The House Illustration
The house illustration is a helpful example of the coming of the Holy Spirit into our lives. It illustrates that when I become a Christian, Jesus comes to live in me spiritually, by his Holy Spirit. Then, over the days and years, the Holy Spirit wants to change me from the inside out, to make me more like Jesus.
When you buy a house there are two stages:
- Moving-in Day (This happens only once.)
- Renovation and Decoration (This goes on progressively for a long time.)
The same is true of the Christian life: there are two stages.
1) Becoming a Christian
This occurs when God gives me the grace to repent and surrender to Jesus Christ, when he 'opens the door' and by the Holy Spirit comes to lives with me. This happens genuinely only once, although many Christians cannot specify the exact day on which it took place. We call this new birth, and the believer is justified.
2) Being a Christian
The various rooms in the illustration represent all the aspects of my life.
- Marriage
- Family
- Money
- Ambition
- Study
- Leisure
- Sexuality
- Time etc
The Holy Spirit is not content to remain in the entrance hall. Once he has entered my life, he will want to change me into his image of what I should be like. This does not happen all at once - this is a progressives or gradual work, like renovating a house. We call this new life or progressive sanctification.
The point is clear. When I become a Christian, I must be willing for Jesus to become Lord of all. This willingness is the beginning of repentance. What this means in practice will be worked out progressively as I grow in this new life, by his Spirit.