A person cannot believe in Jesus Christ without the Holy Spirit in him. According to Scripture a person cannot in honesty proclaim Jesus is God nor can he or she understand the Scriptures. Receiving the Spirit of truth, the Holy Spirit is the first step. To receive Him we first have to know that we are not saved and have to recognize that we need a Savior because we have sinned and can't save ourselves. Next we have to realize that Jesus Christ of Nazareth paid the penalty for our sins. We have to accept Him completely as our Deliverer. After we fully accept Jesus Christ with the understanding that He is God in the flesh, we receive the Holy Spirit.
When the Holy Spirit takes the throne in an individual's heart communication begins between the person and God begins through the Holy Spirit. We have become reconciled to God at that point. And after that Luke 4:4 states that we are to live by every Word of God. Matthew 4:4 "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
The New Testament, the Word of Jesus, was written by the Holy Spirit through the Apostles and it is the river of pure water which flows into our hearts to heal us and cleanse us. Opting for any other teaching is pollution that contaminates.
The `River' is a popular trend today which is misrepresented and tends to be confusing. There is no life in artificial food, no more than there is life in artificial Gospel. "Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (John 14:23)
`Will' is future tense. Jesus implies that we open the door to Him first. How can a man or woman keep His words if the Bible is gender neutral as the new Bibles are proposed or has been tampered with in any way to make it politically correct. It will mean darkness to potential believers.
Here is why we must do what He says or take the consequences. "For even Christ pleased not himself; but, as it is written, The reproaches of them that reproached thee fell on me." (Romans 15:3) How can we tell that we have the Holy Spirit? He grieves in our hearts (see Romans 9:2) as well as brings joy (John 9:2).
He witnesses the truth through us on occasions. Some of His nine gifts will be active and most of all, a conversion has taken place. We indeed have become new creatures in Him. Paul so eloquently states exactly how we ourselves can know we have the Holy Spirit in 2 Corinthians 5:14-21 "For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead:
"And [that] he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again. Wherefore henceforth know we no man after the flesh: yea, though we have known Christ after the flesh, yet now henceforth know we [him] no more.
"Therefore if any man [be] in Christ, [he is] a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things [are] of God, who hath reconciled us to Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.
"Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech [you] by us: we pray [you] in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God. For He hath made Him [to be] sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him." (2 Corinthians 5:14-21)
The Holy Ghost Is The Final Call
Why did Jesus also call the Holy Spirit "the Comforter"? The Greek word used here is Parakletos (#3875), to call hither, the Greek writing of a legal advisor, a pleader, proxy or advocate, one who comes forward on behalf of and as the representative of another. Thus in 1 John 2:1, Christ is termed our substitutionary, intercessory advocate.
Christ designates the Holy Spirit as "Paraclete", equal with Himself, God. (1 John 2:1). This new Paraclete, the Holy Spirit, was to witness concerning Jesus Christ (John 14:26; 16:7, 14) and to glorify Him. The Holy Spirit is called a Paraclete because He undertakes Christ's office in the world while Christ is away from the world as the God-Man.
He is also called the Paraclete because He acts as Christ's substitute on earth. When Christ, in John 14:16, designates Himself at the same time as the Paraclete, the word must not be understood as applying to Christ in the same sense as in 1 John 2:1, where it is used with the meaning of our substitutionary Advocate, but rather as He who pleads God's cause with us (see John 14:7-9).
(a) "He will reprove the world of sin. The word reprove in Greek is Elegcho; to reprove with conviction upon the offender (Luke 3:19; Eph. 5:11, 13)
(b) "Reprove" means to speak to in disapproval. In this scriptural case the Holy Spirit convicts the world of its sinfulness in rejecting Christ, because there is still hope for unbelievers. Because of God's mercy and Jesus' willingness to intercede and His forgiving heart, Jesus quoted in Matthew 12:32
"And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world] to come." The Holy Ghost is the final call. If we reject Him, we can't be forgiven after that. If He doesn't convict us, there is no one else to convict us.
"Jesus .. said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (John 14:23)
when He said my yoke is easy (see Matthew 11:30) he meant that our lives would run so much smoother if we let Him do the directing and coaching. He is omniscient and a God of miracles. Who could take better care over our affairs? He brings down the hills and brings up the valleys, by which He becomes as real to us as our image in the mirror.Jesus cried and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me. And he that seeth me seeth him that sent me. I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should not abide in darkness. And if any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save the world. He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in the last day. For I have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life everlasting: whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father unto me, so I speak." (John 12:44-50)