Many parents are curious as to whether their young children “have God’s Spirit in them”—that is, if they are aware of God. Given that [all believers have the Holy Spirit within them] (Ephesians 1:13), the two statements have the same meaning. However, children have a very narrow grasp of the world, including spiritual issues. Can a young child really genuinely possess the Holy Spirit of God? Let’s take a quick look at how the Holy Spirit works to save people in order to respond to that question.
According to the Bible, Jesus explained to a man by the name of Nicodemus how one is born again. However, He does not provide Nicodemus four simple instructions on how to have a second birth. Rather, He clarifies it as follows:
You can hear the wind blowing anywhere it pleases, but you have no idea where it is coming from or going. The same is true for all those who are Spirit-born. (John 3:18)
Because the “how” and “when” of the Holy Spirit leading someone to be “born again” are uncertain, Jesus’ response seems a little cryptic. The exact mechanism, timing, and purpose of the Holy Spirit’s heart-changing process—which leads someone to believe the Gospel and repent—are all unknown.
Born again or “regeneration”
We do know, however, that before we can understand the gospel and acknowledge Christ, the Holy Spirit must cause us to be born again—a process frequently referred to as “regeneration.” According to the Bible, “by grace you have been saved—even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ” (Ephesians 2:5). Dead people are powerless, and those who are spiritually dead are unable to choose Christ, repent, or accept unless God raises them from the grave. They can only select God after God chooses them and brings them to life. According to the Bible, when God decides to save someone, He is in charge of the entire process from start to finish.
To be the firstborn among many brothers, he also predestined those whom he knew to be transformed into the likeness of his Son. Additionally, he called those who were predestined, justified those who were called, and glorified those who were justified. (Romans 8:29–30)
John the Baptist
When someone is born again, or regenerated, it usually happens shortly after they confess their sins and come to believe in Jesus. It is possible for the Holy Spirit to reside in an unborn child, as demonstrated in the case of John the Baptist, according to the Bible.
“The Holy Spirit will abound in him from his mother’s womb onward.” Luke 1:15)
Now, the Bible doesn’t say that John had any distinct mental capacity from other children, even though he was filled with the Spirit from birth. This suggests that John’s faith developed together with his grasp of God’s profound truths as he got older.
We know that he knew God as a child because the Bible claims that he was filled with the Spirit from the moment of his mother’s conception. But until he reached adulthood, it most likely would not have been obvious if we hadn’t found that Bible verse.
Many years
Based on our understanding of the general way the Holy Spirit saves individuals, as well as the example of John the Baptist, we can conclude that even a little kid can be filled with the Holy Spirit. But because infants are still developing mentally and spiritually, it usually takes years before this interior regeneration manifests itself externally (becoming born again).
Every Christian parent wants their kids to know God for themselves from a young age. Scripture tells us that it is feasible. However, based on our experience, we have to proceed with utmost caution when determining if a child is saved and filled with the Holy Spirit.
