Part 7 of 12 – Intimacy with God by “The Spirit,” Which Is Christ Dwelling In You

This Article is part of a multi-part Study Series called The Spirit Of Life In Christ Jesus.

Paul here below proclaims the truth of Christ’s indwelling by using the words “Christ in you,” “the Spirit of God dwell in you… Christ be in you…, the Spirit of Him… dwell in you…, his Spirit that dwelleth in you,” and “The Lord Jesus Christ be (is) with thy spirit.”

Col. 1:27 To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles; which is Christ IN YOU, the hope of glory:

Romans 8:9-11 But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell IN YOU. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. 10 And if Christ be IN YOU, the body is dead because of sin; but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you.

2 Tim. 4:22 The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen.

But when exactly was it that “the Spirit (of Christ)” could first become as a “river of living water” IN believers? We can pinpoint the answer to this question by looking closely at John 7:38-39 (below), noting these verses as they appear in the King James (1611) Authorized Version of the Bible, comparing it with the Darby Bible and Greek Interlinear.

John 7:38-39 (KJV) He that believeth (trust in) on me (Jesus), as the scripture hath said, out of his belly (innermost being) shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)

John 7:38-39 (Darby) He that believes on me, as the scripture has said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 But this he said concerning the Spirit, which they that believed on him were about to receive; for [THE] SPIRIT WAS NOT YET, because JESUS HAD NOT YET BEEN GLORIFIED.

Verse 39 in the two versions reveals that “the Spirit” and the “Holy Ghost” are one in the same. But, most central to my thought here is that verse 39  confirms that Jesus had to fully complete God’s eternally planned process unto glorification before Jesus could be available in spirit-form as “the Spirit of life” to indwell believers. Note that the word “given” in verse 39 of the KJV is italicized. This indicates that “given” was added by the translators. It was erroneous to add the word “given” because it does not appear in the oldest manuscripts, and as seen in the “Greek-English Interlinear New Testament.” We may better note the significance of this verse when we look at this portion as it properly appears in the Darby Bible (above); [the] Spirit was not yet, because Jesus had not yet been glorified.

Verse 39 then indicates that there could be no Spirit of Christ available as He is today, as “a flowing river of living water”UNTIL Jesus in His humanity, as the “Son of man,” was fully processed by resurrecting and ascending to the Father and being “GLORIFIED.This God-ordained process began with Jesus’ incarnation and ended with His “glorification.” Only then could He, as “the Spirit of life,” be available to indwell believer’s spirits.

The processing of the Godhead that was in Jesus of Nazareth came to full fruition via His incarnation, death and resurrection, but it was not complete until Jesus was ultimately “glorified” in His ascension to the Father. Recall this verse; “Jesus saith unto her (Mary Magdalene), Touch me not; for I am not yet ASCENDED TO MY FATHER…” (John 20:17a). We know that “doubting Thomas” was later in fact allowed to touch the then glorified Lord Jesus (John 20:26-28). This occurred AFTER Jesus had ascended to the Father and had returned to earth for forty days. Thus, it is clear that there could be no union by “the Spirit of Christ” indwelling believers until Jesus had first ascended to the Father as the glorified Lord. The resurrected and ascended Lord Jesus now is “the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2a, 2Cor 3:17a).

Upon His resurrection and ascension, Jesus returned to “breathe” upon the believing disciples of the little flock.”  This was Jesus imparting His own “Spirit of life” into them.

John 20:22 when he had said this, he (Jesus) breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Spirit.

Note that the word “spirit” here is also translated “breath” - Greek 4151, Strong’s “pneuma”, pnyoo’-mah; from Greek 4154 (pneo); a current of air, i.e. breath (blast) or a breeze).

Jesus’ imparted “breath” then is nothing less than “the Holy Spirit,” the one “Spirit of God” that now is “the Spirit of Christ,” being dispensed into the Messianic disciples (1John 4:13).

The “Spirit of life (Zoe) in Christ Jesus” (Rom 8:2a) first became available to be dispensed into the human spirits of the men of this “little flock” of Jewish Messianic believers to whom Jesus had said it was the Father’s good pleasure to give them “the kingdom” (Luke 12:32) on earth. The “little flock” consisted of these Israelites who believed “this gospel of the kingdom(Matt 24:14) that Jesus declared as being “at hand.” They believed Jesus was the Messiah, the Son of God. (You should note that at that time there was no preaching of “the cross” as the source for redemption and reconciliation for man. The significance of “the cross” was first revealed to the Apostle Paul. By contrast, Peter did not know and therefore could not preach the meaning of the cross when he preached on the day of Pentecost. Later however, Peter noted Paul’s wisdom and epistles in 2 Peter 3:15-16, strongly commending them to be read.)

The time of the “little flock” as regenerated spirit-birthed Messianic believers extended from the time of John 20:22 through the ministry of “the twelve” in early Acts period; until the time that Israel became “blinded” (Rom 11:25). Israel’s blinding is seen symbolically when Paul first preached his new pure grace gospel in Antioch (see Acts 13). Paul had gone to the Jews “first,” but upon the Jews rejection of his gospel message, Paul said; seeing ye put it from youlo, WE TURN TO THE GENTILES.”

Acts 13:46 Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you (Jews of the Synagogue): but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, WE TURN TO THE GENTILES.

In John 20:22 we have the account of the receiving of Christ’s Spirit by the in-breathing or in-taking of the primary “Spirit of life in Christ Jesus.” This begins to fulfill the Ezekiel 36:37 promise of God to Israel. The in-breathing of Christ’s “Spirit of life” in John 20:22 should not be confused with the Acts 2 Pentecostal “baptism in the Holy Spirit.” The so-called “baptism in the Holy Spirit” was something different – it was an experience of the Holy Spirit given to come upon the Messianic Jewish “little flock” of believers so as to empower them to be capable witnesses, able to preach and offer “the kingdom” that had been long promised to Abraham’s seed. They were to preach “the kingdom” only to the lost sheep of Israel as Jesus had instructed them. “These twelve Jesus sent out with the following instructions: “Do not go among the Gentiles or enter any town of the Samaritans. 6 Go rather to the lost sheep of Israel (Matthew 10:5-6) This “kingdom” message was for Israel only, not for the Gentile “body of Christ” that had not yet come to existence.

Twice Jesus spoke before Pentecost, telling his Jewish disciples they would soon be clothed upon with the Holy Spirit – “the Spirit” would come “upon” them, not “in them.

 “And, behold, I send the promise of my Father UPON YOU: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued (Gk., enduo, clothed) with power from on high.” (Luke 24:49)

“(Jesus said) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come UPON YOU …” (Acts 1:8)

Note that the word “endued” in Luke 24:49 is the Greek enduo, meaning “clothed.”

Question: Do you wear clothing on the outside or the inside? Outside of course. Words mean something; “upon” and “in” are two different things.

The Pentecostal experience of Acts chapter 2 was the Spirit’s temporal or transitory POWER coming “upon” the Messianic believers who would then preach and offer “the kingdom” on earth to Israel. This power was given for them to boldly preach “the gospel of the Kingdom” as had been long promised to and for Abraham’s seed – not the Gentiles. Again, this was not the coming of the “Spirit of Christ” to indwell the Messianic disciples to be their new life. Rather it was the influence of the Holy Spirit to clothe these disciples with “power” to be witnesses with “signs.” Paul said “the Jews require a sign” (1Cor 1:22).

The “dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph 3:2) for today, was first revealed by the ascended Christ to Paul, being predominantly aimed at the Gentiles, as members of “the body of Christ.” Today, under Paul’s “gospel of the grace of God” for today, ALL” (Jew & Gentile alike) may be saved today on the very same basis of grace through faith alone.

For God hath concluded them ALL (Jew and Gentile) in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon ALL.” (Romans 11:32)

In fact, no Israelite could practice Judaism today since there is no more Jerusalem Temple on the Holy Mount and no Priesthood to make sacrifices. The Temple and priesthood vanished with the destruction of the second Temple (Herod’s Temple) in 70 AD, under Titus, the Emperor of Rome.

Today, under Paul’s mystery “gospel of the grace of God,” Christ’s “Spirit of life” indwells both believing Jews and believing Gentiles (Gal 3:28), who are saved by grace through faith alone, to be their new indwelling life (Col 3:4a). Without distinction, ALL men must come to the foot of the cross on the very same basis – as sinners needing reconciliation and salvation. Then they are “one in Christ.”