The Road to Maturity in Christ I

The Road to Maturity in Christ

1 Corinthians 3:1–4

Theme: The Christian journey leads to maturity in the Word, discernment, and righteous decision-making.

Relevance: God designed the Christian life to grow continuously into obedience dominated by His Spirit and will.

Introduction: “As I write this chapter, we are watching our grandson and our granddaughter grow up. Becky is still being nursed by her mother, but Jonathan now sits at the table and uses his little cup and (with varying degrees of success) his tableware. As children grow, they learn to eat different food. They graduate (to use Paul's words) from milk to meat.”— W. W. Wiersbe

There are unsaved and saved people in the world, and regarding the saved, there are mature (spiritual) and immature (carnal) believers. As the "spiritual father," Paul brought this family into being with the gospel (1 Cor 4:15). During his ministry in Corinth, he tried to feed his spiritual children and help them mature in the Faith. Much like a normal family, everybody helps the new baby grow and mature, so in the family of God we must encourage spiritual maturity. We want to observe this progress in three movements.

Message:

I.                 “Walk as Men” (1 Cor. 3:3).

A.   The Church’s Spiritual Situation is Referenced. Remember the Bible's description of the lost condition; they were:

                                                             i.      Separated from God: a sin-created barrier between God and people (Isa. 59:2).

                                                           ii.      Spiritually Dead: lifeless to God because of their trespasses, moral failures, and sins (Eph. 2:1).

                                                        iii.      Blind to Truth: they are impaired by Satan’s lies, the god of this world (Eph. 2:2-3; 2 Cor. 4:4).

                                                         iv.      Eternally Condemned: they faced everlasting punishment away from God because they insisted on dying in their sin (Matt. 25:46).

B.    These Believers Resemble the ‘Lost Condition’

                                                             i.      Behaviors were governed by our corrupt, fallen, fleshly, godless selves, and sinful nature

                                                           ii.      These Corithian believers were behaving like lost people… “it means that they were acting fleshly, not that they were fleshly by nature.”^[1]

                                                        iii.      “You are thinking and behaving in a fleshly way.”^[2]

C.   This Church was Still Enslaved to Sinful Habits, Ways, and Tendencies

                                                             i.      Eph. 2:1-3, And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2, Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3, Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 

                                                           ii.      Sinful desire is like cancer; it has many forms and affects many parts of the church in many ways—all of them destructive. Carnality is a general evil that has many manifestations. It will corrupt morals, weaken personal relationships, produce doubt about God and His Word, destroy prayer life, and provide fertile ground for heresy. It will attack right doctrine and right living, right belief and right practice.^[3]

                                                        iii.      Immature, fleshly Christians are never the result of deficient spiritual genes or of a spiritual birth defect. They are the way they are by their own choices. One of the worst and most disappointing problems the church can have is a congregation full of babes, Christians who are not growing because they seek to fulfill fleshly appetites.^[4]

Conclusion:

The Christian must drive forward focusing on maturity in the Word, discernment, and righteous decision-making pursuant of God’s plan. God literally designed us to grow continuously into a lifestyle of obedience dominated increasingly by His Spirit and will.

However, some need to be saved today. Stop putting it off and trust Christ as your Savior and Lord now.

Salvation involves coming to Jesus Christ as God and the supreme authority over our lives to graciously rescue us from the penalty of our sin. It is impossible for Him to save anybody who is not willing to acknowledge their sinfulness in a spirit of repentance. God can only save us when the right conditions exist in the human soul—repentance and faith. Bible examples of conversions present evidence of clear righteous changes in new Believer’s beliefs and behavior. These changes alone do not save us from sin, but THEY ARE certainly the FRUIT of genuine salvation. Such authentic conversions involves both repentance and faith (Rom. 2:4; 2 Cor. 7:10).

The Gospel requires sinners to repent turning to God in faith. As a result of genuine conversions, new converts are expected to do works in keeping with true repentance. This launches a lifelong adventure of faith and repentance as the Believer grows in grace and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (2 Peter 1).

I am totally convinced that many professing “Christians” are not Believers at all because they never humbled themselves before God in repentance and faith. This is principally why there is such little or no evidence of spiritual progress in so many “Christians.” It gives me no pleasure to highlight these frustrations. My singular hope is to help those who are deceived to genuinely come to Christ God’s way to truly be saved.

How Can We Experience Spiritual Birth? The answer is by consciously opting to place our faith/trust in Jesus Christ—His death, burial and resurrection as the full payment for our sins. We acknowledge God’s acceptance of Christ’s redemptive work by raising Him from the dead. Therefore, we accept what God accepts as complete payment for our sins. Recall what the Lord Jesus said to Nicodemus in John 3:14-18, And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15, That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16, For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17, For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18, He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

Each person must utterly entrust our eternal salvation to Jesus Christ the Son of God. The story has been told many times with varying emphasis about the man who stretched a cable across a certain deep canyon. He first walked across the cable displaying fascinating balance and control. Secondly, he took a wheel barrel and made his way across with it and back again. Finally, he asked the watching audience if they believed he could carry someone across in a wheel barrel. Many of them gleefully responded with a “yes.” Then he asked for a volunteer and no one stepped forward. You see they did not really believe enough to trust him with their lives. When we trust Christ, it is like jumping into the wheel barrel and utterly depending on Him transfer us form no relationship with God into a relationship, from guilt to forgiveness, from condemnation to full acceptation, from death unto life, and from earth to heaven. We must believe on Christ Jesus!

This is exactly what Paul says in Romans 10:9-10, writing, “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. [10] For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. We cannot simply believe anything about Jesus, we must believe that the Son of God, died for our sins, was buried, and God raise Him up again the third day to declare us as right before The Father. Beloved, it is crucial that we exercise faith in the Person and Work of Christ to experience the spiritual birth.

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^[1] Craig S. Keener, The IVP Bible Background Commentary: New Testament (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1993), 1 Co 3:3.

^[2] John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 73.

^[3] John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 72–73.

^[4] John F. MacArthur Jr., 1 Corinthians, MacArthur New Testament Commentary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1984), 72.

The Seal of The Spirit

Once a person repents and believes on the Lord Jesus Christ as their personal Savior, they are not only indwelt by the Spirit of God, but they are sealed by the Spirit also. But, what is the sealing of the Holy Spirit? This is the next logical question to ponder at this juncture in this study. Understanding the Spirit’s ministry of conviction, regeneration, and indwelling, one must examine the truth that believers are sealed with the Spirit at the moment they believe. The sealing of the Holy Spirit refers to His ministry of marking the children of God as His own possession and guaranteeing their complete salvation.  Once again the apostle Paul gives some insight into this wonderful blessing in Ephesians 1:13-14. There Paul said, 

In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise, ¹⁴ Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory.

In what way is the Holy Spirit God’s mark of ownership on believers? In the Ephesians 1:13-14, the emphasis is on the blessings from God the Holy Spirit. Believers have been sealed by the Spirit and had received the earnest of the Spirit.  It would be best to look at these two concepts separately at first and then consider what they mean together as employed by the apostle. 

CONVERSION

To begin with, every believer has been sealed with the Spirit (v. 13).  Note here that the entire process of conversion is given in verse thirteen, so it would be of maximum benefit to examine it carefully. It reveals how the sinner becomes a saint. First is proclamation, the unbeliever hear the gospel of salvation—“ye heard the word of truth.” This is the good news that Christ died for our sins, was buried and rose again (1Cor. 15:1-4). Then reception, the Ephesians heard “the Gospel” and embraced it personally– “your salvation” (Eph 1:13). That is they all consciously repented and placed their faith in Christ and His finished work at Calvary.  This is the standard and typical way a sinner comes to Christ—through hearing the gospel. This pattern follows what Paul wrote in Rom. 10:13-15, exactly. There Paul said, 

For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. ¹⁴ How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher? ¹⁵ And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things (Romans 10:13-15)! 

It is God’s plan for evangelism. Christians must proclaim the message that men may hear and believe.  Conversion can only follow the gospel declaration. Well, having heard the Word, the Ephesians believed—“who first trusted in Christ.  In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the truth….” (Eph. 1:12, 13).  The God given gospel of Jesus Christ must not only be heard (Rom. 10:17) but believed (Jn. 1:12) to experience salvation (Rom. 10:8-10).  It is the exercise of this saving faith in the gospel that brings salvation (Eph. 2:8-9). Then when the Ephesians believed, they were immediately “sealed with the holy Spirit.” The phrase, “After that ye believed,” does not indicate a sequence or a process, but merely the resultant outcome.  The seal of the Spirit is not a second blessing—the “after that ye believed” (v. 13b) means effectively ‘when you believed’. That is once a sinner has placed his trust in the gospel of Christ. They receive the Spirit immediately upon trusting Him. Again this is not an experience following conversion, but simply the outcome of placing one’s faith in the complete redemptive work of Christ—it is part of conversion. Regeneration, indwelling, and sealing all happen instantly upon trusting Christ as Savior. A careful reading of Acts 10:34-48 demonstrates how the Spirit was received by sinners upon hearing the gospel and belief in Christ. Consider the words of Dr. Luke as he chronicled Peter’s characterization of these Gentiles receiving the gospel and the Holy Spirit. Luke said,

To him give all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins. ⁴⁴ While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. ⁴⁵ And they of the circumcision which believed were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. ⁴⁶ For they heard them speak with tongues, and magnify God. Then answered Peter, ⁴⁷ Can any man forbid water, that these should not be baptized, which have received the Holy Ghost as well as we? (Acts 10:43-47)

Thus the text communicates that they heard the word preached, received forgiveness of sins, the Spirit fell on them who listened, the gift of the Holy Spirit was poured out upon them, and they received the Holy Spirit just like the Jewish converts had. All of this happens simultaneously when the sinner believes. So upon belief the convert is seal with the Holy Spirit. This is the teaching of Ephesians 1:13. 

SPIRITUAL SEALING

But, what is the seal of the Holy Spirit? Paul states that very believer was “sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise” (Eph. 1:13). The seal can be perceived as God’s mark. Since Christians are in Christ because they believed the gospel, they are marked out as God’s people. The idea of God putting his identifying mark on his people is mentioned several times in Scripture (See Ezek. 9:4–6 and Rev. 7:1–8).  So this is not unique and clearly not new. The seal used to mark the people of God, New Testament believers, is nothing less than the promised gift of the Spirit. Walvoord and Zuck (1985) in The Bible Knowledge Commentary noted that according to Acts 2, the promise in question is principally that of Joel 2:28–29; but understood in a distinctively Christian way (Acts 1:4, 5, 8; 2:16-21, 32, 33, 38, 39).¹  

Accordingly, through this promised gift Christians received: (a) wisdom and illumination to perceive the implications of the gospel (Eph. 1:17–20; 3:5); (b) inner strengthening in the gospel (Eph. 3:16; 6:17); (c) access to, and the indwelling presence of, God and of Christ (Eph. 2:18, 22; 3:16–17); (d) the beginnings of the promised oneness of believers; Spirit-given unity of the Spirit (Eph. 4:3–4; John 17:21; 1Cor. 6:17; 12:11-13; Phil. 1:27; 2:2); (e) inspiration and power for godly living and thankful worship (4:30; 5:18–20) and (f) guiding and enabling help in prayer (6:18). All these activities are what marks believers as God’s people and are indispensable to ongoing Christian experience. All of this is part of the promise and evidence of the Spirit’s sealing in every believer.  Christians are marked by these blessings. They testify to the reality of their conversion.

But still what is the significance of this sealing of the Holy Spirit?  An understanding of the meaning of the word “seal” would be helpful in discovering the significance of this ministry of the Spirit in the believers’ experience. The literal meaning of the word “seal” according to Biblesoft’s New Exhaustive Strong's Numbers and Concordance (Biblesoft, Inc. and International Bible Translators, Inc. 2006) is to, “stamp (with a signet or private mark) for security or preservation (literally or figuratively); by implication, to keep secret, to attest.”² Basically it means to stamp for security purposes or to preserve by placing a signet mark upon. The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Zodhiate 1994), adds this insight about sealing, “Christians whom God attests and confirms by the gift of the Holy Spirit as the earnest, pledge, or seal of their election to salvation.”³ Therefore, God testifies to a Christian’s conversion by granting the genuine seal of the Spirit. Furthermore MacDonald and Farstad (1995, p. 1911) reiterated how this is true of every believer in Christ when he stated,  

This means that every true believer receives the Spirit of God as a sign that he belongs to God and that he will be kept safe by God until the time he receives his glorified body. Just as in legal matters a seal indicates ownership and security, so it does in divine affairs. The indwelling Spirit brands us as God’s property (1 Cor. 6:19, 20), and guarantees our preservation until the day of redemption (Eph. 4:30)⁴.

DIVINE OWNERSHIP

According to these theologians, this sealing implies ownership: God has put his seal on Christians because He has purchased them to be His own.  This should sound very familiar (1Cor. 6:19-20).  The Bible clearly is reinforcing this concept of divine ownership. The sense is the Holy Spirit Himself is the certification of the fact that repentant sinners who trust Christ are God’s people.  The Bible speaks of them as being God’s own particular possession in several places (1Pet. 2:9; Tit. 2:14). Believers belong to Him. The Holy Spirit within them is the mark or God’s sealing.  It has been suggested (Anders 1995, Chapter 3) that this can be understood if compared to branding cattle on a ranch. If one were a rancher raising cattle, the day would come when one would need to brand the yearling calves.⁵ The ranchers would ride out onto the range and drive the cattle with new calves to a holding pen. There they would catch each calf and burn a brand into its hip. Anders said (1995, Chapter 3), “Your brand would be unique, registered to you only. No other rancher can have the same brand. Your brand says, “This calf belongs to YOU,” and no one can dispute it.”⁶ Likewise, the Holy Spirit is God’s brand on every believer. They are marked as God’s people by the Holy Spirit who indwells them.  

Once again, the sealing of the Holy Spirit refers to His ministry of marking the children of God as His own possession and guaranteeing their complete salvation. So, if you are truly saved, then you are truly sealed by the Spirit of God. Therefore, God is yours and you are His.

Will The Spirit Contradict The Bible?

Is it possible for the Spirit of God to teach us something different from the Bible’s statements? Must I choose between Bible knowledge and spiritual power? Is it pleasing to God to base my beliefs on my feelings and experiences? Should I discard a belief if it does not match the Bible’s statements? These are real questions sincere Believers grapple with on a regular basis. This is largely because “Christianity” in the modern world is extremely diverse in its practices. This is not only true when considering the entire country, but also within the average size city. In addition, there are a number of methods employed by Christians to interpret the Bible. Different groups have come to different conclusions based on their system of interpreting the Bible. Some movements emphasize Bible content, others the fundamentals of the faith, while yet others place more stock in experiences and feelings. As a result worship styles vary vastly across the land. My point here is not to debate worship styles, but to look at something more foundational to our spiritual formation. What is that you ask? Well…how we view the ministry of the Spirit of truth and His usages of the Word of truth to develop and mature disciples for the Lord Jesus. More specifically, should we be satisfied with any beliefs that do not match the Bible’s teachings? Is what we believe the same as what God believes? Such considerations focus our attention on the Author and the best Teacher of the Bible. Yes, God wants to teach us the Bible to establish how we view all of life.

THE INSPIRER OF SCRIPTURE

Think with me about the thoughts of Paul beginning in 1Corinthians 2:13, where we discover the Spirit inspires the truths He teaches to believers. So the Spirit is the Revealer, Investigator, and Inspirer of Truth! That is correct; the Spirit is the divine Author of the Holy Scriptures (2Pet. 1:19-21). Consider carefully Paul’s statement in 1 Corinthians 2:13, “Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.” Recall how the Lord Jesus promised that the Spirit would faithfully teach His followers (John 14:26) and skillfully guide us into all facets of God’s eternal truth (John 16:13). It is also important to note carefully the sequence here: the Spirit taught Paul from the Word, and Paul then taught the believers. The truth of God is found in the Word of God because of inspiration. The Word is truth! Being taught by the Spirit is not a subjective intra-personal subliminal mental exercise! No, it is attention to objective inspired truth! The words of a self-proclaimed prophet may not be true at all, and the words and comments of a sincere pastor may be entirely wrong as well.  Truth is always found in God’s written Word. You may not be able to trust what well intentioned men say, but you can trust the Word of God.  Specifically, I trust my King James Bible.

In addition, it is very important to note that these spiritual truths Paul is referring to are given in specific “words.”  Yes, like other faithful Bible students, I believe in the verbal inspiration of the Scriptures. In the Bible, we Christians have much more than inspired thoughts; we have inspired words—words from the heart of God. Read carefully and thoughtfully what the Lord Jesus says, “For I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest” (John 17:8). Jesus was referring to the verbal units that comprise thoughts and concepts; Beloved, He recognizes them as having belonged to God. By Verbal Inspiration is meant the very words of Scripture are God’s words. Inspiration goes beyond the concepts and message to the actual words. It is through specific words that we convey our exact meaning and message. The Lord Jesus said in Matthew  4:4,  “But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” Again Christ places extraordinary weight on the actual wording of a sentence of Scripture and not merely the general concepts. In this light it is utterly consistent to conclude the Bible is actually God’s Word. Yes, the Bible’s content testifies to the fact that God is its actual Author. Like anything God communicates, His words and message to us Christians is absolutely reliable and free of any error because of the Great Inspirer—The Holy Spirit.

THE INSTRUCTOR OF SCRIPTURE

Still how does the Spirit teach the believer? First of all Paul employed the word “teacheth” (1Cor. 2:13) to describe the Spirit’s work. The Spirit is the Teacher; He desires to instruct and guide every genuine child of God through the wealth of the Scriptures. Robertson (1931, Volume 4, p. 88,) in Word Pictures in the New Testament viewed this word as a reference to the teaching ministry of the Spirit.  Note his comment, “Paul claims the help of the Holy Spirit in the utterance … of the words, which the Spirit teacheth… in words taught by the Spirit”. Therefore one taught by God would be considered ‘instructed’ from a subjective standpoint, but objectively they were given spiritual insights ‘communicated by teaching.’ Thus the apostles were Spirit taught. The Spirit of God taught them objective spiritual truth.

The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Zodhiates 1993) says this Greek word means “to teach” and states,

In 1 Cor. 2:13 it refers to things or lessons taught or imparted or suggested by the Holy Spirit as contrasted to the things taught by words of human wisdom. There are things that are not taught by human wisdom but by God's Spirit, and the possibility of that learning is with everybody as the word "all" makes clear in John 6:45.

One natural implication is that all believers are taught by the Spirit as they yield to Him. One more comment here will suffice to communicate most conclusively the teaching ministry of the Spirit directly and through human instrumentality. Paul emphasized that the intellectuals of this world could not teach the knowledge he was giving to the Corinthian believers. It has been further suggested (Nelson Study Bible 1997) that the Spirit did not simply dictate words to Paul and the other apostles; He taught them. The apostles related with their own vocabulary and style what they had learned from the Spirit. Thus in many regards they wrote and taught Scripture from highly developed understandings of the material.

 Not only does the Spirit teach directly and indirectly, but He combines and compares “spiritual things with spiritual” realities (1Cor. 2:13). He habitually shows the relationship between concepts and truths. The Spirit repeats and reminds the student of the insights, messages, and truths He has taught us previously (John 14:26). He relates the formerly learned truth to something new he desires to educate and edify with. Then the Spirit wisely leads the child of God into new discoveries, new insights, and new applications of old truth. The grandness of this privilege cannot be overstated—believers are taught by God! What a blessing it is to research, compare passages, cross reference verses, and grasp Bible terms as the Spirit of the Living God reveals truths about the Father, the Lord Jesus, Himself, redemption, sanctification and on and on the wonderful list goes. One of the joys of Bible study is suddenly seeing a concept in broader biblical usages. Another blessing is realizing that I have been brought to a certain conclusion by the Spirit’s teaching ministry in my life. Beloved, how cool is that!

What a wonder to witness the Spirit combining, connecting, and linking spiritual realities to other truths. With awesome skill He carefully synchronizes, blends, inculcates, compares, distinguish, contrasts, and harmonizes God’s truths to the benefit of the believer’s comprehension of God and His will. The tragedy of all tragedies is many Christians are too busy or too distracted by the entertainment world for this kind of research and quiet meditation before the Word.  The priorities of worldliness, materialism, and personal achievement have effectively crowd out any faint ambitions to know God intimately. The result is a spiritually bankrupt brand of Christianity where all types of maladies further and hasten its deterioration. This is why Christians are so impoverished, weakened, and ignorant of God. It is not that Christianity is irrelevant, or inconsequential. No Christians are attempting to live without a Spirit-taught knowledge of God. What enrichment they forfeit, what peace they forego, and what principles they live without! Warren Wiersbe (1989, Vol. 1, p. 576) in The Bible Exposition Commentary said further,

The Holy Spirit is like a householder who “bringeth forth out of his treasure things new and old” (Matt 13:52). The new always comes out of the old and helps us better understand the old. God gives us new insights into old truths as we compare one part of Scripture with another. Jesus based His teaching on the Old Testament, yet people were amazed at what He taught because it was so fresh and exciting.  I suggest that you make time every day to read the Word and meditate on it. Follow a regular schedule in your reading and give yourself time to pray, think, and meditate. Let the Spirit of God search the Word and teach you. The study and application of basic Bible doctrine can transform your life.

Beloved, life was designed to be experienced with God; God created us for Himself. We are grossly incomplete without Him. The Holy Spirit’s teaching and instruction ministry in our lives brings us into some realizations of this original design of God. Mentoring and coaching are intimate interactions among people. The same is true of the Spirit’s mentoring and teaching ministry in our lives. Some lessons we will enjoy more than other. There will be occasions when the Spirit confronts our sin and seeks restoration with God. While this may feel uncomfortable it is so vital to our spiritual formation. We can count on the Spirit to always be timely and relevant in what He teaches us because He knows us far better than we know ourselves. Trust His guidance from one subject to the next knowing He always has our highest good in mind.

Lastly, prepare yourself for a few surprises. The Spirit will correct our misconception about God more than once. You and I do not know yet what we presently know wrongly. Again trust the Spirit of God to carefully guide you through the applicable Bible passages to help you come to the correct conclusions. Honestly, all of us without any exception have some misconceptions about God that requires tweaking. Just be honest with God and submissive to the Scriptures.

Remember, what the Spirit of God teaches will always be consistent with what is taught in the body of Scripture. The Holy Spirit is not confused. He does not impress us with ideas or concepts that contradict His own statements in the Bible. The Spirit teaches from the Bible. If we think or believe something and it does not align with the Scriptures, then we have believed a lie. The Spirit of God is the Author and Teacher of the Bible. He will not lead you and me to contradictory conclusions. He always agrees with the Bible He wrote. I have heard sincere Christians say, “I do not care what the Bible says…I know what the Spirit of God told me!” I have also witnessed Christians saying, “I just go with it…I cannot explain it from the Bible, but I believe it is of the Spirit of God.” May I say with all humility of heart, that the Bible’s statements matter most to the Spirit of God, and He will not show us or teach us anything that is not consistent with His Bible. Our experiences do not establish truth; the Bible is truth. Our conclusions do not establish truth; the Bible is truth according to the Lord Jesus (Jn. 17:17). The Spirit of Truth (Jn. 14:17; 15:26; 16:13; 1Jn. 4:6) will only communicate truth from the Word of Truth (2Cor. 6:7; Eph. 1:13; 2Tim. 2:15; Js. 1:18) as written in the Bible. Beloved, when we believe something claiming it is from the Spirit of Truth, but cannot substantiate that conclusion from the Word of Truth, it is quite likely we have believed a lie. Listen carefully…have the faith and holy courage to take what the Bible clearly says when correctly interpreted over what you feel, have experienced, or think. Submit yourself to the teaching and instructing ministry of the Spirit of God on that subject with the hope of emerging from that study with a correct perception of God and His Word. Whenever you open your Bible, ask the Spirit of Truth to teach and guide you into all truth. He will teach you wondrous things out of His holy Book. May you know wonderful blessings as you chose to be a disciple of the Lord Jesus and a student of the Spirit in the Word of God. 

The Hope of Freedom

Freedom! What a wonderful word to us. We all value freedom highly. We delight in being free. We long to live in freedom always.

One of the most powerful and recurring themes in the New Testament is that Christians are free in Christ Jesus. This was especially good news to the Christians who first received this teaching from the apostles since many of the first believers throughout the Roman Empire were officially classified as slaves. The freedom that the apostles spoke about; however, was not a political freedom but, rather, a spiritual one. They spoke of an inner freedom that allows a person to live above his present circumstances instead of being stretched out under them.(Stanley)

This is a freedom that is no less important in our world today, when many people feel trapped in sinful patterns and destructive behaviors.

·                    Some are stuck in the bondage of addictions and sinful habit patterns.

·                    Some struggle regularly with thoughts of depression and deep dark despair.

·                    Some live daily in abusive relationships longing for positive change and contemplating running away.

·                    And others experience oppressive situations, which have their root in satanic influences. (Stanley)

Scripture clearly states how sin can literally fill a person’s life to the extremes of enslavement, constant control and spiritual bondage. Notice the words of the wise Apostle Paul in Romans 1:29-32,

Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, [30] Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, [31] Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: [32] Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.

The phrase “Being filled” refers to the things Paul specifies as common practices among humanity. When this is the case the entire pattern of evil becomes the lifestyle of these enslaved souls. They continually or habitually act out these very things in open defiance of God.  

Yes, “Being filled” is a very strong phrase then; it has the idea of an engrossing process. That is, these rebellious actions are so often practiced that it is safe to say the individuals are full of them. Actually, we still use similar phrases in certain parts of the country. We may say ‘He is ‘full of mischief,’ ‘full of deceit,’ and ‘full of the devil’ etc. Likewise Paul was describing people who were full of these sins, and not merely an occasional dabbling in them. The idea is of one who is trained and controlled by certain sins. They have little or no control over their lives.... Real human beings have been reduced to sin slaves.

Such extreme forms of human rebellion against God fully deserve God’s condemnation and judgment. These words “Being Filled” are the same words used in Eph. 5:18 where the Believer is commanded to “be filled with the Spirit.” These enslaved souls are constantly subject to their lower passions. Is there any hope?

The world system in which we live is not a godly construct, but we each must experience the freedom that Christ offers to us so that we can live in this world, yet not be “of” this world. Christ prayed earnestly that we Believers would not become enslaved and influenced by the evil present in the world system that we all are familiar with. Read carefully His prayer in John 17:14-17,

I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. [15] I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. [16] They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. [17] Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth.  

Our Lord’s desire for us Believers is to be free of worldliness and the evils of our time. He cried out to His Father for our sanctification. He wants a people who are “set apart” unto God’s plan, purpose, and pleasure. It is the “truth” that is to sanctify and make us free of sin's dominance! The more sanctified unto God we are the more liberty and freedom from sin's enslavement we will experience. The more we embrace and live by the truth, the more God's brand of freedom is reigning in our lives.

Consider carefully this insightful statement by Bible teacher Max Anders, 

... Sin is bad because it destroys the sinner. All sin boomerangs and strikes a lethal blow to the very one who throws it. In Proverbs 14:1 we read, “Every wise woman buildeth her house: but the foolish plucketh it down with her hands.” She does not pull it down purposely; she does not want to pull down the house. But she insists on her foolishness, and the house collapses as a consequence. Sin boomerangs.
Again, in Proverbs we read, “But whoso committeth adultery with a woman lacketh understanding: he that doeth it destroyeth his own soul.” (Prov. 6:32). The person does not want to destroy his own soul. He just wants to commit adultery. But with the adultery comes the destruction of his soul. Sin boomerangs.
The adulterer destroys his home, the homosexual contracts AIDS, the thief is arrested, the angry person loses his job, the lazy person cannot make ends meet, the materialistic person files bankruptcy, the hypocritical person loses the respect of his children, the alcoholic dies of liver disease, and on and on it goes. Sin boomerangs. Sin damages and eventually destroys the sinner.

To any person who feels as if he or she is in the clutches of something negative or evil, God extends to you words of hope and freedom, “God wants to set you free!” Notice again Paul’s words in Romans 6:18, where he says, “Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.” Then look at Romans 6:22, which says, “But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life.” Did you notice the statement “free from sin” in both verses? That is correct; genuine Believers are free from sin’s control!

The basis of our freedom is of course our union and identification with Jesus Christ. Because Christ is free, we likewise are free in Him. Just as the Lord Jesus has no obligations to sin, we also are free from sin's penalty and power. Christ broke the power and dominance of sin for every Believer through His death and resurrection. Since we are united to Him we enjoy His freedom and power. Each of us Believers must consciously appropriate this spiritual reality to ourselves. We must count on this truth to personally experience freedom. It is vital that we deposit this valuable truth in our spiritual bank account. Standing on this promise will definitely enrich our experience of spiritual freedom. Beloved, this is the holy liberty every child of God needs to become well acquainted with for daily life. Yes, the hope of freedom is yours. Seize it today! Throw off the shackles of enslavement, and embrace the power of freedom in Christ Jesus!

The Spirit's Indwelling: The Facts

Just as conviction must precede Spirit-wrought regeneration, conversion involves the Spirit indwelling the new believer as a consequence of their faith in the risen Christ. The next question to explore then is “What is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit?”  The Lord Jesus addressed this with brilliant clarity, and the apostle Paul elaborated on this reality with equal lucidity (1Cor. 6:19-20).  Basically, indwelling is the incoming of the Holy Spirit to live in the body of each believer.  The Lord Jesus referred to this special indwelling work of the Spirit in this Christian Age of Grace on several occasions. The Holy Spirit began this work on the day of Pentecost (Acts 1:5, 8). Jesus was exceedingly clear He would “send the Spirit” to His followers (John 15:26; 16:7). This is very important because it teaches that all who receive the Lord Jesus Christ also receive the Spirit of God. Therefore, it is not true, as some have imagine, that the Holy Spirit comes to indwell believers sometime after their actual conversion—a second grace or blessing. The Scriptures clearly and distinctly state that all who believe on Christ receive the Spirit (Rom. 8:9).

Upon faith in Christ Jesus as Savior, the Spirit of God takes up habitation in the believer. A key verse that indicates this unique ministry of the Holy Spirit in this age is John 14:16 where Jesus promised the Spirit would reside in believers and that this indwelling would be permanent.  John 14:16, says “And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever”.  This permanent indwelling would not be for a select few but for all believers. There are a number of indicators affirming these facts. Consider these key observations relative to the Spirit living in believers. 

THE FACTS

First the Holy Spirit is a gift. He is given to all believers in Jesus without exception. No conditions are attached to receiving the Spirit except faith in Christ (John 7:37–39).  In John 7:39, the Lord Jesus said, “(But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)” The Spirit would be received by believers as a result of trusting Christ once the Lord Jesus had been glorified through His death, resurrection, and ascension.

Many verses speak of the Holy Spirit as being “given” to believers (2Cor. 1:22; 1Thess. 4:8; 1John 4:13). “Give” in these instances mean “to bestow a gift”.  Because the Holy Spirit is a “gift” (Acts 2:38; 10:45), there is nothing one can do to earn Him or His incoming; one consciously accepts Him by placing confidence-trust-faith in Christ and His work at Calvary. This is all that is required according the Bible.  Certainly Peter challenged the Jews to be saved and as a result they too would “receive the gift of the Holy Ghost” (Acts 2:38). There is no biblical prerequisite to plead or tarry for Him to come indwell Christians. While it is true the Spirit did not immediately indwell some early Christian converts, these should be viewed as exceptions to punctuate something else in God’s grand redemptive program.  These instances should be understood as God’s sovereign activity, not the standard pattern for when believers receive the Spirit.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit is given at conversion. Obviously, the unbeliever does not possess the Spirit. Ephesians 1:13 indicates the Holy Spirit is given at the moment of belief—salvation. The sealing (and indwelling) with the Spirit take place the instant one believes the gospel.  Galatians 3:2 also emphasizes this same truth.  Notice Paul said, “This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?” (Galatians 3:2). Consider The Bible Knowledge Commentary’s (Walvoord & Zuck 1985) explanation of the verse.

How did you receive the Holy Spirit? This rhetorical question pointed to the time of their conversions, when they received the Holy Spirit (cf. 4:6). Thus Paul did not question their salvation but challenged them to consider whether they were saved and received the Spirit by faith or on the basis of works. It was of course by faith, when they heard Paul preach the gospel. As an essentially Gentile church they did not possess the Mosaic Law anyway.

They received the Spirit at conversion, just as believers still do today. This was the established pattern during the New Testament period, though there were some exceptions during this transitional portion of NT history.  Now take into consideration the words of MacDonald and Farstad (1997, p. 1881) in the Believer's Bible Commentary regarding these same words of Paul,

One question should be sufficient to settle the whole matter. Let them go back to the time of their conversion—the time when the Holy Spirit came to dwell in their bodies. How did they receive the Spirit? By doing, or by believing? Obviously it was by believing. No one ever received the Spirit by keeping the law.

Thirdly, a person who does not possess the Holy Spirit is an unbeliever. Paul explained in Romans 8:9, “if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of His.” Such individuals do not belong to God; they are unsaved still.  Jude 19 refers to unbelievers as “having not [utterly devoid of] the Spirit.”  Obviously these have not been converted.

Fourthly, the Holy Spirit even indwells carnal believers. The Corinthian Christians, who were guilty of some of the most heinous sins were nonetheless indwelt by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 6:19). If only a select group is indwelt by the Spirit then the Corinthians would not all have been indwelt. The distinctive feature of the ministry of the Spirit today is His living in every believer, regardless of their spiritual conduct. Therefore in the New Testament, sinning Christians are indwelt by the Spirit. If the Spirit was selective about which believers to live in, He would have certainly skipped some of the Christians in the ancient church in Corinth. Note the troubles of these very carnal believers. One church member was committing adultery with his stepmother (1 Cor. 5:5)! Others were slapping each other with lawsuits in the secular courts (1 Cor. 6)! Some apparently were visiting prostitutes at the temple of the love-goddess Aphrodite (1 Cor. 6:15).  There were those who used the love feasts and the Lord’s Table as an opportunity to get drunk (1Cor. 11:21).  

Paul said of them, “For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men? ⁴ For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?” (1 Cor. 3:3).  And so they were more like their old man before conversion than the new man created in Christ!  Yet, in spite of this, Paul insisted that God lived in them. It is precisely because the Holy Spirit is indwelling them that Paul urges them not to defile their bodies with sexual immorality (1Cor. 6:18–20). Remember, Romans 8:9 and 2 Corinthians 1:22 demand a conclusion that all believers, regardless of their spiritual condition, are indwelt by the Holy Spirit. 

The fifth observation is the Holy Spirit indwells believers permanently.  Not only does the Holy Spirit reside in all believers, but it is a permanent indwelling. Our Lord Jesus made this plain when he said,

And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; ¹⁷ Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you (John 14:16–17).

Christ promised the Spirit will “abide” or remain with believers “forever.” Every child of God then is everlastingly blessed with this Holy Occupant.  The Spirit’s occupancy is far more enduring than the lifespan of the sun, stars, and the universe itself multiplied by a trillion more years! He will never leave nor forsake the people of God. Max Anders (1995, Chapter 3) said, “The Holy Spirit does not move in and move out like an unstable tenant.”³ Nor does He move in and out depending on whether He likes the condition of the “temple” He is within. Indwelling is unending. Once He takes up residence in believers, He stays forever.  Some folks needlessly fear that if they sin the Holy Spirit will leave them. The Moody Handbook of Theology (Enns 1997) states,

While there are plenty of things to dread if we willfully and flagrantly persist in sin (Hebrews 12:5–11), losing the Holy Spirit is not one of them. As we just saw, Jesus sent the Comforter “that He may abide with you forever.” The Holy Spirit is given to believers as a “down payment,” a verification of our future glorification (2Cor. 1:22; Eph. 4:30).

Though there are many who will reject these clear biblical teachings; nevertheless, they remain an accurate portrayal of the truth. Believers must build their views of God, salvation, spiritual development, and Christian responsibility on the Word of God. There is no substitute for "Thus saith The Lord." Feelings, emotions, experiences, and popular teachings must all be examined in the light of the Scriptures. This is exactly what the Lord Jesus did to expose the fallacies and misconceptions of His day, and so we must follow His lead. Now that we understand the facts regarding the Spirit's indwelling genuine Believers, what are the obligations of Christians? Find the answers in our next post on the Spirit's indwelling.