Topic(s): Faith

Todd Clippard

I don't believe what you described above is a product of being filled with the Holy Spirit. Certainly, someone can have feelings of peace and joy when they enter into a right relationship with God, but not in the sense I infer from this inquiry.

One becomes a recipient of the Spirit when he obeys the gospel of Christ (Acts 5:32). This indwelling of the Spirit is non-miraculous and cannot be felt or detected by our physical senses. We know we have the Spirit by faith, which comes from hearing the word of God (Romans 10:17). I know I have an eternal soul, not because I can see or feel it, and not because of any stories people sometimes tell about seeing spirits or ghosts or whatever one may call them. I know I have a soul because the Bible tells me I have one (Matthew 10:28; Acts 2:29ff; Hebrews 6:18-19; James 5:19-20; etc).

To obey the gospel of Christ, and thus receive the Holy Spirit, I must . . .

1. Hear the word of God and believe it -- Romans 10:17; Hebrews 11:6

2. Believe in the deity of Jesus and his perfect life, sacrificial death, & resurrection from the dead - John 8:24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-4;

3. Repent of my sins - Luke 13:3, 5; Acts 2:38; Acts 17:30-31; Acts 26:20;

4. Confess my faith in Jesus as God's Son - Matthew 10:32; Acts 8:37; Romans 10:10;

5. Be baptized (immersed) in water to receive forgiveness of sins - Acts 2:38, 22:16

6. Live faithful to God until death - Matthew 10:22; Revelation 2:10