To tackle a subject as complex and controversial as this in a short blog post probably indicates a lack of wisdom more than anything else but I believe God has put this on my heart, particularly in light of recent experiences. Romans 8:9 states "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." (ESV) How do we know whether the (Holy) Spirit indwells a person? Jesus says "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear its sound, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." (John 3:8 ESV) So we can't see the Holy Spirit within a person but we can see His effects on that person. For many years i thought that a person prayed a "salvation" prayer, believed in certain essential doctrines like the Deity of Christ, His resurrection from the dead etc. and began to interact with the Christian community. Further study has expanded my understanding of this question because I saw in my own life that I had done those things yet i remained enmeshed in sin. I was conforming externally to the "culture" around me but inside I really wasn't changed (redeemed) I wasn't examing myself to see if i was in the faith. (2 Corinthians 13:5 ESV)
My current understanding is that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit manifests itself in at least the following ways.
A. The fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22-23) being expressed in my life. The most important of these is love. We must receive God's love for us personally before we can truly love others. (1 John 4:19) Jesus says that to love God and our neighbor is the greatest commandment. (Mark 12:30) (I'm sorry I have run out of time & will have to continue this later)
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