Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.
1 Corinthians 6:19There is a verse in First Corinthians that I have read hundreds of times, but one day it stopped me cold. I was reading along, and suddenly the words jumped off the page.
Your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Who is in you. Whom you have received from God.
I want you to notice the specific language. Not "the Holy Spirit is with you." Not "the Holy Spirit is near you." Not "the Holy Spirit helps you sometimes when you ask."
He is IN you. He lives in you. He has taken up residence in you.
That is not a small thing. That is the most radical truth in all of Christianity.
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Now if we are children, then we are heirs, heirs of God and co-heirs with Christ.
Romans 8:16-17What Does It Mean?
When the Holy Spirit comes to live in you, something supernatural happens. The Spirit of the living God, the same Spirit who hovered over the waters at creation, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, the same Spirit who empowers the universe, takes up residence in your mortal body.
Think about that for a moment. The God of the universe lives in you. Not visits. Lives. Resides. Dwells.
This is not metaphorical. This is not poetic. This is literal reality. The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, the Spirit of the Father and the Son, lives in every believer.
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit. There is a conversation happening inside you. The Holy Spirit is talking to your spirit. That is what happens when the Spirit lives in you.
The Implications
Here is what this means practically. You are never alone. Never. Not in your darkest moment. Not in your most isolated hour. The Holy Spirit is with you. In you.
You do not need to conjure up God's presence. He is already there. You do not need to work up a feeling of His closeness. He is closer than your next breath.
And here is what else it means. You are not your own. Paul says it clearly. You were bought with a price. Your body, which houses the Holy Spirit, belongs to God.
This changes how you treat your body. What you put in it. What you do with it. It is not just yours anymore. It is His temple.
Your body is a living sacrifice. Your body is holy and pleasing to God. Your body is where He lives.
The Gift You Did Not Earn
One of the most remarkable things about the indwelling Spirit is that you did not earn Him. You did not work for Him. You did not deserve Him.
He was given to you. Freely. By grace.
Jesus promised this. He said He would not leave the disciples as orphans. He would send another Advocate. And that Advocate would live with them and in them.
Rivers of living water flowing from within them. That is what Jesus promised. And that is what you have received.
The Spirit of the living God, living in you, flowing out of you, producing life wherever He goes.
That is who you are. That is who He is in you.
✦ A Moment to Sit With
What would change if you truly believed that the Holy Spirit lives inside you? Not that He is nearby. Not that He is available if you ask. That He actually lives in you, right now, in this moment?
✦ ✦ ✦
Father, I am overwhelmed by the truth that You live in me. The Spirit of the living God, the same Spirit who raised Jesus from the dead, dwells in my body. I am not alone. I have never been alone. You are in me, and I am in You. Help me to live like this is true. Help me to treat my body as Your temple. Help me to listen to the Spirit who lives in me. Amen.
Tomorrow we are going to tackle one of the most controversial topics in the church: the gifts of the Spirit. All nine of them. Why the church is afraid of them and what they look like when they are operating the way God intended.
With honesty and hope,
Claire