The Resident

John 14:16-18, And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.  I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Who is the “you” in these verses?  John 14:10-11, Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works. Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

The “you” are those who are God’s by belief that Jesus is God, that the Bible is God’s word, that God’s presence and power marked Jesus and that His works are to be believed.  That is, His miracles, teachings and good deeds all point to the truth He was indeed God and sinless and that His work on the cross followed by His resurrection was for others and was approved by the Father.  He is the Savior of all who are repentant of their rebellion and selfishness and embrace Jesus as their Savior and Lord.

And what happens to one who is truly saved?  God moves into their life!  The Spirit comes to take up residence with each who names the name of Christ in faith of His atoning sacrifice.  For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God.  For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, Romans 8:14-16.

It is as if Jesus comes to the front door of your life and offers to save  you from the  “termites, thieves and/or creditors” that threaten your home and by moving in to manage it through the coming days and through a total remodel in days to come.  If you agree to the offer, God the Spirit, will take up residency.  For this very special house Guest, the master bathroom is given.

For the first days, the Resident seems content to join you in the front room for coffee and the paper, at the table for meals, and in the family room for family time (TV is watched but earlier favorites are no longer viewed for they are surely offensive to the Resident.)

Over the course of time, you and the Resident are more and more at ease with one another so that the Resident now raids the fridge and pantry at will and has access to side rooms.  As time goes by, the Resident takes more interest in more personal things such as the box under the bed, the box on the upper shelf of the closet or what is in the attic.  It seems that the Resident is committed to having full run of all the house.

But you are not always in agreement with the Resident’s request.  Sometimes you tell Him, “No” (I Thess. 5:19, Do not quench the Spirit), and there are times when He finds you viewing one of the old now taboo movies (Ephesians 4:30, Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God).  While the Resident will never leave (John 14:16, He will abide with you forever), He may retire to the original area given to Him – the master suite.  In such a time, the fellowship/joy, wisdom/direction, and strength/support of His presence will be lacking.  Life will be empty and strained until repentance and submission are made which will then restore life to goodness and joy.

The Resident is the Holy Spirit and is only present in those who have cast themselves on Jesus for salvation from God’s wrath.  The Resident is a believer’s guarantee of eternal life with God and while He may be grieved and quenched, He never leaves.  He is the believer’s lifelong “Friend!”