Like Father and Son, the Spirit is a divine person, God the Holy Spirit. The Spirit should always be called “He” not “it” since He is personal. The Spirit is not some impersonal force, like electricity.
The word “holy” means special or set apart. The Holy Spirit is unique and as God is set apart from all evil and sin.
The Spirit’s primary work is to draw us to Christ and to glorify Him (Jn 16:14). We are united to Christ in the Spirit. Indeed, the Spirit is called the Spirit of Christ (Rm 8:9; 1 Pt 1:11).
Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Mt 1:20), was filled with and empowered by the Spirit (Lk 4:1, 14, 18) and offered himself to God on the cross through the Spirit (Heb 9:14). After he ascended into heaven, Christ sent his Spirit to his people.
Jesus calls the Spirit another counselor / advocate / comforter / helper (lit. one who is called alongside, like a defense lawyer) to the disciples (John 14:16, 26; 15:26). It is as if Jesus was their counselor in his earthly ministry and in his bodily absence, the Spirit takes his place as another counselor (although of course Jesus is with his disciples always Mt 28:20 – by the Spirit?).
The Holy Spirit convicts us of sin (John 16:7-11).
Believers are given new life by the Spirit (cf. Ez 37:1-14).
The Holy Spirit is a deposit or down payment (a kind of first installment) guaranteeing our salvation (2 Cor 1:22; 5:5; Eph 1:14).
The Spirit assures us that we are children of God (Rm 8:16).
The Spirit is the author of Scripture. The Bible is God-breathed (2 Tim 3:16). The word for “breath” or wind is the same word for “Spirit” in both the Hebrew of the Old Testament and the Greek of the New Testament.
We should pray for the Spirit’s help when reading the Word he has caused to be written.
All Christians are indwelt by the Spirit (Rom 8:9). Though we should go on being filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18) we should not expect a second stage “Baptism in the Holy Spirit” as if there are two grades of Christians, Spirit-filled Christians and Spirit-less Christians.
Christ gives gifts of the Spirit to the church (1 Cor 12:1-11; Eph 4:11-16). It is good for us to consider what our gifts might be and try to use them for the common good (1 Cor 12:7). But the key is serving others, not focusing on being fulfilled by using our gifts. If there are needs and opportunities we might sometimes serve in areas where we don’t feel particularly gifted. Perhaps having a go at something will show us that we might have gifts we didn’t think we had. Sometimes others might see gifts in us we didn’t recognize ourselves.
The gifts of the Spirit are of course controversial. Bible-believing Christians disagree about them.
It seems in the Bible that the gift of “tongues”, or “languages”, is the supernatural ability to speak in foreign human languages that one has not learnt (Acts 2:4-12; 1 Cor 14:10-11, 21, quoting Is 28:11; with the “tongues of angels” in 1 Cor 13:1 not referring to the gift of tongues but seen as a rhetorical flourish describing eloquence). The Bible is clear that tongues should not be used in church unless there is an interpretation / translation and then only in an orderly manner, one speaker at a time (1 Cor 14:27-28).
Some have argued that there are two levels of prophecy in the Bible: Old Testament infallible “thus says the LORD” prophecy and a less authoritative New Testament prophecy along “I think the Lord might be saying to us…” lines. But it is hard to find this distinction in the Bible. The Bible warns against the terrible sin of false prophecy, where someone claims to say something that God does not say.
Many Bible-believing Christians would argue that tongues and prophecy were foundational gifts for the church and that since the completion of the New Testament canon of Scriptures and the end of the apostolic period these gifts are no longer needed and have ceased. See further O. Palmer Robertson, The Final Word: A Biblical Response to the Case for Tongues and Prophecy Today (Banner of Truth, 1993).
The Scriptures warn us of counterfeit miracles, signs and wonders (2 Thess 2:9).
Whatever we say about the Holy Spirit, he wouldn’t want us to distract from the fullness and finality of the revelation in Christ (Heb 1:1-2) or the sufficiency of Scripture (2 Tim 3:16-17).
The Spirit works in us to produce in us the fruit of the Spirit (Gal 5:22), which we might sum up as Christ-likeness.
Friday, April 17, 2009
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1 comment:
2 things Marc, strengthening your case.
1) Do you not think Eph 5:18 is better translated "being filled by the Spirit" rathr than with? I think it's O'brien who says it highlights the agent who is doing the filling (the HS), not the thing we are being filled with.
2) Clowney picks out 2 Cor 12:12. Paul says signs, wonders and miracles are the marks of an apostle. And the apostles are all dead!
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