How to Receive the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is no small matter in the Christian life. Without Him, you don’t belong to Christ—plain and simple. Romans 8:9 says, “Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his” (see also 2Ti 2:19). He’s the one who baptizes you into Christ’s body, as 1 Corinthians 12:13 declares, “By one Spirit are we all baptized into one body.” Without Him, you’re on the outside! Knowing how to receive the Spirit is crucial, but confusion abounds when people mash every Bible verse together concerning the Spirit without the proper context.
Some say we should just wait for Him, citing Luke 24:49 or Acts 1:4-8. Does it take tongues and miracles (Mark 16:17-18, Acts 2:4)? Water baptism (Acts 2:38)? Prayer or laying on of hands (Acts 4:31, Acts 8:14-17)? These mix-ups come from ignoring the dispensational context and the distinct gospel God gave us today.
Here’s the truth: under grace, receiving the Spirit is simple. Ephesians 1:13-14 tells us, “In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.” That gospel is Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection for the forgiveness of our sins (1Co 15:1-4). When you trust it, the Spirit seals you immediately—no works, no waiting.
Paul writes in Galatians 3:2 and Galatians 3:13-14, “Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?... Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree: That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.” Faith alone in the gospel of grace brings the Spirit.
Miss this, and the waters get muddy. Trust Christ’s finished work on the cross, and the Spirit is yours—guaranteed by God’s grace, not by what you do or don’t do.
