How Do I Know if I Have Received the Holy Spirit?
Who Will Be Saved?
In almost every country, millions of people claim that they are Christians, and believe that they will be going to Heaven. However, the Bible says "only remnants (a small number) will be saved" (Romans 9:27). Jesus also mentioned repeatedly that many people who think they are going to Heaven will be rejected where they will be left "weeping and gnashing their teeth" {Matthew 13:42, 24:51}.
So, who will be saved? I believe this question is answered clearly in Ephesians 1:13-14.
In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory. Eph 1:13-14
The Holy Spirit is the "guarantee of our inheritance"! When we believe the Gospel and receive the Holy Spirit, we have already been "sealed" as the "purchased possession" of God, waiting to be redeemed. In other words, assurance of salvation is only given when a follower of Christ receives the seal of the Holy Spirit, and not when any church or minister calls someone a Christian.
How Do I Know if I Have Received the Holy Spirit?
9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit has 9 gifts for true followers of Christ. If you have any of these gifts, you should have already received the Holy Spirit! Just like the apostles in the first church, when they received the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, they immediately spoke in tongues (Acts 2:1-4).
These 9 gifts are : (1 Cor chapter 12)
Word of Wisdom
Word of Knowledge
Faith
Gifts of Healing
Working of Miracles
Prophecy
Discerning of spirits
Diverse Kinds of Tongues
Interpretation of Tongues
Q1: If I do not have any of the above gifts, does it mean I do not have the Holy Spirit?
A1: Not necessarily. I find that nowadays, many Christians do not manifest these gifts because of wrong doctrines and their wrong beliefs. When I was baptised, most people in my church believes that speaking in tongues happened only in the early past. However, when I found out that some people are still operating in this gift, immediately I started to speak in tongues! (see my article "How I Started to Speak in Tongues") Also, some people may grieve the Spirit because of their wrong doings, or they are simply not ready to operate a certain gift so they have not yet received it.
Q2: If someone has these gifts, does it mean he has the Holy Spirit?
A2: I believe one must be careful here because many demonic spirits can also produce similar signs. For example, there are also demonic tongues which confuses many people. Under such circumstances, we can examine another evidence, which is the "Fruits of the Holy Spirit".
9 Fruits of the Holy Spirit
The Bible tells us that we shall know a person by his fruits, so "fruits" are more important qualities we should use to discern whether someone is a true follower of Christ or not.
Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. You shall know them by their fruits ..... Matthew 7:15-16
These 9 Fruits are : (Galatians 5:22-23)
1. Love
2. Joy
3. Peace
4. Long Suffering
5. Gentleness
6. Goodness
7. Faith
8. Meekness
9. Temperance
If you see a "Christian" who has big talks and big titles but no fruits, you can easily discern that he does not have the Holy Spirit, and will most likely be one of those to be rejected outside the Kingdom of God.
Do Not Grieve the Holy Spirit
After we have received the Holy Spirit, we must also make sure that we do not grieve Him, as there are records in the Bible where the Holy Spirit left an anointed person because of his wrong doings. In the book of Samuel, we learnt that after King Saul disobeyed God's commandments, the Holy Spirit left him.
But the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD troubled him. 1 Samuel 16:14
Apostle Paul also warns us in Ephesians that we must not grieve the Holy Spirit, lest we lose the seal by which we shall be redeemed on the day of redemption. So, brothers and sisters, let us receive our salvation and diligently keep it!
And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption. Eph 4:30