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Pastor Paul answers your questions
Pastor Paul, the Bible talks about people being filled with the Holy Spirit. Does the Holy Spirit dwell in all people? Are all babies born with the Holy Spirit? Is the Lutheran position different from other main stream churches?
In the New Testament, the phrase "filled with the Holy Spirit" occurs eight times: three times in Luke, five in Acts, and once in Ephesians. (Luke 1:15, 1:41, 1:67; Acts 2:4, 4:8, 4:31, 9:17, 13:9; Ephesians 5:18).
In all cases, being filled with the Holy Spirit results in the people speaking the word of God. People filled with the Holy Spirit who spoke the word of God were John the Baptizer, Elizabeth, Zachariah, the disciples on Pentecost, Peter, the disciples after they prayed for boldness, and the Apostle Paul.
Paul's advice to the church in Ephesus is enlightening, "Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts." (Ephesians 5:18).
People can be filled with things other than the Holy Spirit. In Luke 4:28, people in the synagogue were filled with rage and drove Jesus out. In Acts 5:17, the priests and Sadducees were filled with indignation (or jealousy) and arrested the apostles.
In the Bible, there are many other references to the work of the Holy Spirit. A common image is that the Holy Spirit moved. In the creation story, the Holy Spirit moved (or hovered) over the waters (Genesis 1:2). In 2 Peter 1:21, we read that people "moved by the Holy Spirit spoke from God."
In Galatians 5:19-22, the Apostle Paul lists a sample of the fruits (works) of the Holy Spirit, " love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control." He contrasts these with what he calls works of the flesh, "fornication, impurity, licentiousness, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissensions, factions, envy, drunkenness, carousing and thing like these."
Based on these passages, I conclude that the Holy Spirit does not dwell in all people. Opposing Jesus and his apostles was not the work of the Holy Spirit. The long list - still only a sample - of the works of the flesh cannot be the work of the Holy Spirit.
Here we insert a cautionary note. Why did Paul write two long lists to the Christians in Galatia? So they could self-righteously judge others and condemn them for their works of the flesh while taking selfish pride in their own works of the Spirit? No. He wrote so that the Christians in Galatia and all Christians since then - including you and me - can look at our own behaviors and seek through grace to do the fruits of the Spirit and forsake the works of the flesh.
Next week I'll write more about grace as I answer the question, "Is the Lutheran position different from other main stream churches?" In the answer, I'll give a brief summary of the Lutheran doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
To address the question, "Are all babies born with the Holy Spirit?" I say no. I know of only one baby who was born with the Holy Spirit, and that was John the Baptizer. The angel Gabriel said to Zechariah that John will be filled with the Holy Spirit from (or before) his birth.
For the rest of us who were not born with the Holy Spirit, we are in excellent company. According to the gospels, Jesus received the Holy Spirit at his baptism, NOT at his birth. Now baptism and the Holy Spirit will lead us to next week's question on the Lutheran doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
