“Hereby know we that we dwell in Him — and He in us — because He hath given us of His Spirit.” 1Jn.4:13
This verse communicates unto us both — assurance of our position in Christ — and the cause of that assurance, viz., God the Holy Spirit. It is the person and work of the Holy Spirit that leads us in the blessed learning process whereby we come to experientially know that we commune — dwell — abide — with the person and work of God the Son — and God the Father.
John writes these words even as he had been taught the meaning of them by the Savior, Himself. From Jn.14:16-17 Jesus said, “And I will pray the Father — and He shall give you another Comforter — that He may abide [dwell] with you forever. (17) Even the Spirit of truth — whom the world cannot receive because it seeth Him not — neither knoweth Him. But, ye know Him — for He dwelleth [abides] with you — and shall be in you.” And then in vs.23 Jesus goes on to say, “If a man love me — he will keep my words — and my Father will love him — and we will come unto him and make our abode with him.
Hence, we come to know that we, in fact, do dwell in Him — and He in us — because He hath given us of the Holy Spirit! We cannot know that we are in Him — without His first being in us. And, it is the Holy Spirit that reveals this unto us.
It was not revealed unto David — he did not realize — his place and stature as being chosen by God to be the next king of Israel — until after the prophet Samuel had come and anointed him with oil. The oil of anointing was an Old Testament type of the Holy Spirit — and this particular order of doing things — as instructed by God — is itself a type of the same where we in our regeneration — our becoming new creations in Christ — are concerned. 1Jn.2:20 says: “But ye have an unction [an anointing] from the Holy One — and ye know all things.”
Back again to Jn.14:26 — we see that Jesus also taught: “But the Comforter — which is the Holy Spirit — whom the Father will send in my name — He shall teach you all things — and bring all things to your remembrance — whatsoever I have said unto you.” All three persons of the Godhead work in concert for our salvation!
So we see — that a right knowledge — and living experience — of the great things of God the Father and God the Son in the eternal salvation of our souls — is so dependent upon the eternal abiding presence within us of God the Holy Spirit. We are so deeply depraved and fallen that we need this Holy guide to indeed be Holy God — in order for us to truly experience the revelation of the glorious things of Christ our eternal Savior. Praise His Name!
– For Christ’s Glory Only!
John Carpenter
