Part 14
In like manner, as we see the Holy Spirit working through us, we also ought to be amazed and astounded by what He can do through us if we make ourselves a channel for Him to work through.
d. The Spirit came upon Othniel the judge. Judges 3:10, "And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel...."
As we go out into the ministry, let us rely on His wisdom in our working with God's people and see to it that we do not rely on our own wisdom.
e. The Spirit came upon Gideon. Judges 6:34, "But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon...." The fact that the Spirit came indicates that He was not already there, thus proving that there was no full time indwelling. For God's leadership over His people, He seems to like men that are sensitive to Him so that He may lead His people through His leaders.
f. The Spirit came upon others as well. Jephthah, Judges 11:29; Samson, Judges 14:6.
g. The Spirit was in some. Joseph, Genesis 41:37,38. Just what is meant by the Spirit being in someone in the Old Testament we don't know. We do know that the New testament speaks to the fact that the Spirit had not been given to the believer as yet. John 14:17 tells us that the Spirit did not indwell, in the Old Testament economy as He was to do in the Church age. "...and shall be in you." John 7:37-39 also shows the Spirit was yet to be given.
It might be suggested that it appeared that the Spirit was indwelling because of the work and effect in the Old Testament believers life. This would not require that it be fact, only that it appeared to be so. If a man was allowing the Lord to have His way in his life, then it would surely appear that the Lord was with, or in them.
h. Ezekiel records that the Spirit came twice to him in the first three chapters of his book. If the Spirit came a second time He had to have left.
This again proves that there was no indwelling, as we know it, in the Old Testament. Ezekiel 2:2, Ezekiel 3:24.
i. Miscellaneous references where the Spirit came upon people in the Old Testament. Numbers 11:17, 25, Numbers 27:18, 1 Samuel 19:20, 1 Chronicles 12:18, II Chron. 20:14, Daniel 4:8; 5:11-14; 6:3.
Walvoord divides the ministry of the Holy Spirit into several sections such as in creation, as in inspiration and as in revelation then discusses the ministry to, and through man. Cambron has a good outline of the Old Testament and the Holy Spirit.
NEW TESTAMENT
We won't go into great detail in the New Testament for we have covered a lot of the subjects in previous sections.
He Gifts: 1 Corinthians 12:27:28
He Indwells: 1 Corinthians 6:19
He Convicts: John 16:7
He Intercedes: Romans 8:26:27
He Testifies: John 16:13,14
He Teaches: John 14:26; 1 John 2:27
He Guides: John 16:13
There is a difference in the need of the Holy Spirit between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
In the Old Testament the believer had the law to show him sin (Romans 7:7), while Romans 3:19,20 relates that the New Testament believer has the Holy Spirit to show him the sin that is in his life. We also have the Word that shows us the sin of our beings.
It seems that in the different dispensations, the Lord is trying to prove to the principalities and powers of the air, that man will always fail, no matter what the circumstance that God places him in. The fact that man
will fail even when Christ Himself will reign on earth will be that final proof. We have God in residence as believers and we still fail at times.
We are left with one question. Why is there a difference between the Old Testament and the New Testament ministry of the Holy Spirit. This has been mentioned previously, but now let us take a closer look.
POSSIBLE ANSWERS
1. We shouldn't be surprised, for the Father and the Son have a different relationship to the believer as well, between the Old Testament and the New Testament.
2. We don't know why, might be a suggested answer, however I don't personally think this is the case.
3. The Sovereignty of God. He wanted it that way. That is enough, in and of itself.
4. The final possibility is the one that fits all the facts of Scripture. I believe that there is a difference in the dealing with the sin of the believer between the two testaments. The Old Testament sacrifice COVERED the sin of the believer until the cross. The New Testament sacrifice of Christ REMOVES the sin of the believer.
There seems to be a definite link between this previous fact, and the cross and ascension. The Old Testament saints benefited greatly from the work of the cross and ascension, in that not only was their sin dealt with, but they were taken to be with the Lord. Previously they were in the Bosom of Abraham (Luke 16). They were taken out of the Bosom of Abraham (Luke 16 and Ephesians 4). The Bosom of Abraham was a place where the Old Testament saint could be placed, after death, to enjoy peace rather than torment. They could not be in the Lord's presence after death because their sin was only covered, not removed.
This place had no purpose after the work of Christ, so we assume that it no longer exists, or is empty. The torment side of that place does, however, still exist. There the Old Testament lost still exist in torment.
There is also one further difference which might relate. God's dwelling place in the Old Testament was in the Holy of Holies. We, the believers,
are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, or His dwelling place. This difference is probably due to the fact that the sin of the Old Testament saint had not been fully dealt with. God dwelled among His people as closely as He could in the Old Testament, but could indwell after the sin was dealt with via the cross.
1. Since the Spirit's presence in the Old Testament upon a believer was for a special call, special work or special ministry, might we apply this to the church age and wonder if we aren't, everyone, called to a special ministry before the Lord. The thought seems to me to be a valid one. Indeed, we are all gifted specially. If we are all called, why are so few ministering?
2. Psalm 51 would indicate that this presence of the Holy Spirit is not dependant on our spiritual life. Indeed, one is left to wonder why the Spirit indwells us, the sin prone creatures that we are.
3. We should remind ourselves just how fortunate we are as New Testament believers to have the Holy Spirit indwelling us, and having His presence to help, teach, comfort etc.
4. One last item of business that we have not really dealt with. We saw that in the Church age He gifted as He willed. This shows that He is a Free Sovereign agent doing what He wills to do. The fact that He willed to come and go in the Old Testament and take up residence in the New Testament should not be a problem to us in that He is all those things that we know God to be. He can do anything that He wants to. He is all powerful, all knowing and all those other things that make our Holy Spirit, God.
I would like to close this section with this final thought.
In speaking of His book on the Holy Spirit, one author states: "As I was writing this chapter, my wife and I sat on the porch in the hot spring sun, and we talked about the refreshment of the wind as evening came. We especially discussed the power and the mystery of the wind.
"It is interesting that in Scripture, in both the original Hebrew and Greek languages, the word used in speaking of the Spirit is the word that can also mean wind.' In like manner, the Holy Spirit
works in different ways in our lives, and in different times in history.
"I have seen tornadoes in Texas and Oklahoma, and even in my home state of North Caroline when I was a boy. Yes, I have seen the power of the wind. I have seen the air-brakes that use the wind, or the air, to stop the giant truck going down the highway. That same force can lift a giant airplane.
"'The manager of a granite quarry in North Carolina said: 'We supplied the granite for the municipal building in New York City. We can lift an acre of solid granite ten feet thick to almost any height we desire for the purpose of moving it. We do it with air. We can do it as easily as I can lift a piece of paper.'
"'Air. Air — this invisible envelope in which we live and move, this substance so immaterial that we can move our hands through it as though it had no reality at all. but the power it possesses. How great, how terrible.'" (THE HOLY SPIRIT, Billy Graham, 1978, Word, Inc., Dallas, Texas, Used with permission. p 24)
May we be willing to move when we feel the wind of the Spirit blowing our way.
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S PART IN
GRACE AND CONVICTION
There are two types of grace that we want to think about. We will look at common grace first and then efficacious grace.
Common grace is that grace which God extends to all of mankind throughout all ages and conditions. This is the grace which brings the seasons, the rains, the sunshine and the revelation of God within nature. This is seen in Psalm 145:9, "The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works" There are other verses as well, Matthew 5:45, Luke 6:35, Acts 14:17, and Romans 1:19-20.
Common grace is extended in different areas.
1. Common grace is the general provision of items of nature for our use and benefit. These are for the lost's benefit as well. Think of that — they are on their way to hell — they thumb their nose at God — yet He extends this to them. He could withdraw His grace from them at any moment, yet He is longsuffering and desires them to turn to Him.
2. Common grace is also seen in the restraining of sin by the Holy Spirit. It isn't that He is in the business of stopping sin as we can plainly see around us, but that He is slowing down the process of sin and sin as a whole. If He wasn't on the job the state of the world would be much worse (2 Thessalonians 2:6,7). This restraint is at times lifted to allow some to go off into the areas that they desire to go into (Romans 1:24-28).
There is a point that we might cover here. The Holy Spirit does some of His restraining through the Church and its walk before the world. There is a real sense in which the Church is failing their God in this present day. We as a Church have not kept the purity and testimony before the world that we should have. We have accepted the world's standard, and life styles. In years past the Church has been a real conscience for the world.
The church once stood against divorce, yet today many churches accept it as common everyday living. The world cannot see a difference between the
Christian and themselves, so why should they seek to be Christians or their God?
It has been of interest in recent days that the tone of language and stories told in the presence of Christians is becoming more and more perverse. In days past when people knew they were around believers they would curb their perverseness. Today they seem to feel no restraint. Is this because the church as a whole has failed to present the proper image to the world? It may well be.
3. The work of reproving for sin, righteousness and judgment in John 16:711 seems to be for the world, however it was a promise to the believer also. The believer should not get discouraged when they see the sin of the world. They can know that the Holy Spirit is on the job confronting the lost with their sin. There is also a promise, in that they can know that the Devil has been cared for and we need not worry about his gaining the upper hand. "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. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged."
4. There is also one final area of common grace. God is postponing the judgment of the lost, desiring that they might come to Him for salvation.
I would like to cover some information from Mark Thiessen before we move on to efficacious grace.
Mark Thiessen mentions a "prevenient grace" which we need to inspect for a few moments. (Thiessen, Henry C.; "Lectures In Systematic Theology"; Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans, 1949, p 155-156)
"The upshot of the matter is that God must take the initiative if man is to be saved. God cannot relax His law simply because man is no longer able to obey it. Now all Calvinists believe in common grace. They teach that, since the race fell in Adam and lost all claims to consideration before God, along with the ability in its own strength to return to God, we have in the blessings of life,
health, friends, fruitful seasons, prosperity, the delay of punishment, the manifestations of the common grace of God. Common grace is not sufficient for salvation but it yet reveals the goodness of God to all sinful creatures. This is true, but why stop there? We believe that the common grace of God also restores to the sinner the ability to make a favorable response to God. In other words, we hold that God, in His grace, makes it possible for all men to be saved."
He continues on to say,
"It does not mean that prevenient grace enables a man to change the permanent bent of his will in the direction of God; nor that he can quit all sin and make himself acceptable to God. It does mean that he can make an initial response to God, as a result of which God can give him repentance and faith."
As I read and understand Thiessen, he would extend common grace to include just a bit more and call it pervenient grace. To the sun, rain, and health, of the common grace advocate, he would include a bit of a zap, or the ability to desire more knowledge of God even though he is still totally depraved.
In a sense, if Romans one is true, in that God revealed Himself to man in the creation and man is held accountable for that revelation, then there must be some possibility of the man responding to that creation, else wise God is holding him responsible for something which he cannot act upon.
Thiessen goes on to say that through foreknowledge, God was able to know which of mankind would respond favorably and which would not respond favorably. He views efficacious grace as the desire being acted upon by the Holy Spirit and the work of the Holy Spirit in drawing the lost person to God.
I see no difference between what Mark Thiessen suggests and the thought that if a lost person responds to the revelation mentioned in Romans one. In both cases God responds by drawing the person to Himself through the Holy Spirit.
It seems that Thiessen has coined a term, and rightly so, to draw a distinction between common grace and what he teaches.
EFFICACIOUS GRACE
Efficacious grace is that product that we fail to realize many times in our witnessing. It is the grace that extends from God to allow the person to believe and accept the Lord.
Efficacious grace might also show up in some books as effective grace. It is grace that is effective in bringing the lost to God. Efficacious means: ".....having the power to produce a desired effect....." (By permission. From Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary copyright 1991 by Merriam-Webster Inc., publisher of the Merriam-Webster (registered) Dictionaries.) While teaching, the students found out that I enjoyed M & M's. One of them tried to bribe me with a bag of M & M's. The bribe did not work. The bribe had no efficacy.
Efficacious grace then, is grace that is able to produce the desired effect, that effect being, the drawing of the lost soul to God.
We will dive into the ramifications of this doctrine when we get to the doctrine of election in the salvation section of our study. The grace is not something that acts against the will of man, but it is a grace that effects the will of man, and since it comes into play because the person is responsive to God, works in conjunction to man's will.
This is contrary to the staunch Calvinist that would state that Efficacious grace is something which overcomes the person and his will to bring the person to God. The person cannot resist this grace — it is final and sure. God can and does drag the lost kicking and screaming person into the kingdom.
This to me is an overstatement of what we can see in the Word of God. Man still chooses to believe in God by his own will, however efficacious grace will bring things into his life that will bring his will to the point that he will believe.
Efficacious grace will not come into play in a persons life unless they have first responded to common grace, thus efficacious grace is something that
the person will welcome — no reason to resist. Whether efficacious grace is resistable or irresistable is a mute question. The person is desiring to respond to God, so the next step is a welcome step. When I say common grace I retain the term "common" while holding to Thiessen's prevenient grace thought.
If the person responds to common grace, then efficacious grace will take precedent over all things. The person's will responds in accord to that grace that has been extended.
The efficacious grace is a process, in that it brings many occurrences into the life of the person preceding belief. Some suggest that it is an act. On God's part, yes, from man's view a process. God views all things in one moment and as such the whole process of salvation is an act of His will. He willed in eternity past that some would be saved. He sees this as a completed item on His agenda.
Man however is in time, and salvation is a process which takes place in time. Man isn't one moment lost and then the next moment saved. He must go through mental processes before he can be brought into a place of belief and repentance.
Common grace can be ignored or rejected (by the person giving credit for these things to laws of nature and fate.) while efficacious grace is not rejected or ignored.
Efficacious grace is based on the idea of calling in the Scripture. Some feel that the two are actually one. If a person is called, then they have received efficacious grace.
I am not sure that the two are the same. It seems better to see the calling as separate from efficacious grace. The reason for this is Matthew 22:14. It states, "For many are called, but few are chosen." The context of this verse is the call to the marriage feast. There seems to be a calling that can be rejected. Efficacious grace cannot be rejected, indeed, if the person desires to respond to God would not reject it.
This may indicate that there are two calls, one call to all of mankind to come unto the God of creation and a second call to the elect that brings
them to God. You might say there is a common call and an efficacious call, to help in your understanding.
If we are to believe in the total depravity of man and the total inability of man to reach God on his own then the doctrine of efficacious grace is a requirement. There must be a drawing of the lost to the Lord by some means and that means is the Holy Spirit.
Part of the confusion in this area may come from the fact that some believers have a totally different salvation experience than others. Some are saved out of a life of total debasement and sin, while others are saved as a growing process through their relatively righteous life.
The person that is saved out of a totally sinful life would quite possibly see God as reaching down in His Calvinistic grace and snatching His elected one out of the debased world in which he lived. The person that has been raised in a Christian home and was saved through the learning process in church, might well see the response to what is revealed, and the following drawing of the Lord to salvation as simple choice of the individual to respond to what he knows.
Whatever your experience, the Word seems to indicate that the common grace is that grace which is extended to all. This may include the call to salvation as well as the ability to respond to that call. At the point where the person has responded positively to common grace and natural revelation, God extends His efficacious grace to finally draw the person into the Kingdom.
CONVICTION
Buswell mentions, "Jesus promised, 'When He [the Spirit of Truth] is come, He will convict the world of sin and of righteousness and of judgment' (John 16:8). This was Jesus' promise as He told of the ministry of the Holy Spirit. The world of our day is strangely unconvicted, unconvinced, and unconcerned; yet where Spirit-filled men faithfully present the Spirit-inspired Word of God, conviction of sin comes. The great need of the world today is for consecrated channels for the convicting work of the Holy Spirit. Only so can there be a genuine turning to the Lord and acceptance of the Gospel." (Buswell, James Oliver; "A Systematic
Theology Of The Christian Religion"; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962, p 262)
The fact that the Spirit is to convict the world of sin is mentioned in John 16: 8,9. Some receive the ministry and believe while others reject that ministry of the Spirit.
Buswell submits that the Romans one revelation of God is that which is accepted or rejected. The revelation being the common grace and the acceptance of it the first step in what he calls "effectual calling". His effectual calling would be what we have established as efficacious grace. (Buswell has an extended discussion of this with much detail that is of interest. p 157ff.)
The term "sin" in John 16:8,9 is in the singular showing that the Spirit is working on the sin nature of man and not the individual types of sin. This may relate to the fact that all societies have had a knowledge of an afterlife. If the Spirit in some manner has convicted them to the point that they feel they are guilty in some respect to a higher power then all would fit well.
Conviction is a legal term. During my first year of teaching I was treated to an office Toilet Papering. I was sure of the culprits, but lacked the evidence to convict them. I waited for a couple of months and the perpetrators could not hold back any longer. They convicted themselves with their own tongue.
Lost man not only is guilty, but the Holy Spirit will convict him of his error.
Conviction means: ".....the act or process of convicting of a crime esp. in a court of law 2 a: the act of convincing a person of error or of compelling the admission of a truth....." (By permission. From Webster's Ninth New Collegiate Dictionary copyright 1991 by Merriam-Webster Inc., publisher of the Merriam-Webster (registered) Dictionaries.)
These definitions are somewhat inadequate when related to the conviction of the Holy Spirit. The convicting of the Holy Spirit is of a nature that presents the facts and the person so convicted is free to respond to or reject that information.
They are convicted — simple and pure. They cannot argue about it. They have the choice — turn against the God that convicted them, or throw themselves on the mercy of the court.
The term is used in Matthew 18:15,
"Moreover, if thy brother shall trespass against thee,
go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone;
if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother."
The term tell is the term translated convicted in John 8:9.
In the area of common grace then we have the conviction of the lost, by the God of nature. In the case of some, the confrontation may be with the gospel itself in evangelized areas. When that conviction brings the person toward the Lord then we have moved into the area of efficacious grace. In the unevangelized areas of the world this comes from the response or lack of response to the revelation of God in creation.
You might say there are common conviction and efficacious conviction. Common conviction would be the confrontation of a lost soul with some information about God which they are free to respond to or ignore. Efficacious conviction would be that information that the Spirit brings to confront the lost soul who is going to respond.
The term "elenko" is translated convict as well as: tell, Matthew 18:15; being reproved, Luke 3:19; should be reproved, John 3:20, convinceth, John 8:46; will reprove, John 16:8; convinced, 1 Corinthians 14:24, James 2:9; reprove, Ephesians 5:11, 2 Timothy 4:2; that are reproved, Ephesians 5:13; rebuke, 1 Timothy 5:20, Revelation 3:19; to convince, Titus 1:9; rebuke, Titus 1:13, 2:15; art rebuked, Hebrews 12:5
It seems that the thought of convict, is the showing of evidence with the desire of changed action.
The person that rejects this conviction places himself in the position of lessening his opportunities with God. The Scripture mentions the hardening of the heart, the stiffening of the neck, and the parables were used so that the hard hearted could not understand. God gives all mankind a chance, but as the lost person continues to reject, their ability to respond weakens. Let me illustrate:
"Sin Against The Holy Ghost"
"Dr. John William Baily, of the Berkeley Baptist Divinity School, told his class in New Testament of reading about a certain sea animal in a scientific periodical. This animal lives at several levels. At fifty feet it has eyes upon long tentacles, and these may move about and see in any direction. At a lower depth the same animal has the same eyes, in the same tentacles, but the tentacles are rigid, and the eyes may look only in one direction. Far below, the same animal has the same general form, with the hardened tentacles, and the markings of eyes, but there is no sight. Living at a depth where there is no light, the animal has lost the use of its eyes. Similarly, those individuals who close their eyes to the light that they have, incapacitate themselves to receive light. The sin against the Holy Ghost is not unforgivable because of some arbitrary decision of God. Rather, the very nature of sin, namely, shutting one's eyes to known truth and refusing to see, does something to the person himself, and he makes himself incapable of receiving truth at all. Not even God can forgive that sin. Minter Uzzell (Stuber, Stanley I. and Clark, Thomas Curtis; "Treasury Of The Christian Faith"; New York: Association Press, 1949, p 659-660)
Here we introduce the idea of rejection of common grace leading to total inability to respond positively to the Gospel.
The Holy Spirit brings God's grace to us through natural laws in the case of common grace, as well as to us through the Revelation, and His messengers in efficacious grace. Within the thought of grace there is a point in time when the Spirit convicts us of the sin nature, and makes us realize our condition before God.
We understand that in God's mind this is an action, while in our lives it is a process. We move in a process from common grace, to conviction, to efficacious grace. This movement may be in a very short period of time, or it may take a long time.
The important thing is that we understand that we did not come to God because of our superior understanding of things as they are, but rather, we came to God through the specific ministry of the Holy Spirit.
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S WORK
IN REGENERATION
There is a science fiction series on the Public Broadcast System that runs for a long long time. It is the program about Dr. Who. The Dr. moves in and out of time and space in a telephone booth if I remember it correctly. He is always in a jam with someone, or some race that is out to get him. He does a lot of good along the way.
You might suggest, that kind of show would get boring. Well in a way it does, so every once in a while Dr. Who dies. This gives some excitement to the program. Although he dies, he has the ability to regenerate himself and he comes back the next program. He is a different actor with some differences centered around the good old Dr. Who that you know and love.
If you know of the Star Trek series you know that someone built a Genesis machine that would take an old burned out planet and regenerate it into a thriving world that would be habitable by man.
Even in the lost world of entertainment there is a fascination with coming back to life, with making old things new, and in general playing God. The fallacy however in all of this is the fact that only God can really make old things new. Man just hasn't realized this yet.
This thought of regeneration is somewhat foreign to the regeneration that we want to talk about today, yet may indicate that the lost world wants to play god.
INTRODUCTION TO REGENERATION
One of my friends that received his Masters Degree from the Denver Conservative Baptist Seminary mentioned that one of his questions on his oral examination before the faculty was this. "What is your ordo salutis?" He asked me what mine was. I plead ignorance. He said, "So did I." Might I ask you what your "ordo salutis" is? It is the order of salvation.
There is faith and there is regeneration. Which came first? Some suggest that to have faith you must be regenerated. They hold that the lost man is
so depraved that he cannot possibly have faith. He must be pulled out of that position by regeneration before he can know what faith is. Some suggest that if you are regenerated then you don't need faith. In other words, regeneration is the complete work and faith is too late. The work of salvation is done. The Bible would refute this, in that it states that salvation is by faith.
This is a basic Calvinist Question. The Calvinist would see regeneration as that which gives the person enough "umph" to accept the Gospel.
The answer to all this is somewhere in the fact that all of it takes place instantaneously. Most I think would feel that faith comes before the regeneration takes place. If you don't agree then try a research paper on it. By the way I have just read recently that to steal from one person is called plagiarism, but to steal from many is called research.
Calvin believed that repentance and regeneration were one in the same. "In one word I apprehend repentance to be regeneration, the end of which is the restoration of the divine image within us;" (Buswell, James Oliver; "A Systematic Theology Of The Christian Religion"; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962, vol.II, p 171) I would probably take exception to the idea that repentance and regereration are one.
Augustine felt that you could have regeneration without election, but that you could not have election without regeneration. He felt that some were regenerated by the waters of baptism, but these perished later. These would be the non-elect. (Buswell, Vol. II, p 172)
Dr. Bob Jones Sr. stated once in a booklet, "The Holy Spirit", "The Holy spirit is a diagnostician. He feels the sinner's pulse, looks at the sinner's tongue, takes the sinner's blood pressure, listens to the sinner's heartbeat, and says to the sinner, 'You are a poor lost sinner.' The Holy spirit, after doing this, recommends a physician; and the only physician He ever recommends to a sinner is the Lord Jesus Christ, Who died on a cross for lost men of all generations." (p 4-5)
I don't mean to detract from the eloquence of Dr. Jones, but I'm not sure that there is that much need of examination to determine if a person is a sinner, or if you can look at the physical evidence and determine spiritual condition or not, but the Great Physician is certainly the only one that can
cure our ills. Regeneration is one in a process of remedies that we must go through in salvation. This gets us on the road to a very quick recovery.
The Holy Spirit is the instrument by which man can be regenerated. Dr. Jones goes on to say, "...the Holy Spirit becomes a trained nurse and applies the regenerating grace to the sinner's heart and makes him whole." (Jones, Dr. Bob Sr.; "THE HOLY SPIRIT"; p 5)
The term used in the Scriptures is, "palingenesia" — Strong's number 3824. This word appears only twice in the New Testament. Matthew 19:28. This verse seems to be related to the redoing of things in the future and not the spiritual rebirth that Paul speaks of in Titus. Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit,"
The term is a combination of "palin" meaning "again" and "genesis" meaning "birth." Palin is a term that is used many times in the New Testament. It is always translated, "again." It simply means, "again birth," or born again.
Richard DeHann mentions of the term, "'Regeneration' may therefore be defined as 'the act of God the Spirit by which He instantaneously implants spiritual life in the one who receives Christ.'" (DeHann; "The Holy Spirit In Your Life"; pp 2-3, used by permission of Radio Bible Class, Grand Rapids, Michigan.)
Is regeneration an implantation of a new something as DeHann mentions? I suspect he is aiming at an implantation of a new nature, however the term itself, "birth again" has no hint of an implantation. It in very clear, terms is a new birth. I suspect that the thought of implantation comes from the belief system that states that we have an old nature and a new nature, coexisting within.
I think that I disagree with the thought of something being implanted within the lost person to make him a believer. Christ stated "...Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3) Born is "gennao" (Strong's 1080) also translated begat, conceived, should be born, brought forth, etc. The term has to do with birth. The bringing forth of something. "again" (Strong's
509) is "anothen" which is translated, top, from the very first, again, from above, and from the beginning. "Take It From The Top" to put it lightly. Born from above might well be a good translation. Indeed, the interlinear lists it that way. This does not allow for an implantation idea.
DeHann goes on to say that the new birth is defined in 2 Corinthians 5:17, "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." (DeHann; "The Holy Spirit In Your Life," Used by permission of Radio Bible Class, Grand Rapids, Michigan.)Again, this seems to be, not an implantation as DeHann suggests, or a restoration as Calvin suggests, but a change — a new birth as the terminology suggests and demands.
I believe that DeHann shoots himself in the foot. He also suggests that it is a spiritual resurrection. A spiritual resurrection does not sound like an implantation to me. There is a picture of spiritual resurrection in the Scripture however. (Ephesians 2:1, "And you hath he made alive, who were dead in trespasses and sins;"; Romans 6:13.)
Pardington quotes Dr. A.J. Gordon and states it is the best available definition. "Regeneration is the communication of the divine nature to man by the operation of the Holy Spirit through the Word." (Pardington, Revelation George P. Ph.D.; "Outline Studies In Christian Doctrine"; Harrisburg, PA: Christian Publications, 1926, p 319) Again we see the idea that something passes from God to man in the idea of communication, which is not acceptable.
Pache summarizes, "From the spiritual point of view the soul of sinful man is dead and estranged from God, for the wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). By the miracle of regeneration the soul is revived, newly begotten and granted eternal life. Jesus described this experience as being born anew (John 3:3,7). It goes without saying that without this it is impossible for any man to be saved." (Taken from: "The Person And Work Of The Holy Spirit"; Pache, Rene; Copyright 1954, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago; Moody Press. Used by permission. pp 68-69)
I think that Pache has covered the topic well in his statement.
DeHann continues:
"The Necessity Of Regeneration" "Sin has left the old man, so vile, so corrupt, so evil so devoid of all good, that it could never be redeemed. The old nature is so depraved that God himself has given up all hope of ever improving it, patching it up, or making it good. Now, if these statements seem somewhat extreme, listen to these words in Psalm 14. 'The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no not one' (Psalm 14:2,3)." (DeHann; "THE HOLY SPIRIT IN YOUR LIFE," used by permission of Radio Bible Class, Grand Rapids, Michigan.)
He goes on to say, "Man by nature is dead in sin (Ephesians 2:1); blind and deceived (1 Corinthians 2:14); an alien from God and His enemy (Colossians 1:21); and absolutely unclean (Isaiah 64:6). Even God doesn't try to change the old human nature. Rather, the Spirit enables the sinner to believe on Christ. He then creates within him a brand-new nature, and imparts to him spiritual and everlasting life." (DeHann, pp 5-6, used by permission of Radio Bible Class, Grand Rapids, Michigan.) I'm not sure implant is the word he should have used in the first quote though he seems to suggest that regeneration is the addition in some manner of a new item of business.
A rebirth is what the Bible says, thus we need to understand regeneration as the rebirth of something, rather than the addition of something. This relates to the one nature/two nature question. If a believer has two natures (the old and the new) resident, then DeHann's approach might fit. If, on the other hand we have one nature — the one that was reborn — then addition or implantation seems foreign to the thought.
Personally, I feel that the terminology of regeneration — rebirth — etc. require that our nature is regenerated and that all we have as a believer is one nature that is responsive to God. We will deal with this in more detail in later sections.
Indeed, if the old nature was as dead as the Calvinist believes, how can it possibly be struggling with the new nature in the life of the believer? Consider it as you spend time in coming weeks reading through the New
Testament and see if the one — new — nature doesn't fit well with the Word.
THE MEANS OF REGENERATION
Ryrie calls it, "...God's act of begetting eternal life in the one who believes in Christ." (Taken from: "A Survey Of Bible Doctrine"; Ryrie, Charles C.; Copyright 1972, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago; Moody Press. Used by permission. p 76)
He goes on to say that faith is man's part and that regeneration is "God's supernatural act of imparting eternal life."
Regeneration brings a new nature to the person's makeup according to Ryrie. The old is not eradicated according to Ryrie. "Regeneration does not make a man perfect, but it places him in the family of God and gives him the new ability to please his Father by growing into the image of Christ." (Taken from: "A Survey Of Bible Doctrine"; Ryrie, Charles C.; Copyright 1972, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago; Moody Press. Used by permission. p 77)
Might I suggest 2 Corinthians 5:17? "Therefore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creation; old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new." How can you interpret that to mean that the old nature is still here and active? Indeed, as I have suggested, how can something that is dead be active?
How does "again born" relate to being given a new nature or new ability? It seems most consistent to see the old nature being replaced by the new nature, or being "reborn" — becoming a new nature. The thought of an old nature and new nature coexisting in one person is not consistent with what the Scriptures show.
We need to move on to the thought of the Holy Spirit's part in the process. All three members of the Trinity are involved in regeneration, in that they are all together in the bringing about of salvation. (John 1:12,13) Yet, the Holy Spirit seems to be the instrument of regeneration. In John 3:3-7, the account of Nicodemus, it mentions being born of the Spirit. Titus is also clear on this point. Titus 3:5, "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the
washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Spirit," (The following show the salvation of man is in part due to the work of the Father and the Son. James 1:17,18; 2 Corinthians 5:17)
The Word also is involved in the regeneration process, however the Spirit is the actual instrument. Two texts mention that the Word is definitely a part of it. James 1:18,
"Of his own will begot he us with the word of truth, that we should
be a kind of first fruits of his creatures." (see also 1 Peter 1:23)
Woodbridge in his "Handbook Of Christian Truth" mentions, "The impartation of life takes place thus: The Holy Spirit of God, utilizing the Holy Word of God, exalts the Holy Son of God as Saviour. Then the Spirit woos, convicts and converts the sinner, regenerating him and causing him, through saving faith in Christ, to enter the family of God."
In short God the Father is the author, Christ is the medium, the Holy spirit is the agent, and the word is the method.
THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER UNDERSTANDING OF THE DOCTRINE
The main reason you need to be straight on this doctrine is that you will, in your ministries, run into people from the Church of Christ, the Christian Church (Campbellites) and the Disciples of Christ. Many of these people believe in many of the things that we hold to, but they add Baptism as a means of attaining regeneration, to their belief system.
The Roman Catholic and some Lutherans will hold to the same doctrine. They will see this regeneration as taking place when an infant is baptized while the others listed usually reject infant baptism, but see regeneration as the result of water baptism. When I was interim pastor in a small town, one of the church members had told me of a couple that had called and wanted to be baptized "right away." I called the couple knowing that they probably believed that they had to be baptized to be saved. They were ultimately baptized, but they knew that it was only an outward proclamation of what had been done within.
Tertullian was the first of the church fathers to hold to this doctrine. (Prayer and Baptism; translated by Alex. Souter; New York; Macmillan; 1919; pp 46-54)
The doctrine of Baptismal regeneration is the idea that to be saved you must believe AND be baptized before you can be saved. The doctrine is built upon the book of Acts where acceptance and baptism are so closely related in several places.
Some references that will be problematic to the people holding to baptismal regeneration are:
Mark 16:16 This text mentions, "He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned." The damnation is linked quite plainly only to the belief.
1 Corinthians 1:14-17 mentions that Paul had baptized few of them yet he had begotten the Corinthians with the Gospel. If baptism were part of regeneration, then Paul would have been involved in Baptizing all that He led to Christ.
Luke 19:9 mentions Zacchaeus was saved before he was baptized.
Luke 23:42,43 mentions the thief would see the Lord in the kingdom that day --- without baptism.
Acts 10:47 tells that Cornelius was saved before being baptized. "Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, who have received the Holy Spirit as well as we?"
When in a class on Contemporary Theology in Salem, OR we had a Christian church pastor (NON-INSTRUMENTAL) that come to class to present the doctrine of baptismal regeneration. In his opening prayer he prayed for our salvation. He was totally committed to our lostness. He was there to explain to us lost Baptists that we needed to be properly baptized so that we could enter the kingdom. I'm not sure how he planned on saving us, because he did not bring a baptistry with him.
We sent him a series of questions so that he could return and answer them. One of the questions was concerning Acts 10:47. That was one of the questions that he did not attempt to answer. We also asked him about the
Luke 23 text with the thief on the cross. His simple statement was that this was just a special case.
The important thing to us in fundamental circles is that we do not practice the doctrine nor hold to it.
Dr. Bryce Augsburger, President of Denver Baptist Bible College and Seminary, mentioned in a chapel message that independent Baptists do not believe in Baptismal regeneration, but many of them are near to practicing it. We save em and run em through the tank. He questioned if the people really understood the rite of baptism.
The opposite of this is true in fundamental Bible churches at times. We do not stress Baptism and as a result we have many people that put baptism off for many years. We need to strike a balance between the two extremes. I was teaching through this section in college once and after the class one of the students came to me asked if she could talk to me. She had been raised in a church which had no baptistry and so she had never been baptized. She felt that it was important, so was baptized soon after.
When we have a new believer on our hands, we should begin teaching them some of the basics. One of those basics is baptism. Another is the local church. If you go into the book of Acts they are going to be confronted with baptism very quickly.
We need to be sure that we take time with new converts to show them what baptism is and assure them that a service will be planned when they are ready to other believers in this public statement of their faith.
Find a balance.
Regeneration is the specific work of the Holy Spirit, though the Father, The Son, and the Word are also involved. The regeneration is that act by which the Holy Spirit transforms, through birthing again, the old nature. This transformation is complete in an instant and is not reversible. It is that action which prepares us for entrance into the family of God. Without this transformation nothing else can proceed in the process of salvation.
We might mention at this point that there is a process involved in salvation. It is realized that the salvation process occurs in an instant, yet there are things which must precede others. For example, without faith,
God cannot transform. Without transformation, there can be no entrance into the family of God. We will see this process in detail in the Salvation section.
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S WORK
IN INDWELLING
The Scriptures will show us that the Spirit indwells each and every believer in this current age. It will show that His residence may not necessarily be His throne. It will show that His residence should be His throne.
The Holy Spirit's residence is automatic for the believer; His enthronement is optional in many people's minds. It is not mandatory, but it is an act of the will. We must consciously decide to allow Him control of our lives.
As Dr. Bob Jones Sr. mentions, "It is one thing for us to have the Holy Spirit; it is another thing for the Holy Spirit to have us." (Jones, Dr. Bob Sr.; "The Holy Spirit" (small pamphlet), p 9)
Just what does we mean by indwelling of the Holy Spirit? The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is that existence of the Spirit whereby He exists within the individual believer. This existence is automatic at the point of salvation, and it is for the duration of the believers physical life.
THE DOCTRINE DOCUMENTED
Indwelling Was Promised: John 14:16, 17, "...shall be in you." vs 17 When the Lord Jesus was preparing His disciples for His death, he mentioned that the Spirit would be sent to assist them in their life and ministry. This assistance was to come from within them — from the Holy Spirit within.
INDWELLING IS STATED AS FACT
1. Paul mentions that if there is no indwelling, then there is no relationship between God and the person. Romans 8:9, "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his."
2. Not only is there a relationship, but there is a responsibility. The Spirit is within the believer. We are His place of residence. 1 Corinthians 3:16, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" Most of us take pride in our place of residence. We try to keep it in proper repair and we attempt to keep it clean. So why do we treat our Spirit's residence, our bodies, so shabbily?
3. Paul depicts a beautiful picture of this relationship of indwelling in 2 Corinthians 6:16,
"And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and
walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people."
4. John 7:37-39 talks of the rivers of living water and that this was speaking of the Spirit which was yet future. It is clear that all believers would be indwelt.
Also see Romans 5:5, Galatians 4:6.
SOURCE OF THE INDWELLING
The Spirit is sent by both the Father and the Son. (The Father, John 14:26, The Son, John 15:26) I suspect that the Father is the instigator, and the Son is the instrument. The Son provided the possibility of the indwelling through the work of the cross.
RESULTS OF INDWELLING
It is a proof of salvation: Paul states this in Romans 8:16, "The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God;" If we know that the Spirit is working in and through us, then we know that we are saved. He will reveal this to us.
It is a protection in salvation: The thought of a seal in the New Testament as well as in our own time, is that the item sealed, is guaranteed correct and safe. This concept of sealing is used of the Spirit's indwelling of the believer. 2 Corinthians 1:22, "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts." (Ephesians 1:13 also)
Ephesians 4:30 also mentions the sealing of the Spirit and this sealing is why we are not to grieve the Spirit. "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, by whom ye are sealed unto the day of redemption." The seal is for a long long time, until the day that the Lord completes our redemption.
THE DOCTRINE MISAPPLIED
Pache has a section on some of the errors of receiving the Spirit that may be of interest to you. (Pache, Rene; "The Person And Work Of The Holy Spirit"; Chicago: Moody Press, 1954, p 80 ff)
One problem that exists today in this area is the fact that some view some of the interdispensational to old dispensation texts as usable today and this causes confusion.
One error is that some believe that the believer may have to wait to receive the Spirit until some point in the future. This is based on the Scripture which shows the disciples awaiting the Spirit in the upper room. This was a transition period between the day of the law and the beginning of the Church. Later in the book of Acts it is clear that the Spirit came at the point of salvation.
Another problem is that there needs to be a laying on of hands for a believer to receive the Spirit. Again this is based on the book of Acts where this was the procedure for a time. There is no indication that laying on of hands is required. Indeed, what can the physical touching of two people do to bring a spirit being into the physical person? The two are not related. In the book of Acts, it would seem that the people were just recognizing the new belief of the person. There was a laying on of hands in the commissioning of Barnabas and Paul in Acts 13 as well. It was not the impartation of something special, but rather a recognition.
Another false teaching is the reception of tongues as the proof of receiving the Spirit. The first error is that tongues are for this age. The second error is that the Spirit cannot indwell a person that has not spoken in tongues. The Spirit comes to the believer at the point of salvation, and not at some time future when the person works themselves up emotionally.
Others suggest that obedience is a prerequisite to receiving the Spirit. Again, there is no Scripture which shows this concept. Salvation is not
based on obedience, security is not based on obedience, nor is the indwelling of the Spirit based on obedience.
The Charismatic movement has had for one of its basic tenants that you do not have the Holy Spirit within you just because you are saved. This has changed in recent years to the belief that the Spirit indwells but you have to get the baptism of the Spirit to really be spiritual. The Baptism of the Spirit has recently become separate from His indwelling in their thinking.
In very recent times the movement has realized it is countering scripture with some of their teaching and have sharpened their pencils a bit. They now believe that the Spirit indwells all, and most of the intellectual folk would probably feel that the baptism of the Spirit would be very close to our view of it, being the baptism of the person into the body of Christ.
They now camp on some of the teaching of the 1800's from men that mentioned a time when they were really overflowed with the Spirit. The people holding this will be their seminarians and recent grads plus the faculties of their better schools. It is not based on Scripture, but upon experience.
I sat at a pot luck with two charismatics in a community church in the northwest. One was a talker, and the other appeared to be a disciple. As we talked the disciple kept looking confused when I quoted Scripture and would stare at the other man for an answer. The "disciple" never spoke. The man opened the conversation with something border line charismatic and I jumped right in with a few sweeping statements. He would tell me his belief on a subject. I would give Scripture against what he was saying. He would counter with an experience of some friend. Each Scripture I used was countered by the experience of others. Never mind truth — I have this experience.
THE DOCTRINE APPLIED
1. Since the Lord Jesus bought us with a price, and since the Spirit is living within us, then it seems that we are really not our own for our own benefit. It would seem that Romans 12:1 would some how possibly relate to some of us today. "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of
God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service." Reasonable Service.
2. 1 Corinthians 6:19, "Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you?" The term used here for temple is a term that indicates the most sacred part of a temple, indeed the very area of the idol. The term is "naos" (Strong's number 3485) It is translated temple all of the time. It appears around forty-five times in the New Testament.
One of the interesting times is Luke 23:45 when it mentions, the veil between the holy place and the holy of holies was rent at the death of Christ on the cross.
Verse 20 of 1 Corinthians 6 fits quite well with 19,
"For ye are bought with a price; therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's."
3. It should be noted that when Paul mentions the indwelling in the Corinthian epistles, that he did not make stipulations of which of the believers were indwelt and which were not. They all were indwelt. This was a church of CARNAL believers. Many were not living obedient proper lives. The spiritual condition of the believer has nothing to do with the indwelling Spirits presence.
4. Several of the verses we have covered show that the Father GAVE us the Spirit, and indeed He is mentioned as a gift from God to us. A gift of such importance, and we for all practical purposes ignore the Spirit.
I told a class once that if I were to gain an inheritance and come in the next morning and pass out keys to fifteen new Corvettes as gifts to them, I really couldn't imagine any one of them ignoring that gift for any great length of time. The Spirit should become more precious to us than even a Corvette.
5. Chafer likens the indwelling of the Spirit to the anointing of the Old Testament in His "Major Bible Themes" pp 104-106. He mentions the sanctification of the oil of the Old Testament and this is a good picture, probably, of our needed view of the Spirit living within us. We should be set apart for His use at all times in our lives.
Walvoord's abridged Chafer mentions, "The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is the same as the anointing of the Holy Spirit." (Reprinted by permission: Walvoord, John F.; "Lewis Sperry Chafer Systematic Theology"; Wheaton: Victor Books, 1988, p 265)
If this is true, all are anointed — set apart. Let's live like it. (Anointing being equal to the indwelling of the Spirit is indicated in 1 John 2:27)
6. If you went to live with your pastor for three months to work in camp or vacation Bible school, would you not live on your best behavior. If you had any bad habits, I'm sure that you would refrain from doing them for the time that you were with the pastor. We live in the same house with God and we don't refrain anywhere near as often as we should. That is not right.
7. Since Christ has bought us, the Spirit has indwelt us, we have no right whatsoever to do anything with, or for ourselves without His okay. Something to contemplate for a year or two.
"WHERE THE SPIRIT DWELLS"
"The believing man hath the Holy Ghost; and where the Holy Ghost dwelleth, He will not suffer a man to be idle, but stirreth him up to all exercises of piety and godliness, and of true religion, to the love of God, to the patient suffering of afflictions, to prayer, to thanksgiving, and the exercise of charity toward all men." Martin Luther
THE HOLY SPIRIT'S WORK IN
THE BAPTISM OF THE SPIRIT
There has been a lot of confusion concerning the baptism of the Holy Spirit over the years. Much of the confusion stems from people building their doctrine on experience and poor interpretation, rather than proper interpretation of the Scriptures.
Buswell defines the baptism of the Spirit as "...the work of grace whereby God's elect are marked out as members of the true church, the body of Christ." (Buswell, James Oliver; "A Systematic Theology Of The Christian Religion"; Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1962, p 208) This definition may not give the whole picture. There seems to be an aspect of the baptism that indicates that the believer is baptized into the church body. This is not clear in Buswell's comment.
SPIRIT BAPTISM PROMISED
John The Baptist mentions this baptism in Matthew 3:11, [John The Baptist is speaking]
"I, indeed, baptize you with water unto repentance, but he who cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear; he shall baptize you with the Holy Spirit, and with fire."
The Spirit baptism is promised by John the Baptist and the indications are that this baptism would come from Christ in some manner. (See also Mark 1:8, Luke 3:16, John 1:33. It should be significant if all four gospels record the information.)
Luke makes mention of a baptizing that was to take place yet future. This baptism was the first occurrence of the work of the Spirit in bringing people into the Church. Acts 1:5, [Christ speaking]
"For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with
the Holy Spirit not many days from now."
The initial Baptism of the Spirit was on the day of Pentecost in Acts two when the Spirit descended and began the church age. There were also special times in the book of Acts when the Spirit came upon new believers. From the end of the book of Acts we have no occurrence of this even taking place again. The baptism is something that is automatic at the point of salvation.
SPIRIT BAPTISM RECEIVED
On the day of Pentecost the disciples were in the upper room and the Spirit descended upon them. Peter in his sermon on the Day of Pentecost explains what had occurred in the upper room. Acts 2:32,33,
"This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore, being by the right hand of god exalted, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear."
This depicts the outward manifestation that occurred when the Church was established. (There are subsequent events as well: Acts 8:5-25, the Samaritans receive the baptism of the Spirit; Acts 11:15,16, tells us of the conversion of Cornelius' house. Vs. 17 mentions that belief was the basis of this baptism; Acts 19:1-7, the Ephesian disciples that had been followers of John The Baptist, but did not receive the baptism of the Spirit, where baptized.)
The "when" of reception is of dispute at times. The above texts show quite well that it was at the moment of induction into the Church.
Since we can't be in Christ before salvation it must of necessity be post salvation. The above texts would show that it is was upon induction into the church, while all other believers receive it at the moment of salvation. The Pentecost and Ephesian believers were believers of the Old Testament age and were a special, beginning group of people.
In answer to those that teach we must seek the baptism you may reply, "Give me a verse." There are no verses which command, nor indicate a need to seek, the baptism of the Spirit. Indeed, the texts that we have considered show that it was automatic, and that the people did nothing to receive it.
SPIRIT BAPTISM COMMENTED ON BY PAUL
1 Corinthians 12:13,
"For by one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Greeks, whether we be bond or free;
and have been all made to drink into one Spirit."
This gives the thought mentioned earlier of being baptized INTO the church. Pache mentions that this is, "...the act whereby God makes us members of Christ's Body." (Taken from: "The Person And Work Of The Holy Spirit"; Pache, Rene; Copyright 1954, Moody Bible Institute of Chicago; Moody Press. Used by permission. p 71)
The fact that this statement in 1 Corinthians 12:13 is directed to the Corinthian church that was made up of all shades of spiritual giants and midgets would show that the baptism of the Spirit has nothing to do with spiritual life or walk, but of position. (The apostle called some of the membership carnal and babes in 3:1-3)
The Baptism of the Spirit is one of those free things that comes with the territory. We don't have to ask to be heirs with Christ, we don't have to ask to be sanctified, we don't have to ask to be regenerated, we are just — all of those things automatically. The Baptism of the Spirit is a part of all those free items of salvation.
For an interesting study sometime look up the phrase "in Christ" and find how many times it is used in the New Testament, and then search out all of the ramifications of that phrase.
1 Corinthians 12:13 mentions only one baptism. If it is at the moment of salvation, then there is nothing else that the believer is to seek after.
Paul calls the body he mentions the church in Ephesians 1:22,23.
"And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him
to be the head over all things to the church, Which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all."
We are given a place in that body, the church, at the very point of salvation. Along with this new place we are given a number of things which we need to mention, but we won't take time to study in great detail.
1. We Are Given A New Condition:
"Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin Might be destroyed, that henceforth we should not serve sin."
Romans 6:6
Again, we see that the old is crucified, which indicates destruction rather than moved aside to compete with as some suggest.
2. We Are Given A New Residence: "They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world." John 17:16 We may need to pass through this life for a time, yet our permanent residence is set and sure in eternity.
3. We Are Given A New Righteousness:
"For he hath made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him." 2 Corinthians 5:21
We had little righteousness in our former life, if any. There may have been some good works, however this verse speaks of the complete righteousness given to us by God. This is in contrast to the complete depravity and unrighteousness of our nature before Christ.
4. We Are Given A New Citizenship:
"For our citizenship is in heaven, from which also we look for the Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ," Philippians 3:20, Ephesians 2:19
We may act like the world, we may smell like the world, we may look like the world if we are walking with the world, but even then we have a citizenship that is sure, and that citizenship is in heaven.
5. We Are Given A New Freedom: Romans 6:3-7 (from sin.) We no longer are compelled to serve sin. We can if we want, but the purpose and will of God is for us to use our freedom to NOT sin.
6. We Are Given A New Victory:
"Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand
against the wiles of the devil." Ephesians 611
In all of life's battles, the Lord has given us the victory over the Devil.
7. We Are Given A New Inheritance: We become the children of God and will enjoy the riches of our Father. Those riches may not be evident in this life as material items, yet we are rich in emotion, love and care. In the next life we will share with all that He has. Some, in this life are given the richest blessing materially as well. This is not promised to all, as some preachers suggest, but is given as He wills.
8. We Are Given A New Death:
"Buried with him in baptism, in which also ye are risen
with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead." Colossians 2:12
We are buried with Him. Our old nature, or sin nature was buried — indicating death occurred prior to the burial. Again, the thought that our makeup as believers is that of a new nature, not controlled by sin.
9. We Are Given A New Unity:
"For by one Spirit were we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Greeks, whether we be bond or free...."
1 Corinthians 12:3 Galatians 3:27,28 also.
That should relate somehow to church business meetings, wouldn't you think?
SPIRIT BAPTISM, FACTS THAT RELATE
1. The baptism of the Spirit is different than the filling of the Spirit. Filling has the idea of control by the Spirit. The baptizing is the act which causes the new believer to enter into the body of Christ. You can be saved and baptized into the body with out being filled with the Spirit. Filling is something that is subsequent to our salvation and is related to our walk. Baptism is related to our position in Christ.