The Holy Spirit in the Epistles
IN THE STUDY:
To Paul the power of the Holy Spirit is almost the same as speaking of the divine principle in Jesus. The operation of the power of God within Jesus marks him out as the Messiah, and his Sonship is proved by the resurrection. The Holy Spirit is the mode of Christ’s presence in and among His people. Through the Holy Spirit Christ dwells in the believer and within the Church. The believer is “in Christ” and the Church is “the body of Christ.”
The Spirit is the spirit of Christ himself. To be a Christian is to be in the spirit (Rom. 8:9). The Spirit of God is the Spirit of Christ. Without the Spirit of Christ we do not belong to Him. (8:10). To have His Spirit is to have Him and to have the power who raised Jesus from the dead (8:11). It is the Holy Spirit who makes real the presence of Christ within the believer and within the Church. It is the Spirit of God that enables a person to claim Jesus is Lord (1 Cor. 12:3).
Paul can see “The Lord Jesus Christ”, “God the Father”, and “The Holy Spirit” as the Godhead. (2 Cor. 13:14).
Paul makes a contrast between the Spirit and the Law. The New Covenant brought into effect by Jesus Christ is dependent upon the in-dwelling of God’s Spirit which gives life, whereas the Law brings death (2 Cor. 3: Rom. 7:6, 8:2). The Holy Spirit also is contrasted to living a life “in the flesh” (Gal. 3:3). To live in the flesh is to live in an unredeemed human state alienated from God. The contrast is the Christian who lives with the Spirit demonstrating the fruits of the Spirit. Christians are those who walk not according to the flesh but according to the Spirit (Rom. 8:4-6).
Through the Holy Spirit Christians come to know God as Father (Rom. 8:14-17). Through the Holy Spirit we have access to God. (Eph. 2:8). Through the Holy Spirit we pray to God (Rom. 8:26-27). The Spirit of God becomes the ground of the Church’s unity as one body in Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).
When Christians live in the Spirit of God they have the guarantee of eternal life and the total redemption that is yet to be complete. There are many signs of the presence of the Spirit, the supreme one being love. These signs, gifts of the Spirit, and fruit of the Spirit will be discussed in later Word Talks.
All Christians are to partake of the Spirit, to be filled with the Spirit, be aglow with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18; Rom. 12:11).
FROM THE PULPIT:
In Hobart a woman asked me “How can I discover my spiritual gift”? When the Holy Spirit dwells within a person he gives to each person a gift. This will be examined in greater detail in later issues.
However, many Christians don’t know how to discover what the gift God has given to them happens to be. To discover God’s gift:
1. Explore the possibilities – for there are at least 21 different gifts mentioned in the New Testament.
2. Experiment with as many differing gifts as possible.
3. Examine your own feelings for God doesn’t give you a gift that is counter to your own abilities or emotions.
4. Expect confirmation from other people. If you think you have a gift for singing, it may be that others will correct that idea!
5. Expand your gift to the limit of your ability.
6. Evaluate your effectiveness in serving God with your gift.
7. Exercise your gift for the benefit of other people. Learning what your gift is will take time. Exercising your gift in God’s work will take all your life!
AMONG THE PEOPLE:
There are many Christians who are terrified of experiencing the presence and power of the Holy Spirit. They believe that the presence of the Holy Spirit must be equated with some Pentecostal or charismatic experience. They do not realize that they cannot be Christian without the presence of the Holy Spirit.
Cathrine Marshall once said “Do without the Holy Spirit? How could any of us who have embarked on a pilgrimage that is Christianity do without Him? For we who long for something more for strength and hope and wisdom beyond ourselves, discover to our joy that as the Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us in Him we have our heart’s desire.”
