But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now, if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His. Romans 8:9
Those of us who have been present at the time when someone died can verify that there is a vast difference between a person who is very sick and a person who is dead. Even though the sick person may be immobile, and may be unaware of surrounding, this person still has something that a dead body lacks: the presence of the person’s spirit. The healthier a living person is, the greater the contrast between that person and a corpse. In the same way, a Christian, even a weak and faltering Christian, is a dramatic contrast to the spiritual death that reigns all around us.
What makes the difference between saints and sinners, between saved and unsaved, between believers and unbelievers? Our text tells us that the difference is the Spirit Who dwells within the believer. His presence gives us eternal life and the hope that accompanies eternal life. Jesus declared, ‘He that believeth on me shall never die.’ – John 11:26 That belief links us forever with Christ and marks us forever as distinct from those who have never appreciated the Saviour. The Spirit’s presence makes us different in many ways.
Just as life enables a person to talk, so Christians are alone able to communicate with and about God. An unsaved person can say prayers, but a Christian can pray. An unsaved person can read the Bible, but a Christian can understand it. An unsaved person can preach a sermon, but a Christian can preach the Gospel. An unsaved person can dispense information, but a Christian can share Christ. An unsaved person can walk only in disobedience, but only a Christian can walk the paths of righteousness. An unsaved person can perform kind or gentle deeds to others, but only a Christian can dispense the love of Christ.
Oh, indeed there is a difference between the sinner and saint as a result of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. And that difference is all the greater the more we yield our will to the Spirit. -Jim MacIntosh