“Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” (Luke 10:20)
I have a question that I cannot answer, it has to do with acknowledging, receiving, accepting, believing, which ever word that you would care to use, in the Lord Jesus Christ for the salvation of your soul, and being, or not being baptized, and receiving the Holy Spirit within you at the moment you are saved.
And the question of who goes to heaven.
The twelve came back from being sent out by the Lord, they go to a desert place alone and are rejoicing because of the works the Almighty had done through them. If they had already accepted the fact that He was the Messiah, except of course for the traitor and his own reasons, then one must presume by the words of Jesus that being baptized in the name of the Lord is immaterial for the entrance into His eternal Kingdom.
For He said that their names were already written in heaven.
“Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we?” (Acts 10:47)
This truth, in regard to baptism, is also clearly seen in the account of Cornelius and those in his household that day they were also saved by grace through faith. But it also brings up a very important question, one I cannot recall ever hearing a sermon or a message about, one I have never read in any of my books in my possession in regard to that entering into heaven.
Is it absolutely necessary for us to have within us the Holy Spirit, and if not, why was it such an important part throughout the entire New Testament?
“And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;” (John 14:16)
Do we need, as it were, more comfort than Abraham did?
“And he believed in the LORD; and he counted it to him for righteousness.” (Gen. 15:6)
Isaac, Jacob, David, Elijah, the average person all throughout the Old Testament, perhaps millions of them who went through life in the full belief of the words of the Living God, who Christ went to set free.
“Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” (Eph. 4:8)
Most of those who are now in heaven did not have the Holy Spirit indwelling them permanently as we who are hid in Christ do today. And they served for the glory of God.
You hear much sometimes about being “filled with the Spirit, filled with the Holy Spirit of God.” But there is no place in the Scriptures that I can recall that says it is a prerequisite to entering into heaven, no more than there is any place that says water baptism is, no matter how some may interpret certain verses.
Repentance, believing, and being saved by His grace through faith. That is the way to eternal life.
“For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” (Romans 10:13)
I mean this in no disrespectful way, but if we cannot do anything without the Holy Spirit for the glory of God Almighty, then how did all those in the Old Testament bring glory to Him without the continual indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
The real question I have I guess is this, cany anyone truly be born again and not have the Holy Spirit within them? And if that is true, then why does the Word of God say all we have to do is believe in the Lord Jesus Christ to be saved?
Maybe I shouldn’t write some of these things down.
