PNEUMATOLOGY: DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PART 8 & 9

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1 PNEUMATOLOGY: DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT PART 8 & 9 NOTE: Part 8 failed to record. The notes for that lesson are included here. INDWELLING For the believer, the Holy Spirit performs some ministries that are of particular interest such as indwelling, baptizing, sealing, and gifting. The indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit is a ministry that is the privilege of every believer from the moment of belief. In the New Testament, the indwelling ministry of the Spirit and the anointing of the Spirit seem to be very closely related, if not synonymous. Paul makes it very clear that the Holy Spirit dwells or lives in the believer. Romans 8:9, 11 9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. There is no question or doubt being expressed here concerning the fact of the indwelling ministry of the Spirit. Wallace characterizes verse 8 this way: The audience would most likely respond along these lines: If the Spirit of God dwells in us? Of course he does! And this means that we are not in the flesh but in the Spirit? Remarkable! [Daniel B. Wallace, Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics: An Exegetical Syntax of the New Testament, p. 694]. This is not a conditional statement as though some of these Christians were not indwelt by the Spirit; it indicates a fulfilled condition [C. E. B. Cranfield, The International Critical Commentary: Romans, p. 1:388]. The Greek reads οἰκέω ἐν, dwells in. It means to reside in a place, live, dwell; it simply means to live in a place. This is a present active indicative verb meaning it occurs in the present (from the writer s standpoint) but in this context it carries with it a sense of continuous action. Therefore, this Scripture is presenting the truth that the Holy Spirit, God, is actually, truly living in each and every born again believer in the Lord Jesus Christ. Conversely, this Scripture is also presenting the truth that anyone who is not indwelt by the Spirit is not a child of God and lacks eternal life. 1

2 Jude that they were saying to you, In the last time there will be mockers, following after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These are the ones who cause divisions, worldly-minded, devoid of the Spirit. This indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit is a gift from God freely given to every believer. It occurs the moment a person places their faith in the person and work of Jesus Christ. It is not dependent on anything the believer does or does not do. It is not earned; it is a grace gift. John 7: Now on the last day, the great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried out, saying, If anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink. 38 He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, From his innermost being will flow rivers of living water. 39 But this He spoke of the Spirit, whom those who believed in Him were to receive; for the Spirit was not yet given, because Jesus was not yet glorified. Acts 2:38 38 Peter said to them, Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. Romans 5:5 5 and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us. Notice that Jesus said that anyone who is thirsty may come to Him and drink; notice also that He did not say only those chosen by Him in eternity past can come to Him. John went on to say that those who believed in Him, meaning all those without qualification who came to faith, would receive the Holy Spirit. These two things together tell us that any person may come to faith and be indwelt by the Holy Spirit the moment they believe. The Spirit is freely given but is predicated on the right of ownership God has in each one of those who believe. Further, it is the responsibility of those who are in Christ to glorify Him in body and spirit. Conversely, immorality is an affront to God; therefore we are to use our Spirit indwelt bodies to glorify Him. By virtue of the fact that we are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, our body is a sanctuary of the Spirit. 1 Corinthians 6: Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? 20 For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body. As I just noted, we are not our own; we belong to God. He has purchased us out of the slave market of sin. God doesn t do returns on His purchases. Ἀγοράζω means to buy, purchase, acquire possessions, redeem; it is to cause the release or freedom of someone by a means which proves costly to the individual causing the release. We 2

3 belong to God. We know that believers are eternally secure from the moment of belief whether they are faithful or unfaithful, obedient or disobedient, carnal and fleshly or walking in the Sprit and so on. It is unthinkable that God would renege on His salvation promise which is pure grace predicated only on belief and not on merit and revoke our salvation and return us to the slave market of sin based on our behavior; therefore, the Scriptures proclaim the Spirit to be a permanent indwelling presence from the moment of belief when He first indwells us. For confirmation, we need look no further than the people in the church at Corinth. These Corinthian Christians ran the gamut from probably only a few faithful Christians to exceptionally sinful Christians in the church yet Paul called all of them sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling who were united with all believers everywhere. Paul was reminding them of their high heavenly station in Christ and that the Holy Spirit, God, was living in them. Paul was exhorting them to turn from their carnality and live like Spirit indwelt believers. 1 Corinthians 1:2 2 To the church of God which is at Corinth, to those who have been sanctified in Christ Jesus, saints by calling, with all who in every place call on the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, their Lord and ours: ANOINTING Anointing is a ministry of the Holy Spirit. Paul and Silvanus and Timothy were all anointed by God in their appointment to an evangelistic ministry among the Corinthians. 2 Corinthians 1:21 21 Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, Anointed, χρίω, means to assign a person to a task, appoint one for a position, and it refers to the practice of pouring oil on a prophet, priest, or king as a symbol of choice or approval. This concept was especially visible in the Old Testament. Numerous instances of anointing a person with oil are recorded there. In this verse, we learn that these men were appointed to preach the gospel. 1 Samuel 16: and the LORD said, Arise, anoint him; for this is he. 13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brothers; and the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward. John used anointing to refer to a property held by all believers. 1 John 2:20, But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you all know. 27 As for you, the anointing which you received from Him abides in you, and you have no need for anyone to teach you; but as His anointing teaches you about all things, and is true and is not a lie, and just as it has taught you, you abide in Him. 3

4 Here the word is χρῖσµα and it means to assign a person to a task. Anointing as it is used here seems to have more to do with the Spirit s ministry of illumination rather than one of appointing to a task or office. But the point is these believers were anointed by the Holy Spirit and it seems to be a facet of the indwelling ministry of the Spirit. What the anointing is not is some super spiritual manifestation of Holy Spirit power that some especially holy people are granted. Charismatics are constantly claiming they or their likeminded cohorts possess some special anointing that sets them apart from and above other believers. We are all anointed in that every believer is appointed for service to glorify the Christ. Whether we actually do that or not is a separate issue and it does not negate the fact that all are anointed. The anointing seems to be at least a part of if not synonymous with the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit. It represents the setting apart of the believer for service to the Lord that glorifies Him. We are not to simply sit on our spiritual fannies after we are saved; we are to actively serve Him. SEALING MINISTRY; BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SEALING Part of the concept of the indwelling ministry of the Holy Spirit is His sealing ministry. The moment a person believes, he or she is sealed by the Holy Spirit. There is a number of concepts inherent within this concept of sealing including ownership and security. Ephesians 1: In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God s own possession, to the praise of His glory. 2 Corinthians 1:22 22 who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge. Ephesians 4:30 30 Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. These Scriptures are an absolute promise that begins the moment we believe that our salvation will, by virtue of the indwelling and sealing presence of the Holy Spirit as a guarantee, be seen through to completion, that is, the day of redemption. That is, our justification, the moment we are saved from the penalty of sin, will progress through the salvation phase of sanctification and on to our final salvation which is glorification and 4

5 presence with Christ for eternity. In context, 2 Corinthians 1:22 is referring to Paul, Silvanus, and Timothy but by the analogy of Scripture the other two confirm that this sealing ministry is enjoyed by all believers and not just by especially faithful people. This Scripture also informs us that the sealing is given at the same moment the indwelling of the Spirit occurs. Sealed, σφραγίζω, means to put a seal on, to mark (for possession or identity), to use a seal to close or to make something secure. Pledge, ἀρραβών, means the first installment, down payment, pledge, guarantee; it is a deposit which guarantees; it is the first or initial payment of money or assets as a guarantee for the completion of a transaction or a pledge. This pledge is similar to our modern concept of putting earnest money down on a piece of property. It indicates a pledge or promise that the transaction will be completed. By sealing us with the Holy Spirit as a pledge, God is guaranteeing that our salvation is secure and it will be completed through to glorification and eternity in the presence of God as the bride of Christ. In biblical times, seals were used to insure that certain things were not tampered with and were available for use to only those who were authorized to break the seal. Scrolls were sealed with a seal impressed into some wax and only the recipient of that scroll was authorized to break the seal and examine the contents. Deeds were sealed in order that they may be used to prove ownership, if necessary. The rock securing Daniel in the Lion s den was sealed with the King s seal in order to keep other people from freeing him before the next morning. The Lord s tomb was sealed in order to keep people from stealing his body so that it could be falsely claimed that He was raised from the dead. Violating the King s seal or the seal of the Roman government was punishable by death. Even today, there are occasions where we seal envelopes and write our name or initials across the seal/envelope interface in order to detect tampering and to insure only the person qualified to open that envelope does so. Isaiah 29:11 11 The entire vision will be to you like the words of a sealed book, which when they give it to the one who is literate, saying, Please read this, he will say, I cannot, for it is sealed. Daniel 6:17 17 A stone was brought and laid over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his nobles, so that nothing would be changed in regard to Daniel. Jeremiah 32: I signed and sealed the deed, and called in witnesses, and weighed out the silver on the scales. 11 Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the 5

6 sealed copy containing the terms and conditions and the open copy; 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to Baruch the son of Neriah, the son of Mahseiah, in the sight of Hanamel my uncle s son and in the sight of the witnesses who signed the deed of purchase, before all the Jews who were sitting in the court of the guard. Matthew 27:66 66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along with the guard they set a seal on the stone. Revelation 5:1 5 1 I saw in the right hand of Him who sat on the throne a book written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals. 2 And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book and to break its seals? 3 And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the book or to look into it. 4 Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the book or to look into it; 5 and one of the elders said to me, Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to open the book and its seven seals. Chafer calls this seal a mark of divine discrimination which God sees [Chafer, Systematic Theology, p. 6:41]. 2 Timothy 2:19 19 Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, The Lord knows those who are His, Since we are sealed, is it possible that we have some sort of mark placed upon us that is visible in the angelic realm? The Bible doesn t say that; it only says we are sealed. But there will be a time during the Tribulation when being sealed means having a mark placed on one s forehead. It is an interesting question whether or not we actually have a seal placed on us by the Holy Spirit but it is really nothing to dwell on because we won t know the answer. We do know we are sealed and that is all the revelation we have been given. Revelation 7:3 4 3 saying, Do not harm the earth or the sea or the trees until we have sealed the bond-servants of our God on their foreheads. 4 And I heard the number of those who were sealed, one hundred and forty-four thousand sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel: As a result of the indwelling ministry of the Spirit, the believer is sealed. The seal is a guarantee of the completion of that which God has begun in the life of the individual believer. Because we are perfectly righteous in Christ according to position, our behavior has no bearing on this ministry of the Spirit. This seal should give us complete confidence in our eternal security. The One who seals is the One who is responsible for 6

7 ensuring the completion of that which the seal signifies. By virtue of this sealing ministry, we know that we belong to God for He has purchased us out of the realm of Satan, that the Holy Spirit lives in us and seals us as a guarantee that we are not only saved in this age but we will certainly be awarded a glorified, resurrected body that completes our salvation experience. BAPTISM OF THE HOLY SPIRIT The Holy Spirit also has a ministry of baptism. This ministry occurs simultaneously with the indwelling and sealing ministries of the Spirit. It is the singular event that places a person into the body of Christ and it happens at the instant of the new birth. The doctrine of baptism of the Holy Spirit is on of the most misunderstood and even abused doctrines in the New Testament. 1 Corinthians 12:13 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. The word in this verse is βαπτίζω which means to immerse, overwhelm, or saturate. This word does not carry with it the idea of being immersed and removed. It refers to a literal envelopment within an element and thereby become subject to that element. It also refers to something being brought under the power and influence of another thing. It is a mark of identification with something. It seems to be used in the New Testament as a technical term for Christian baptism. Chafer quotes a man named Dr. James W. Dale who defines it thus: Whatever is capable of thoroughly changing the character, state, or condition of any object, is capable of baptizing that object; and by such change of character, state, or condition, does, in fact, baptize it [Chafer, Systematic Theology, p. 6:139]. Βάπτω means to immerse or dip and it carries the concept of going in and coming back out. The example for this idea would be one of dying cloth. Our water baptism is not a true immersion in that we come back out of the water; we are dipped into the water and immediately removed. The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a true immersion in that we are enveloped by Him into a permanent relationship. It may be said that to be placed in Christ by the baptizing agency of the Holy Spirit results in a new reality of relationship in which the one thus blessed comes under the power and Headship of Christ, which position supplants the relationship to the first Adam and is itself a new organic union with the Last Adam, the resurrected Christ. In this instance it secures the merit, the dominating influence, and Headship of Christ [Chafer, Systematic Theology, p. 140]. 7

8 In English Bibles, baptism is not defined. It is simply a transliteration of the Greek word rather than a translation of it. In and of itself, our word baptism has no meaning in terms of the original text. Instead of saying that people were baptized, we might say people were identified with Christ through being dipped in water. The baptism of the Holy Spirit places a person permanently into Christ through the body of Christ; there is no subsequent removal from Him or from the body of Christ in this age or in eternity. By the Spirit s baptism into Christ the believer is joined permanently unto the Lord; he has put on Christ, and therefore, being in Christ, partakes of all that Christ is. This vital union is the ground of every position and possession into which the child of God has entered.apart from this union which secures the imputation of the merit of Christ, there could be no standing before God and no entrance into heaven [Chafer, Systematic Theology, p. 6:41]. Spirit baptism places a person into the body of Christ and it serves to identify the believer with Christ in His death and resurrection. This baptism signifies a life in accordance with the pattern of Christ s dying to sin and rising for righteousness. Romans 6: What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin so that grace may increase? 2 May it never be! How shall we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Or do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? 4 Therefore we have been buried with Him through baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. 5 For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, 6 knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; 7 for he who has died is freed from sin. 8 Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, 9 knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him. 10 For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. 11 Even so consider yourselves to be dead to sin, but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, 13 and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. 14 For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. By the power of the indwelling Holy Spirit, a believer is no longer in bondage to sin. For the Christian, living in sin is not real life. Living in terms of real life for the believer is living in 8

9 union with Christ. Sin breaks that union necessitating restoration. The spiritual union believers enjoy with Christ is implemented through the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In the New Testament, where water baptism is linked to Christ, it is in His name but where the Scriptures refer to being baptized into Him, it refers to placement into the body of Christ which involves the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In other words, water baptism does not save us nor does it place us into the body of Christ; Spirit baptism occurs the moment we believe and that act places us into His body. Believers who have identified with Christ in His death can now share in the newness of life that is in the resurrection. Because we have a new life, we are enabled to live like a person experiencing such a new life through the power of the Holy Spirit. We should consider ourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. It is important to note that the Spirit baptism precedes any form of water baptism which is an ordinance for the church. In fact, water baptism is not a necessary element for the granting of forgiveness of sins and for obtaining eternal life. Death bed belief in Christ that precludes any possible water baptism still results in justification and in eternal life. Water baptism is properly regarded as the believer s obedient response to the salvation he has already received and it is done in a public arena where his faith in Christ and his identification with the Lord is put on public display. It is a public proclamation of one s faith in Christ. Many theologians confuse water baptism with Spirit baptism and believe the Spirit to be imparted in the act of water baptism. Therefore, a person s salvation depends on being water baptized. Apparently, a lot of Baptists make this type of error. E. Y. Mullins, a very well-known Southern Baptist preacher and theologian, believed that the literal water baptism placed one into the local body of Christ rather than the universal body of Christ. Other Southern Baptists have been known to make the claim that the Spirit is imparted to the believer in water baptism. This may be an aberration though; it seems to me the majority of Southern Baptists have a biblical view of baptism. I have a systematic theology text written by Augustus H. Strong that was published in 1907 that is completely biblical in his presentation of the doctrine of baptism, however, I could not find one reference to Spirit baptism. Strong actually claims that water baptism by immersion is a law that cannot be changed by the church (p. 939). While I think he is correct that the mode of baptism is to be immersion, I think it is a stretch to call it a law. It is interesting to examine systematic theology texts written by Baptists. They have page after page of text concerning water baptism but almost nothing is said about the baptism in the Holy Spirit. That leads me to believe there may be some faulty priorities in play since water baptism is not essential for eternal life and Spirit baptism is. Spirit baptism is an event specific to this dispensation. The first major mention of Spirit baptism was when the Lord predicted it in Acts 1:5. No one experienced Spirit baptism until the church began on Pentecost. Even the disciples did not experience this ministry until that day. It is a ministry strictly for the body of Christ that unites all believers one with 9

10 another in the body of Christ. Because the body of Christ is unique to this dispensation, the baptizing ministry that places believers into that body is also unique to this age. John the Baptist did mention the baptism of the Spirit but at that time it was a cryptic thing to say because the Church was still three years away from its beginning. Acts 1:4 5 4 Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, Which, He said, you heard of from Me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now. Matthew 3:11 11 As for me, I baptize you with water for repentance, but He who is coming after me is mightier than I, and I am not fit to remove His sandals; He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. Peter later referred to Spirit baptism on the day of Pentecost as the beginning. Acts 11: And as I began to speak, the Holy Spirit fell upon them just as He did upon us at the beginning. 16 And I remembered the word of the Lord, how He used to say, John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit. 17 Therefore if God gave to them the same gift as He gave to us also after believing in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I that I could stand in God s way? Once the church is raptured to be with the Lord, this baptizing ministry will end. Tribulation believers will not experience this ministry just as Old Testament saints never experienced it. In the Old Testament, people would be filled with the Spirit for the performance of specific tasks, but then the Spirit could depart from them. For example, the men appointed to make the articles for the Tabernacle were filled with the Spirit for the performance of their assigned duties. Exodus 31:1 6 1 Now the LORD spoke to Moses, saying, 2 See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, in silver, and in bronze, 5 and in the cutting of stones for settings, and in the carving of wood, that he may work in all kinds of craftsmanship. 6 And behold, I Myself have appointed with him Oholiab, the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and in the hearts of all who are skillful I have put skill, that they may make all that I have commanded you: 10