Who doubts Him? Those who are not Spirit-filled doubt. Jesus tells us to not let our hearts be troubled. That is a command. How can we do it? Our Lord gives His peace and joy. With those within us we will have an irrepressible confidence because our life is hid with Christ in God.

1 Therefore, if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. 3 For you died and your life has been hidden with Christ in God. Colossians 3:1-3 (LSB)

Our salvation is the start of our new life in Christ. We will never be more saved than we were at that moment. When God justifies one of His people by faith, that declaration is complete and eternal. (Romans 8:30) Also, each saved person receives the Holy Spirit. (Ephesians 1:13) That is all of the Holy Spirit each of them will ever have. However, God’s will for each of His children is their sanctification. (1 Thessalonians 4:3) This is a process through which God conforms them unto the image of the Son.

There is a great deal of speculation about this phase within which are all genuine Christians who are still physically alive. Some teach that there is a “second blessing” that takes believers to a higher plane of spirituality once they reach a certain spiritual level. I believe that this teaching is simply a misinterpretation of something God does within believers who learn to be Spirit-filled. We have looked at Paul’s teaching on this from many angles in our discussions and in various posts.

It can be quite discouraging to deal with professing Christians who have no concept of the necessity of Christians being Spirit-filled. They will accuse those who preach and teach it of being Pharisaical or judgmental or worse. Why? We teach that instead of keeping rules or being ultra-religious, Christians should learn to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. They do this by confessing their sins, permeating their entire lives with the Word of God, and submitting to others as they serve God in all they do.

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