The Springs of Life

January 31, 2024

Did you know that there is a common source from which flows everything you think, every attitude you have, everything you say, every plan you make, and everything you do?  The common source of all of these things is the spiritual heart.  The heart is the innermost part of our being, and the condition of our heart will determine everything about us.  Your heart defines who you really are on the inside, and therefore determines the actions that you will take in daily life.  Therefore, it is of utmost importance that we give careful and constant consideration to the condition of our hearts.

Listen to these words of wisdom from Proverbs: “Watch over your heart with all diligence, For from it flow the springs of life.” (Proverbs 4:23 NAS95) The heart is pictured here as a bubbling spring, the source of all things that flow out from your life. If the “streams” that flow out from your life (the thoughts, the attitudes, the words, the actions) are evil, it is because the source of those streams—the heart—is defiled.  This is why we must be diligent to guard our heart and not let anything pollute it. 

How can we guard our hearts?  Let’s look at the previous verses to see what we must do. “My son, give attention to my words; Incline your ear to my sayings. Do not let them depart from your sight; Keep them in the midst of your heart. For they are life to those who find them And health to all their body.” (Proverbs 4:20-22 NAS95) We must continue to pay close attention to words of wisdom. When we don’t, our heart is in great danger.  I have seen it happen many times; people stop taking the word of God to heart, and bad things always follow.  Why?  Because in the absence of the wisdom of God, the spring of life becomes polluted, and that pollution will flow downstream.

But just as the heart can be polluted, it can also be purified and cleansed.  God can bring continual renewal to our defiled hearts.  And when God cleanses our hearts, it is a certainty that beautiful, wonderful things will flow from our lives. If we will be diligent to let His word in, to respond in faith to it, to be led by His Spirit, then life and health will flow from our innermost being.  And not only will we find blessings in our own lives, but we will be a blessing to those around us.

—Scott Colvin

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Jesus is Not Ashamed

January 23, 2024

How does Jesus feel about you?  You and I are not always everything that we would like to be.  We’re not always living up to everything we should be, or could be, in Christ.  We are often afflicted with troubles and sorrow, even though we want to rise above it all.  We are sometimes overcome with fears and anxieties, even though we know we shouldn’t be.  We grow weary, even though we want to be strong.  We struggle with temptation, and sometimes fall into sin, even though we truly want to be pleasing to the Lord.  In all of this, how does Jesus feel about us?  Is He ashamed of us?

Listen to these words from Hebrews chapter 2: “For it was fitting for Him, for whom are all things, and through whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to perfect the author of their salvation through sufferings.  For both He who sanctifies and those who are sanctified are all from one Father; for which reason He is not ashamed to call them brethren…”(Hebrews 2:10-11 NAS95)

Not only is Jesus not ashamed of us, He is not ashamed to call us brethren!  He is not ashamed to claim us as His brothers and sisters!  Yes, even in all of our struggling and weakness, even though we sin, He still claims us.  This is because Jesus, as the One who sanctifies (makes us holy), and we who are being sanctified are all from one Father.  Note that this wonderful truth is for those who are being sanctified by Jesus.  It is not for those who stubbornly pursue the way of sin; it’s for those who are cooperating with Jesus in His sanctifying work within us.

Isn’t it wonderful to know that Jesus gladly associates with you?  Isn’t it wonderful to know that He calls you “brother” or “sister”?  And isn’t there something here that we can learn from Jesus about how we should view one another?  If Jesus is not ashamed to call us brethren, then neither should we be ashamed of any brother or sister who is struggling with trials or temptation. 

—Scott Colvin

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What is the Gift of the Holy Spirit?

January 9, 2024

There is a very important promise given to those who were baptized in Acts chapter two, where we read, “Peter said to them, ‘Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.’” (Acts 2:38 NAS95)But what is meant by “the gift of the Holy Spirit”?

Some have said that the gift of the Holy Spirit is a gift that the Spirit gives to the one who is baptized.  Earlier in Acts 2, the apostles, by the power of the Spirit, spoke in tongues so that all of those gathered in Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost could hear the message of the gospel in their own language.  And so, it is concluded by some, that “the gift of the Holy Spirit” is the gift of tongue speaking. This gift, it is claimed, was bestowed upon those who were baptized that day by the laying on of the apostle’s hands after they were baptized. 

Others have said that the gift of the Holy Spirit is the Spirit Himself.  In other words, God gave the Spirit as a gift to indwell the believer at the moment of their baptism.

Which of these is the correct interpretation?  Let’s look at some related passages and strive to let the Bible interpret itself.  Paul wrote to the church at Rome, “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” (Romans 8:9 NAS95) Note carefully from this passage that the Spirit’s indwelling makes us children of God.  If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ (the Holy Spirit) he is not a child of God.  Or consider this verse, “Because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, ‘Abba! Father!’” (Galatians 4:6 NAS95)Do you see here that the Spirit’s indwelling and sonship go together?  Because we are sons, God sent the Spirit of His Son into our hearts.  If we did not have His Spirit in our heart, it would mean that we are not His son or daughter.

Because of this, we must conclude that “the gift of the Holy Spirit” in Acts 2:38 is the Spirit Himself coming into our hearts.  If that is not the case, then those who were baptized on that day did not become children of God at the moment they were baptized.  Why?  Because no indwelling equals no sonship.  Could it be that they received the indwelling of the Spirit before they were baptized?  No, because that would indicate that they became children of God before they were baptized, and that the Spirit came to indwell them before their sins were forgiven. 

The gift of the Holy Spirit’s is the Spirit Himself who was given to dwell in our hearts.  Each one of us received Him at the moment we were baptized into Christ.  Praise God for His wonderful gift!

—Scott Colvin

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The Consequences of the Spirit’s Indwelling

January 5, 2024

Despite the many passages of scripture that teach us that the Holy Spirit dwells within each one of God’s children, there are some today who deny this truth.  They are denying more than they realize.  The indwelling of the Spirit is intimately tied to many other spiritual truths that are absolutely critical for each of us in Christ.  Listen to the words of Paul in Romans chapter 8: “However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” (Romans 8:9-11 NASB95)

Notice first of all that in this passage Paul affirms three times that the Spirit of God dwells in you.  The Spirit of God came to dwell within each one of us when we were baptized into Christ.  His indwelling presence was God’s gift to each one of us (Acts 2:38).  Notice also that because the Spirit is in us, Christ is in us.  The Spirit is a divine member of the Trinity, and so both Jesus and the Father dwell in us through the Spirit. (John 14:16-23, 1 John 3:24)

What are the consequences of this wonderful truth?  First, because the Spirit of God dwells in us, we are no longer in the flesh but in the Spirit.  Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.  They have a mindset that will lead to death.  But those who are in the Spirit and who set their minds on the Spirit will find life and peace. (Romans 8:5-8) Second, the indwelling Spirit assures us that we truly do belong to God, but if we do not have His Spirit in us, then the simple truth is we do not belong to Him.  Third, the indwelling Spirit makes us alive in our inner being.  Without the Spirit’s presence, we would be spiritually dead, yet because of His indwelling presence, we have been made alive.  Finally, we see that it is the Spirit who will give life not only to our spirits, but also to our mortal bodies.  The Spirit’s ongoing work of transformation within our hearts will one day culminate in a glorious resurrection of our bodies.  But if the Spirit does not dwell within us, there will be no resurrection to life. (John 5:28-29)

The indwelling of the Spirit is a profound spiritual reality that we need to believe in and trust.  To argue that the Spirit doesn’t really dwell in us today is to argue that we cannot please God, that we do not belong to God, that we’re still dead in our sins, and that we will not be raised bodily with Jesus.  But the truth is, He does dwell within us!  And because of this, we have a great hope for life with God, both now and for all eternity.

—Scott Colvin

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