II. Differentiation between indwelling and filling:
A. It is important to distinguish between the Indwelling of the Holy Spirit and the Filling of the Holy Spirit. The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is permanent and was the act of God the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation of the individual believer. It is 100 % independent of the volition of the believer. The Filling of the Holy Spirit, on the other hand, is volition dependent and is the result of the volition of the believer whether or not he/she gives in to the temptations of the Old Sin Nature.
B. Maintenance of Filling of the Holy Spirit depends on our proper and timely use of the rebound technique. When we sin we lose the Filling of the Holy Spirit but not the Indwelling.
C. Obviously, the indwelling and filling of the Holy Spirit are not synonymous terms.
1. While the indwelling of the Holy Spirit emphasizes the body of the believer, the filling of the Spirit emphasizes the believer’s soul. I Cor. 3:16; 6:19 – 20 (The King James uses the term Holy Ghost which was a mistranslation from the Latin to the English {not the translation from the Koine Greek to the Latin}. The Greek noun pneuma when speaking of the third person of the triune God always means Spirit).
2. The believer’s body is the sacred building of the Church Age. This indwelling makes it impossible for demons to possess the believer’s body. In fact, demon possession cannot take place apart from the consent of the unbeliever so possessed.
3. While both the indwelling and filling are absolutes they are different types of absolutes.
(a). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is an irrevocable absolute.
(b). The filling of the Holy Spirit is a revocable absolute through carnality. However, the indwelling and filling are cooperating absolutes when we are filled with the Spirit.
(c). When the Holy Spirit controls the soul, the believer is said to be filled with the Spirit but when the old sin nature controls the soul, the believer is said to be carnal, both grieving and quenching the Holy Spirit.
(d). The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is both permanent and irrevocable whether the believer is spiritual or carnal; whether he/she is a winner or loser believer.
D. The filling of the Holy Spirit is mandated by God the Father in Eph. 5:18 but the indwelling of the Holy Spirit is stated by God as an accomplished absolute in I Cor. 3:16; 6:19 – 20.
