Scripture reading: John 16:8-14
The Holy Spirit
is alive and well and He's working in the world today. According to
our Scripture there are specific
works of the Holy Spirit in the world . These include convicting of
sin, righteousness and judgment, teaching people about Jesus and
glorifying Jesus and, of course, bringing people to conversion (a
saving knowledge of Jesus). In this blog I want to look at what the
Holy Spirit does at the moment
of saving faith.
The
Holy Spirit brings new life to the believer. Paul wrote in Titus
3:5, Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according
to His mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and
renewing of the Holy Ghost. We're
all spiritually dead because of sin (Eph 2:1-9). A good example of
this is Nicodemus (John 3). Nicodemus was religious,
but lost.
He
needed a spiritual
birth. Apart from the new birth he would not have been saved .
Regeneration
means new
birth. Most
people at one point or another in their life wish they could start
life over
again. In the sight of God, you can do just
that!
When
one is saved, the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the individual.
Paul, writing to the church of Corinth in 1
Cor 6:19-20
stated What? Know ye not that your
body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which in in you, which ye have
of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are
God's
The
Holy Spirit takes up permanent residence
in us when we accept Jesus! Jesus promised this to His disciples
(John 14:16-23). When the Holy Spirit comes in, there is evidence
of His occupancy in the believer's life. The Bible
becomes a new book – it comes alive.
The
Fruit
of the Spirit
start showing up in the believer's life. Power to overcome sin
becomes a daily
experience. A new longing
for holy living becomes part of the believer's life.
The
Holy Spirit seals the believer until Jesus returns. Ephesians
4:30 tells
us And grieve not the Holy Spirit of
God, whereby we are sealed unto the day of redemption. Note
this exciting progression: Regeneration, Residence and now Sealing!
Sealing speaks of ownership. Perhaps you've heard the expression You've “sealed the deal”. The presence of the Holy Spirit within the believer is like a down payment (Ephesians 1:13-14). Vs 13 of our Scripture reading tells us In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the Word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise. To guarantee this sealing, we have the witness of the Spirit (Rom 8:14-16). The sealing of the Spirit guarantees that what God has begun He will continue to completion! (Phil 1:6).
The
Holy Spirit baptizes the believer. 1
Corinthians 12:13 tells
us For by one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether
we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit .
It's
important to note that this takes place at conversion.
The
baptism by one Spirit refers
neither to water baptism nor to the baptism of the believer in the
Holy Spirit, such as occurred on the Day of Pentecost. Rather, it
refers to the Holy Spirit's baptizing the believer into Christ's
body,
uniting him to the Body of Christ and making him spiritually one
with other believers.
It's
a supernatural
transformation that takes place at conversion and puts the believer
in
Christ. This
is the basis
for unity within
our diversity. God's church is composed of many types of people
from a variety of backgrounds
with a variety of gifts.
If
we're not careful, these gifts – gifts that God meant for good
– will divide
us. Despite the differences, all believers have one thing in common
– faith
in Jesus!
To
drink into one Spirit means that each of us has received the same
Holy Spirit who completely fills
our innermost beings. We are united
by the Holy Spirit into one spiritual body.
Think about it – a new life, indwelt, sealed, baptized
all at conversion! This is the Holy Spirit at work in the believer.
In view of these benefits in Christ, let's walk in the Spirit
We are equipped to win!
Until next time...enjoy the journey!
Ray
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