The Holy Spirit In The NT
Isn’t It Obvious?
As we further our study today on the Holy Spirit, you may think that having a discussion about this in the NT is quite pointless. And while the Holy Spirit is talked about way more from the perspective of the NT, there is still much we can learn that we haven’t taken into consideration yet. Just like the topic of salvation, there is much that we can see in a brighter light due to what we have learned about the Holy Spirit in the OT. As discussed in our previous post, the Holy Spirit in the OT was responsible for carrying out the Father’s plan for creation and redemption and bringing life and order to all that the Father commanded of Him. And as we will see throughout this study, while the object has changed, the mission hasn’t. God’s Spirit is still bringing life and order to the lost today and leading them to redemption through faith in Christ. As Arvind Balaram says from TGC, “The Holy Spirit does many things but all his work is for one thing only—to glorify Jesus and make him real to his people.” This is why when Jesus Himself tells us about the Holy Spirit before he ascends, He mentions in John 14:26, “26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” Let’s look even further at how the Spirit leads us to Christ by His ability to bring life and order to our lives is seen all throughout the NT as well.
Life In Christ
For starters, the Holy Spirit brings us life by pointing us to the only one who can offer it. If the OT is filled with anything, it’s the fallenness of mankind and their overwhelming need for a savior. The Spirit’s most important work is to lead the lost of this world back to Christ. No matter how hard we try or how righteous we think we are, there is no amount of effort we can put forth that will lead us to Christ on our own. This is why Paul tells us himself in Ephesians 2:1-2, “1 And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, 2 in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.” Friends, this passage doesn’t just tell us that we were lost, or that we were badly hurt, or even almost dead. We were dead. It is only by God’s Spirit and His Spirit alone that we can be brought back to life and accept the cross of Christ for our salvation. It is only through His sovereign leading that a dead man can see the light and hope of the gospel and accept it as his sole source of salvation. This brings a whole new meaning to the Spirit’s ability to give life. God’s Spirit did not just give life to the earth in a physical sense on the day of creation, He did so and continues to do so in a spiritual sense as He softens hardened hearts and makes people alive again in Christ. This is truly why Jesus told us that it is better for Him to leave the earth rather than to stay, otherwise the helper would not come. Of course, everyone would want Jesus to stick around in human form forever, however, if He did, the Holy Spirit, who is not bound by human limitations, would never have been able to come to lead mankind back to the savior. Thank God that the Spirit’s ability to give life never ended with the creation of the world, but that He continues to bring the dead to life in Christ!
Order In Chaos
Furthermore, we see that the Spirit brings order to what God has created as well. This is something that many people overlook when they read the NT and is not a point of emphasis when we read Scripture. However, the Spirit’s order in our lives cannot be overlooked or underestimated. The very providence and sovereignty of the Spirit of God is what leads us to order our lives in a way that fulfills the will that God has for our lives in the first place. Look at what Romans 8:26-27 tells us, “26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.” There is possibly no other passage of scripture (besides the Lord’s Prayer) that I pray about more in my daily quiet times than this one right here. I find it absolutely amazing that even in my times of personal prayer to the Lord, the Holy Spirit knows what I need to be praying to God, and that even if I don’t pray it, He prays for me on my behalf. What better order can be brought to our lives than someone interceding for us on our behalf according to the will of God, even when we don’t know exactly what this will entails? May we thank the Lord daily that by His Spirit, He orders our steps so that all glory and honor will come to His name through our lives.
Fruit & Gifts
Now I can already hear some of you asking, ‘What about the fruit and the gifts?’ The fruit of the Spirit and the gifts He offers mankind for the building up of the Church is one of the greatest examples of the life and order being produced in our lives today. If we were not brought to life in the Spirit, we would not be producing His fruit. And if the Spirit did not give us His gifts to grow the body of Christ, then we would not be as effective as we should be in the Lord’s House. This is why the very mark of our Christian lives is the Spirit who dwells inside of us. Look at what Paul says about this in Romans 8:9-10 “9 However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him. 10 If Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet the spirit is alive because of righteousness.” As we read through God’s Word this week, may we have hearts full of gratitude that His Spirit has brought life and order to all that God has commanded Him to bring it to. Especially lost sinners like we once were.
Sources
[1] “Access Your Bible from Anywhere.” BibleGateway.Com: A Searchable Online Bible in over 150 Versions and 50 Languages., www.biblegateway.com/. Accessed 2023.
[2] Balaram, A. (2022, June 27). Enjoying the work of the Holy Spirit. The Gospel Coalition | India. https://in.thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/faith-not-sight/enjoying-the-work-of-the-holy-spirit/
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