Can Someone Be Saved And Not Have The Fruit Of The Spirit?

In the chapter about “True Joy” in “Sarah Young's Jesus Always Devotion EXPOSED!” it states that all believers have the Holy Spirit, thus all believers have the fruit of the Spirit. Is this a true statement. Yes. It is based on the following scripture.

1 Corinthians 12:13 tells us there is one Holy Spirit and all believers were baptized into one body, and all have the same Holy Spirit.

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

In Romans 8:9 scripture tells us that, if someone does not have the Holy Spirit, they are not saved. In other words, all true Christians have the Holy Spirit.

But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

And Ephesians 1:13-14 states that the Holy Spirit is “given as a pledge of our inheritance” in that we are “sealed” in Him. He could not promise to be the “seal” of our salvation, meaning the guarantee of our salvation, if we do not receive the Holy Spirit the moment we are saved.

In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.

These, as well as other scripture, teach that all believers possess the Spirit the moment they are saved.

Since joy is one of the fruits of the Spirit, if you have saved, you have that fruit of the Spirit. So, if you do not have joy, then there is the possibility that you have no foundation... you are not saved. The book “Should You RUN From Jesus Always” recommends doing as scripture commands... test yourself to see if you are in the faith. Several ways to test yourself are provided in the book.

However, some believers say there is another option: you are saved , but do not have the Holy Spirit. This belief is based on scripture they feel shows that believers do not receive the Holy Spirit the moment they become a Christian. Receiving the Holy Spirit comes later and may require actions such as the laying on of hands. This comes from Acts 8:12 & 15-17:

But when they believed Philip preaching the good news about the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were being baptized, men and women alike.

Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who came down and prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit. For He
had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they began laying their hands on them, and they were receiving the Holy Spirit.

However, there are a number of problems with this interpretation of scripture.

1. The purpose of the text in Acts is not to teach how a believer receives the Holy Spirit or even to teach about the Holy Spirit. It's purpose is to teach that all people, Jew, Gentile, and even Samaritans can be saved. On the other hand, the verses quoted above (from 1 Corinthians, Ephesians and Romans), that make it clear we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we are saved, are teaching about the Holy Spirit.
2. The time period recorded in the book of Acts was a unique time of transition from Old Testament times (God working through Israel) to New Testament times (the church age). Part of this transition involved getting rid of erroneous Jewish beliefs and traditions, one of which was that only Jews were saved.
   
   What is seen in Acts are people from each of the three major people groups; Jews, Gentiles, and Samaritans, becoming Christians and receiving the same signs of the Holy Spirit. This is a one-time occurrence for each people group. The Samaritans in particular were hated by the Jews, and every Jew knew that God also hated the Samaritans. But, just as the Jews (at Pentecost) and the Gentiles (Cornelius and his household) were saved and received the Holy Spirit with physical manifestations, so do the Samaritans in Acts chapter 8. These physical signs were necessary so that doubters (and there were many) would have no reason to exclude anybody from the saving grace of our Lord Jesus Christ.
   
   These signs of the Holy Spirit appeared only once for each people group, and were not repeated. God had demonstrated that all people... every tongue and tribe... could become one of His children.

Scripture plainly states that all believers receive the Holy Spirit as soon as they become a believer. God had a specific reason for delaying the indwelling of the Holy Spirit in three cases (actually four, there was a fourth people group that encompassed all others not in the first three groups) as a special case at the beginning of the church age. Thus, all believers have the fruit of the Spirit from the moment they are saved.

What about Acts 8:12?

Website Copyright 2016, 2017 | site map
All quotes from Jesus Always are copyright 2016 by Sarah Young
Hebrews 7:25 -- 2 Corinthians 2:14 -- John 8:29 -- Matthew 28:19-20 -- Isaiah 57:16 -- Psalm 103:9