The Witness of the Holy Spirit in Man

The spirit of man is indeed the whisper of God. Our Creator “breathed” into Adam the “breath of life” and Adam “became a living soul”. (Genesis 2:7) Sin invaded Adam’s life and Adam died spiritually, and later physically, and we inherited this fallen nature. The breath or whisper of God is still present, but it is dead in trespasses and sins. Our spirit must be renewed in the Holy Ghost or we remain dead and lost. The Apostle Paul spelled out this wonderful work of renewal by the Holy Ghost. He said “Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost; which he shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Saviour.” (Titus 3:5-6). There is no other way for any individual to know God and be redeemed from sin but by this incredible “New Birth”.

When a man or woman is “Born Again”, their life is literally invaded by the Spirit of God and the life of God is infused into their human spirit. This person is immediately, that very split second, a new creature in Christ. Old things of the sin life pass away and become repugnant to them. The pure Word of God says it best, “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.” (II Cor. 5:17) The resultant life is beautiful indeed. As newborn babies, they are instructed, “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby”. (I Peter 2:2) The new life multiplies as the young believer seeks after God in the Scripture and in consecrated prayer. Peter further instructed, “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.” “ But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.” (I Peter 2:5,9) I experienced this new life fifty-one years ago and it gets sweeter every day.

The wonderful life in the Holy Ghost can only increase and grow as we yield to the Spirit of God in careful harmony with the Word. There are religious spirits that seek constantly to turn the believer aside from this straight and narrow way. (Every fallen angel is a religious spirit.) We are taught to “try the spirits”. “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” (I John 4:1)

The Christian life is a careful balance between thousands of extremes and only consecrated lives can find that balance. There is a multitude of good people in our churches that are rendered helpless by the lack of devotion to spiritual things. This is the very purpose of the “Salty Saints” weekly inspiration.

Could I ask all of our readers to study the book of I Corinthians with me? Notice what the Apostle Paul said to these believers at Corinth. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” (I Cor 2:14-15)

The spiritual life is God’s gift to you but it will never be forced. You cannot know the joyous life of “living in the Spirit” unless you abandon yourself to that life. The Holy Spirit alone working in you will reveal the deep things of God. This life will never be experienced by just church attendance or doing religious activities. It is the result of waiting before God in yielded surrender. Our God reveals this life as we “hunger and thirst after His righteousness.” Again the Apostle said, “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.” (I Cor 2:10,11)

Remember two words, “But God”. Self-righteousness quickly becomes legalistic and self-induced. Spiritually, self-righteousness is “filthy rags”. “But God” is fully committed by His Spirit to perform His Sanctification in you and “His Nature” will be imparted into “your spirit”. The beauty of a saintly life will become as natural as the sin life was natural in the past. There is no put-on in a genuine “Spirit-filled” life. It is “joy unspeakable and full of glory.” (I Peter 1:8)

Joseph