Dear New Believer,
Welcome into God’s Family! I am sorry you are confused. Confusion is not of God, so if something is not of God, then it is from the dark side. When I was a new believer in Christ, I went to my Bible for every question I had, and still do 33 years later. Christians all have an opinion, but the great authority comes from the Word of God and His Word alone.

Before Jesus went to the cross He instructed His disciples… If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever; the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you (John 14:15-17). And Jesus goes on to say in the next verse, I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you.

Jesus’ followers who had been with Him three or so years believed and trusted Him to guide them. Jesus knew He was going to the cross for all human sin and would rise on the third day and ascend to the Father. He knew they would feel abandoned, like an orphan would feel. He assured them that they would have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them for their guidance and to lead them into Truth.

When we believe in Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord, the Holy Spirit comes to live in us. No way can we do this Christian walk without the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Jesus knew that so He taught that. Do not confuse this with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. After the cross and before His ascension, Jesus told His disciples, But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth (Acts 1:8). Power comes with the baptism of the Holy Spirit. These are two different things….

The Holy Spirit dwells with us and in us when we are born again, but He comes upon us when we are baptized with Him. If you want to learn more about this, go to Amazon.com and order a book I wrote called “Path of the Spirit.”

Do you have a question? Send your questions to Judy Baus, baus1@juno.com