The Spirit Of Christ

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● Rom 8:9 . . If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not
belong to Christ.

Back in the decade of the 1970's, during my era as a relatively new covert to
biblical Christianity, I reasoned that if the Spirit of Christ was actually inside
my body, I should be able to detect His presence. I mean, how could
somebody like that possibly be in there without my knowing it?

When I shared my concern with a pastor, he reminded me that the Spirit of
Christ is a sentient paranormal being consisting of something less than thin
air, and that as such He can move about imperceptible by any of the five
natural senses, viz: hearing, sight, taste, touch, and/or smell. Actually, the
same thing can be said of the Devil; he too is a sentient paranormal being
who could be sitting right on your lap this very moment and you'd never
know it.

Had the pastor been a Jehovah's Witness, he probably would've explained
that the Spirit of Christ isn't a sentient paranormal being, rather, it's a state
of mind; so "Spirit" really ought to be spelled with a lower case S instead of
capitalized. For example:

"Keep this mental attitude in you that was also in Christ Jesus" (Phil 2:5)

I wasn't then, nor am I now a JW, so that explanation doesn't work for me.
_

He is in you if you have faith that he is in you.

Anyone who has the spirit of Christ within them will see this fruit, granted with different people it can take longer to develop.
I liken people's growth as trees, some are like bamboo, grow quick and strong while others can take longer like a big oak tree...

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
Galatians 5:22‭-‬23

This is how you 'detect' His spirit within you.

That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith (Ephesians 3:17).

14 For Christ’s love compels us, because we are convinced that one died for all, and therefore all died. 15 And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again.
16 So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer. 17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come:[a] The old has gone, the new is here!

Only if you have become a new creation as the scripture says will you know if the Spirit is in you.
The pastor or anyone else that tries to explain it to you who is still living in the flesh will be
woefully inadequate to explain it to anyone. The way to get there. You need to surrender to God
completely. That is say you give your will totally to Him and now you do only God's will. That is
not easy because many want to hang on to at least to a little part of themselves. So if you embark
on that journey, be sure you want to give it all you have because it is the only way to get there. When
you get there you will know very soon that the Spirit is in you. You will have an intimate relationship
with God and He will be in you and you will be in Him. Then your heart won't be anywhere else and
you will never go back to where you once were.

I would venture to say that 75 percent of preachers are of this world or how scripture puts it, in the flesh
I am not sitting in judgement, It is just that their own words betray them. You can share this with your
pasture if you would like.

When God saved me, it was obviously the best thing that ever happened to me. If you have the Spirit of Christ it's the greatest of all experiences and it keeps getting better the more we grow in him. It's truly rivers of living waters.

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The event I spoke of in post No.1 took place back in the decade of the 1970's,
right around 1973 if I remember; something like 47 years ago. That pasture
is likely deceased by now.
_

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As I was listening to a radio preacher talk about hell-- along about the same
time as my concerns about Rom 8:9 back in the decade of the 1970's --
something in my mind took over; and I had the strangest sensation of falling
off the earth into the vastness of the void and nobody cared, nor did
anybody miss me, nor did my disappearance cause any alarm nor make any
difference.

The freeways remained busy with frustrated drivers and honking horns,
people still got up to go to work, shoppers crowded the supermarkets and
department stores, kids caught their buses to school, birds kept right on
chirping, grass kept on growing, ocean waves went on rolling onto the
beach, trains kept running, airlines kept flying, clouds moved across the sky;
and all that.

Everybody else and everything else went on as usual; my absence changed
nothing nor disturbed anyone nor anything. The world was utterly
indifferent; the earth kept on turning, clocks went on ticking; and nature
and man went right on with their business as usual without the slightest
hiccup. I had never felt so utterly helpless and alone as that moment.

Well; as one might guess, that experience motivated me to take a very
strong interest in resolving my concern with Rom 8:9, and got me to
seriously thinking about consulting a pastor because I had been aware of the
possibility of my ending up in hell ever since I was old enough to
understand, but never so worried about it as I was then.
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As has been said, The Holy Spirit is part of the Trinity. Not only does He desire to be acknowledged by faith, but He requires it. Only those who seek by faith shall find. It is to these that He reveals Himself.

Hebrews 11:6 But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.

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● Ps 23:1 . .The Lord is my shepherd,

The twenty-third psalm is very popular, and some have even taken to
chanting it as a rote prayer. But the Lord's sheepfold is an exclusive
fraternity; not everyone qualifies.

● John 10:14 . . I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep
know me.

Nowadays, the sheep whom Jesus calls "my sheep" are identified as his own
herd by a special earmark: their physical bodies serve as living tabernacles.

● Rom 8:9 . . If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not
belong to Christ.

This is one of the supernatural aspects of Christianity that separates the
genuine sheep from the fakes -- the frauds from the real McCoys -- the
identity thieves from the actual card holders.

Anyway; it's easy to see why it's so important to find a way to ascertain
which folks have the Spirit of Christ and which don't. It would be tragic
beyond words for someone to leave this life and pass into the next honestly
believing the Lord to be their shepherd only to discover too late that he
never was.
_

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Elements of the story you are about to read are fiction and some are
fantasy. Not everything in the story is fiction, nor is everything fantasy; just
some of it. Please do not challenge the accuracy of the story as I have
already instructed you that some of its elements were not taken from reality.

=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=

One night last week a man, who I am not at liberty to name, had a
disturbing dream. He was standing on a small lump of volcanic rock, with the
flames of hell licking around his naked legs. The heat was nigh unto
unbearable; and the howling, yelping, and bellowing of what seemed to him
a million wounded dogs was ringing in his ears.

A barely audible voice-- insistent, demanding, and unstoppable -- saturated
the air all round him; seemingly coming from no discernible direction. The
voice was as if the air itself were speaking from every available molecule in
its structure. The man was immersed in words, which were repeating
themselves over and over and over again and saying:

"If anyone does not have the spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ."

The voice was also saying:

"It is not yet your time. I have allotted you 24 hours to find the spirit of
Christ and obtain it. When the time is up, I will come back for you; and there
will be no reprieve then as now."

When the alarm woke him in the morning to rise and get ready for another
day at Walmart, the man shook off the dream as a nightmare brought on by
eating a plate of spaghetti and meat balls too close to bedtime. But still; the
ethereal voice haunted him by its insistence that he had only one calendar
day remaining between this life and the next

The man knew some Christians at work; so during the lunch break, he
related his dream to some of them and asked about the spirit of Christ
spoken of by the voice; the man also inquired how he might go about
obtaining it perchance his experience had been a genuine portent. That
night, the man passed away in his sleep. His Christian associates, though
adequately schooled in all the standard rhetoric, had only managed to add to
his confusion.
_

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● Rom 8:8-9 . .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.

● Rom 8:10-11 . . And 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
indwells you.

There's a tricky nuance in those two passages that's easily overlooked if one
isn't aware of it.

In a nutshell; the spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead is the spirit
of a father, whereas the spirit of Christ is the spirit of a son; for example:

● Gal 4:6 . . Because you are sons, God has sent the spirit of His son into
our hearts, calling out, "Abba! Father."

"Abba" is an English transliteration of the Aramaic word abba.

"Father" is an English translation of the Greek word pater.

The Aramaic and the Greek both refer to a male parent. However, there's a
tricky nuance in there.

Pater is a simple noun; whereas Abba is a vocative. In other words; when a
son has his father's attention, then pater is the appropriate way to address
him. But when trying to get his father's attention, then abba is the
appropriate way for the son to address him.

To the point: The voice heard in the man's dream was saying to him (in so
many words): I want you to be my son. Go and find out how; and be quick
about it.
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1. Love
love is translated from the Greek word ἀγάπη, (agape). Greek has multiple words for love including eros, which is sexual love and philos, which is brotherly love. Agape’ is perfect love that only God can give.
“In respect of agapao as used of God, it expresses the deep and constant ‘love’ and interest of a perfect Being towards entirely unworthy objects, producing and fostering a reverential ‘love’ in them towards the Giver, and a practical 'love’ towards those who are partakers of the same, and a desire to help others to seek the Giver,” according to Vine’s Expository Dictionary.
Love for God and others is the result of receiving God’s perfect agape’ love. Jesus encouraged His followers:
“As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in My love. If you keep My commands, you will remain in My love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in His love. I have told you this so that My joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete.” (John 15:9-11).
2. Joy
Joy in this passage is χαρά. Chara is often translated joy or delight. It often is seen in the Bible with gladness. It is the realization of God’s favor and grace in one’s life. Biblical joy is happiness that is not dependent on our circumstances. Paul encourages us to:
“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance” (James 1:1-2).
3. Peace
The Biblical concept of peace, εἰρήνη (eirene) in Greek, is inclusive of life without conflict, as well as wholeness and harmony with God and others. A life of peace is safe and secure both physically and mentally.
“The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.” (Romans 8:6)
Peace is a result of allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our hearts and minds. When we have peace, we are from fear and worry about finances, our safety, our salvation, and our eternal life. The fruit of the Holy Spirit is seen in the peace that comes even when our circumstances are far from tranquil. Jesus encouraged His followers in John 16:33, “I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”
4. Long suffering (Forbearance)
Forbearance μακροθυμία (makrothumia) is not a word that most of us commonly use. The Greek word in Galatians 5:22-23 is often translated using other words such as patience, endurance, constancy, steadfastness, perseverance, longsuffering, and slowness in avenging wrongs. The Holy Spirit empowers believers to withstand challenging situations with perseverance and endurance.
The Greek root of this word relates to two words that mean long and passion. Through the Holy Spirit we are able to wait longer before indulging our passions- we become “long-tempered” rather than “short-tempered.” Paul used this word when he was describing Jesus’ patience (μακροθυμία) with him.
“But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display His immense patience as an example for those who would believe in Him and receive eternal life.” (1 Timothy 1:16)
Like Paul, we have all benefited from Christ’s immense patience with us. The evidence of the Holy Spirit in our life is also seen in our ability to persevere, be patience, steadfast and love, long-tempered. Ephesians 4:1-2 encourages us to “be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love.”
5. Kindness
Kindness χρηστότης (chréstotés) conveys the meaning of moral goodness, integrity, usefulness, and benignity. In the King James Version this word is translated “gentleness,” which links it to the meaning of a gentleman or a gentlewoman, someone who behaved properly, with moral integrity and kindness.
Romans 2:4 reminds us that it is God’s kindness that leads us to repentance not judgement. The Holy Spirit enables us to have moral integrity with kindness and not get trapped in self-righteousness judgement.
6. Goodness
Goodness ἀγαθωσύνη (agathosune) means uprightness of heart and life, goodness, and kindness. Goodness is seen in our actions. This word relates to not only being good, but also doing good things.
The Contemporary English Version of 2 Thessalonians 1:11 highlights this meaning, “We pray for God's power to help you do all the good things you hope to do and your faith makes you want to do.” Through the Holy Spirit's work in Christians' lives, they are upright in heart, and they do good things.
The Lord’s goodness leads us to repentance (Romans 2:4)
7. Faithfulness
Faithfulness πίστις (pistis) is evidence of the Holy Spirit’s work in our lives. Faithfulness is a character trait that combines dependability and trust based on our confidence in God and His eternal faithfulness.
In the New Testament, faith is the belief in God and the conviction that Jesus is the Messiah through Whom we obtain eternal salvation.
“With this in mind, we constantly pray for you, that our God may make you worthy of His calling, and that by His power He may bring to fruition your every desire for goodness and your every deed prompted by faith.” (2 Thessalonians 1:11)
8. Gentleness
Gentleness πρᾳΰτης (prautes) was translated “meekness” in the King James Version, but because being meek seemed weak, modern translations of the Bible use gentleness to mean mildness of disposition.
Baker’s Evangelical Bible Dictionary explains, “Meekness does not identify the weak but more precisely the strong who have been placed in a position of weakness where they persevere without giving up. The use of the Greek word when applied to animals makes this clear, for it means ‘tame’ when applied to wild animals. In other words, such animals have not lost their strength but have learned to control the destructive instincts that prevent them from living in harmony with others.”
Jesus describe Himself as gentle in Matthew 11:29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls.”
9. Self-Control
Self-control ἐγκράτεια (egkrateia) is ability to control one’s body and its sensual appetites and desires – physically and mentally – through the power of the Holy Spirit. Self-control relates to both chastity and sobriety, and particularly moderation in eating and drinking. Self-control is the opposite of the works of the flesh that indulge sensual desires.
As Galatians 5:16 says “So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want.”
What is the Meaning of the Spirit and the Purpose of Fruit?
The Spirit is the holy presence of God.
The Greek word πνεῦμα (pneuma) has multiple meanings including breath, spirit, or wind. It is most commonly used to describe the holy presence of God on earth, but New Testament writers also used this word to describe the wind, other spirits including angels and demons, and even the human soul or disposition.
In Galatians 5:22, the phrase “fruit of the Spirit” is specifically referring to the Holy Spirit.
As believers in Jesus, Christians are given the Holy Spirit to lead them and empower them. In Acts 2:8, Jesus said, WAIT! “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be My witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
Fruits of the Spirit indicate a relationship with Christ.
Ephesians 1:13-14 explains that the Holy Spirit is a deposit given to believers in Christ that guarantees their relationship with Christ. In Galatians 5, Paul wants to make sure that people know how to spot the evidence of the Holy Spirit in their lives. The result of the Holy Spirit in their lives will be good things like love, joy, kindness, and self-control.
He also wants to make sure that Christians know that evil actions like sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies are not the work of the Holy Spirit. The fruits of the Spirit are evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians.
Did Jesus Talk about the Fruit of the Spirit?
Jesus didn’t use the phrase “fruit of the Spirit,” but He often mentioned fruit in His teaching. In John 15:5, Jesus said, “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in Me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from Me you can do nothing.” Fruit is evidence of being connected to Christ, just as branches of a tree or a grape vine have to be connected to the trunk in order to bear grapes or apples.
In Matthew 7:16-20, Jesus warned His followers to be wary of false teachers, “By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

What born-again Christian can honestly say they have all nine fruits? Id love to meet you.
(P.S. Which of these can be faked?)

Please note that in each of the scriptures given here it tells of the Father. The Father and His ways are explained to us in the first five books of scripture.

We know it is through what the Son did that we are saved and in our gratitude we think of God, sometimes, as only explained in the NT and forget it is the Father who saves us based on what the son did for us. We say it is the Son that brought in the age of grace, but the Father wanted grace for all mankind from the minute Adam and Eve brought on death for man.

The sacrificial system was given as a symbol of Christ and worked to preserve man in sleep until Christ came and they woke. It was the Father who gave us Christ.

The Spirit Of God testified to my spirit that I was saved and that I was his child.

My spirit recognised the Holy Spirit instantly...Jesus died on the cross for me!

There is no greater Love than that....only the Lord is worthy of Praise!....no one else....all Glory goes to God when I became born again....it was the biggest honour of my life and always will be!

I'm glad you understand who the Spirit of God is! And since you know Christ, you are regularly led by Him!
Rom 8:14-16

14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.

15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.

16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
KJV

It is my spiritual understanding that the Son advocates for us to the Father.

Yes, I often hear that large numbers of the world's preachers, are afraid to offend anyone by their preaching. But that forces them to water down ther messages! Paul said preaching messages shouldn't be watered down!

I'm so glad you made that decision to become a child of God! As you know, you'll be forever grateful you made that choice!