in both verses. In Greek it is "sfragidzo" and it means "to stamp for security or preservation". What does that tells you? You are God's own forever. A seal is majorly used by kings, to make a decree. When a matter is sealed, it cannot be changed. A seal is a done deal. God does not play games with you by saving you and leaving you to achieve some requirements again. He saves you to the uttermost (as the writer of Hebrews said). The Holy Ghost in you, is just the seal that God placed on your faith in Jesus Christ. That's why Paul said in the book of Romans that "If any man have not the spirit of Christ, he is none of his" and he said it again in the epistle to Timothy that "the Lord knoweth them that are his". The national identity card we all posses as Kingdom citizens is the Holy Spirit. If you don't have him, you are not of God.

It is in this light that we examine the reactions of the Holy Spirit towards us when we sin.

Now, in case you are reading this and you do not know, there is no sin whatsoever that can undo the believer's salvation. The believer is saved forever in Christ. This salvation is not based on works but on faith and faith in Christ only. That is why it cannot change. The bible teaches that a believer is dead to sin, sin does not have any effect on his salvation. The only sin that can make a believer loose their salvation is the sin against the Holy Ghost. This is the same sin that John calls "sin unto death". This is the only sin that can change a believer to a sinner.

Because a believer is not a sinner and a sinner is not a believer.

So when a believer sins (not unto death), or does something evil, they have done nothing wrong (to loose their salvation). To man, they have committed sin, but to God it is nothing. Sin is dead! Jesus Christ died as our sins on the Cross. We have been justified freely by his grace.

This however does not mean, God is happy with sin, only that we will not loose our salvation. Sin has natural consequences, we face it. This is the controversy we have, that whether we can continue to sin, and the answer is no! (see my teaching on SIN for more understanding).

Now, what about the Holy Ghost?

The Holy Spirit does not leave a believer when they sin or do any wrong. It is a lie from the pit of hell. It is one of the plot of the Kingdom of darkness to make the believer feel unloved or rejected. Satan makes you believe that the Holy Spirit has left you in other to make you feel guilty perpetually and condemned.

You see, one of the work of the Holy Spirit in your life is to help you overcome your weaknesses and imperfections. If a preacher now says he has left because you made one mistake, what then is his work?

If you want to overcome the devil and his pranks, stay with sound doctrine. The Holy Spirit stays with you, even in the middle of your mistakes and weaknesses. He never leaves. He is right there with you, to help you. He is the only one who can help you.

See how Paul puts it...in Philippians 1:6 "Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" That's the Holy Spirit. That's his job.

Again in Philippians 2:13 "For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure."

So, the holy spirit will never leave you or forsake you because you sin. You are his project, to bring you into perfection. And he will see it to the end.

Someone may say but Paul said "grieve not the Holy Spirit"...Yes you are right, the word "grieve" as used in that passage is the Greek word "lupeo" which means "to distress" or "to make sorry". If you read through the context of the passage in Ephesians 4 where that verse is taken, you will see that Paul was talking about "character and godliness", so Paul mean that, you should not make the Holy Spirit sorry or sad about you. That's all. Live in accordance with his will, he works in you to make you become the fullness of Christ, so don't do things against this to make him sorry. That's all! It does not mean, the Holy Spirit will leave you.

God bless you.