GOD IS LOVE Devotion 20 of 34 "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, BECAUSE HE HAS GIVEN US OF HIS SPIRIT." (1 John 4:13) – Tomorrow:
"He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love . . . God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:9,16)
Those who are unschooled in the heavenly Kingdom cannot be satisfied with this statement. It seems too simplistic, and as though critical information is missing. The statement does not satisfy the scholar or the pragmatist. The surface commentator sees a need to apply extensive explanations to the text. The institutional man simply ignores the text. It is beyond him.
The Spirit is not seeking to help us formulate a concise catechism of Biblical doctrine. He is bringing us to the indispensable knowledge that we possess eternal life. Thus He speaks in family language of things that can only be known by the "household of faith."
It is very true that the presence of the Holy Spirit can be, to some degree, determined by His fruit – but that is not the point of this particular text. The point is not the evidence of the Holy Spirit, but the confirmation that we are in God and God is in us. That reciprocal indwelling is profound, yet very real. Only those in the described condition are able to comprehend what the text is saying. It is not intended to be something debated, or a subject on which human opinions are tossed back and forth.
It is possible to live close enough to God to know things otherwise unknowable. It is also possible to be so sensitive to the Divine working, and so acquainted with the manner of the Kingdom, that we can trace, or recognize, the presence of Deity. Jacob knew He had confronted the Lord, but only AFTER the fact. Therefore he said, "I have seen God face to face, and my life is preserved" (Gen 32:30). Our text is speaking of a more immediate knowledge, something perceived more by experience than analysis – like knowing you have been burned, or rescued, or healed. John is not trying to convince us we have the Holy Spirit, but reasoning with those who already know this is the case.
Hear it again "By this we know that we abide in Him, and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit." While men debate whether or not God gives of His Spirit to His children, our text affirms some KNOW this to be the case. Those are the ones with whom John is reasoning – showing them they have eternal life. For those who are genuinely in Christ, yet are not conscious of the Spirit within them, another type of appeal is made (1 Cor 6:19; Gal 4:6).
"OF HIS SPIRIT"
All major translations, including nearly everyone within the last fifty years, read the same way: "OF His Spirit." Among the only exceptions are the following: "given us a share in His Spirit" (NJB), and "and His Spirit which he has given us is the witness that we are in him and he is in us" (BBE). Why not simply say He has given us His Holy Spirit? Why say He has given us "OF His Spirit?"
While it is a technical point, it is an essential one to see. We have received the Spirit BY MEASURE, as distinguished from Jesus, to whom the Spirit was "NOT" given by measure. As it is written, "For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does NOT give the Spirit by measure" (John 3:34). Other versions read "without measure" (NASB) and "without limit" (NIV). Only in Christ could "all fulness dwell" (Col 1:19; 2:9). It is not possible for us to receive more than a PORTION of the Spirit. That is a condition reserved for Jesus alone. Were we able to receive the Spirit in all of His fulness, we would have no need for an Intercessor in heaven (Heb 7:25). This limitation is owing to our present condition: "we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us" (2 Cor 4:7). It might be countered that Jesus had a body as well. However, our Lord had "no sin" (2 Cor 5:21; 1 Pet 2:22; 1 John 3:5), and, when it comes to men, that can only be said of Him. Our "vile body" (Phil 3:21) accounts for WHY we have received "OF His Holy Spirit." The meaning is not that we have received something FROM the Spirit, but that we have received a measure OF the Spirit.
The Spirit bears witness with our spirit, testifying "that we are the children of God" (Rom 8:16). Precisely how that witness is accomplished is not spelled out in Scripture, but those who have the witness can know it. Just as a radio can be tuned to a specific station, so the heart can be so tuned as to become aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit within. He is a gift from God, and makes us equal to the challenges of living by faith. How blessed, indeed, to possess such wonderful knowledge! Rejoice in it, and give thanks to God for it.
Let those who believe the Word of God seek for the knowledge of this situation: "We know that we live in Him and He in us, because He has given us of His Spirit" (NIV). There is no question about God giving His Holy Spirit to His children. This is repeatedly stated in His Word. "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts . . . Now he that hath wrought us for the selfsame thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit. . . God, who hath also given unto us his holy Spirit . . . And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father . . . And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (2 Cor 1:22; 5:5; 1 Thess 4:8; Gal 4:6; 1 John 3:24). What a marvelous provision we have in the Holy Spirit! May we speak more often of it to each other.
Do not merely seek for a sign of His presence, but for the spiritual knowledge of it. The most powerful evidence of the presence of the Spirit is not to be found in the flesh, but in your spirit. That is the part of you to which the Spirit bears witness (Rom 8:16). That witness can be both received and known. There is no point to a witness that cannot be perceived, or yields not benefits.
PRAYER POINT: Father, in the name of Jesus, rid me of everything that would hinder me from being sensitive to the indwelling of Your Holy Spirit. Free me from anything that would move me to philosophize concerning such a wondrous gift.