The Holy Spirit in the Christian Life

Reformed Christians often distinguish between justification and sanctification.  In this system, justification happens at conversion and sanctification is a process of purification of sin in the Christian life.  From my reading of Scripture, I’m convinced that sanctification is not just a process but it is also a position that we have in Christ.  With that in mind, here’s what I wrote for my project on sanctification.   

I believe that the Spirit works within the life of the believer to purify us from sin (Rom. 8:9-13: Gal. 5:16-26; 1 John 3:1-3). Scripture teaches that all believers have been sanctified by God’s grace and that now we are called to live as His holy people (Matt. 5:48; 1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11; 1 Pet. 1:13-16). Through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will become in practice what we already have in position (Rom. 6; Phil. 3:12-16).

I believe that the Christian has been empowered by God’s grace to grow in his faith towards spiritual maturity (1 Thess. 5:23; Heb. 6:1; 1 Pet. 2:1-2). While the Christian will never attain sinless perfection in this life, he should make significant progress (Titus 2:11-14; 1 John 1:5-2:2; 3:6-10).

New links

Here are some good blogs that I’ve started reading.

 Parchment and Pen– It looks like it’s written by a couple of DTS guys. 

Unsanitary Jesus–This is the blog of my friend Matt, who is a fellow Wheaton grad student. 

The Holy Spirit, continued

The Holy Spirit works to draw people to Christ, to regenerate unbelievers, to seal us for the day of Jesus Christ, to serve as a guarantee of our future inheritance, and to produce within us the fruit of the Spirit (John 16:8-11; 2 Cor. 1:21-22; Gal. 5:22-23; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30; 1 Thess. 1:5; Titus 3:5). I believe that “the Holy Spirit is both the author and interpreter of Scripture” (Thiessen). He inspired Scripture and by His grace He illumines the mind of the reader (Rom. 8:5-8; 2 Tim. 3:16; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).

Tagged

I’ve been tagged by Matthew.   I’m supposed to tell seven little known things about myself.

 1.  I’m listening to Sufjan Stevens’ Christmas album right now.

2.  I’m done for the semester.

3.  I’m going to Nebraska and Colorado for Christmas.

4.  I’m good at Hide and Seek.  Mae can’t find unless I let her. 

5.  I play guitar.

6.  It takes me forever to write papers for school. 

7.  I procrastinate by reading books.  

I tag Chris and Bryan. 

Spiritual Gifts

Here’s some more of my project for Christian Theology.  This is usually a pretty controversial issue.  I think that it’s pretty important that Christians are gracious here when discussing this with folks that disagree.

According to His sovereign will, the Holy Spirit has equipped the church with spiritual gifts for the edification of the church, the evangelism of the world, and the worship of God (Mark 16:15-20; Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:7-11; Eph. 4:11-13; Heb. 2:3-4; 1 Pet. 4:7-11). I believe that all of the gifts, including the so-called “sign gifts,” are for today. Scripture does not support the conclusion that some of the more miraculous gifts ceased within the apostles’ lifetime (1 Cor. 13:8-12).

That said, I tend to think that the gift of tongues is the ability to speak a known human language, which has not been previously learned by the speaker (Acts 2:5-13).

I believe that all believers have been baptized in the Spirit and the phrase “spiritual baptism” does not refer to a second work of the Spirit after conversion (1 Cor. 12:13).

The Holy Spirit in the OT

I believe that the person of the Holy Spirit has been revealed progressively throughout Scripture. OT believers did not have as complete of a revelation of the Holy Spirit as NT believers have. Therefore, we should be careful when interpreting the OT phrase “Spirit of God.” The OT writers did not necessarily understand the personality of the Holy Spirit. The Hebrew word ruakh, which is often translated spirit, can mean “spirit,” “wind,” or “breath.” Usually all three connotations are in view. Therefore, most of OT references to the Spirit of God should be understood as referring to “an extension of God’s power, like his hand or his breath” (John H. Walton, Genesis NIVAC).

This does not mean that the person of the Holy Spirit did not exist in the OT. It only means that God didn’t give OT saints as full of a revelation of Himself. In fact, when we look back on the OT with the assistance of further revelation, we can see that the person of the Holy Spirit was probably behind most of the activity ascribed to the ruakh of God (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17).

 Feedback?  I figure that this might be a little bit controversial. 

The Holy Spirit as a person

I believe that the Holy Spirit is a person and not just an impersonal force (John 16:8; Acts 15:28). Scripture indicates the distinct personality of the Spirit by attributing many personal activities to Him.

He abides with and indwells the believer (John 14:17; 1 Cor. 3:16; Rom. 8:11). He teaches and guides (John 14:26; 16:13; 1 Cor. 2:13; 1 John 2:27). He convicts of sin (John 16:8). He searches (Rom. 8:27; 1 Cor. 2:10). He knows (1 Cor. 2:11). He can be lied to (Acts 5:1-9). He can be grieved (Eph. 4:30). He can be blasphemed and resisted (Mark 3:29; Acts 7:51; 1 Thess. 5:19-21). He works (1 Cor. 12:11). He assures our hearts (Rom. 8:15-16; Gal. 4:6; 1 John 3:19-24). He provides (Phil. 1:19). He has desires (1 Cor. 12:11; Gal. 5:17). He leads (Rom. 8:14; Gal. 5:18). He gives life (2 Cor. 3:6). He intercedes for us, helping us with our weaknesses (Rom. 8:26).

Holy Spirit

Here’s part of my doctrinal statement for my theology class.  

I believe in the Holy Spirit, an eternal member of the Trinity, without beginning or end (Heb. 9:14). According to Scripture, the Holy Spirit has been sent to us by the Father and the Son to testify of Jesus (John: 14:26; 15:26). Although He willingly serves the Father and the Son, He is not subordinate. Rather He is fully God and completely equal to the Father and the Son (Matt. 3:13-17; 28:19; John 14:16-18; Acts 5:3-4; 2 Cor. 13:14).

Advent Conspiracy

I ran across this site today on Andrew Jones’ blog.  It looks pretty good.  Has Christmas lost its true meaning to us? Check it out.

Salvation Metaphors

Scripture uses several rich metaphors to describe our salvation in Christ (cf. The Race Set Before Us). First, salvation involves our deliverance. We have been rescued, redeemed, and ransomed from the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of light (Mark 10:45; Rom. 3:24; Gal. 1:4; Col. 1:13-14).   Scripture never indicates to whom the ransom is paid. It is speculative to suggest that the ransom was paid to Satan.

Second, the NT writers invoke the imagery of restoration. Salvation is about new creation (2 Cor. 5:17; Rev. 21:5). At conversion, the believer experiences regeneration and new spiritual birth (John 1:12-13; 3:5-8; Tit. 3:5). We are given eternal life (John 3:16; 6:40).

The NT also uses family metaphors to describe salvation. We have been adopted into the Father’s family (Rom. 8:14-17; Gal. 3:26-29; 4:1-5; Eph. 1:5). We have become His children. We are joint-heirs with Christ. As former enemies, we now have been reconciled to God and forgiven of our sins (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; Col. 1:20-22; 1 John 1:9).

The NT writers also use legal imagery to describe the work of salvation. We have been justified or declared righteous on the basis of Jesus’ faithfulness to God (Rom. 3:22-26; 4:24-25; 5:1-2; Gal. 2:16; 5:5). We have been given the new legal status of righteous before God. The tension between the already and the not yet is crucial to understanding justification in Scripture. Some passages speak of justification as a past event (Rom. 3:24; 5:1; Gal. 2:16). Other texts speak of justification as a future event occurring at Christ’s return (Matt. 2:36-37; Gal. 5:5; James 2:24). 

 And the NT also uses cultic (temple ritual) terms to describe our salvation. We have been sanctified (1 Cor. 1:2; 6:11).We have been called holy and we are set apart as God’s new temple filled with His indwelling Presence (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19-20; Eph. 2:19-20).  In the NT, the term “sanctification” is sometimes used to refer to a status or a position that we have in Christ (1 Cor. 2:2; 6:11). Other times the term refers to the process of purification in the life of the believer (1 Thess. 5:23).