THE HOLY SPIRIT: With, In, and On

Jesus uses three prepositions in reference to the Holy Spirit: with, in, and on.

WITH

John 14:15–17

If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.

Jesus said the Holy Spirit was with His disciples. This describes the general experience of the Spirit among God’s people in the Old Testament. The Spirit was active among them, guiding the nation and empowering leaders for God’s purposes.

Before Jesus’ death and resurrection, the disciples were still living within that Old Covenant experience. Therefore, the Spirit was with them, just as He had been with God’s people throughout the Old Testament.

IN

Jesus promised that beyond the with experience, the disciples would receive the Holy Spirit within them.

John 7:37–39

“Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. Up to that time the Spirit had not been given, since Jesus had not yet been glorified.

This fulfills the promise of the new covenant.

Ezekiel 36:26–27

I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws.

While this promise reaches its full realization in the New Covenant, there were occasions in the Old Testament when the Spirit was within certain individuals.

For example, Pharaoh recognized that the Spirit of God was in Joseph:

Genesis 41:38

Can we find anyone like this man, one in whom is the Spirit of God?

And the Lord said of Joshua:

Numbers 27:18

Take Joshua son of Nun, a man in whom is the Spirit, and lay your hand on him.

These examples show that the Spirit could dwell within particular individuals under the Old Covenant. However, this was limited to certain people chosen for specific roles.

Under the New Covenant, the promise is far greater: the Spirit now lives in all believers. What was once experienced by a few is now the normal experience of every follower of Jesus.

Many believe this promise of the Spirit’s indwelling was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost. It is better understood as taking place after Jesus was glorified on the cross, on the evening of His resurrection.

John 20:21–22

“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Just as God breathed life into Adam and he became a living being, Jesus breathes the Spirit into His disciples, beginning a new creation.

Here the disciples receive the Holy Spirit and enter into new covenant life. The in of the Spirit is our new birth, our regeneration, and the beginning of our sanctification. The Spirit now lives within believers—reminding us of Jesus’ words, leading us to obey His commands, and forming the character of Christ within us. The fruit of the Spirit is at the heart of this character formation.

What was primarily the Spirit with God’s people in the Old Covenant becomes the Spirit in believers in the New Covenant. God is no longer only with His people—He now lives within them.

ON

Jesus also promised that beyond the in experience of the Spirit, the disciples would receive the Spirit upon them.

Even though the disciples had received the Spirit, Jesus told them to wait before beginning their mission.

Luke 24:49

Stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.

Acts 1:4-5, 8

Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you, and you will be my witnesses.

This fulfilled the prophecy of Joel.

Joel 2:28–29

I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy…. Even on my servants, both men and women,
I will pour out my Spirit in those days.

This promise was fulfilled on the Day of Pentecost.

Acts 2:4

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

If the in of the Spirit brings new birth and transformation into Christ’s character, the on of the Spirit brings power for witnessing and ministry—often expressed through the gifts of the Spirit.

And this empowerment is not just a one-time event.

Peter was filled with the Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2:4), then filled again when addressing the religious leaders (Acts 4:8), and again when the church prayed together (Acts 4:31). Peter experienced the Spirit coming upon him many times.

Acts 2:4

All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Acts 4:8

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: “Rulers and elders of the people!”

Acts 4:31

After they prayed, the place where they were meeting was shaken. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and spoke the word of God boldly.

So Peter experienced one big ON at Pentecost and many smaller ons afterward.

God wants us to be continually filled with the Spirit as well. That’s why the Apostle Paul wrote:

Ephesians 5:18

Stop getting drunk with wine, which leads to wild living, but keep on being filled with the Spirit.

In the Old Testament the Spirit came upon certain leaders—judges, prophets, priests, and kings, like Samson (Judges 14:6, 14:19, 15:14) and King David.

1 Samuel 16:13

So Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the presence of his brothers, and from that day on the Spirit of the Lord came powerfully upon David.

In the New Covenant, however, the Spirit is poured out on all God’s people. Once again, this makes the experience of the Spirit in the New Covenant so much better—for ALL of us.

Jesus and the Holy Spirit

Jesus Himself experienced both the in and the on of the Spirit.

Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), and the Spirit lived within Him from the beginning of His life. This indwelling of the Spirit accompanied Jesus’ ongoing maturing (Luke 2:52, Hebrews 5:8-10). Yet Jesus’ public ministry did not begin until the Spirit came upon Him in power at His baptism.

Luke 3:21–22

The Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove.

Jesus’ ministry was clearly empowered by the Holy Spirit upon Him.

Luke 4:14-18

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.

He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me …”

Acts 10:38

God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil.

And Jesus was probably continually empowered by the Spirit. Luke may describe two small ons of the Spirit when there was power for Jesus to heal and when He danced for joy at the 72’s Kingdom victories.

Luke 5:17

One day Jesus was teaching, and Pharisees and teachers of the law were sitting there. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem. And the power of the Lord was with Jesus to heal the sick.

Luke 10:21

At that time Jesus, full of joy through the Holy Spirit, said, “I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children. Yes, Father, for this is what you were pleased to do.”

So Jesus’ ministry was based on both a partnership with His Father (John 5:19-20, 12:49-50), and an empowerment by the Spirit.

As the Messiah (the Christ)—the Anointed One—God gave Jesus the Spirit without measure.

John 3:34

For the one whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God gives the Spirit without limit.

The Gifts of the Spirit

The Way believes that all the spiritual gifts are available and valuable for today. However, we do not consider the gift of tongues to be the mark of the Spirit-filled Christian.

In the New Testament, the gift of tongues often accompanied the baptism of the Holy Spirit, but not in every case. Paul even said, “I would like every one of you to speak in tongues” (1 Corinthians 14:5), yet this falls short of saying that everyone will speak in tongues. In fact, Paul rhetorically asks, “Do all speak in tongues?” (1 Corinthians 12:30), with the implied answer being no.

Therefore, while the gift of tongues is still available and valuable today, it is not the defining mark of a Spirit-filled believer.

Instead, the Spirit-filled Christian is characterized by power to be a witness for Jesus (Acts 1:8), along with whatever gifts the Spirit chooses to give, whether permanently or situationally (1 Corinthians 12:1–11, 27–31). And all these gifts of the Spirit must function along with the fruit of the Spirit, especially love (1 Corinthians 13).

Of course, we are free to desire and ask God for the gift of tongues. We simply do not require it.

Here’s a deeper dive into The Way’s perspective on SPIRITUAL GIFTS, PROPHECY AND TONGUES.

Living in Both Dimensions of the Spirit

Followers of Jesus are called to grow in both dimensions of the Spirit’s work.

• The Spirit’s presence within us forms the character of Christ in our lives.

• The Spirit’s power upon us empowers us for mission and ministry.

Growth in the in of the Spirit includes:

• Walking in obedience to God’s Word

• Living by the Spirit and overcoming the flesh

• Producing the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:16–26)

Growth in the on of the Spirit includes:

• Being continually filled with the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18)

• Using spiritual gifts to build up the church (1 Corinthians 12)

• Sharing our faith with the Spirit’s power (Acts 1:8)

You can think of the in and the on of the Spirit like the two rails of a railroad track. Both rails must run together for the train to move forward.

If the in rail stops short, our lives derail because the fruit of the Spirit—especially love—is missing.

If the on rail stops short, our lives derail in the other direction because the power and gifts of the Spirit are missing.

Healthy disciples grow in both the character of the Spirit within and the power of the Spirit upon. So make sure both rails are maturing in your life.

What’s It Called?

Within the Vineyard, people use different language to describe these experiences of the in and the on of the Spirit.

• Some refer to receiving the Holy Spirit within us as the baptism of the Spirit, and the empowering of the Holy Spirit upon us as being filled with the Spirit.

• Others refer to the initial empowering of the Holy Spirit upon us as the baptism of the Spirit, with later empowerings upon us as being filled with the Spirit.

• Still others refer to BOTH receiving the Holy Spirit within us AND the empowering of the Holy Spirit upon us as the baptism of the Holy Spirit, with later empowerings upon us referred to as being filled with the Spirit.

How can we move forward in unity? Rather than fighting over biblical phrases, why not focus on the biblical prepositions.

We all agree that the in of the Spirit refers to His presence within us at conversion. And we all agree that the on of the Spirit refers to His power upon us, which can happen at conversion or sometime later and is repeatable.

So how’s this question?

What do you need the Holy Spirit to empower you for?

Is that the in of the Spirit? No. If someone believes in Jesus, they already have the Spirit’s presence within them. We don’t need to ask that question.

Is that the on of the Spirit? Yes. The question is about the Spirit’s power upon us. Which one—the initial or the repeatable? Yes. It covers both. Is it referring to the baptism of the Holy Spirit or being filled with the Holy Spirit? Who’s to say? That’s left open-ended.

But what’s not left open-ended is our need for the Spirit’s power upon us.

So the question—What do you need the Holy Spirit to empower you for?—creates both unity and ministry. It’s a win-win.

(We do note that there is broad agreement that the expression “being filled with the Holy Spirit” consistently refers to the Spirit coming upon believers in power.)

Summary

To summarize the with, in and on of the Spirit:

WITH

• Before Jesus’ death and resurrection (in the Old Covenant), the Holy Spirit was with God’s people and at times came on, and even in, certain leaders for specialized ministry.

IN

• After Jesus’ death and resurrection (in the New Covenant), all believers receive the Holy Spirit in them at their conversion. This indwelling presence of the Spirit brings spiritual life and maturity.

ON

• The Holy Spirit also comes upon believers in power for effective witness and ministry.

• This empowering can happen at conversion (when the in and the on occur together), or it can happen sometime afterward (when the in comes first and the on comes later).

• This empowering is not only a one-time experience, but something believers need again and again as they step out in faith to be witnesses for Jesus.

• So let’s regularly ask each other this question: What do you need the Holy Spirit to empower you for? And let’s lay hands on each other praying for the Holy Spirit power to come upon us. (See the Gathering Guide.)

The Continuing Ministry of Jesus

As the body of Christ, the church carries on the Kingdom ministry of Jesus empowered by the Holy Spirit.

As Randy Fisk writes in The Presence, Power and Heart of God:

Instead of one person, Jesus—speaking His powerful words and doing His awesome works—Jesus now acts through the Holy Spirit in every believer. Instead of one Jesus at work, there are now millions of “Jesuses” walking around doing what He did.

Let’s give the devil bad dreams.