Expert: Pastor Don Carpenter - 9/11/2009

Question
(Missouri Synod Lutheran, don't know if it matters) When a baby is born, it is born in sin.  When they are baptized, they become a member of God's family; the body of Christ.  Later a child accepts Christ on their own.  When / where does the Holy Spirit come into being in that life?  Looking for a Bible Study for this subject.

Answer
Hi Russ,

Thanks for this great question.  The Holy Spirit enters into believers.  This does not happen at infancy, it happens when one makes the decision to personally accept the gift of eternal life offered by Jesus by grace through faith alone.  The Holy Spirit enters a person upon belief, not baptism.


1 John 4:15
15 Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God.
The King James Version, (Cambridge: Cambridge) 1769.

The best book I have ever read on comprehensive teaching about the Holy Spirit is "The Power of Pentecost" by John R. Rice.

I hope that this helps you.

In Christ
Pastor Don