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.

How Goes Your Faith

"Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see" (Hebrews 11:1). Some years ago GM came out with a slogan concerning one of their vehicle lines. It stated "Buick, something to believe in." I had a Buick and let me tell you no amount of faith could have kept that thing running. Of course the slogan did not speak of Biblical faith. It was referring to Buick faith, which amounted to nothing more than hoping your Buick would last a little longer than the competitors brand. Actually our faith is no better than the object of our faith. The New Testament word for faith points to a personal commitment. The English word trust could be a better translation of the Greek word. Trust speaks of investment or commitment of oneself. The reality (objectively) of things hoped for lies in confident trust in God. This is quite different than the statement made by the little boy "Faith is believing things we know aren't true." Faith is our way of knowing that certain sure things that have not yet happened, will happen. How do we know these things are certain? Because God said so in His Word. Just as certain as Jesus came once, He will come again. Faith is living life on the assumption that what God said will happen. The faith life does not wait for human evidence or proof, but accepts (trusts) the Word of God as totally sufficient evidence. This kind of faith wins us the approval of God. In God's economy He adjusts the worldly statement "Seeing is believing" to "Believing is confident knowing, even when you cannot see, because the One who promised is faithful (reliable). We have a living faith that overcomes the difficulties of life, a faith that trusts in that which is hoped for (what God has promised in the Holy Scriptures). Able of old differed from his brother Cain in that he placed his complete trust in God and his unlimited mercy. He offered his (the correct) sacrifice in the spirit of faith. God rejected Cain's sacrifice because it was not brought from a trusting heart (thus the wrong sacrifice). That's why "Without faith it is impossible to please Him." Abraham was a man of faith. He obeyed God and left the land of Ur of the Chaldees and became a migrant, traveling in foreign lands. While he believed God had given him a land of promise he did not run ahead of God's timing and when he experienced hardship he never tried to go back to Ur. He never stopped his journey with God. He and his wife Sarah believed they would receive a promised son. In their old age, when they were both "Dead", in a reproductive sense, God gave them a son. Consider reading (Hebrews 11) the faith chapter. You will always find someone in that great chapter you can identify with. It could be Gideon who needed a sign that the Lord was truly with him. It might be the ones titled "Others" who were persecuted and mistreated. It could be Rahab and Samson, in spite of their missteps they both are listed in God's great hall of faith. Why are they commended? Because they committed themselves to God, they believed Him, they took Him at this Word and acted accordingly. Are you trusting the Lord today? If not, why not? Try spending some time with Christ in His Word "Faith comes by hearing and that by the Word of God." Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

Growing Your Faith

"But they have not all obeyed the gospel. For Esaias saith, Lord, who hath believed our report? So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God" (Romans 10:16-17). For a number of months I have been struggling with the subject of faith. I have strongly sensed the Lord saying "trust Me, believe in Me, I am in control. As I prayed about my struggle the Lord brought to mind a very familiar verse (Romans 10:17). However, as He is so gracious to do, He is teaching me a deeper understanding of the principles taught in this verse. The verse says we build our faith by reading and living the Word of God. As we "renew our mind we will be transformed." I am now beginning to see in a new, fresh way that as I saturate my mind and heart with the Word of God, it washes away the lies of the enemy. "You shall know the truth and the truth shall set you free." God's Word is absolute truth. Spiritual warfare is a very real part of our Christian lives. Just because we try to ignore the enemy, doesn't mean he will ignore us. He really isn't a gentleman, and you can't bargain with him. Thus we must choose to see the battle as God sees it. He says "Our adversary the devil walks around like a roaring lion seeking who he can devour." We need to put on the whole Armour of God. It starts with the "Belt of truth." This is the Word of God. Here are some statement of truth to meditate on. Each statement come from the Scriptures. Apart from Jesus, I can do nothing; but in Jesus I can do all things. I choose to see myself as He sees me according to His living Word. My life is hid with Christ in God. I l choose to believe the same things that God believes and He has revealed Truth in His Word. How can two walk together if they don't agree? I choose to trust God. His Word will be the final authority in my life. I base my entire life upon God and His living Word. Because I meditate upon His Word day and night and carefully do all that is written in it, I will prosper as He chooses to prosper me. I'm a child of the living God. I'm an heir of God and a joint-heir with Jesus Christ. I'm not just a sinner; I'm a new creation in Jesus. I'm part of a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation. I'm one of God's chosen people. Jesus has declared me not guilty. I refuse to be discouraged. God is the God of all encouragement. There is no condemnation for me because I'm in Christ Jesus. Satan is the father of lies. I won't listen to his accusations. I am cleansed by Jesus' blood. No weapon formed against me will succeed. I will disprove every tongue that rises against me in judgment. My mind is being renewed by the word of God. I will pull down strongholds and cast down imaginations. I will bring every thought captive to the will of Christ. I am accepted by God. If God is for me, who can be against me? Greater is He that is within me than he that is in the world. Nothing can separate me from the love of Christ. As the Father loves Jesus, so Jesus loves me. I have the righteousness of God through Christ. I am not a slave of sin, I'm a slave of God and a slave of righteousness. I will continue in God's word. I know the truth and the truth has set me free. I am free indeed because Jesus has set me free. I have been delivered out of the kingdom of darkness. I'm now part of the kingdom of God. I will submit to God. When I resist the devil, he has to flee. No temptation will overcome me which is not common to man. God is faithful. He will not let me be tempted beyond my strength. With any temptation He will also provide me with a way of escape, so that I can endure. Jesus always causes me to triumph. I'll reign as a king in life through Christ Jesus. The Word of God lives in me. I am more than a conqueror through Christ who loves me. I am an over-comer. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. God gives me the victory through Jesus Christ my Lord. I am a success to the glory of God. All His blessings will come upon me and overtake me because I obey the voice of the Lord, my God. I am confident that those who seek the Lord will lack no good thing. I will not live by bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God. The Word of God is a truth builder. The more I interact with the Scriptures the stronger my faith will grow. My faith is no better than the object of my faith. And my faith is growing in the Promises of God which never fail. Dr. Ken Copley is available for counseling, conferences, and local church meetings.

What are you filled with?

The theme of filling is important. When I was in Seminary one of my professors came up with the idea that the filling of the Holy Spirit was not for this age. the theory when like this, there is only one verse in the New Testament that commands us to be filled with the Spirit. "Be not drunk with wine...but be filled with the Spirit." Looking at the verse through academic lenses it was thought to teach that we are to have the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. It was explained to me that if a person is filled with baloney, he has the characteristics of baloney. Thus a person who is filled with the Holy Spirit would thus develop the characteristics of the Holy Spirit. This teaching began to catch on and spread like wild fire. During this time period, in the circles I was in, there seemed to be an over reaction to some of the Holy Spirit excesses in another movement, thus is seemed best to strip the Holy Spirit of all power in this age. These "brilliant academics" still allowed to Holy Spirit to save souls and to "help" when you read the Bible. When one of these enlightened professors ended up going to prison for attempted murder the "doctrine" was re-examined.In Colossians 2:9-10 we read "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority. "The Father, and the Holy Spirit live in Christ, and Christ lives in the believer. God say we have been given fullness in Christ who is the head over "Every power and authority." For the believer it's never a power problem, it's a relational problem. How am I relating to the One who lives in me? Am I trusting Him fully with my life? Do I enjoy sweet fellowship with Him on a moment by moment basis. Do I view Christ as my Lord, Savior and Friend or do I see him as one judgemental legalist who is out to get me should I step out of line. We tend to see our Lord in the light of the "Santa Clause is coming to town" theology. The old song goes "You better watch out, you better not pout, Santa Clause is coming to town." This all knowing legalist is watching you all the time and if you step out of line he is going to only give you a lump of coal, no toys or warm soup for you. Our culture created Santa Clause because they couldn't handle Jesus. The truth is they can't handle Santa Clause. Do you spend your day looking over your shoulder? Do you live in constant fear that you might step out of line and God will zap you. Are you afraid when things are going well that the next shoe is going to drop. Do you assign your trials and hardships to God getting back at you because you did not buck up and do your very best. Maybe it's time to step back and look at God through the lens of the Scriptures. Here is the truth, He lives in us, loves us and has our back. He is very willing to work on our sin with us when we are ready to. He certainly wants us to live out what He has already done in our lives. We are righteous, whole, and forgiven because of His blood. We are accepted in Him. In Christ there is no condemnation for the believer. Jesus loves us and likes us. He is so crazy about us that He can't take His eyes off of us.This same God lives fully in our lives. He is not way out there, He lives right in the center of our lives. "Christ in me the hope of Glory." What are you filled with today?