Editorial
November/December, 1988
Volume 23, Number 6
During the Christmas season we should remember especially the activity of the Holy Spirit in the coming of Jesus to earth. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit. Luke 1:35 says, “And the angel answered and said to her, ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.’ ” The Bible also says that Joseph was informed by an angel that the Holy Spirit (in some way unknown to us) had planted the seed in Mary’s body (Matthew 1:20).
The Holy Spirit (as we shall see in the following pages) has been actively involved in many areas which affect the lives of each one of us. He will even quicken our mortal bodies at the end of the age. We read in Romans 8:11, “But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” Some day the bodies of believers will be raised from the dead, and will be changed into incorruptible and glorified bodies. The Holy Spirit will be the one to execute the Father’s decree. Under His control “the redemption of our body” (Romans 8:23) will be completed.
The article in this issue of the WITNESS is a briefly condensed version of a chapter (chapter 4) taken from the BRF-produced Correspondence Course entitled, “Major Bible Doctrines: Part I.” A similar article on What the Bible Teaches About God appeared in Volume 16, Number 4. An article on What the Bible Teaches About Jesus Christ was featured in the Volume 18, Number 6 issue of the WITNESS. Those two articles, along with the current issue of WITNESS, form a trilogy of messages on the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The complete correspondence course is available from Brethren Revival Fellowship, P.O. Box 543, Ephrata, PA 17522.
Reading this issue of WITNESS will be most profitable if the reader will check Scripture references by keeping a Bible open as the following pages are studied and read. We invite our readers to examine with us the Bible teaching concerning the Holy Spirit–who He is and what He does.
What the Bible Teaches About the Holy Spirit
By Harold S. Martin
The least understood Person of the Godhead is the Holy Spirit. Because of ignorance and neglect, many Christians are depriving themselves of blessing and help. The Holy Spirit is sometimes ignored because His work is not quite as visibly prominent as the work of God the Father and God the Son. In Glacier National Park, for example, one can become awe-stricken by the beauty of the mountains created by God the Father. In the Old City of Jerusalem, travelers can see the Pavement where Jesus stood when tried before Pilate. But material evidence of the work of the Holy Spirit is not as easy to see. Nevertheless the Holy Spirit is active, and a proper understanding of who He is and what He does is basic to several aspects of salvation, and to many facets of the Christian faith.
1. THE PERSONALITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
It is of great importance that we see clearly that God the Holy Spirit is as much a Person as is God the Father and God the Son. When we use the word “person” we usually think of human beings. Thus we have a tendency to expect a person to be like a human being–with a body, as well as with something immaterial (which we call “soul” or “spirit”). We usually don’t think of a person apart from a body.
a) The Holy Spirit possesses the essentials of personality. The essentials of personality are intelligence, emotions, and will. The Holy Spirit has all these characteristics. He knows the things of God and that implies intelligence (1 Corinthians 2: 10-11). It is possible to grieve the Spirit, and that implies emotions (Ephesians 4:30). It is the Spirit who distributes spiritual gifts “as he wills,” thus He has a will (I Corinthians 12:11). A “person” can exist apart from a body.
b) The Holy Spirit is designated as a person. The Greek word for Spirit is “pneuma” (a neuter gender word), but the pronoun used for the Spirit is always masculine, and thus should be translated “he” and “him” as in John 14:26 and John 15:26. The Holy Spirit is a person because a personal pronoun is used to designate Him.
c) The Holy Spirit performs personal activities. He teaches and witnesses and reproves and speaks and prays for us (John 16:8,13; Romans 8:26). These are not the kinds of things done by a mere influence.
Many down through the centuries have denied the personality of the Holy Spirit. Socinianism (A.D. 1600) defined “the Spirit” as “energy flowing from God to man.” Most liberal theologians today agree with that definition. They mention “the Spirit” often, but He is not clearly identified as a person. Frequently He is considered merely as a power or an influence.
2. THE DEITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is not only a person; He is a divine Person. The Holy Spirit is God, co-equal with the Father and the Son.
a) The Holy Spirit has characteristics possessed only by God. He is eternal in His nature (Hebrews 9:14), omnipresent (Psalms 139:7-10), and omniscient (1 Corinthians 2: 10-11). Holiness (Ephesians 4:30) and love (Romans 15:30) are attributed to the Spirit. All these qualities are attributes of God,
b) The Holy Spirit does things which only God can do. He has been active in creation (Job 33:4), in regeneration (Titus 3:5), and in the resurrection (Romans 8:11). Only God can create, regenerate, and resurrect.
c) The Spirit is equally associated with other members of the Trinity. Lying to the Spirit is as blasphemous as if lying to God (Acts 5:3-4). In the baptismal formula (Matthew 28:19) and in Paul’s benediction (2 Corinthians 13:14), the name of the Spirit is associated equally with the names of the Father and the Son.
How would it sound if Matthew 28:19 said: “Go ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of Paul”? It just would not sound right, because Paul was a mere man. The Spirit’s equal association with the Father and the Son, identifies Him with God.
3. THE WORK AND ACTIVITY OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit has been active in the eternal ages past and will continue His work on into the future time.
a) The Spirit’s work in the Old Testament
His part in creation: The Holy Spirit had part in the creation of life (Genesis 1:2), in establishing order and beauty in the universe (Isaiah 40:12-13), and in continually renewing and preserving the processes of life (Psalms 104:29-30).
His part in revelation: The Holy Spirit moved and guided the writers of the Scriptures so that they communicated exactly what God wanted human beings to know (2 Peter 1:21). The New Testament attributes many Old Testament passages to the Spirit (Acts 1: 16).
His selective indwelling: The Holy Spirit was in certain O.T. people (for example, Joseph, Genesis 41:38). He came upon others (for example, Othniel, Judges 3:10). Today He dwells in all believers and not only abides with His people (John 14:17).
His restraint upon sin: The Holy Spirit exercised a general restraint upon sin. He has convicted and convinced from the earliest times. Genesis 6:3 says, “My Spirit will not contend with man forever” (NIV).
b) The Spirit’s work in the Life of Christ
In His birth: The Holy Spirit was active in the Virgin Birth. Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), and Joseph was informed by an angel that the Spirit had planted the seed (Matthew 1:20).
In His ministry: Jesus was anointed by the Spirit in some special way at the time of His baptism (John 1:32). Jesus was anointed with power for service (Acts 10:38), and was empowered by the Spirit to do miracles (Matthew 12:28).
In His resurrection: The resurrection of Jesus was accomplished through the power of the Spirit. Romans 1:4 says, “who through the Spirit of holiness was declared with power to be the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead” (NIV).
c) The Spirit’s work in the Plan of Salvation
He convicts: The Spirit places the truth of the Gospel in a clear light before the unsaved person so that the individual acknowledges it as truth. The Holy Spirit reminds the sinner that if he refuses to receive the Saviour, he will face certain judgment. The Holy Spirit deals with unsaved persons by convincing them of their lost condition. He puts the pressure on; He brings tears to the eyes. He makes sinners ill-at-ease when the salvation message is presented.
He regenerates: The Spirit imparts life to those who will respond to the conditions of salvation (Titus 3:5). The “renewing” (the new life) is of the Holy Spirit. The word “regeneration” in Titus 3:5 is the same as the phrase “born again” in John 3:3 (in the Greek text). When a person exercises repentance toward God and faith in Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit makes him a new creation.
He baptizes: Spirit baptism is the act by which the Holy Spirit unites the one who believes and repents-with the mystical Body of Christ (1 Corinthians 12:13). The first Spirit-baptism occurred on the Day of Pentecost (compare Acts 1:5 with Acts 11: 15-16). Today every believer in Christ in the moment of his regeneration shares in that baptism. Each believer is baptized by the Spirit only once. The aorist Greek tense in 1 Corinthians 12:13 indicates an experience that is not repeated. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a quiet act on the part of the Spirit which gives the Christian a position in the Body of Christ. (Before Pentecost, each person who believed in Christ was a single unit believer–120 in the Upper Room and 500 in the country of Galilee-but after Pentecost, all the believers were constituted together into the one mystical Body of Christ).
He indwells: The Holy Spirit actually comes into the heart of the newborn child of God to abide there (1 Corinthians 3:16). The Christian is really indwelt by the Father (Ephesians 4:6), by the Son (Galatians 2:20), and by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Our bodies are headquarters for God here on the earth; our hearts are His sanctuary. Since God lives within, we must be careful not to allow anything that would make Him uncomfortable and ill-at-ease. When temptation comes our way, we must resist by saying, “My body is the Temple of the Holy Spirit; God dwells in me.
d) The Spirit’s work in the Believer’s Life
He teaches: Teaching involves the idea of instruction. Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would teach the disciples “all truth” (John 16:12-13). The Holy Spirit teaches us a knowledge of the things of God (1 Corinthians 2:12). Normally, the teaching is done through other believers who have the gift of teaching (Ephesians 4:11-12).
He guides: Guiding involves the idea of direction. Romans 8:14 says, “For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.” The Spirit guides in the sense that He opens doors and closes doors (Acts 8:29). The Spirit will never lead in a manner contrary to the Word of God.
He infills. Infilling involves the idea of control. The Christian is to be as much dominated and controlled and swayed by the Holy Spirit as the drunkard is with his wine (Ephesians 5:18). The infilling is a repeated experience. On the Day of Pentecost the disciples were filled with the Spirit (Acts 2:4), and a few days later they had such an experience again (Acts 4:31). The command in Ephesians 5:18 literally says, “keep on being filled with the Spirit.” The conditions for being filled involve dedication of self to God. We cannot be filled with the Spirit if we are half full of self and of selfish desires.
He empowers: Empowering involves the idea of enablement. The Holy Spirit helps the Christian to find victory over sin. Romans 8:13 says, “For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live” (NKJV). Yielding oneself to the Spirit’s enablement, along with human resolve, are both necessary in order to experience victories in the Christian life.
He endows gifts: A spiritual gift is a God-given ability for service. The specific gifts of the Spirit are listed in Romans 12:6-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30, and Ephesians 4:11. They include apostleship, prophecy, miracles, healing, tongues, evangelism, teaching, faith, ministering (“helps”), giving, and showing mercy. The spiritual gifts are given for the purpose of building up the church (Ephesians 4:12-13). Every Christian has some gift (1 Corinthians 12:4-7), but no Christian has all the gifts (1 Corinthians 12:29-30). The gifts must be held in humility and modesty (Romans 12:3).
He produces fruit: The fruit of the Spirit are the graces of character which the Holy Spirit produces in the Christian life. There are three clusters of fruit described in Galatians 5:22-23. “Love, joy, and peace” describe our Christian experience in relation to God. “Longsuffering, gentleness, and goodness” describe our Christian experience in relation to our fellow human beings. And “faith, meekness, and temperance” describe the Christian experience in relation to ourselves. These fruits are the result of the divine Spirit working through the human spirit. We must not let the present-day emphasis on gifts overshadow the importance of fruit in the life.
The Holy Spirit is God and thus He is everywhere present at all times. lip has been active and working in the past. He is active and working in the present. He will be active and working in the future. (For example, Isaiah 11 describes the millennial age, and chapter 11:2–in the NIV–says the fullness of the Spirit will be upon Jesus Christ the King in that day).
4. OFFENSES AGAINST THE HOLY SPIRIT
The Holy Spirit is a person. He has emotions. Thus it is possible to offend the Spirit by committing sins against Him.
a) Offenses committed basically by unbelievers
It is possible to “resist” the Spirit (Acts 7:51). Resisting the Spirit is to willfully reject the Word of God when it is clearly presented. It speaks of one who is brought face to face with his sin and with Jesus Christ-and knows that he should accept Christ-but refuses to do it.
It is possible to “insult” the Spirit (Hebrews 10:29). Insulting the Spirit is to esteem the atoning work of Christ on the Cross as a deception and a lie. It is to account the death of Christ as the death of an ordinary man.
It is possible to “blaspheme” the Spirit (Mark 3:29-30). Blaspheming the Spirit is to deliberately and willfully, against better knowledge, give the devil credit for what the Spirit of God really does. When we are not sure whether some activity is the work of the Spirit or the work of Satan, it is better not to pass judgment.
b) Offenses committed basically by Christians.
One can “grieve” the Spirit (Ephesians 4:30). Grieving the Spirit is to make the Holy Spirit sad or sorrowful because of our wrong conduct–especially in the area of wrong speech and wrong attitudes. These attitudes include bitterness, anger, loud and insulting language, jesting, and so forth (Ephesians 4:30-32).
One can “lie to” the Spirit (Acts 5:3-4). Lying to the Spirit is to appear pious and consecrated on the outside, when all the while the heart is dishonest and selfish. It is characterized by putting on a “smooth front” when away from home, and acting “like devils” at home.
One can “quench” the Spirit (1 Thessalonians 5:19). Quenching the Spirit is to disobey His voice, whether it be to testify or to praise or to do service for the Lord. There needs to be a balance between order and an opportunity for the Spirit to work when God’s people assemble.
It is a serious thing to offend the Holy Spirit. Offending Him can rob a person of joy and peace. The unsaved who continue to refuse His efforts to impress the message of the Gospel on their souls will be eternally lost. The Christian who quenches the Spirit and grieves the Spirit will mar his testimony for Christ. All of us should strive to be more sensitive to the entreaties of the Holy Spirit.
The child of God is utterly dependent upon the Holy Spirit for his spiritual birth and for his daily life of victory and service. The Spirit lives within his heart. The more yielded he is to the indwelling Guest, the happier and holier and more hopeful he becomes. The Christian who wishes to experience daily peace, and to live on the highest plane, and to have victory over temptation, and to sense a song in his soul, and to become a blessing to others wherever he goes-must keep yielded to the Spirit. Only in this way will his life and witness truly count for God.
It is evident that the God in whom we live and move and have our being is a great God indeed. He is one God manifested in three Persons. To know Him is life’s greatest attainment. To serve Him is life’s greatest achievement. To be with Him forever is life’s greatest goal. The hearts of all humanity should cry out with the Psalmist, when he says, as recorded in Psalms 42:1-2, “As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God. When can I go and meet with God?” (NIV).