‘The Spirit Of Christ’

But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you.  Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.

Romans 8:9

We have been considering the idea of ‘Christ in you,’ from Colossians 1:27.  Our text for today has bearing on that discussion.  When seeking to understand Scripture, it is best to seek to interpret one passage by referring to another.  The statement upon which we want to dwell today is, ‘Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.’  This is the logical follow-on from the statement, ‘Christ in you.’  It is the work of the Holy Spirit that makes, ‘Christ in you’ a spiritual reality.  This has been true in every age, and it relates to Christ.  No one has ever been transformed except by the work of the Holy Spirit.  Because Christ is the ‘Only Redeemer of God’s Elect,’ and it is the work of the Holy Spirit to take the things of Christ and show them unto us, He has been doing His work for as long as He has been drawing people to Christ.  He has always been regenerating, granting repentance, giving faith to believe, indwelling, and filling the people whom God has given unto Christ.  They universally have had, ‘The Spirit of Christ’ because they are His.  The Spirit of Christ was in the ancients.  He was in the believers of the New Testament.  He is in us whom He has redeemed by free and sovereign Grace.  If we would understand what ‘Christ in you’ means, we should relate it to the ‘Spirit of Christ’ which all the redeemed have.  This encourages us to relate to the Spirit, to admire the Spirit, and to value His Person and His work.

Our Glorious, Living Christ,
we rejoice in You, and in Your Holy Spirit.
We praise You for the work which He does,
in the lives of all of the redeemed to conform us into Your Image.

Tomm Tice
Where the Bush is Burning