What is the relationship between (being saved and being filled with the Holy Spirit)?

Question:        I heard a preacher state that an individual is not saved if they are not filled with the spirit. I think I need some clarification. I am under the understanding that every Christian to some degree has the Holy Spirit in them. Some have more of the Spirit than others. Can you please shed some light on this? 

Answer:          There phrase fill with the spirit can be misleading because people often means different things when referencing the spirit.  Everyone that is alive has the spirit of God; James 2:26, “…..the body without the spirit is dead…..”  You stated that you think everyone has some degree of the Holy Spirit and that’s correct.  Every man indeed does have a spirit and that spirit comes from God; Ecc.12:7, “…..the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.”  God is a holy entity; therefore His spirit is holy, and every person that’s alive has the Holy Spirit.   Having the Holy Spirit does not make one saved; no more than being alive makes one saved.  According to Jesus, in order to be saved one must repent; Mt. 4:17, “from that time Jesus began to preach, and to say, repent: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”  Repenting is equivalent to being born again; John 3:3, “…..except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.”  We see that one has the Holy Spirit from birth, but one becomes saved by choice. 

            People oftentimes use the phrases, fill with the spirit and baptized in the Holy Ghost (Spirit) interchangeably.  From the above scriptures, we see that every one has the spirit of God or the Holy Spirit from birth.  All men may have the spirit of God, but not all men are saved.  On the other hand, if one is filled (baptized) with the Holy Ghost (Spirit), it is certain that he’s saved; Rom. 8:7-9, “…..the carnal mind is enmity against God…..if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.”

            It is commonly accepted that a person obtains salvation (saved) the moment he or she believes and accepts Christ Jesus as their Lord and Savior; Rom. 10:9-10.  At salvation, not all are immediately filled (baptized) with the Holy Ghost (Spirit).  An example of this is Acts 8:14-17.  Here is a group of people who had received and accepted the word of God, but was not filled (baptized) with the Holy Ghost (Spirit) until a short time later.  Another example is found in Acts 19:1-6, where a group of disciples who were already believers, but had been filled (baptized) with the Holy Ghost (Spirit).  The fore mentioned examples clearly demonstrate that being filled (baptized) with the Holy Ghost (Spirit) does not automatically arrive at salvation.  There is no formula or set time when one is filled (baptized) with the Holy Ghost.

            Being filled (baptized) with the Holy Ghost (Spirit) is when one receives power to have the gifts of the spirit working in his life; Acts 1:8, “but ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me…..unto the uttermost part of the earth.   This power; being filled with the Holy Ghost (Spirit) that Jesus promised was first manifested in Acts 2:4, “…..they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”  Being filled with the spirit is actually having the gifts of the spirit working in one’s life.

            Yes, some people indeed do, have more of the gifts of the Holy Spirit working in their lives than do others; 1 Cor.12:4-11, “now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit….. to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge…..but all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.”  All men have the spirit of God, but all men are not saved.  Only saved men are filled (baptized) with the Holy Ghost (Spirit), but all saved men do not produce any evidence that they are filled (baptized) with the Holy Ghost (Spirit); therefore they are not filled (baptized) with the Holy Ghost (Spirit); Mr. 16:20, “…..and confirming the word with signs following…..”  If the preacher meant that only a saved person is filled (baptized) with the Holy Spirit, he is correct.  If he meant that a person cannot not be saved unless he is filled (baptized) with the Holy Ghost (Spirit), he is incorrect.