Furthermore, those who believe in Jesus not only have the Bible in their hands but also the Holy Spirit within them. The Bible is a mysterious book, but the Holy Spirit is even more mysterious. Although the Holy Spirit is invisible and intangible, the Holy Spirit is a reality. As soon as we believe in Jesus, the Holy Spirit enters into us. Even though we may be confused in our mind, we still have a clear sense of the Holy Spirit being in us.
Someone who has believed in the Lord may say, “I do not have much feeling that I am saved.” If we ask him to pray with us, he may begin by praying, “Lord, You are my Savior” and continue by praying, “O Father!” As he calls upon the Lord, an inner sweetness rises up in his being. As he turns to the Father, he even feels like the prodigal son returning to his father in Luke 15. He feels so sweet, and his tears will start to fall. The more he cries, the more joyful he is within; the more he cries, the more he calls on God as his Father. The Bible says, “Whoever calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved” (Acts 2:21; Rom 10:13). Without God’s life, who would call God his Father? Who would casually call any person his father if he was not born of that person? This is why it is difficult for men to call their wife’s father “dad,” but it is easy to call their own father “dad.” We call God our Father when we pray, because we are His sons. “God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, Abba, Father” (Gal. 4:6). It is very sweet when we call “Abba, Father.”
Before I believed in Jesus, I was quite annoyed whenever I heard the name Jesus. If someone was opposing Jesus, I would immediately stand with him. Even though I knew many pastors and preachers, I still stood on the side of those who opposed Jesus. After I was saved, I could no longer stand with those who were opposing Jesus. In fact, inwardly, I was standing with Jesus. Knowing whether we have truly believed in Jesus is not merely a matter of mental confirmation. Rather, our inward sense tells us that we are in Christ and standing on His side. If our relatives say, “This Jesus cannot be believed,” there will be an immediate reaction of disagreement within us. This is what it means to stand on the side of Jesus. Whoever stands with Jesus in this way has believed in Jesus and has been joined to Jesus because the Spirit of Jesus has entered into him.
I once met an elderly man who believed in Jesus very devoutly and prayed to the Lord frequently. However, he dared not say that he was saved, because he had not been taught the truth of salvation clearly. He thought that since God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble, he should not be bold to say that he was saved. He was willing to wait until he died in order to find out. Although his mind was confused, his spirit was very clear. The Holy Spirit was in him, and he had the peace that comes from being saved. He even knew that he would be with the Lord when he died. Nevertheless, he was unwilling to say that he was saved.
We need to forget these concepts in our mind. The Holy Spirit in our spirit testifies that we are children of God. We have the Bible in our hands, and the Holy Spirit in our spirit. These two witnesses, one within and the other without, are the assurance of our salvation (Rom. 10:13; 8:16). Because we are saved, we do not need to ask about the future. Our future is in God’s hands.
Today we are in Christ. Since we are saved and have been joined to the Lord, we are in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17). This is like being a passenger in a boat. Even though the ocean is deep and vast, we can sleep peacefully because we are in the boat. Therefore, we should loudly sing, “Now I’m already in Christ; / I have left Adam’s realm; / All old things have become new, / Earthly became heav’nly! / Praise the Lord, here I can enjoy grace, / Fully tasting life and peace! / Praise the Lord, I am in the Lord now!” (Hymns, #229 in Chinese). Hallelujah! We are in the “boat,” in Christ. This is so precious. We are not in ourselves or in Adam; we are in God. Today we have the Bible in our hands and the Holy Spirit in our spirit. God is in us, and we are in Christ; this is sufficient. We should boldly proclaim, “Hallelujah! I am saved, I have the life of God, and God is in me!”