God gives His Holy Spirit only to those who have demonstrated in attitude and behavior that they have repented. They must be baptized and obey His commandments. No one who continues to live a lifestyle apart from God's law has received the Spirit of God or has the power of God working in them. This Spirit, when received, enables us to understand God's way of life and transforms us into the image of Christ, producing the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. Through this divine power, God shapes His called-out children, imparting eternal life and delivering them from death.

Acts 5:32 clearly states that God gives the Holy Spirit to those who obey Him. Peter, in his address to the Sanhedrin, emphasizes that those who respond to the gospel message of repentance from sin and active faith in the sacrifice of Christ will strive to live in obedience to God's commandments, and thus He grants them His Spirit. This straightforward message underscores that obedience is integral to receiving the Holy Spirit. Further clarification comes from Acts 2:38, where Peter outlines the requirements for receiving God's Spirit as repentance and faith in the sacrifice of Christ, with baptism as an outward confession of that faith. Repentance involves a deep remorse for sins and an urgent desire to change one's life to avoid repeating those sins, leading to a commitment to obey God's commandments. John the Baptist, in Luke 3:8, also demanded that his followers demonstrate genuine repentance by making changes in their lives, even before the Holy Spirit was given. Similarly, repentance is described as turning from sin and beginning to obey God's law, followed by forgiveness through faith in Christ's sacrifice. The notion that obedience is not required before receiving the Holy Spirit is countered by the consistent biblical emphasis on repentance and faith as prerequisites. Repentance inherently involves a turn toward obedience, and both conditions must be met to receive the Spirit. Thus, Acts 5:32 stands as a clear affirmation that God gives His Holy Spirit to those who obey Him, aligning with the simple truths of humility and faithfulness to His commandments.

The presence of God's Holy Spirit is a transformative power, linked intimately with obedience among His people. As Christ and the Father make Their home within us, Their presence becomes an overarching force, unifying God's people across all distances. This indwelling, promised by Christ, results from obedience to God's law, which follows repentance. Among the converted, the physical realities of presence and absence hold no significant sway, for God's Spirit remains with each individual, ensuring that absence makes no operational difference in carrying out His work. God's presence, through His Holy Spirit, is not only overarching but also unfailing, always near unless we turn away from Him. As Leviticus 26:11-12 affirms, God assures His reliable presence, dwelling within us and never leaving, providing the closest form of presence possible.