All believers have received the Holy Spirit in an initial sense through ____ and the ____ power of the blood of Jesus and grace of God.

• A. Baptism; Transforming
• B. Salvation; Regenerating
• C. Faith; Cleansing
• D. Salvation; Empowering

Answer: (B)

The main idea is that the Holy Spirit comes into believers at the moment of salvation, through the act of being saved and the Spirit’s work of regeneration. Salvation is the moment when a person places faith in Christ and is brought into a relationship with God, making them eligible to receive the Spirit. Regeneration refers to the Spirit’s work of new birth—being “born again”—made possible by the cleansing power of Jesus’ blood and God’s grace. So the sentence fits best with Salvation and Regenerating: salvation initiates the Spirit’s presence, and the regenerating power reflects the Spirit making us spiritually alive.

Other options don’t fit as well because they shift the focus. Baptism is a separate rite, not the initial reception of the Spirit described here. Cleansing emphasizes forgiveness but not the Spirit’s birth-life within. Faith is the human response that leads to salvation, but the statement centers on the Spirit’s initial indwelling through salvation and regeneration, not merely faith itself. Empowering points to enabling for service after salvation rather than the initial reception.