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Essential Christianity – The Work of the Holy Spirit

The work of the Holy Spirit refers to the personal and divine activity of the third Person of the Trinity in the world and particularly in the life of believers. The Holy Spirit is not merely a force or an influence, but God Himself, eternally coequal with the Father and the Son. His ministry includes regeneration, sanctification, illumination, intercession, gifting, and sealing of believers. He is the indwelling presence of God in the believer, making the Christian life possible and God-glorifying.

Key Scripture References

  • John 14:16–17 – “…you know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you.” (ESV)
  • Romans 8:9–11 – The Spirit’s indwelling is the distinguishing mark of the believer.
  • Galatians 5:22–23 – The Spirit produces godly fruit in the life of the Christian.
  • 1 Corinthians 12:4–11 – Describes a diversity of gifts granted by the Spirit for the building up of the church.
  • Ephesians 1:13–14 – The Holy Spirit seals believers as the guarantee of final redemption.
  • Acts 1:8 – Empowerment by the Spirit enables witness and gospel advance.
  • John 16:13–14 – The Spirit leads into truth and glorifies Christ, never Himself.

Key Terms and Definitions

  • Regeneration – The sovereign act of the Spirit in giving new birth and spiritual life (John 3:5–8).
  • Indwelling – The permanent presence of the Spirit in every believer (Romans 8:9; 1 Cor. 6:19).
  • Sanctification – The Spirit’s role in progressively making believers more holy (Gal. 5:16–17).
  • Illumination – The Spirit’s work in enabling understanding and application of Scripture (1 Cor. 2:12–14).
  • Sealing – The Spirit’s guarantee that the believer belongs to God and will be redeemed (Eph. 1:13–14).
  • Continuationism – Belief that miraculous gifts continue today.
  • Cessationism – Belief that sign gifts (tongues, prophecy, healing) ceased after the apostolic era.

Old Testament Shadows and Types

The Holy Spirit’s New Testament role is foreshadowed throughout the Old Testament in symbolic events, persons, and rituals:

  • The Pillar of Fire and Cloud (Exodus 13:21–22) – Symbolized God’s guiding presence with Israel, foreshadowing the Spirit’s guidance in believers today (Rom. 8:14).
  • The Anointing Oil (Exodus 30:22–33) – Used for priests, kings, and prophets, symbolizing consecration and empowerment by the Spirit.
  • The Tabernacle and Temple (Exodus 40:34–38; 1 Kings 8:10–11) – God’s dwelling among His people, pointing to the Spirit’s indwelling of believers (1 Cor. 3:16).
  • Moses’ Elders Receiving the Spirit (Numbers 11:17, 25) – A type of Spirit-enabled ministry later fulfilled at Pentecost.
  • Prophetic Inspiration (e.g., Isaiah, Ezekiel) – The Spirit came upon prophets selectively, a pattern fulfilled universally in the New Covenant (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17).
  • The Valley of Dry Bones (Ezekiel 37:1–14) – A vivid type of regeneration and renewal through the Spirit’s breath of life.
  • Water from the Rock (Exodus 17:6; 1 Cor. 10:4) – Symbolizing the living water of the Spirit flowing from Christ.
  • The Feast of Pentecost (Leviticus 23:15–22) – Celebrating harvest, later fulfilled by the Spirit’s outpouring in Acts 2 as the harvest of souls.

These shadows pointed to the inward, personal, and permanent presence of God through the Spirit in the New Covenant, surpassing the external, ritualistic, and temporary visitations of the Old.

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Historical Development

  • Early Church – Recognized the Holy Spirit as fully God, involved in creation and redemption. The Nicene Creed (AD 325/381) affirmed the Spirit’s deity and personhood.
  • Montanism (2nd century) – Claimed new revelation and prophetic authority equal to the apostles. Rejected by the early Church for undermining the completed canon and apostolic doctrine.
  • Reformation (16th century) – Restored biblical clarity on the Spirit’s role in illumination, assurance, and sanctification. Reformers rejected Roman Catholic sacramentalism and also warned against mysticism detached from Scripture.
  • Pentecostalism (early 20th century) – Argued for a post-conversion “baptism in the Spirit” evidenced by tongues and other sign gifts. Led to revivalist fervor but also theological confusion.
  • Charismatic Movement (1960s onward) – Spread Pentecostal doctrines into mainline denominations and Roman Catholicism.
  • Third Wave (1980s onward) – Promoted miraculous gifts as normative without necessarily requiring tongues as initial evidence.
  • Hyper-Charismatics (Brownsville, Toronto, Todd Bentley, Rodney Howard-Browne) – Promoted ecstatic, emotional manifestations often detached from biblical warrant or accountability.

Biblical Basis and Exegesis

  • John 16:13–14 shows that the Spirit never draws attention to Himself, but glorifies Christ.
  • 1 Corinthians 12–14 offers instruction on the proper use and limitations of spiritual gifts, emphasizing edification and order.
  • Acts 2 marks the historical transition from limited, selective empowerment to widespread, internal indwelling of believers.
  • Romans 8 emphasizes the Spirit’s role in sanctification, adoption, intercession, and assurance.
  • The Spirit is described as both God’s presence with us (Immanuel realized through the Spirit) and the power enabling holy living.

Theological Significance

  • The Holy Spirit is essential to both salvation and sanctification.
  • The Spirit transforms believers from the inside out, producing Christlike character and enabling obedience.
  • The Spirit is the seal of eternal life and the agent of unity within the body of Christ.
  • He is the true interpreter of Scripture and the one who convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8).

Common Misunderstandings or Heresies

a. Churches of Christ (Some Congregations)

  • Often teach that the Spirit’s influence is strictly through the written Word and not through an indwelling personal presence.
  • This reduces the Spirit’s role to a mere teacher or revealer of information, minimizing relationship, intercession, and assurance.
  • While this view aims to protect against emotionalism, it depersonalizes the Spirit’s intimate role.

b. Montanism

  • Claimed ongoing revelation through ecstatic utterance, often challenging Scriptural authority.
  • Introduced a “New Prophecy” that rivaled the teachings of Christ and the apostles.
  • The Church rightly condemned it as an early charismatic error that undermined apostolic sufficiency.

c. Hyper-Charismatic Revivals (Toronto, Brownsville)

  • Claimed strange phenomena like uncontrollable laughter, animal sounds, violent shaking, and being “slain in the Spirit.”
  • Leaders like Rodney Howard-Browne and Todd Bentley taught bizarre doctrines and practiced violent theatrics and mystical angelology.
  • These movements often lacked sound exegesis, ignored Scripture’s emphasis on order (1 Cor. 14:40), and glorified experience over truth.

d. Continuationism vs. Cessationism

  • Continuationists argue that sign gifts (tongues, prophecy, healing) are still operative and should be sought.
  • Cessationists believe that such gifts were foundational to the early Church (Eph. 2:20; Heb. 2:3–4), validated apostolic authority, and ceased with the closing of the canon.
  • Cessationism does not deny the Spirit’s power today, but draws a line between revelatory/apostolic gifts and ongoing ordinary operations like regeneration, conviction, and fruit-bearing.

Practical Implications

  • Christians must depend daily on the Spirit for strength, wisdom, and holiness.
  • Worship must be orderly, reverent, and Word-centered, reflecting the Spirit’s own character.
  • False manifestations must be discerned and rejected through Scripture (1 John 4:1).
  • The Spirit leads believers to Christ, not chaos; to truth, not theatrics; to humility, not hysteria.
  • Churches must remain open to the Spirit’s convicting, comforting, and sanctifying presence without embracing extra-biblical experiences.

Hymns and Worship Songs

Reformed Hymnists:

  • “Come, Holy Spirit, Heavenly Dove” – Isaac Watts
  • “Our Blest Redeemer, Ere He Breathed” – Harriet Auber
  • “Spirit Divine, Attend Our Prayers” – Andrew Reed
  • “Breathe on Me, Breath of God” – Edwin Hatch

Contemporary Christian Songs (Christian Music Artists Lens):

  • “Holy Spirit” – Bryan and Katie Torwalt
  • “Spirit of the Living God” – Vertical Worship
  • “Fall Afresh” – Jeremy Riddle
  • “This I Believe (The Creed)” – Hillsong Worship
  • “Same Power” – Jeremy Camp
  • “Let the Fire Fall” – Carman (with discernment)

Christian Art

  • Classic depictions of Pentecost often feature the descent of tongues of fire upon the apostles’ heads, symbolizing both unity and diverse gifting.
  • Art portraying the dove at Christ’s baptism symbolizes the Spirit’s anointing role.
  • Modern art can help visualize illumination, showing a believer in prayer with Scripture open and divine light descending.

My Position

My conviction on cessationism vs. continuation is very close to the cessationist position.

I believe healings from God occur through other means besides an individual person with a gift of healing, for instance, the prayers and anointing of church elders and the members. I believe the gift of tongues is associated with the ability to speak and understand real human languages that were previously unknown to the person rather than random ecstatic utterances.

I am skeptical about claim from individuals unless the miracles serve a genuine purpose, involves other credible eyewitnesses that can be questioned, and comes from reliable sources of information that can be questioned on their encounter.

However, I do not deny God may employ similar miracles today.

Conclusion

The Holy Spirit is not a background figure in Christian theology—He is the living, indwelling presence of God in every believer. He convicts, regenerates, comforts, empowers, and sanctifies. His ministry is Christ-centered and Word-saturated. From the Old Testament shadows to the fulfillment in Christ and the indwelling in the New Covenant, the Spirit has always signified God with us. While history shows deviations—ranging from cold rationalism to wild emotionalism—the biblical balance is neither quenching the Spirit nor misrepresenting Him. We must seek His fullness through the Word, holiness, and reverence.

S.D.G.,

Robert Sparkman

christiannewsjunkie@gmail.com

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