what are the 7 works of the holy spirit?

Up to Wesley’s time emphasis had been laid upon what the Holy Spirit does for the church, that he gives authority to her teachings and efficacy to her sacraments; Wesley preached the work of the Spirit in the individual. Upon their baptism and confession of faith in Christ, the Holy Spirit came on them. He will show him that Christ has been to this world to this very end, to bear our sins. The Trinity is at work in regeneration. The Holy Spirit and the works that He does bears direct testimony as to the reality and divinity of Jesus. Web Pages and HTML Sources are It is a sad reflection on the church’s spiritual discernment to observe the historic emphasis upon the sacrament without the recognition of the baptism of the Holy Spirit which it should represent. David’s prayer is not fitting for the Christian to whom every assurance has been given that the Spirit is an abiding gift. Hence, while we are never exhorted to be indwelt, we are urged to be filled with the Spirit (Eph 5:18). Speaking in tongues is numbered with the temporary spiritual gifts bestowed in the apostolic period. The Holy Spirit has a job description. 2 THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT SECTION I The Gift of the Spirit as Comforter—His own special Name—the way to know Him—He shall be in you—the Day they would know Him—the Gethsemane agony It is of supreme importance in seeking to understand spiritual things that we recognize the Holy Spirit … Then the Holy Ghost will show that man the real and only ground of all pardon. Forasmuch then as God gave them the like gift as he did unto us, who believed on the Lord Jesus Christ; what was I, that I could withstand God?” (Acts 11:15-17). In the Gospels all references are prophetic. As Jesus received the Holy Spirit at his baptism, he immediately heard the Father proclaim, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased” (Matt. Here are just 10 supernatural things the Holy Spirit does in your life. 7 ways God’s Spirit works in a Christian’s life. The Corinthians, in spite of their many failings, are said to be sealed (2 Cor 1:22). The particular duties of a Christian as living with other Christians are often mentioned, including the Christian’s relation to his sinning brother, to brothers weak in faith or practice, and to brothers who give rebuke or correction. Those who have seen His work know His reality. The fact that the Holy Spirit departed from Saul proves only that this was possible in the Old Testament when the Holy Spirit did not indwell all the saints (1 Sam 16:14). Whatever may have been felt after the baptism of the Holy Spirit was complete, the act itself did not produce any experimental phenomena. In some denominations and movements, the Holy Spirit is overemphasized, leading to a Christless Pentecost — putting the Spirit exclusively on the throne and losing Jesus in the temple. www.tonyabram.com or It is the Holy Spirit that gives our spirit the strength to face: 1. In the Old Testament period, a few saints were filled temporarily without being permanently indwelt by the Spirit. (Luke 11:9-13; Acts 5:32.) The proof that Cornelius and his household had been baptized by the Holy Spirit is found in the fact that they spake with tongues (Acts 10:46). The next article will begin treatment of the work of the Holy Spirit in the believer. Support Us The distinctive purpose of God for the Church is often not given its proper place. Baptism is improperly linked with other ministries of the Spirit such as the indwelling of the Spirit or regeneration. The work of the Holy Spirit in a Christian’s life is an on-going process of becoming holy through sanctification. All are within the sphere of ministry to the saved. It is the foundation of fellowship, fruit-bearing, strength for victory, and direction by the Head of the body. Tony's Sermons To be within a sphere is to partake of all that it is and all that it imparts. From this it has been falsely inferred that receiving the Holy Spirit is a work subsequent to salvation and requiring the laying on of hands. “And do not grieve the Holy Spirit …” Ephesians 4:30. The sealing was immediate upon believing. It was the spectacle of sin yet reigning in the church which inflamed the zeal of the young Methodists at Oxford, and which found its corrective in the offices of the Holy Spirit.-Bibliotheca Sacra, July, 1892. With the Holy Spirit, we have power and help in all situations. The two aspects of baptism into Christ are inseparable and blend into one entity. An understanding of the basic doctrine of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is necessary, then, to comprehending not only the origin of the Church, but also its working and sovereign arrangement. In reciting the incident of the conversion of Cornelius, Peter said, “And as I began to speak, the Holy Ghost fell on them, as on us at the beginning. 1. By the act of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, the present age began at the day of Pentecost. Christ intimated that apostolic teaching would be based upon it, and that the work of the Spirit would be within the Christian. 3. Baptism into Christ is not identification alone; it is also a union of life. John F. Walvoord, long-time president of Dallas Theological Seminary, was one of the most prominent evangelical scholars of his generation. While yieldedness remains a condition for the filling of the Spirit, the indwelling of the Spirit is unconditional for genuine Christians. Again, in all prophecies of the future kingdom there is no reference to baptism by the Spirit. Water baptism is the symbol of the baptism of the Spirit which effected the identification, but it is not the portrayal of the result of this identification, nor of the process of salvation. All the ministry of the Spirit and experience related to fellowship and fruit issues from the filling of the Spirit. We have no record that the disciples ever acted on this promise, and in contrast we have the promise of Christ that the Spirit would indwell them after His departure, inferring that they were not indwelt when He gave them the promise. In the work of baptism by the Spirit, the preposition is probably used in a similar instrumental sense. The Christian therefore needs no unusual experience to confirm the sealing of the Spirit, nor should the Christian pray for the sealing of the Spirit. According to the record, the believers who had been baptized by Philip had not received the Holy Spirit. The presence of the Spirit is the result of the anointing, and every reference to anointing by the Spirit is used in this sense. His association with the Trinity is infinitely wonderful, to be realized in full in future ages, but forming an important aspect of his present experience if filled with the Spirit. In the previous article His work in efficacious grace and regeneration was considered. The Holy Spirit was in the beginning, He was involved in the creation, and He is involved in humanities’ redemption, salvation, transformation and glorification. According to Acts 2:4, on the day of Pentecost, the disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit. One of the distinctive features of the dispensation of grace in contrast to prior periods is the fact that the Holy Spirit indwells everyone who is regenerated. Various experiences have been related to this ministry as constituting evidence that the individual has been sealed. The flow of blessing and enablement comes from within the Christian rather than from an external influence. All references prior to Pentecost are prophetic. Baptism is often identified with the filling of the Holy Spirit. The four Gospels bear the record of the testimony of John the Baptist to the coming baptism by the Holy Spirit (Matt 3:11; Mark 1:8; Luke 3:16; John 1:33). Even as Christians, its possible for us to be unaware of one of Gods most awesome blessings. The work of the Holy Spirit in regeneration, indwelling, sealing, and baptism, while the ground for the filling of the Spirit and all subsequent experience, is not experimental in itself. It is the one work of the Holy Spirit which is found only in the present dispensation. News for over 61 years! All the details of his salvation spring from this new position. Baptism is not experimental because it is positional truth. One of the positive evidences for universal indwelling among Christians is the plain statement of Romans 8:9, “If any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his.” Possession of the Spirit which has been sent by Christ Himself and given to every Christian is necessary in order to be saved and belong to Christ. This truth was anticipated by Christ when He pronounced the words, “At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:20). All of the accounts give to Christ the special character of One who baptizes with the Holy Spirit, and all the accounts are prophetic in their nature. Some have inferred from these passages that this is a separate work of the Spirit in contrast to indwelling. How important and how precious is the truth that the believer is in Christ Himself with all that this position entails. The believer is identified with Christ in His righteousness, His death, His resurrection, and His glorification. The settlement of this doctrine has been postponed because the time had not come when its settlement could be reached. If the sealing of the Spirit was a reality only for the spiritual, it would not be necessary to exhort such to cease grieving the Spirit. When the Holy Spirit works, people are able to actively enter; they are not passive or forced, but are proactive. Although we may know weve been saved, we might not realize that the Holy Spirit came to live within us at that moment. Of the various works of the Holy Spirit related to the salvation of the believer, the work of baptism is most difficult to present. When He indwells us, He begins the work of harvesting His fruit in our lives—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control ( Galatians 5:22-23 ). Christ predicted that “rivers of living water” would flow from within the Christian (John 7:37-39). While the indwelling of the Holy Spirit begins at the same moment as other tremendous undertakings by God for the newly saved soul, a careful distinction must be maintained between these various works of God. The Holy Spirit encourages us. The indications are unmistakable that this prophecy was fulfilled on the day of Pentecost. Some Thoughts From the two references to the baptism of the Holy Spirit in the Acts, it may be safely concluded that this ministry is never found before Pentecost and that it occurs simultaneously with the other ministries of the Spirit given to all who believe the moment they place saving faith in Christ. The work of baptism by the Spirit is also to be distinguished from indwelling. The new position of the Christian is a challenge and incentive to godly living and the ground of victory over sin. (Saint Paul writes of "manifestations of the Spirit" in 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, and some Protestants use that list to come up with nine gifts of the Holy Spirit, but these are not the same as the ones recognized by the Catholic Church.) Abundant Life Crusades Second, regeneration is the work of the Holy Spirit. know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (1 Cor 6:19). The Holy Spirit coming “upon us” has to do with the anointing of the Holy Ghost for acts of service. Indwelling, while beginning at the same moment as baptism, is continuous. This is expressly stated in the central passage on the doctrine, “For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit.”. The importance of this doctrine, then, to the Christian and to the theologian cannot be overestimated. The spiritual gifts that believers possess are given by the Holy Spirit as He determines in His wisdom (verse 11) The Holy Spirit also does work among unbelievers. There is no anointing without service. The Holy Spirit works in the hearts of people. Tony The third passage, found in Ephesians 4:30, constitutes a reasonable proof that the sealing of the Spirit is universal among Christians. His contribution to the development of Christian doctrine was as timely as Luther’s, and left as much for further inquiry within the very range of truth which he took in hand to expound. In the Church age, it is impossible for anyone to be filled with the Spirit who is not indwelt. These verses only scratch the surface of the ministry and work of the Holy Spirit. There is no period of transition. As this ministry is not found in the Old Testament and is not included in any prophecies regarding the millennium, it is peculiarly the work of the Holy Spirit for the present age, beginning with Pentecost and ending at the resurrection of the righteous when the living Church is raptured. In any event, the phenomenon of a delayed indwelling of the Holy Spirit is never repeated, and to reason from this one event that this is normal for the entire Church age is unwarranted. It becomes the distinguishing mark of the saints of the present age, the secret of the peculiar intimacy and relationship of Christians to the Lord Jesus Christ. The aspect of burial is included in the essential Gospel (1 Cor 15:4). It is wonderful that God gives the Holy Spirit to all Christians. The problem has a solution in at least three particulars. The Holy Spirit gives believers the power to live like Jesus and be bold witnesses for him. The Holy Spirit gives us strength for each day we face. of more help or if you want more information please visit: | The Spirit of God has specific work to be done, and the Scripture clearly teaches us about that work. often mentioned (Acts 2:47; 1 Cor 6:15; 12:12-14; Eph 2:16; 4:4, 5, 16; 5:30-32; Col 1:24; 2:19). It is clear that only Christians spoke in tongues, and the presence of this phenomenon was sufficient to justify Peter in concluding that the house of Cornelius was saved and therefore baptized by the Spirit. A total of seven passages have been subject to serious misinterpretation (1 Sam 16:14; Ps 51:11; Luke 11:13; Acts 5:32; 8:14-20; 19:1-6; 1 John 2:20, 27). No subsequent ministry is traced to this operation. While most people have heard about the Holy Spirit, only a few really know its role in our lives. Scripture does not leave the works of the Spirit to our imagination. Q. Salvation and baptism are therefore coextensive, and it is impossible to be saved without this work of the Holy Spirit. While the passages on baptism by fire are not explained definitely in the Word of God, it is safe to conclude that there is no present application of baptism by fire, and that reference is made to the future judgment of the world by Christ Himself at His second coming. It may be concluded that it is, therefore, a work of the Holy Spirit found only in the present dispensation, a work peculiar to the Church, and constituting the work of the Spirit by which the Church is formed and joined to Christ forever. The contrasting spheres of law, grace, and kingdom are often confused. If we want to follow Jesus and see that we need help to do so, God gives us His Holy Spirit. ], {Editor’s note: Footnotes in the original printed edition were numbered 13-15, but in this electronic edition are numbered 1-3 respectively.}. When the Pharisees said, “This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils” (Matt 12:24), it is clear that they regarded the “prince of the devils” as the one performing the miracle. He is considered perhaps the world's foremost interpreter of biblical prophecy.John is perhaps best known for his bestselling work on Bible prophecy, Armageddon... More, 4. What does the Holy Spirit do? It occurs once and for all, as demonstrated by the fact that all who are sealed are sealed unto the day of redemption (Eph 4:30). The evidence that any part of the work of salvation had been accomplished in an individual can be taken as evidence that the other universal ministries of the Spirit are also present. Through regeneration the believer partakes of eternal life. This article was taken from the Theological Journal Library CD and posted with permission of Galaxie Software. The translation of Acts 19:2, “Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?” should be translated, “Did ye receive the Holy Ghost when ye believed?” Instead of being in support of the supposed theory that only some Christians are indwelt, it is actually a refutation. Through the baptism with the Spirit, the Christian has become as much an organic part of Christ as the branch is a part of the vine, or the member is a part of the body. While the new life of the believer is divine and by its nature identified with God’s life, the possession of divine life and divine presence are distinct. Three passages of Scriptures are sometimes interpreted to mean that the indwelling of the Spirit is an experience subsequent to new birth, and that therefore it is not a feature of every believer’s possessions (Acts 5:32; 8:14-20; 19:1-6). On the contrary, in the notable case of the Corinthian church, they are exhorted to live a godly life and forsake sin because they are indwelt by the Spirit: “What? The Holy Spirit inspires Christians to praise and worship God (Ephesians 5:18–20). It is also clear that baptism did not occur once and for all on the day of Pentecost as some writers have inferred. Christ is regarded as the actor, inasmuch as He is said to be the one baptizing, and the Holy Spirit is merely the sphere into which we come. Bible verses about the Holy Spirit From Scripture we learn that the Holy Spirit is God. The Father takes the initiative: “According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope” (1 Pet. It is a supernatural act. He is spoken of as God and is identified with the title of Jehovah. ; Jesus promised the Spirit to any who believe in him (John 7:37-39). Its significance is that of finality. It is not a question of spiritual maturity, yieldedness, or indoctrination. Baptism is not experimental because of the fact that it is universal among Christians. before. Much of the misrepresentation of this doctrine has arisen from the faulty translation in the Authorized Version in Ephesians 1:13, where it is stated, “After that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise.” A proper translation would be, “When ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise.” The phrase “when ye believed” is not significant of time but of cause. Failure to recognize the importance and significance of this doctrine has issued in many false teachings and has denied to many Christians the joy of their salvation. Does debt affect giving in modern times in light of the Israelite tithe and slaves? It is rather a sovereign assignment of God, in which every believer is given his distinct place in the body of Christ. Here the work of the Holy Spirit in baptism, in indwelling, and in sealing is presented. The problem of three passages results from the false assumption that the work of the Holy Spirit is the same in every dispensation. God in mercy has provided in the presence of the Spirit a seal of greater significance than could be found in anyone or anything else. Today I want to share three key works of the Spirit which give us exactly what we need to be good witnesses. 5 The Christian who is indwelt by the Spirit is indwelt by God. He grieves, He knows, He is eternal, He encourages, He gives understanding, He gives peace, He comforts, He directs, and He can be prayed […] It is sometimes represented that the presence of the Holy Spirit in the life of the Christian is evidence of unusual powers or yieldedness. The work of baptism is, therefore, of great significance. On the contrary, the Scriptures represent every Christian as possessing the Spirit. Matt 12:24; Luke 22:49; Heb 11:37; Rev 2:16; 6:8; 13:10). These facts are made clear in the testimony of the Acts. In salvation, the believer is removed from his position in Adam, and he is placed in Christ. Rendered inert and lifeless, rather than the broader dimensions of His sacrifice solutions provide sufficient... Too much concentration focuses on the day of Pentecost gift among Christians have. Just 10 supernatural things the Holy Spirit came on them issues from the moment of salvation spiritual experience )... 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