The Spirit and the Word

Romans 8:9…“ But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.)

As we see in our text, the Holy Spirit indwells every one who is a true believer, a child of God. Each believer is born again through …James 1:21…So get rid of all the filth and evil in your lives, and humbly accept the word God has planted in your hearts, for it has the power to save your souls.…Romans 10:17…So faith comes from hearing, that is, hearing the Good News about Christ.

But the role of the Spirit of God and the Word of God in our salvation only begins in the Christian’s relationship to them, for we are enjoined to be filled with the Holy Spirit…Ephesians 5:18…Don't be drunk with wine, because that will ruin your life. Instead, be filled with the Holy Spirit,…in the same sense that a drunkard is filled with and controlled by wine,the Christian life is filled with the message of Christ …Colossians 3:16…Let the message about Christ, in all its richness, fill your lives. Teach and counsel each other with all the wisdom he gives. Sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs to God with thankful hearts…Ephesians 5:19…singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, and making music to the Lord in your hearts.

These two entities equip us to be effective representatives of Him here on earth.A Spirit-filled Christian, knowledgeable in the Word, just can’t quit singing!…Note, however, that in both of these passages the immediate results of such controlling input are the same.Nor can he stop “giving thanks…Ephesians 5:20…And give thanks for everything to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. …Colossians 3:17… And whatever you do or say, do it as a representative of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through him to God the Father.

May we always manifest the work of the Spirit and the knowledge of the Word by our thankful hearts and the songs on our lips.