Questions and Answers | Does the Holy Spirit Leave People?
Does the Holy Spirit leave people when they renounce their faith in Jesus?
This is a complex question. That being said, my assumption would be that the person was never actually saved. The person who renounces Jesus, according to Hebrews 6:1–8, was never in relationship with God in the first place. They are called “apostates” or “antichrists” (see 1 John 2:18–20). In such a circumstance, the Spirit did not leave because the Spirit never was in the life of this person. If this person was a believer, the Holy Spirit would not leave, but the Bible tells us we can grieve (Eph. 4:30) or quench the Spirit’s power (1 Thess. 5:19) even as believers.
BY Dr. Winfred O. Neely
Dr. Winfred Neely is Vice President and Dean of Moody Theological Seminary and Graduate School. An ordained minister, Winfred has served churches across the city of Chicago, the near west suburbs, and Senegal, West Africa. He is the author of How to Overcome Worry (Moody Publishers) and a contributor to the Moody Bible Commentary and Moody Handbook of Preaching. Winfred and his wife Stephne have been married for forty years and have four adult children and nine grandchildren.