Today’s question is, “Can you lose the Holy Spirit?”
In this video I’ll answer that question from a biblical perspective.
Then afterwards, as always, I’ll share some helpful resources, so stick around until the
end.
The Holy Spirit is the third Person in the triune Godhead.
The Holy Spirit indwells believers at the moment of salvation.
We know from 1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19–20 that the bodies of Christians are the Spirit’s
temple.
The teaching of the New Testament is that the Holy Spirit’s indwelling is permanent.
We cannot lose the Holy Spirit.
The Old Testament relates occasions in which the Spirit left someone, such as King Saul
(1 Samuel 16:14) or Samson (Judges 16:20).
However, in those days the Holy Spirit worked differently than He does since the time Jesus
rose from the dead.
In the Old Testament, the Spirit is never said to “indwell” anyone; rather, He “came
upon” people for a time to accomplish specific purposes (see Judges 3:10; and 1 Chronicles
12:18).
The Holy Spirit inspired the prophets to proclaim truth to the people (Ezekiel 11:1–2).
He instructed the leaders of Israel (1 Samuel 16:13).
He inspired the writing of Scripture (2 Peter 1:21).
But He did not indwell those people as He now does with believers in Christ.
Before Christ’s finished work and ascension, the Holy Spirit came and went, but He no longer
works that way.
He does not come and go in the lives of believers today.
Just before His arrest, Jesus promised His disciples that He would send the Holy Spirit,
who “lives with you and will be in you” (John 14:17).
The Amplified Bible emphasizes the permanency of the Spirit’s presence: “He lives with
you [constantly] and will be in you.”
Acts 2 describes the transition from the Old Testament economy to the New as it pertains
to the Holy Spirit.
The disciples were gathered for prayer, waiting for the promise of the Father, in obedience
to Jesus.
As they prayed, the Holy Spirit fell upon them all and filled them (verse 3–4).
Jesus’ promise was fulfilled, and the outpouring of the Holy Spirit came upon all who had trusted
in Christ.
That outpouring resulted in courage in the face of opposition, love for all humanity,
and supernatural gifts and abilities to further the gospel (Hebrews 2:4).
Salvation is impossible without the Holy Spirit.
Jesus explained this to Nicodemus in John 3:1–21.
Nicodemus, a leader of the Jewish religion, wanted to know what laws he could keep or
additional actions he could perform that would guarantee eternal life.
Jesus responded that there was nothing Nicodemus could do and that salvation is a work of the
Holy Spirit.
Without the Holy Spirit’s work in a repentant heart, no one can be born again, regardless
of how many “sinner’s prayers” he prays or Christian actions he performs.
It is the Holy Spirit who regenerates and renews a heart (Titus 3:5).
An issue related to losing the Holy Spirit is eternal security.
There is debate among Christians about whether or not someone can lose his or her salvation.
To lose salvation would be to lose the Holy Spirit who provides it.
In fact, Scripture says that the Holy Spirit “seals” our salvation until we experience
its completion in the presence of God (Ephesians 1:13).
For the Holy Spirit to vacate a heart that He had promised to seal would make Him unfaithful.
One of the Holy Spirit’s tasks, after moving into a believing heart, is transforming that
person into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29), and we have the promise that “he who began
a good work in you will carry it on to completion” (Philippians 1:6).
We do not believe the Spirit will undo His work of regeneration, give up on His transformative
work, or redefine eternal life to mean “temporary life.”
Since we did not “find” the Holy Spirit, it is doubtful that we can “lose” Him.
Some take issue with the word lose and say that, while a Christian cannot lose the Holy
Spirit, he or she can forfeit the gifts and salvation He brings by a willful renouncement
of Him.
However, Ephesians 1:13 says, “And you also were included in Christ when you heard the
message of truth, the gospel of your salvation.
When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit.”
Can a believer truly break the seal placed on him by God?
The Holy Spirit is the mark of a true believer; therefore, to lose Him would be to lose any
hope of salvation in the future.
Ephesians 4:30 warns us not to “grieve the Holy Spirit.”
And 1 Thessalonians 5:19 says that we can “quench the Spirit.”
These passages do not imply that the Holy Spirit has left us, only that He is sorrowful
because of our sinful actions.
The grieving and quenching of the Spirit hinders our fellowship with Him but does not nullify
our salvation, in much the same way that a rebellious child may lose the fellowship of
a parent but is not kicked out of the family.
What causes confusion on this issue is that we cannot know whether someone else has truly
been born of the Spirit or whether he is the “shallow soil” as Jesus described in Luke
8:1–15.
Some people seem excited to follow Jesus and may exhibit what appear to be supernatural
gifts, but they were never truly born again.
Jesus addresses those people with a stern warning in Matthew 7:21–23.
Many people profess to have the Holy Spirit but eventually prove that they were imposters
when their lives turn away from following Him (see Romans 8:14).
Such people did not lose the Holy Spirit; He was never theirs at all (1 John 2:19).
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