The Old Testament saints received the Holy Spirit the same way that we do today. When they believed God and his promise of a savior they were given the Holy Spirit. Faith and the Holy Spirit go together, you can't have one without the other, Today, it is not much different than then. God says... "This is my only begotten Son, believe on him". When we believe on Jesus God gives us the Holy Spirit. Not only do we receive the Holy Spirit, we are sealed by the Holy Spirit.
"In whom you trusted, after you heard the word of truth, THE GOSPEL OF YOUR SALVATION: in whom after that you believed, you WERE SEALED with the Holy Spirit of promise" Ephesians 1:13.
"So then faith comes by hearing (the Gospel) and hearing by the word of God (the Gospel) Romans 10:17.
It is very evident that only those that hear and believe the Gospel receive the Holy Spirit. This leaves out Calvinist, Catholics and others that do not believe the Gospel. On the day of Pentecost 8,000 Jews heard and believed Peter's Gospel, Acts 2:41 also Acts 4:4. It was the Gospel that gave birth to the New Testament church. The Gospel came into the world for the very first time in the power of the Holy Spirit. There has never been an event like Pentecost, nor will there ever be an event like Pentecost. What followed after Pentecost was the Holy Spirit taking the Gospel to the world. The apostle Paul and some of the other apostles spent over 20 years of his life and travel over 10,000 miles taking the Gospel to the pagan world.
The condition for receiving the Holy Spirit is that God must see you as perfect and complete in Christ. This is part of the Gospel. When we come to Christ as repentant sinners to be saved by him, God gives us the Holy Spirit and places us "In Christ". God now sees us only "In Christ" Colossians 3:3. That's it. You cannot make yourself any better than what God has made you in Jesus Christ, You are complete in him, Colossians 2:10. We who believe have ceased from our works and have entered into his rest, Hebrews 4:10. There is no unsealing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God's mark of ownership. In Jesus Christ we have been justified, Romans 3:26, sanctified and redeemed, 1 Corinthians 1:30.
Those that believe the Gospel have been born again by the Holy Spirit, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, (false Gospels) but of incorruptible seed, which is the word of God (the Gospel) which lives and abides forever" 1 Peter 1:24.
In the Gospel we are reconciled to God the Father by Jesus Christ. We had nothing to do with the reconciliation. This was between God and his Son Jesus Christ. We are the benefactors of the work of reconciliation, "God was in Christ reconciling us and the world unto himself" 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19. Jesus as God's new Adam and our new humanity, was acting in our name and on our behalf. When Jesus lived, we lived in him. When Jesus died, we died with him, Romans 6:6. When Jesus ascended into heaven, we as ascended into heaven with him, Ephesians 2:6. This is why Paul could say, "You are complete in him" Colossians 2:10. Its over, its finished, so that now those who do nothing more than call on the Lord shall be saved "Whosoever that shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" Romans 10:13
"In whom you trusted, after you heard the word of truth, THE GOSPEL OF YOUR SALVATION: in whom after that you believed, you WERE SEALED with the Holy Spirit of promise" Ephesians 1:13.
"So then faith comes by hearing (the Gospel) and hearing by the word of God (the Gospel) Romans 10:17.
It is very evident that only those that hear and believe the Gospel receive the Holy Spirit. This leaves out Calvinist, Catholics and others that do not believe the Gospel. On the day of Pentecost 8,000 Jews heard and believed Peter's Gospel, Acts 2:41 also Acts 4:4. It was the Gospel that gave birth to the New Testament church. The Gospel came into the world for the very first time in the power of the Holy Spirit. There has never been an event like Pentecost, nor will there ever be an event like Pentecost. What followed after Pentecost was the Holy Spirit taking the Gospel to the world. The apostle Paul and some of the other apostles spent over 20 years of his life and travel over 10,000 miles taking the Gospel to the pagan world.
The condition for receiving the Holy Spirit is that God must see you as perfect and complete in Christ. This is part of the Gospel. When we come to Christ as repentant sinners to be saved by him, God gives us the Holy Spirit and places us "In Christ". God now sees us only "In Christ" Colossians 3:3. That's it. You cannot make yourself any better than what God has made you in Jesus Christ, You are complete in him, Colossians 2:10. We who believe have ceased from our works and have entered into his rest, Hebrews 4:10. There is no unsealing of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is God's mark of ownership. In Jesus Christ we have been justified, Romans 3:26, sanctified and redeemed, 1 Corinthians 1:30.
Those that believe the Gospel have been born again by the Holy Spirit, "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, (false Gospels) but of incorruptible seed, which is the word of God (the Gospel) which lives and abides forever" 1 Peter 1:24.
In the Gospel we are reconciled to God the Father by Jesus Christ. We had nothing to do with the reconciliation. This was between God and his Son Jesus Christ. We are the benefactors of the work of reconciliation, "God was in Christ reconciling us and the world unto himself" 2 Corinthians 5:18, 19. Jesus as God's new Adam and our new humanity, was acting in our name and on our behalf. When Jesus lived, we lived in him. When Jesus died, we died with him, Romans 6:6. When Jesus ascended into heaven, we as ascended into heaven with him, Ephesians 2:6. This is why Paul could say, "You are complete in him" Colossians 2:10. Its over, its finished, so that now those who do nothing more than call on the Lord shall be saved "Whosoever that shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved" Romans 10:13
