Did You Receive When You Believed?

The Way into the Riches of God

What is the way into God's provision for us in His Spirit? A good place to begin is with the statement of Jesus already quoted from John 7:37. Jesus said, "Thirst, come, and drink." If we are not thirsty for more than we have, I sincerely doubt that we will seek more. A man who is thirsty looks for water. Are we thirsty, or are we satisfied with our present experience of God? If we are thirsty for more, here is what Jesus says to do: "Come to Me."

What does it mean to come to Jesus? We may feel that we already have, and I am sure that most who are reading this have initially done so. But throughout scripture we find that God bids us to "come" and "keep coming." In the words of Jesus in John 15: "Abide or live in Me." Our objective throughout our whole life is a greater apprehension and experience of Christ Jesus our Lord. There is no end to this pursuit because there is no end to Christ. God is summing up all things in Christ, and all spiritual reality is to be found in union with Christ. The baptism with the Holy Spirit by Jesus brings us into that union initially, and as we respond to the Holy Spirit, our relationship grows in a never-ending way.

What does Jesus mean by "drink"? When we drink a glass of water, we take it into ourselves. The water becomes part of us. We do not just look at the glass of water--to benefit, we must take it in. It is the same with the Spirit. We must "take Him in." We must receive. God does not force the Holy Spirit upon us. He has made the union available to us, but we must willingly yield ourselves and receive Him. We can choose to receive or choose to reject. God has made us with the ability to choose, but He does not force how we choose.

To say this another way, Paul says that faith comes by hearing and hearing by the word of God (Rom. 10:17). When we focus on Jesus (the living Word), we can expect Him to "speak" the Word of God to us. In the word that He speaks, there is direction, and a response is required. Faith is always completed by obedience. Each step of obedience brings us to a new place in God where we are able to receive more.

There are so many scripture passages that speak of the riches that God has opened up to us in Christ, such as: "In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace which He made to abound toward us in all wisdom and prudence, having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself, that in the dispensation of the fullness of the times He might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth--in Him. In Him also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestined according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His will, that we who first trusted in Christ should be to the praise of His glory. In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise..." (Eph. 1:7-13)

Whenever we see the term "in Christ Jesus," we can almost always read it "in union with Christ Jesus," and it is the Holy Spirit who accomplishes that union. That is why Paul says that we were "sealed" (or "stamped" or "secured") with the Holy Spirit of promise. This encouragement and similar passages were written to those who had received the Holy Spirit during their initial response to the Lord. In the book of Acts, we see that repentance, believing in Jesus for the forgiveness of sin, water baptism, and receiving the Spirit are all part of our beginning walk with God. This is what Peter told the crowd on the day of Pentecost: "'Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly that God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Christ.' Now when they heard this, they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, 'Men and brethren, what shall we do?' Then Peter said to them, 'Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit'" (Acts 2:36-38).

The way we come into an initial relationship with Jesus by the Spirit is the same way that we continue. Here are Paul's statements to the Galatians: "This only I want to learn from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?--" (Gal. 3:2) "Therefore He who supplies the Spirit to you and works miracles among you, does He do it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?" (Gal. 3:5). Thus, according to Paul, the way to receive the Spirit initially is "by the hearing of faith" and the way to know a supply of the Spirit is the same, namely "the hearing of faith." Jesus is the author of our faith and the finisher of our faith, so we come to Jesus for the faith we need to receive the Spirit, and He is the one who will complete the transaction by giving us the Spirit. It is the presence of the Holy Spirit within that gives us the ability to make Jesus our Lord in reality: "Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:3).

Next: The Evidence of Spiritual Baptism