II Corinthians 13:14 states ” the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion (fellowship) of the Holy Ghost(Spirit), be with you all.
Although the apostle Paul is giving the church in Corinthians a salutation, we can acquire a wealth of knowledge from this verse. Paul is saluting with attributes he expects in the lives of the Corinthians. I would like to bring to our attention what was brought to me.
We today receive the grace of Jesus without much complaint. One exception perhaps may be an atheist. Most individuals gladly accept grace; some of us pray for grace, while others of us may delight in the grace of our Lord Jesus. Grace has little to do with us or does it? Grace after all is a gift from God, we cannot do anything to earn the grace of God except to receive salvation.
The love of God, likewise is from God the Father! For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten son. John 3:16. “And we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him.” I John 4:16 Again except for an Atheist, most individual gladly accepts God’s love.
Paul did not stop there. He continued with the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. This is where we come in. The scripture teaches an individual cannot have true fellowship with the Holy Spirit without salvation. John 14:16-17 Jesus informs his disciples about the Holy Spirit and how the world cannot receive Him! In chapter 16 of John, Jesus furthers his introduction of the Holy Spirit and His (the Holy Spirit) workings. I say we have a role here because the Holy Spirit can only function within our lives as we (individually) allow Him to.
Fellowship with the Holy Spirit is limited or unlimited according to each of us. How is this? Let’s first describe how the Holy Spirit works. At salvation, He seals us, Eph. 1:13. For unbelievers, He reproves of sin, righteousness, and judgement, John 16:8-11. For believers, He guides us, speaks to us the truth, He reveals the future personally and within our world, He comforts us, and He glorifies Jesus!
We affect how much or little He performs in our lives through obedience. You see we can grieve the Holy Spirit and push Him outside of our lives, similarly to how we treat others that love us and try to help us. The Holy Spirit never gives up on us. He can however allow us to have our own way, which is a very sad and destructive place to be.
Grieve is defined as: to cause great sorrow or sadness. Grieving the Holy Spirit can be liken to a parents sadness to a child’s disobedience. The parent knows the end results most likely isn’t going to be pleasant. Likewise, the Holy Spirit is grieved when we think evil thoughts continually, and perform disobedient acts. He loves us; therefore, when He sees we’re heading the wrong way, and refuse His instructions, or directions, He’s grieved. Grieve is an emotion between Love and anger. Because of God’s love, which we want, the Holy Spirit loves and desires to help us succeed in every area of our lives. We push Him aside as we become self-centered and disobedient. He doesn’t get angry and force us into obedience, which is best, but rather guides as we allow Him to. Eventually, if one insists on rejecting the Holy Spirit, he/she is turn over to believe and do as he/she sees fitting in their own mind. Thus, eventually becoming reprobate with destruction looming, if repentance doesn’t occur. Repentance is almost impossible at this point. Roman 1:20-32.
Is the voice of the Holy Spirit faint in your life? Is He still calling out to you but you’re constantly hardening your heart? Look around you, do you see evidence of His leading or your disobedience?
A self lead life will lead one to a place of adultery, fornication, filthiness, immoral living, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, difference of opinions or attitude, jealous rivals, wrath, strife, discontent or rebellious in speech or writings, heresies (which by the way is to be strongly opinionated and different about established religious teachings), envying, murders, drunkenness, reveling, getting stone, high, a buzz, etc.
In contrast, the Holy Spirit leads believers to a place of joy, peace, gentleness, long-suffering, love, goodness, faith, meekness and temperance.
Are we living in fellowship with the Holy Spirit? I ask that we examine ourselves by the word of God, for the word and the Spirit are always in perfect union as is The Father, The Son and The Holy Spirit!
May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit, be with you all!
Dennis Tree 