THAT I MAY KNOW HIM (Phil. 3:10) The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology)

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1 THAT I MAY KNOW HIM (Phil. 3:10) The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit (Pneumatology) The doctrine of the Holy Spirit is another foundational doctrine of our faith. It is absolutely fundamental to our salvation, our stability as believers, and our understanding of God. The Holy Spirit/Ghost is God. In eternity, - which has no beginning and no ending, - God in the Three Persons of the Trinity, - the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, - dwelt in perfect unity. In the Old Testament, the Holy Spirit is introduced in the opening verse within the title of God, and He is mentioned specifically by name in the second verse, Gen. 1:2 And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit [ruach (xwr), breath, wind] of God moved upon the face of the waters. Job also refers to Him within this same context, Job 26:7 He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing. 8 He bindeth up the waters in his thick clouds; and the cloud is not rent under them. 9 He holdeth back the face of his throne, and spreadeth his cloud upon it. 10 He hath compassed the waters with bounds, until the day and night come to an end. 11 The pillars of heaven tremble and are astonished at his reproof. 12 He divideth the sea with his power, and by his understanding he smiteth through the proud. 13 By his spirit he hath garnished the heavens Ps. 104:24 O LORD, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches. 30 Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth. In the Old Testament the Holy Spirit indwelt certain individuals for a specific length of time, when He would come upon the person until the task the person was being commissioned to carry out had ended, and then the Holy Spirit would leave them. The first such individual was Bezaleel, the workman in charge of the building of the tabernacle, Ex. 31:1 And the LORD spake unto Moses, saying, 2 See, I have called by name Bezaleel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah: 3 And I have filled him with the spirit of God, in wisdom, and in understanding, and in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship We also read of the prophets, including Samuel and Elijah, being indwelt by the Holy Spirit. The Holy [a[gioj] Spirit [pneu/ma] is introduced to us at the commencement of the New Testament where He is intimately involved in the conception of the Lord Jesus, Mt. 1:18 she [Mary] was found with child of the Holy Ghost [evk neu,matoj a`gi,ou] 20 that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost [auvth/ gennhqe.n evk pneu,mato,j evstin a`gi,ou].

2 2 When Jesus began His ministry at the Rover Jordan, as He came up out of the water at His baptism, the Holy Spirit descended [katabai,nw] upon Him like a dove (Mt. 3:16), and Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness (Lk. 4:1). Later, Jesus explained to the woman of Samaria that God is Spirit (Jn. 4:24). Throughout His ministry, the Holy Spirit was His Companion, and it was promised He would continue the next part of the divine work, as Jesus explained, Jn. 16:7 Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. 8 And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: 9 Of sin, because they believe not on me; 10 Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; 11 Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged. 12 I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. 13 Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. 14 He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you. 15 All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you. Then, on the Day of Pentecost, the words of Jesus were fulfilled as the Holy Spirit came upon His people. This was pivotal to God s ongoing plan because since Christ had died on the cross and had risen again, the Gospel was complete. And yet, not a single conversion was recorded in those fifty days from the resurrection to Pentecost. We do not read of anyone being saved during those days! It was not until the Holy Spirit descended on the Day of Pentecost that thousands of souls were saved, and countless numbers ever since. It was and is through the convicting work of the Holy Spirit that souls are brought to recognise Jesus as their only Saviour from sin. It is through the convincing power of the Holy Spirit they are caused to cry out to Him to be saved. And it is through the converting power of the Holy Spirit that lives are miraculously changed by God s grace. That is the purpose and the remit of the Holy Spirit, I Cor. 2:7 But we speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory: 8 Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For

3 3 what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. This describes the Holy Spirit as the believer s Teacher, Jn. 14:26 But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. He is also our Overseer, for example, Acts 13:2 As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. 4 So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost He appointed men to be leaders in the local fellowship, Acts 20:28 Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood. He can be rebelled against and blasphemed (Mt. 12:31,32). He can be tempted (Acts 5:3,4). He can be resisted (Acts 7:51). He can be grieved (Eph. 4:30). And it is only through His ministry salvation in Christ is made known to us, Gal. 4:6 And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father; He is referred to as the Spirit of Christ in both I Peter 1:11 and Romans 8:9. Without Him the power of Christ s death and resurrection would have no appeal, no interest, and no significance for us. It would simply be a story but through the power of the Holy Spirit, we have been brought to understand the meaning of Calvary and we have been saved. And what that further illustrates is He was sent to find you. That does not mean God did not know where you were He knew exactly where you were, as the Psalmist indicates, Ps. 139:7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? But He came and found you even before you went looking for Him. It began when God made the decision to save you, and at the time He specified in eternity the Holy Spirit began to work in your life to God s glory and God s purpose. Before He took the initiative you were as dead as dead could be, - that was your spiritual condition obviously not physically dead, but dead spiritually. You had absolutely none of the life of God required in you to respond to the Gospel, Paul described you as being Eph. 2:1 dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein

4 4 in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience. That is the person outside of Christ, with absolutely no ambitions towards the Saviour. A dead person, of course, has no interest in life for he/she has no comprehension of life none whatsoever! Spiritually dead, spiritually lifeless, and completely spiritually unresponsive with no spiritual life dead! And that is the reason no matter how simple you try to get across the Gospel, it is not possible unless the Holy Spirit is working also. So what happens that the person comes to faith in Christ? Well, the Holy Spirit, - the Giver of eternal life in Christ, - enters the one who was spiritually dead, and the richness of God s mercy, - for which they did neither think of asking for, or deserved, - Paul says, Eph. 2:4 for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins [totally incapable], hath quickened us together with Christ [i.e. grace is totally inescapable] Christ the Saviour add the es and the incapable becomes the inescapable! That is because the Holy Spirit opens up the heart to believe that Jesus died for me, and the Holy Spirit, - on the initiative of the Godhead, - takes away the blindness from the eyes and the stubbornness of the mind and He does away with the old creature and replaces it with the brand new and He brings you to the place where you are convinced and you believe! That is how powerfully persuasive the Holy Spirit is for He always achieves whatever He sets out to accomplish because you see the truth He imparts to your soul and that truth sets you free from unbelief and sin! And that is what Paul means when he says, by [God s] grace ye are saved (v.5)... and he repeated it, 8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God Salvation is the gift of God s grace but try giving a gift to a dead man or woman It won t work because they won t want it, and they won t take it, because they cannot and that is why God the Holy Spirit gives them new life, - and the ability, - to receive it! And receive it they will, - we call it irresistible grace, - for when they realise what God has done for them, they reach out and receive it as a gift from God which they have come to willingly and gratefully accept. The Holy Spirit is in charge throughout the whole process, and He carries out all that is necessary for us to believe in Jesus, Eph. 2:10 For we are his

5 5 workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. God has ordained you to be saved! That is how Paul explained it, even in the previous chapter, Eph. 1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ: 4 According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love: 5 Having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure of his will, 6 To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved. 7 In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace; 8 Wherein he hath abounded toward us in all wisdom and prudence; 9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself. It was a favourite theme of Paul for he often repeated it, for example, he wrote to the Roman church, Rom. 9:15 For he [God] saith to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy, and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion. 16 So then it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy. In other words, it does not depend on human desires, human will, or human efforts, but on God Who shows mercy and that is because salvation is all of the Lord (Jonah 2:9), and it is His to give to whoever He decides. That is God s grace Grace begins with the Giver! Ah but no! We have to have the final say! We re the ones who tell God whether He can save us or not and whether we want to be saved! What a blasphemous doctrine that nullifies the Word of God and makes the will of God subject to the will of man! That is a doctrine that has its origin in the mind of the devil! It has no place in Christian theology! When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, every aspect of them fell from God s grace including their will. They made the choice against God. And that is the only way a sinner will ever choose, until the grace of God takes effect. Left untouched by grace, the fallen human will is totally opposed to His will.... But when God the Holy Spirit enters your life (regeneration) He gives you a new will, - as part of His new creation, - and that is how you come to believe. In doctrinal terms, this process is known as positional sanctification, as explained by Paul, Acts 13:39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things You are saved! You are born again and you are a child of God That is positional sanctification.

6 Leading on from positional sanctification is progressive sanctification as Paul explains to the Corinthians, I Cor. 12:13 For by one [Holy] Spirit are we all baptized into one body Let s stop there for a moment Now, as Baptists we know what baptized means. It means going down into so that we are covered over It is not a sprinkling, but it is a complete immersion and when you become a Christian you, - from head to toe,- are baptized and fully immersed into one body, the body of the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not a spiritual additive, - or a so-called second work of grace. When you become a Christian you are immediately baptized of the Holy Spirit because the Holy Spirit takes you over completely and you are in union with Christ and also in union with every believer in the body of Christ, I Cor. 12:13 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. Before you joined the Baptist as a believer, you were already in the Church! This progressive sanctification describes the personal outworking of the Lord Jesus in your life It means Rom. 6:4 we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life. That is what we are saved to be and to do by exercising our spiritual gifts in the life of the local church fellowship. So, in your salvation there is positional sanctification when the Holy Spirit brought you to faith in Christ, and there is progressive sanctification which describes how the Holy Spirit continues to direct you in your spiritual walk... The third aspect to the process of salvation is what is known as permanent sanctification and this is applied to the future. It is when God s work concerning His people has been completed. We can understand it by looking at the three tenses used 1. Past tense II Tim. 1:8 Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me his prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God; 9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began 2. Present tense I Cor. 1:18 For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are [being] saved [sw zome,noij, verb 6

7 7 participle present passive dative masculine plural from sw, zw] it is the power of God. 3. Future tense Rom. 5:9 Much more then, being now justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him. 10 For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. The complete or permanent sanctification is the final outworking of God s plan which will be brought to fruition in the life of every truly bornagain believer when Jesus comes again. Here is how Paul describes the process in Rom. 8:30, Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. Col. 3:4 When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory. I Thess. 5:23 I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. I Jn. 3:2 when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. The Holy Spirit entered you when you became a Christian and your body became His temple, - the dwelling-place of the omnipresent God the Holy Spirit, and with Him dwelling inside us, we are instructed to Gal. 5:16 Walk in the Spirit, [so as not to] fulfil the lust of the flesh. Or, as the Complete Jewish Bible translates it, Run your lives by the Spirit. Then you will not do what your old nature wants. Work with Him, not against Him! And that is how we are to work out our salvation, - as Paul puts it (Phil. 2:12) and the markers along the way that keeps us on the path is described in relation to Gal. 5:22 the fruit of the Spirit [which] is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. 25 If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. It is how Jesus prayed for His people, Jn. 17:17 Sanctify [make them holy, set them apart unto Me] them through thy truth: thy word is truth. The word for sanctify (a`gia,zw) is also used to describe the commitment between the husband and the wife In that very special and unique way we are set apart, - married, - unto God. We belong to Him, I Cor. 6:20 For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's. So, that is what the Holy Spirit has done for us, is doing for us, and will yet do for us and in us. With the picture of a wedding still in my mind, we could simply describe it like this It is the Holy Spirit Who, - as it were, - on that

8 8 coming day will present the Bride to her Bridegroom to stand together before the Father, Eph. 5:27 That he might present [her] to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that [she] should be holy and without blemish. It is the task of the Holy Spirit to accomplish such a miracle in the Bride of Christ, the Church and He will complete God s everlasting purpose. In the Song of Solomon, the Bridegroom longs to be with His Bride, 2:14 O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. And continuing to use such beautiful imagery, surely there is the one final response worthy of His grace and it is this, Rev. 22:17 the [Holy] Spirit and the bride say, Come. Amen. For a fuller consideration of this doctrine, please refer to