Are we born with the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?
The short answer
No. The whole human person is intended to become a temple of the Spirit in Christ's body (CCC 364). Baptism, our new birth, is what makes us temples of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1265).
We are not born with the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. The Catechism says the human body shares in the dignity of God's image because it is animated by a spiritual soul, and that the whole human person is intended to become, in the body of Christ, a temple of the Spirit (CCC 364).
Perhaps your instructor meant our birth in baptism: baptism not only purifies from all sins but makes the newly baptized a new creature, an adopted son of God, and a temple of the Holy Spirit (CCC 1265).
Continue exploring
- What about Matthew 12:31-32 — speaking against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven?Q&A
- What are the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit?Q&A
- Who is the Holy Spirit?Q&A
- PentecostTract
- What the Early Church Believed: FilioqueTract
- Apart from Easter's meaning, is there a reason the Church initiates catechumens then?Q&A