Walking in the Fullness of His Spirit

God wills certain things for people—spiritual prosperity, I might call it. Let me say that it consists of about two things: first, clear forgiveness of sin and washing from the same. God’s will for everyone who hears the gospel is that we should be forgiven and thoroughly cleansed from sin. Second, we should be filled and walk in the fullness of the Holy Ghost all the days of our life. That will eventuate immediately, of course, fruitfulness, peace of heart, purity of life and general usefulness to our generation before we go hence to be no more.

A normal Christian is a person whose sins have been forgiven, who has not only a theological knowledge that his sins have been forgiven, but has also a deep consciousness of it. This is not an unusual Christian, or he ought not to be.

The old writers used to talk about “restored moral innocence.” They said there are two ways to be innocent: one is never to have done it; the second is, having done it, to be so forgiven of God that you have no sense of ever having done it to the extent that you have restored moral innocence given to you by God. I believe this.

There are many of us that have gotten converted the hard way. We got picked out of the shell and our belief in our having salvation rests upon a conclusion drawn from a text. We have been made to believe that that is faith. I read a certain text and I draw a certain conclusion from it. I say, “Well, that is it. Now, let us go have a soda.” That is about as deep as many of us go.

The forgiveness in the blood of Jesus Christ is a profounder thing than that! It is profounder than a conclusion drawn from biblical promises. It goes in to the depths of the spirit, it restores a sense of everlasting well-being, and it gives to the heart restored moral innocence. God means it to be for every one of us so that we can say,

My God has reconciled,
His pardoning voice I hear;
He owns me for His child,
I need no longer fear.[1]

My spirit answers and tells me I am born of God. God wills this condition for every one of His children. But do you know there is a difference between one who is forgiven theologically and one who is forgiven actually? There is a difference in the whole lift of his spirit, his countenance, the quality and tone of his testimony, his approach to life, others and God, and a difference in his prayer life.

God wills that we should be Spirit-filled Christians, walking in the fullness of His Spirit. You do not have to coax God into a good humor; we do not have to pray all night to get God coaxed up to do it for us. This is what the old camp-meeting brethren called “the purchase of the blood.” All this is ours by blood right! He died and rose again the third day and ascended to God the Father Almighty. It was all done. We can add nothing to it. Utter spiritual prosperity, the tree in full bloom, the field in full grain—this is the will of God for His people.

When we say we are going to have a revival, what do we mean? We inadvertently admit that we are spiritually below par. We unintentionally admit that we are badly in need of having brought to us these things which are all ours by the grace of God which is in Christ Jesus. Let us remember that when God prepares to bless a community, a church people or a group, first He has to get us ready.

[1] Hymn by Charles Wesley, “Arise, My Soul, Arise!”, 1742.