DOES THE HOLY SPIRIT LEAVE?

Christians have traditionally opined that when a Believer sins, the indwelling Spirit is grieved and departs until there’s full repentance. While this sounds theological, it’s not backed by scripture; and we need to be glad for that.

Eph 1:13 tells us that immediately we got Born Again, we were “sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise”. That means that the indwelling Spirit in us is the seal (our Guarantor) for the Day of Judgement.

Understanding this critical role of the Holy Spirit in our life is vital. Because though we can “Grieve” and “Quench” the Holy Spirit (Eph 4:30; 1Thes. 5:19), scriptures do not say He will leave us when we do such things. The concept of the Spirit leaving a person because He’s grieved is an Old Testament paradigm.

In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit never indwelled people, He only came UPON them occasionally. Whether it be Bezalel, Samson, Saul, David, etc. He was never permanently resident in any of them. But all that changed after the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Because now we are Washed, we are Sanctified and we are Justified in God’s sight. (1Co 6:11).

The Holy Spirit is God Almighty: united in holy trinity with the Father and the Son. He never acts in dissonance to the other members of the Godhead.

To the New Testament Believer, the Father says, “I will NEVER leave you, nor forsake you” (Heb 13:5), and the Son says, “Lo, I am with you ALWAYS, even unto the end of the world”. (Mat 28:20). And of the Spirit, our Lord said, “I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you FOREVER;” (Joh 14:16).

This permanence of the Spirit in us is obviously not a licence to the Believer to live in sin. There’re always consequences for sin (Rom. 6:23; Jas 1:15). Sin deadens the Believer and corrupts their fellowship with God.

But the knowledge of the constant presence of the Holy Spirit in us is a reminder of the Father’s utmost love for us and His willingness to stick with us in our low times as He patiently works us up to full Christ-like maturity.

And on a more practical note, it’d be presumptuous of us to think a sinning Believer would turn round and repent if the Holy Spirit has left them. It is the Spirit that does the conviction (Jn 16:8), AND the cleansing (1Co 6:11) AND is the source of our hope for said righteousness in faith (Gal 5:5).  

THANK YOU HOLY SPIRIT.

More Blessings await you today; you’ll not miss them in Jesus’ Name.

GREG ELKAN