Tuesday, February 24, 2009

Bible Doctrine Series-The Holy Spirit

There are several reasons why the study of the Holy Spirit is of special significance for the believer. One is that the Holy Spirit is the point at which the Trinity becomes personal to the believer. A second reason why the study of the Holy Spirit is especially important is that we live in the period in which the Holy Spirit’s work is more prominent than that of the other members of the Trinity. A third reason for the importance of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit is that current culture stresses the experiential, and it is primarily through him that we experience God. The Personality of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is a person. He is not just power or energy in the abstract—cf. Zechariah 4:6. A. Properties of Personality. (“Energy” does not possess these properties.) 1. Intelligence—1 Corinthians 12:8. 2. Will—1 Corinthians 12:11. 3. Power—Romans 15:13, 19. 4. Knowledge—1 Corinthians 2:10-12. 5. Love—Romans 15:30. 6. Life—Romans 8:2; John 7:37-38. B. Personal Pronouns. The noun for Holy Spirit in the Greek is neuter, yet whenever a pronoun is used in its place, the pronoun is always masculine. John 14:16, 17, 26. C. Acts of Personality. 1. Speaking—Acts 13:2. 2. Interceding—Romans 8:26. 3. Testifying—John 15:26. (Bear Witness) 4. Commanding—Acts 8:29; 16:6, 7. 5. Overseeing—Acts 20:28. 6. Guiding—John 16:13. (Especially applicable to the Apostles.) 7. Teaching—John 14:26. (Especially applicable to the Apostles.) D. Personal Reactions. 1. Grieved—Ephesians 4:30. 2. Tested—Acts 5:9. 3. Resisted—Acts 7:51. 4. Blasphemed—Mark 3; 29, 30. E. Personal Relationships. (One cannot substitute “energy” or “power” for these relationships.) 1. With God the Father—2 Corinthians 13:14. 2. With Jesus Christ—John 16:14. Note: The above two show equality of personality. 3. With Christians—Acts 15:28. The Holy Spirit is thus related to other personalities yet is distinct from them. The Deity of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Sprit is co-equal, co-existent and co-eternal with the Father and Son. A. He is identified with the God of the Old Testament. Compare Hebrews 10:14, 15, and 16 with Jeremiah 31:33. Acts 28:25 with Isaiah 6:1-13. B. He is called God. Sixteen times in the New Testament the Holy Spirit is related by name to the other two members of the Godhead. 1 Corinthians 6:11 (Spirit of God); cf. Acts 5:3, 4. Acts 16:7 (Spirit of Jesus). C. He has the Attributes of God. 1. Omnipotence—Luke 1:35. 2. Omniscience—1 Corinthians 2:10-12. 3. Omnipresence—Psalm 139:7. 4. Eternity—Hebrews 9:14. 5. Love—Romans 15:30. 6. Holiness—Ephesians 4:30. (“Holy” Spirit) 7. Truth—1 John 5:6. D. He Performs the Works of God. 1. Creation—Genesis 1:1, 2; Psalm 104:30. 2. Regeneration—John 3:3, 5-8. 3. Resurrection—Romans 8:11. 4. Sanctification—2 Thess. 2:13. Note: Many more works could be listed. L. S. Chafer lists 17 in his Systematic Theology (Vol VI, pp. 26-46). Many works overlap with other aspects of the doctrine. E. His Associations with God. The Holy Spirit is associated with God in such a way that He is considered equal. Matthew 28:18-20; 2 Corinthians 13:14. The procession of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit’s relation to the Father and the Son is such that the Spirit “proceeds” from the Father and the Son. The Spirit is subordinate to the Father and the Son in His work; He is the “third” person in function only. John 15:26; Galatians 4:6; John 16:7; Psalm 104:30. The Work of the Holy Spirit. A. The Holy Spirit and the Old Testament. (His relationship to man) 1. Regeneration. Deuteronomy 5:29; John 3:3, 10. Regeneration is assumed to take place in contexts which stress works under the Law—Micah 6; 8; Jeremiah 22:16; Daniel 4:27. 2. Indwelling Believers. Proverbs 1:23; Genesis 41:48; Numbers 27:18. 3. Enablement for Service. Exodus 31:3 ff. 4. Theocratic Anointing (the ability to lead the Kingdom of God—the nation Israel). Numbers 11:17, 25; Deuteronomy 34:9; 1 Samuel 16:13, 14. Cf. Matthew 3:16 with Isaiah 11:2. 5. Dispensational Ruling (during Dispensation of Conscience). Genesis 6:3. B. The Holy Spirit and Jesus Christ. 1. The Birth of Christ—Luke 1:35. The Holy Spirit conceived the human nature of Jesus in Mary. Jesus was always a person; but with the conception of the human nature, the God-man came into existence. 2. The Life and Ministry of Christ. a. Anointed Him—Luke 4:18. b. Filled Him—Luke 4:1. c. Empowered Him—Matthew 12:28. Note: Jesus voluntarily limited Himself and gave up the independent use of His attributes (Philippians 2:7). He became dependent on the will of the Father through the power of the Holy Spirit. At His baptism a special ministry of the Holy Spirit was given to Him. This was the theocratic anointing that was necessary to do the work of the Messiah, and was given to enable Him to function as the king in the Kingdom of God on David’s throne. 3. The Death of Christ. Just as the Holy Spirit enabled and sustained Him in life, so He did in the sufferings and death. Hebrews 9:14. 4. The Resurrection of Christ. Romans 1:4 (some debate as to whether this is the Holy Spirit) 8:11 (may not teach directly that the Spirit raised Christ, but the substance of the idea is there) C. The Holy Spirit and the world. 1. Conviction of Sin. The Holy Spirit convicts (convinces, proves guilty) the world of (1) the sin of unbelief, (2) the righteousness of God and the righteousness of Christ available to sinners, and (3) the judgment of Satan at the Cross of Calvary. John 16:8-11. 2. Restraint of Sin--2 Thess. 2:7. 3. Bestowal of Common Blessings. Matthew 5:44-45; Acts 14:17; 17:25, 27; Luke 6:35. D. The Holy Spirit and the Church. 1. The Constitution of the Church—Spirit Baptism. a. References to the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. Matthew 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33; Acts 1:5; 11:16; 1 Corinthians 12:13. b. Characteristics of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit. 1) It is Limited to This Age—1 Corinthians 12:13. It first occurred at Pentecost (Acts 1:5; cf. 11:15-17) and ends at the rapture. It is not mentioned in relation either to the tribulation or millennium. 2) It is Universal among Believers of This Age. 1 Corinthians 12:13 “all” Ephesians 4:5 “one baptism” 3) It occurs at Regeneration and Is Not Repeated. 1 Corinthians 12:13. 4) It Is Non-experimental. It is not based on or derived from experience. It is judicial in nature—a placing of one in the Body of Christ. c. Results of the Baptism. 1) Membership in the Body of Christ—1 Corinthians 12:13. 2) Union with Christ—Romans 6:3; Galatians 3:27. 2. The Administration of the Church. Acts 20:28; 13:2. The Holy Spirit and the Christian. 1. Regeneration. Definition—Regeneration is the impartation of eternal, spiritual life to the spiritually dead; it is the new birth. John 1:12-13; 3:3, 5; Titus 3:5. 2. Indwelling. Definition—the indwelling of the Spirit is the permanent abode of the Holy Spirit in all believers; it is a result of regeneration. Romans 8:9 (universal) 1 Corinthians 3:16 (indwelling) 6:19; John 14:16 (forever) (the Holy Spirit is a gift) Acts 5:32; Romans 5:5. 3. Sealing. Definition—the seal of the Holy Spirit is the divine ownership of the believer and the divine guarantee of eternal security because of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit Himself is the seal. 2 Corinthians 1:22; Ephesians 1:13 (“having also believed”—causal not chronological) 4:30. 4. Earnest. Definition—the earnest of the Spirit is the pledge or token that guarantees the final consummation of the Holy Spirit’s work in salvation. The Spirit Himself is the earnest. Ephesians 1:4; 2 Corinthians 1:23; 5:5; Romans 8:23 (called first fruits) Note: The final consummation of salvation includes the resurrection and glorification of the believer. 5. Filling. a. Definition—to be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be controlled by the Spirit. C.f. Luke 6:11—to be filled with fury means that they were controlled by it. Ephesians 5:18. Note: The fullness of the Spirit is not the same as instant spiritual maturity and growth. The distinction is comparable to the difference between good health and physical development. b. Steps to Spirit Control. 1) Yieldedness—1 Thessalonians 5:19. Not quenching the Spirit means not opposing or suppressing the will of the Spirit. 2) Confession of sin—Ephesians 4:30. Not grieving the Spirit means not allowing anything contrary to His holiness. 3) Appropriation of power—Galatians 5:16. 6. Fruit of the Spirit. Definition—the fruit of the Spirit is the evidence of the Spirit’s control which is manifested in the Christian’s life and service. Colossians 1:10; Romans 6:22; Galatians 5:22-23; John 15:16. 7. Gifts of the Spirit. Definition—a spiritual gift is a sovereign, God-given, Holy Spirit-energized ability, whether natural or supernatural, temporary or permanent, given for service within the outreach of the local church. Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 28-31; Ephesians 4:7-11. Note 1: God has curtailed the use of supernatural gifts today. These were temporary and were given to launch the New Testament church. Note 2: Every Christian has some God-given, natural ability to be used in the local church. This is given at the time of Spirit baptism, but may be cultivated for use in the church. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

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