The Spirit of Christ

“If any man has not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” (Rom. 8:9)

Nothing could be clearer than this statement in God’s Word. Without the Spirit of Christ given to a sinner, whereby the sinner is drawn to the LORD Jesus in faith and repentance, none can claim to be the LORD’s. All the talk of personal decisions, making a profession of faith, walking an aisle or reciting the sinner’s prayer (so-called) are not the proof of being a child of God. The statement by the Spirit of God Himself in His inspired Word is that if someone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they don’t know Christ.

Elsewhere in Scripture, the indictment is just as damning. “If any man loves not the LORD Jesus Christ, let him be Anathema Maranatha.” (1 Cor. 16:22) Such are under the most dreadful curse until the LORD comes to execute the severest vengeance of condemnation. ‘Maranatha’ means ‘our LORD cometh.’ Better that we are deprived of every other temporal blessing that we may enjoy by God’s mercies in this life but let us not be deprived of the Spirit’s work, not just to know Who Christ is as LORD, Savior, Redeemer and Substitute but to have the Spirit’s Grace to love Him for Who He is and what He has accomplished. Here we see how we may know that we have the Spirit of Christ.

First, to have the Spirit of Christ is to have the revelation of Christ in the heart. None of us would even hunger or thirst after Him were it not for His Spirit indwelling us and giving us life to long after Him, seek Him and come to Him. Christ said in John 6:44: “No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him at the last day.”

Second, to have the Spirit of Christ is to have Spiritual eyes opened to contemplate Christ as He is revealed in Holy Scripture. Without the Spirit of Christ we would read the Scriptures blindly and never see how HE is all the Father’s delight with Whom He covenanted eternally to save sinners from out of the world by His righteous life and sacrificial death. Salvation is entirely the work of the Godhead. The Father chose those sinners that He would save, the Son came and paid the sin debt for each one and the Spirit of God opened their eyes, not only to see the wretchedness of their sin and misery but also to behold Christ as their Righteousness imputed at the cross.

Third, to have the Spirit of Christ is to be given Faith to believe on Him, to savor His Divine glories and to yearn after Him for all things. It is to enjoy Him as our portion now and for eternity. Do we have Him as our Wisdom, Righteousness, Sanctification and Redemption? [1 Corinthians 1:30] This is of the Spirit of Christ.