The Work of the Holy Spirit

[Tom Butler]

In a couple of other threads on the origins of the church, the discussion of necessity included the role of the Holy Spirit.

I confess that I could use some more study of the subject, so I'm asking those of you who will to help educate me.

For starters, please define such terms as

Baptized in the Holy Spirit
Baptized by the Holy Spirit (Does the Holy Spirit really baptize anyone?
Filled with the Spirit
Indwelt by the Holy Spirit
Guided (or led) by the Spirit.
Moved by the Spirit
Praying in the Spirit

Can any of these be worked up or prayed down, or are these sovereign works of God?

What happened when Jesus breathed on his disciples as said to them. "Receive the Holy Spirit?"

Are there any particular signs or behaviors that demonstrate which is which?

Well, this ought to keep us busy for a while.

Release the hounds!

 

[Jedi Knight]

How about "Unction" and "Anointing" to add to the list?:smilewinkgrin:

 

[Tom Butler]

How about "Unction" and "Anointing" to add to the list?:smilewinkgrin:

Thanks, JK, I had forgotten about those.

Another one I forgot is "gift of the Spirit."

 

[saturneptune]

I think the verse about the keys in heaven and on earth loosed and bound go a long way to answering a lot of these questions.

 

[Yeshua1]

In a couple of other threads on the origins of the church, the discussion of necessity included the role of the Holy Spirit.

I confess that I could use some more study of the subject, so I'm asking those of you who will to help educate me.

For starters, please define such terms as

Baptized in the Holy Spirit
Baptized by the Holy Spirit (Does the Holy Spirit really baptize anyone?
Filled with the Spirit
Indwelt by the Holy Spirit
Guided (or led) by the Spirit.
Moved by the Spirit
Praying in the Spirit

Can any of these be worked up or prayed down, or are these sovereign works of God?

What happened when Jesus breathed on his disciples as said to them. "Receive the Holy Spirit?"

Are there any particular signs or behaviors that demonstrate which is which?

Well, this ought to keep us busy for a while.

Release the hounds!

would say for today, the moment the sinner in saved by grace of god, he receives the person of the HS residing within them, and that the HS baptizes that person into the Body of Christ, they would be spiritually united with Christ then!

NO baptism in him as charasmatics teach, as ALl saved get that one time onluy intial act of His, while he indwels us all, we can also be infilled by him, which is to rely upon him to empower us to live for Chrsit as we should!


he still grants to eacjh saved person a spiritual gift, but those that were 'sign gifts" such as to heal, do miracles, to give forth utterances from God ceased when john passed away, but still have those gifted to preach/teach/lead/support etc!

 

[Yeshua1]

How about "Unction" and "Anointing" to add to the list?:smilewinkgrin:

think the 'annoiting; would actually be whenever we yield to him, and allow him to empower us to do what God wants us to do at that time!

 

[Tom Butler]

think the 'annoiting; would actually be whenever we yield to him, and allow him to empower us to do what God wants us to do at that time!

So, is this a sovereign act of God, or does it require something from us beyond just being saved?

 

[Yeshua1]

So, is this a sovereign act of God, or does it require something from us beyond just being saved?

think we many call "annoiting" is really a pastor teacher being filled with the spirit and he empowers boldness and clarity of speaking/thinking!

Also think that ALL can that happen , its when we yield and allow the HS to control and be in charge of whatever we are doing as unto the Lord!

 

[Tom Butler]

I think the verse about the keys in heaven and on earth loosed and bound go a long way to answering a lot of these questions.

How about fleshing this out a bit, SN. How does this relate to the work of the HS?

 

[kyredneck]

....
Baptized in the Holy Spirit
Baptized by the Holy Spirit (Does the Holy Spirit really baptize anyone?
Filled with the Spirit
Indwelt by the Holy Spirit
Guided (or led) by the Spirit.
Moved by the Spirit
Praying in the Spirit...

What happened to Jn 3:8 'born of the Spirit'? That's the first and most important of them all.

 

[Tom Butler]

What happened to Jn 3:8 'born of the Spirit'? That's the first and most important of them all.

Don't know why I didn't think of that one first. Thanks.

Would you want to take a crack at defining the other terms? Do any of them refer to the same thing?

 

[kyredneck]

Don't know why I didn't think of that one first. Thanks.

Would you want to take a crack at defining the other terms? Do any of them refer to the same thing?

Sorry, almost let this one get away from me. Check this out:

http://www.baptistboard.com/showthread.php?t=74804

As you can tell even the theologians aren't dead certain about some of the functions of the Spirit, but one general agreement is that regeneration (born of the Spirit) and indwelling are not the same thing, to which I agree.

Born of the Spirit is synonymous with 'born again from above' or regeneration. All God's redeemed are born of the Spirit.

Baptism of the Spirit I think is synonymous with 'clothed with power from on high', first occurrence at Pentecost, and has ceased.

Filled with the Spirit I think God has even filled the devil's children with the Spirit in order to accomplish His purposes, Balaam being a prime example.

Indwelling, IMHO, is a blessed privilege bestowed upon all His OBEDIENT children, OT & NT, but I do waffle on this one.

Anyway, it's all several functions of the same Spirit, perhaps like Isa 11:2:

'And the Spirit of Jehovah shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, the spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of Jehovah.'

Some count seven spirits, or functions, within that passage.

 

[Yeshua1]

Don't know why I didn't think of that one first. Thanks.

Would you want to take a crack at defining the other terms? Do any of them refer to the same thing?

Can a person be born of the Spirit though apart from also receivng christ thru faith?

salvation in the NT was pronounced as "done' when the person received jesus thru faith in him, correct?

 

[Tom Butler]

Can a person be born of the Spirit though apart from also receivng christ thru faith?

salvation in the NT was pronounced as "done' when the person received jesus thru faith in him, correct?

The answer is yes, if one distinguishes between regeneration and salvation.

Let me quote from A Systematic Study of Bible Doctrine bu John Paul Simmons, 1935)

Regeneration or being born again is a supernatural, instantaneous work of God in the region of the soul below consciousness, whereby the sinful bent imparted to the faculties of the soul in the fall of the race is rectified and, through the instrumentality of the Word of God, theace is rectified and, through the instrumentality of the Word of God, the initial exercise of the holy disposition thus imparted is procured

Simmons makes a couple of other points;
1. It is the work of God
2. It is not hereditary
3. It does not issue from the old nature., nor can it.
4. It is not through the will of man, but is wrought by God.
5. Its initial application is unconditional, not dependent on repentance and faith.
6. The scriptures speak of repentance and faith as connected to salvation, but never to regeneration.
7/ It is a unilateral work of God to quicken (make us alive), us who were dead and incapable of response without it.
8. Regeneration produces a holy disposition which results in a willing repentance and faith for salvation.

Just a few things to chew on.

 

[John of Japan]

In a couple of other threads on the origins of the church, the discussion of necessity included the role of the Holy Spirit.

I confess that I could use some more study of the subject, so I'm asking those of you who will to help educate me.

For starters, please define such terms as

Baptized in the Holy Spirit
Baptized by the Holy Spirit (Does the Holy Spirit really baptize anyone?
Filled with the Spirit
Indwelt by the Holy Spirit
Guided (or led) by the Spirit.
Moved by the Spirit
Praying in the Spirit

I believe the baptism of the Spirit, filling of the Spirit, enduement with power from on high are all metaphors for the same thing: receiving the power of the Holy Spirit for serving God. R. A. Torrey does a good job on this in his book, The Holy Spirit: Who He Is and What He Does. He teaches that the baptism/filling of the Spirit is for serving God, nothing else. We can and should pray for it.

Having said that, I don't believe that 1 Cor. 12:13 is referring to the enduement for power, but is God's sovereign work in forming the church of Jesus Christ.

Being indwelt by the Spirit is what all believers are (Rom. 8:9).

Being guided by the Spirit is the privilege of all believers. He guides us into all truth, and guides us by impressions in the heart and by the Word of God into

Concerning being moved by the Spirit, I only find that one time, and it refers there (2 Peter 1:21) to the inspiration of the Bible, so we cannot be moved in that way.

Can any of these be worked up or prayed down, or are these sovereign works of God?

The disciples prayed for the power of God and were filled with the Spirit in Acts 4:31.

What happened when Jesus breathed on his disciples as said to them. "Receive the Holy Spirit?"

This is the beginning of the indwelling of the Spirit.

 

[Tom Butler]

Thank you John, very helpful. As you can guess, I see I Cor 12:13 differently from you. I hold that the Greek en should be translated as IN, not BY, and that the baptism referred to is water baptism.

And, if I'm right, then this verse cannot refer to the Holy Spirit's forming of the church at Pentecost. That's why I believe that the church was formed by Jesus Himself during His earthly ministry. We can have a friendly debate about it, but neither view is a test of fellowship for me.

But I think we're on the same page regarding your other comments.

 

[plain_n_simple]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7gDkSE8GGg

 

[John of Japan]

Thank you John, very helpful. As you can guess, I see I Cor 12:13 differently from you. I hold that the Greek en should be translated as IN, not BY, and that the baptism referred to is water baptism.

And, if I'm right, then this verse cannot refer to the Holy Spirit's forming of the church at Pentecost. That's why I believe that the church was formed by Jesus Himself during His earthly ministry. We can have a friendly debate about it, but neither view is a test of fellowship for me.

But I think we're on the same page regarding your other comments.

I'm not dogmatic at all on 1 Cor. 12:13. As you say, the Greek phrase "baptized in/by the Spirit" is very close to "baptized by the Spirit" in other passages, such as Acts 1:5.

The difference in 1 Cor. is the addition of eiV en swma, "into one body." I assume that body to be the Church by the context: "many members," etc. So that appears to me to be a different kind of event from Acts 2. But I don't believe it refers to the forming of the church at Pentecost. To me, the evidence is not there in the passage for that interpretation. I think it is just describing how when someone gets saved they become part of the body of Christ.

However, the other passages all point to the same event, God giving power for service at Pentecost (Mark 1:8, Acts 1:5 & 11:16). Again, the other terms also refer to the same event: the filling of the Spirit (Acts 2:4), endued with power (Luke 24:49).

 

[awaken]

Three things we need to remember about the work of the Holy Spirit..

#1 The Holy Spirit will never contradict the written Word of God, especially the instruction and revelation in the New Testament.

#2 Those whose spirits have been redeemed will bear witness that what is being heard is from the Lord.

#3 The Holy Spirit is not the author of confusion and divsion.

Many things as I have posted before on this board the Holy Spirit will...
Convict men of the sin of unbelief (John 10:9)
Convict men that Jesus is the righteousness of God (vs. 10, Rom. 10:3,4)
Convict men that the power of satan has been broken (vs 11)
Regererate the believer (John 3:5; Titus 3:5)
Indwell the believer (1 Cor. 12:13)
Seal the believer (Eph. 1:13, 14)
Baptize the believer (Acts 1:5; 1 Cor. 12:13)
Infill the believer (Eph. 5:18)
Empower the believer (Acts 1:8)
Lead the believer (Gal. 5:16-18)
Administer spiritual gifts to the believer (1 Cor. 12:1-11)

The Holy Spirit has always been...
He was poured out on the day of Pentecost, to remain with the church until it is complete and presented to the Lord Jesus at His coming. Just as Jesus Christ finished the work He came to do in the flesh, so the Holy Spirit will finish the work He came to do in the church!

 

[Yeshua1]

The answer is yes, if one distinguishes between regeneration and salvation.

Let me quote from A Systematic Study of Bible Doctrine bu John Paul Simmons, 1935)
Simmons makes a couple of other points;
1. It is the work of God
2. It is not hereditary
3. It does not issue from the old nature., nor can it.
4. It is not through the will of man, but is wrought by God.
5. Its initial application is unconditional, not dependent on repentance and faith.
6. The scriptures speak of repentance and faith as connected to salvation, but never to regeneration.
7/ It is a unilateral work of God to quicken (make us alive), us who were dead and incapable of response without it.
8. Regeneration produces a holy disposition which results in a willing repentance and faith for salvation.

Just a few things to chew on.

the biblical model though appears that what happens is that God has foreknown/chosen out beforehand those to be saved by the death of jesus, and sends to them the HS AND the message of the Gospel , and the HS quickens those to be enabled to hear and receive jesus, so that BOTH the external/internal happens, so to us seems to be "same time"