The Spirit of God Within

In the Name of the Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier

            A veterinarian tells about a client who brought a litter of golden retriever puppies to his veterinary clinic for inoculations and worming. As the look-alike pups squirmed over and under one another in their box, the vet realized it would be difficult to tell the treated ones from the rest. So he turned on the water faucet, wet his fingers, and moistened each dog’s head when he had finished with it.

             After the fourth puppy, he noticed his talkative client had grown silent. As he sprinkled the last pup’s head, the woman leaned forward and whispered, “I didn’t know they had to be baptized, too.”

             It’s a God-invaded world. When life gets crazy, when we are ready to despair that anything in life will work out, we remind ourselves with Martin Luther, “I have been baptized.” God is at work in the world. And God is present in our lives.

             The Apostle Paul came upon some people who had been baptized by John the Baptist. “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you were baptized?” he asked them. They had never heard of the Holy Spirit. So Paul explained to these disciples of John that John’s baptism was one of repentance. And repentance while it is not the total meaning of baptism is still important. In fact, it would be good if we reminded ourselves from time to time that baptism begins with repentance. 

            Baptism begins with repentance. Like it or not, we are held to a higher standard than those who have not been baptized. Certainly we have been saved by grace and not by works, but it is God’s will that we should shine a light into this world of darkness. That is why the Incarnation took place--to create a community of faith that would be God’s body in the world. When we who have been baptized live shoddy lives we bring dishonor on Christ’s body. Baptism begins with repentance. But it does not end there. Or else, John the Baptist would have been sufficient for the world. We would never have needed Jesus. Paul asks these followers of John the Baptist if they received the Holy Spirit at their baptism. John’s baptism had been one of repentance. 

            And that was good . . . as far as it goes. Certainly we all need to repent. But repentance is just one part of the Good News. The Good News in all of its fullness is that when we are baptized, the Holy Spirit of God comes into our lives to give us the resources we need to overcome whatever heartaches we might encounter. We might call this resource the unrecognized presence in many Christians’ lives. That is why many of us live lives that are so spiritually anemic. We have within us the awesome Spirit of the Almighty, and we are not even aware of it!

             I fear that all too often we look upon our baptism as merely a ritual--a formality--simply a symbol of our entering the Christian community.

             At our baptism, the Spirit of God came into our life. Now, many Christians separate baptism and the coming of the Spirit. These Christians await a second baptism--often a dramatic experience accompanied by signs and wonders. We have no quarrel with them. We simply believe that there is no need to separate the two. Every baptized person has the Spirit of God within.

             In Galatians 3: 26 and 27, St. Paul writes, “You are all [children] of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.”

             Scholars tell us that the word “clothed” referred to a robe or toga. The Romans had a practice where, when a young man reached the age of maturity, he went through a ceremony in which he was given a robe to wear, signifying that he was no longer a child, but a man--with all the rights and responsibilities of man. 

            When you and I were baptized, we were clothed with the Spirit of Christ. His Spirit came upon us--even if we were unaware at the time.

             Now there are some misconceptions about the coming of the Spirit.    For one thing, having the Spirit of God in us does not mean we become better than others.

             It’s sad. Many so-called spiritual people become puffed up with pride and therefore, terribly obnoxious. Is there anyone more repulsive than a self-righteous saint?

             Alistair Begg, in his book Made For His Pleasure, shares a memory from his childhood in Scotland. The church his family belonged to planned a day cruise down the river Clyde. A great crowd boarded the steamer on the Saturday morning as they set off on their voyage “doon the water,” as they say in Glasgow.

             In the midst of the usual banter and high-spirited conversation, young Alistair began to pick up a negative theme.  The men were quoting Deuteronomy 22:5, and the source of their agitation was a woman who had appeared on the boat wearing . . . (Are you ready for this?) . . . trousers.  Now despite the fact that the skirts of the other women were blowing in the breeze and revealing more than their ankles, this poor lady was being tried and convicted for her sensible attire. She had on pants. No, they did not throw her overboard, but if a storm had come up Alistair Begg says he had little doubt that some would have suggested that as a possible solution (like some female Jonah).  What really made Begg wonder was how the men could adopt such an inflexible position when some of their own gender were on board walking around in kilts! 

            What rubbish! Can we not see that if we are clothed with the Spirit of Christ we do not act like the hypocrites who put Jesus to death? Some people confuse being spiritual with being proud and self-righteous.

             Other people mistake the coming of the spirit with a particular emotional experience. Emotions play a big role in our faith. No doubt about that--but the fact that we have never been bowled over by our emotions does not mean that the Spirit has somehow by-passed us. Emotional experiences are wonderful--but they can be misleading. 

            There is a true story about a woman who spent some months serving God in South Africa. On her final visit to a remote township she attended a medical clinic. As the Zulu women there began to sing together, she found herself deeply moved by their hauntingly beautiful harmonies. She wanted to always remember this moment and try to share it with friends when she arrived home. With tears flowing down her cheeks, she turned to her friend and asked, “Can you please tell me the translation of the words to this song?”

             Her friend looked at her and solemnly replied, “The words go  something like this: ‘If you boil the water, you won’t get dysentery.’”

             Thank God for our emotions--but they are not always a reliable guide when it comes to matters of faith. There will be times when we do not feel God’s presence. But that does not mean God has forsaken us. Our faith rests not on our emotions, but on the promises of Scripture: “We are baptized.” That means that God’s Spirit will never leave us. St. Paul writes, “You are all children of God through faith in Christ Jesus, for all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.” We may not feel Christ’s presence in our life right now, but the Word of God guarantees us that God is there.

             And that means our lives have unimaginable potential. Never think of yourself as a loser or somehow disadvantaged. We have a power within us greater than any obstacle we may encounter.

             We have the Spirit of Christ within us. We have been baptized. That means more than that we are nice people. It means more than that we have repented of our sins. It means the Holy Spirit is alive and well within us--even if we do not feel that Spirit in our present circumstances. He may be an unrecognized presence, but he is still there. And if we will allow God’s Spirit to work through us, we will do more and be more than we ever dream possible. It is one more upbeat word for a downbeat world.