The Holy Spirit

Rev. Joe Diaz (Adapted from a message by Pastor Corbit Magby, Central Church, University Place, WA on 8/5/07)

So often people are ignorant about the Holy Spirit because of any number of reasons. Some think that there are three different gods (instead of a Triune God) whereas others may believe that they receive the Holy Spirit later after being “saved.” However, the Bible is very clear about the ministry of the Holy Spirit (member of the Triune Godhead). It is because of what He (Holy Spirit) does in our spiritual life that we are saved. It is not a magic trick nor an assumption but rather a deliberate act by Him with our faith unto salvation!

What does the Spirit say to you when you receive Christ as your Savior?

When we come to that place in our lives that we recognize that we are sinners destined for hell and confess that to God, asking for His forgiveness and for salvation, we immediately are baptized into the Body of Christ, the universal Church, the Bride of Chris through the action of the Holy Spirit! Seven things occur simultaneously:

1. We receive forgiveness for our SIN - the sin that invaded all mankind since the fall in the Garden of Eden - the state of being born in sin which has to be dealt with and this was what Jesus came to earth to do, by His blood being spilled, His body broken and His vicarious death on the cross of Calvary which only lasted three days following which He rose from the dead! This is exciting! We are also justified (just as though we had never sinned) because the Scriptures say that all have sinned and come short of the glory of God). Ephesians 1:7-8 and Romans 3:23 shows us that our sin(s) were erased by God’s forgiveness and we are reckoned to be dead to sin. God’s holy anger was poured on Jesus on the cross so we would be translated from darkness to light. Jesus tells us that we are in His palms, given to the Father and no one can pluck us out of His hands...no one! Hallelujah.

Scripture also tells us that if we endure the hardships, stay with Him and do His bidding, we will be saved forever, never more to be destined for hell but rather, for heaven where God abides, to be with Him forever, because Christ’s righteousness is imputed or covering us as new born babes in the kingdom of God! Wow...does this excite you, my friend? It does me! Hallelujah! Colossians 2:13 tells us that our sins were paid for at the cross and so we owe our salvation to God’s grace, our unmerited or deserved love of God!

2. The Holy Spirit regenerates us.

A. In Titus 3:5, we see that we were saved “to live again,” [`re’ `generate’] No longer are we destined for the Lake of fire as I suggested earlier, but are redirected to heaven, our direction changed.

B. We read in Ephesians 2:1-5 that we are made alive unto God because of our faith (see Hebrews 11, the “Faith” Chapter). Then in John 3:3-7, we see that we were born again into the new spiritual life through the working of the Holy Spirit.

3. The Holy Spirit dwells or lives within us.

Jesus tells us in John 14:16-17 that the Spirit will abide with us and in us. The Holy Spirit lives in our temple, our bodies which is the temple of God. We would never think to throw trash around within the local church yet many people who claim to be saved dirty their bodies, the Temple of God, by riotous living, drinking, smoking, drugs and illicit relationships, etc. There is forgiveness according to I John 1:9, but the qualifier is that when we do sin, we need to confess it to God and be sorry for it and repent, or change our direction, to live without that particular sin. Scripture tells us that if we say we have no sin, we are LIARS. Because ALL HAVE SINNED

Many have problems with addiction but there is good news! There is deliverance through the Holy Spirit’s work in us Who works with us, convicting us of our sins and continues to do that till we are relieved of that evil we formerly practiced. We can see in Romans 8:9-11 that If the Holy Spirit does not dwell within us then there is no Christ. It is that simple. But there is good news again: when we receive Christ as our Savior, the Holy Spirit dwells within us!

4. The Holy Spirit seals us.

When the kings, and other high officials in the early history of the world, put their seal on documents, they are to be explicitely followed/obeyed under the pain of death because the seal is the law. We read in Ephesians 1:13-14 and 4:30 that we are sealed by the Holy Spirit to the Day of Redemption at the judgment Seat of Christ when all will be judged., both believers and unbelievers. Without that seal, the unbeliever will be excluded from the guaranty of the inheritance bought for us by Christ at Calvary. In 2 Corinthians 1:22, we read that Jesus is our deposit till He comes for His bride, the Church (not just the local church but the universal body of believers. In 2 Corinthians 5:5, the Holy Spirit is our pledge. God gave us His pledge, His promise - the indwelling Holy Spirit of God!

5. The Holy Spirit adopts the believer in Christ:

In John 1:12, 13, (see also Galatians 4:4-7, Romans 8:15-17 and I John 3:1-3) we see that through our salvation experience, we become children of God, Him being the Father. We are adopted into a family where God’s grace abounds and not slavery. Paul said that he was a dulos (Grk) or bond-slave...indentured by his own will to be God’s slave. But we stop being slaves to satan, the ruler of this age, our arch enemy who strives to trip us back to sin which is becoming more rampant as we get closer to the soon-return of Christ for His Bride. We need to be vigilant, being careful not to yield to the enemy of our souls. If we walk in the Spirit, we will not yield to the affairs of the flesh and to sin. We willfully have declared to God that we are His dulos or bond-slaves and that we intend to yield ourselves to Him by dying to the flesh and it’s consequences and willfully serving Him and Him alone!

6. The Holy Spirit baptizes the believer.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, Paul tells us that we were baptized into one body, the Ecclesia or the universal body of called out believers. We see this confirmed in Acts11:1-18. In Galatians 3:26-29, we as believers have been put into Christ, into one body. Either we are in or we are not. This is a choice all must make and our consequential destiny is also our choice. To reject Christ as Savior and Lord is to deny Him and be destined for the eternal Lake of fire. Eternity has no measure. It is, for all practical purposes, endless. Once one goes there, they do not get out ever. Friend, grasp this truth and chew on it if you will. If you reject Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior, you do not have the seal of God on you, nor the blood of Christ covering you and will be sent to live with “your father, the devil.” This is an active resort of your will. But if you have the Holy Spirit within, you are heaven bound and there is “no condemnation” if we are in Christ!

7. The Holy Spirit gives the believer gifts.

We read in I Corinthians 12:1, 7 and 11 that each believer is given a gift at the moment of salvation. This is guaranteed to us as the promised gifting of God to all that receive Christ as Savior. These gifts are love, joy, peace longsuffering, etc. We feel great with these giftings and we can expect them. Each one of us needs to focus on our gifts of the Holy Spirit! If we see our gifts not in operation, seek there is a problem in our lives. We have sinned and the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives has been cutoff by our sin(s). As I alluded to formerly in this lesson, if we confess our sin(s) to God and repent or turn away (this is a definite decision on the part of the penitent) from them, we will have God’s forgiveness and restoration of our gifts. Hallelujah!

Friend if you are in Christ, ask God to show you your gift given to you at the moment of your salvation. If you are not in Christ and want to be, go to Him in prayer, repent of being a sinner and invite Christ into your heart. The Holy Spirit will then come into your heart and baptize you into the Body of believers Christ will take back with Him at the rapture of the Church. A sample prayer which you may want to pray is:

Dear Lord, I am a sinner, was born into sin and am sorry for my sinfulness. I place my trust onto Jesus who died for me and washes my sins away with His blood without which is no possibility of regeneration. Come into my life and save me. Holy Spirit, dwell within me and teach me the way I should walk, that I will not only talk the talk but will walk the walk that is expected of Your children. Thank you for saving me. In Jesus’ name I pray, amen.

What to do next:

a. Start reading your Bible regularly.

You might want to start with the Book of John and then Romans. Ask the Holy Spirit to teach you what each verse or passage means. He is our teacher and leads us into all truth!

b. Remember to pray regularly.

Prayer is talking with God. He speaks to us through 1. His Word 2. Other believers and 3. The Holy Spirit who speaks to us in a still small voice which we need to learn to hear.

b. Find a Bible-teaching church to have fellowship with your brothers and sisters in Christ. Attend it regularly.

c. Tell others about your new-found faith.

The Christian Counter