Lesson 8 Hearing the Message of the Cross
Question 3
Friend, I want you to see that there is a way to be free from fleshly living and have a real and genuine hope of lasting freedom!
My objective in this lesson is to make learning how to walk by the Spirit simple to understand and implement into your life. Walking by the Spirit is not complicated or confusing.
We walk by the Spirit when we hear (read, sing, etc.) and believe the gospel of Jesus Christ. We then learn to keep in step with the Spirit as He leads us away from self-gratification.
Yes, it’s that simple (though not easy), and I want us to see this directly from God’s Word today. Let’s look:
"And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit." Ephesians 1:13 (NIV)
In this next passage of Scripture, I have bolded some words and phrases that are key to our lesson today:
"You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh? 4 Have you experienced so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard?" Galatians 3:1-5 (NIV)
Question 3. According to Galatians 3:1-5, when does a person receive the Holy Spirit and experience His miraculous presence?
These verses make it abundantly clear that hearing and believing the gospel message brings the Holy Spirit's supernatural work. And what we need to understand is that this is not a one-time event, any more than eating food is to happen only once. At the very least, we should feed our souls with the gospel as often as we feed our bodies with food.