Romans 5:5 (NKJV)
⁵ Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

Though our hope of glory is still in the future, we should not be ashamed to talk about it or put total confidence in it, knowing that we will not be disappointed, for our glory rests on the solid love of God which was poured into our hearts. This love gives us assurance that the hope of glory will come to fruition at the time appointed by God (Hebrews 6:18-20).

Did you notice, though, how this love was poured into our hearts? It was by the Holy Spirit that was given to us when we obeyed the gospel of Christ. Now, this reception of the Holy Spirit is not to be confused with the gift of the Holy Spirit referred to in Acts 2:38. There the reference was to something that the Holy Spirit gives, that is, salvation, while here it is the Holy Spirit Himself that has been given to all of us who are Christians.

Romans 8:9-11 (NKJV)
⁹ But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. ¹⁰ And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. ¹¹ But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.

What a wonderful blessing it is to have the Holy Spirit, and it is a gift possessed only by those who have been justified by faith. Now, let us remember that while the Holy Spirit dwells in us literally, He does not dwell in us bodily. The Holy Spirit dwells in our hearts by faith, the same way that Jesus does (Ephesians 3:17). Does Jesus dwell in our hearts bodily? Is the person of Jesus inside of our bodies? No, He abides in us through the medium of His word (John 15:4-7). Since the Bible tells us that the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit all dwell in us, there is no logical reason to conclude that one dwells in us differently than the other two. Does the Father dwell in us? John tells us He does (1 John 4:12-15). Does anyone believe that the person of God dwells in us? No, like the Son, He dwells in us through the medium of His word. Now, if the Father and Son dwell in us through the medium of the word, instead of directly and in person, why is it not the same with the Holy Spirit? The truth is, the Spirit does dwell in us through the medium of the word, and when it comes to the work of the Spirit on our hearts, everything attributed to the Spirit is also attributed to the word (Instructs {Neh. 9:20/2 Tim. 3:17}; saves {1 Cor. 6:11/Jas. 1:21}; sanctifies {Romans 15:16/John 17:17}; strengthens Ephesians 3:16/Acts 20:32}; sets free {2 Corinthians. 3:17/John. 8:32}).

But, let us get back on track. Really, Paul is not speaking about the indwelling of the Spirit in Romans five. It is not the Spirit that is poured out into our heart, it is the love of God. In this text, the Spirit is not what is being poured, He is doing the pouring. Nevertheless, Paul does clearly teach us that the Spirit has been given to us. Who is the us? Every one who has been justified. We should always remember the part the Holy Spirit has in our salvation, and be thankful that He has been given to us. As we mentioned above, the Spirit strengthens us, saves us, sanctifies us, and sets us free. If we allow ourselves to be led by the Spirit, that is, if we live the way the Spirit instructs us to live, Paul says we have life and peace (Romans 8:6). Thank God we have the Spirit to lead us and guide us through all the challenges of life. Thank God we have been justified by faith.

As you wind down for the night, think on these things.