THE HOLY SPIRIT
A Chinese man was enquiring about the Christian faith. He was very perplexed about the Holy Spirit especially after he read how at Jesus’ baptism the Spirit descended on him like a dove.
“The Father I understand, and Jesus Christ his son, but who is this holy bird?”
The Holy Spirit is the active agent of God in the world today, but there is still much confusion about his work. This article attempts to summarise the Bible’s teaching about his activities.
The Holy Spirit universalises the presence of Jesus. During Jesus' years of ministry on the earth, he could be in only one place at once. But the Holy Spirit can be in everyone's heart.
I tell you the truth: It is for your good that I am going away. Unless I go away, the Counsellor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. John 16:7
The Holy Spirit internalises the presence of Jesus. This is what is meant by "Jesus coming to live in your heart" (literally taken, this phrase is impossible as Jesus is now in heaven.)
The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. John 14:17,18
The Holy Spirit enters peoples' personality and changes them from within-- this is known as sanctification.
I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being. . . Ephesians 3:16,17
The seven areas of his ministry:
Christian Conversion
Conversion is his work from first to last (not ours!)
One of his many names is "the Spirit of Grace" (Hebrews 10:29), since he yearns with undeserved mercy (="grace") for the salvation of sinners.
He begins by convicting (or convincing) people of sin, righteousness and judgement:
When he comes, he will convict the world of guilt in regard to sin and righteousness and judgement: in regard to sin, because men do not believe in me; in regard to righteousness, because I am going to the Father, where you can see me no longer; and in regard to judgement, because the prince of this world now stands condemned. John 16:8-10
Then he opens our eyes to see the truth, that Jesus is the Saviour:
When the Counsellor comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father, he will testify about me. John 15:26
Then he moves us to repent and believe - to be born anew (or born of the Spirit)
. . . Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit. You should not be surprised at my saying, 'You must be born again.' The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit. John 3:6-8
And he gives life to those previously dead in sin.
As for you, you were dead in your transgressions and sins, in which you used to live when you followed the ways of this world and of the ruler of the kingdom of the air, the spirit who is now at work in those who are disobedient. All of us also lived among them at one time, gratifying the cravings of our sinful nature and following its desires and thoughts. Like the rest, we were by nature objects of wrath. But because of his rich love for us, God, who is rich in mercy, made us alive with Christ even when we were dead in transgressions-- it is by grace you have been saved. Ephesians 2:1-5
Thus the Nicene Creed rightly calls him "The Lord, the Giver of Life".
2. Christian Assurance
The Holy Spirit seals us: God puts his own mark on us to show that we are his own.
He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:22
And you also were included in Christ when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation. Having believed in him, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit. . . Ephesians 1:13
And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Ephesians 4:30
The Spirit is a seal of ownership, since if anyone does not have the Spirit, he does not belong to Christ.
You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. Romans 8:9
As part of this task, the Spirit assures us of God's love and Fatherhood, leading to an inner confidence that God has saved us.
And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. Romans 5:5
The Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God's children. Romans 8:16
The Spirit's seal guarantees our future inheritance: he is also like a deposit:
He anointed us, set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come. 2 Corinthians 1:22
In other words, he is the first instalment of heaven.
. . . the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit [Greek παραθήκη ] guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God's possession-- to the praise of his glory. Ephesians 1:14
(The Greek word παραθήκη is used in modern Greek for an engagement ring-- a pledge of marriage. The word was also used in the first century to mean a down payment.) This could show itself in many ways, but underlying these will be a deep love for Jesus, who we have not seen.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit
Many Pentecostalists say we receive the gift of the Spirit when we first believe, but we need second and subsequent experiences called "the baptism of the Spirit"-- usually evidenced by speaking in tongues.
The New Testament does not teach the stereotype of two stages, but instead:
Initial regeneration by the Holy Spirit
A process of growth into maturity, during which we may indeed be granted many deeper and richer experiences of God, which lead to a fresh experience of the reality of God and a vivid awareness of his love. But this is not "baptism with the Spirit".
The expression "baptised with the Holy Spirit" occurs only seven times in the New Testament. Six of them (Mathew 3:11, Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33, Acts 1:5, Acts 11:16) are quotes of John the Baptist's words "I baptise with water but he will baptise with the Holy Spirit"-- which was fulfilled at Pentecost. The seventh emphasises that all of us have been baptised with the Spirit and made to drink of the Spirit:
For we were all baptised by one Spirit into one body... and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. 1 Corinthians 12:13
Jesus emphasised that we should seek to be obedient to what he taught, he did not teach that we should seek ‘religious experiences’.
3. Christian Holiness
The Christians life must be holy because God is holy. It is written in the Old Testament,
"Be holy because I am holy".
God the Father chose us to be holy:
For he [the Father] chose us in him [Jesus] before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. Ephesians 1:4
The Lord Jesus chose us to be holy:
. . . Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all wickedness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Titus 2:14
Therefore, we are called to be holy, and so he gives the Holy Spirit:
For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. Therefore, he who rejects this instruction does not reject man but God, who gives you his Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 4:7-8
The Holy Spirit not only shows Christ to us but forms Christ in us; people's teaching, example and exhortations are all important, but they are no substitute for the Spirit's inward power. Only he can control evil and cultivate the good in us.
We are very much involved; we are called to be ruthless in our rejection of all wrong.
Those who belong to Christ have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires. Galatians 5:24
We are to:
live by the Spirit,
be led by the Spirit,
keep in step with the Spirit
all by daily surrender to live as God wants.
So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful nature...
. . . But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law...
. . . Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. Galatians 5:16,18,25
For some, holiness means confessing another person’s sins, but this just leads to war. Confessing my own sins leads to peace.
4. Christian Understanding
One of Jesus' favourite titles for the Holy Spirit was "the Spirit of Truth" (see John 14:17, 15:26, 16:13). So the Holy Spirit believes, loves, defends and teaches the truth:
He is the Bible's primary author, inspiring the Scriptures (see 1 Cor 2: 9-13).
As the Nicene Creed says, "he spoke through the prophets". Hebrews 1:1 says:
In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways...
Compare 2 Peter 1:21:
For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
for he also taught the apostles:
". . . But the Counsellor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26
". . . But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come." John 16:13
He is also the Bible's primary interpreter. The history of the church is one of progressive understanding of Scripture. We need the Spirit's illumination when we read the Bible; trying to read it without is like telling the time by a sundial in cloudy weather. We need the sun! We should pray Psalm 119:18:
Open my eyes, that I may behold wonderful things in your law.
5. Christian Fellowship
People's understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit is often too individualistic. The Greek word for "fellowship" is “koinonia”, which is derived from the word koinos, meaning "in common". His presence makes us one.
There is one body and one Spirit. Ephesians 4:4
6. Christian Service
The Holy Spirit not only unites but also edifies, or builds up, the church.
We must distinguish the gift of the Spirit (who is given to all, making for unity) and the gifts of the Spirit (which are different, making for diversity).
There are four lists of the gifts of the Spirit in the New Testament, giving a list of twenty-one gifts in total. These appear selective rather than exhaustive.
Some of these gifts are supernatural, such as miracles 1 Cor 12 :10,28
Other gifts appear mundane, such as administration 1 Cor 12:28. or giving money Rom 12:8
Many natural gifts are Christianised by the Spirit. In some circles the Spirit’s work is over dramatised. It is notable that in Paul’s last letter before his execution the only work specifically attributed to the Spirit is to help ‘guard the gospel’. 2 Tim 1:13
The only mention in Colossians is to give all power, but this power is not for spectacular miracles but to produce ‘endurance, patience and joy. Col 1:11
7. Christian Mission
Archbishop William Temple commented:
“No-one can possess (or rather, be indwelt by the Spirit of God) and keep that Spirit to himself. Where the Spirit is, he flows forth; if there is no flowing forth, he is not there.”
Jesus said,
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, streams of living water will flow from within him.” By this he meant the Spirit, whom those who believed in him were later to receive. John 7:38-39
This verse is illustrated in the book of Acts, where there is no doubt that the Spirit is a missionary Spirit. Roland Allen has said:
“We too must be missionaries… unless we are ready to deny the Holy Spirit of Christ as revealed in the Acts.”
Remember, if we feel shy and reserved, the Spirit enabled timid, uneducated fishermen to speak boldly for Jesus in spite of strong opposition (Acts 4:13, 20, 31)
When the unimpressive Paul arrived in Corinth he felt weak, afraid and trembling (1 Cor 2:3). He relied on a demonstration of the Spirit’s power to convince people- i.e. words spoken in human weakness were carried home by the Spirit to the mind, heart and conscience of the listeners. (1 Cor 2:4).
Unfortunately, in this country the roar of the Lion of Judah has become the meow of a castrated tom cat!
There is no greater need in the contemporary church than that we should be filled with the true Spirit of Jesus Christ. This must be seen in lay people. Archbishop William Temple has said:
“The man outside feels differently, and to him the lay witness is most effective. We must move nearer to a state of affairs where the minister stands for the things of God before the congregation while the congregation stands for the things of God before the outside world.”
BVP
