Work of the Holy Spirit

The work of the Holy Spirit in us is so vital that it is correct to say that without His working in us, we wouldn't know Jesus. The most basic things of Christianity would be as mysterious to us as they are to unbelievers.

Jesus defined the work of the Holy Spirit within believers in St. John 16:7-13. (Please read it now.) The Holy Spirit, working through the Gospel, convicts us and draws us to Christ. He bears witness with our spirit. He strengthens us and expresses divine love and peace in us.

Every born again believer has some measure of the Holy Spirit activity, otherwise, a person does not belong to Jesus. Rom. 8:9. The Holy Spirit REVEALS the Lord Jesus to us. Jesus dwells in our heart in the Person of the Holy Spirit. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is synonymous with being filled with Jesus. They are one and the same with God the Father in nature. To be filled with the Holy Spirit is to be filled with God. That agrees with 2 Cor. 6:17-18.

Jude 24 tells us to 'pray in the Holy Ghost.' We receive the ability to do that when we are baptized with the Holy Spirit and speak with other tongues as He gives us utterance. The baptism with the Holy Spirit is always consummated with speaking with other tongues by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.

In the baptism with the Holy Spirit believers are emersed in the Holy Spirit. Through speaking with other tongues we are made Divinely acquainted with the supernatural working of God.

The special supernatural Gifts of the Holy Spirit are given to us as the Holy Spirit wills. 1 Cor. 12:11.

There is another work of the Holy Spirit that is often over looked. See 1 Cor. 12:13. Without that, no one is a member of the Body of Christ, the Church! Unbelievers may join a church group, but they are not a member of Christ's Church! They have simply adopted that Church's requirements for membership. That, by itself, does not save them. Note John 3:3-5.

Then there are the anointings of the Holy Spirit. 1 John 2:27. That is an anointing from God by which we KNOW Divine things. Every believer has this anointing. There are other anointings. The Lord Jesus, while He was on the earth, received TWO anointings from God. Acts 10:38. He now has a third one. Heb.1:9. We ought not to confuse the anointings of the Holy Spirit with the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. They are distinct, although they work together. The Gifts are special manifestations; they are not always manifested in us. The anointing of 1 John 2:27 ABIDES in us.

Other activities of the Holy Spirit in believers included that of sealing us to the day of redemption. Eph.1:13 and 4:30. All of these things are IN the third principle of the Doctrine of Christ, per Heb.6:1-2.

We should realize that if we neglect or reject this third principle of the Doctrine of Christ, we CANNOT go on to perfection per Heb.6:1-3. Therefore, every believer ought to be baptized with the Holy Spirit and live every day, filled with Him. If not, we WILL miss much of what God has prepared for us.

Nothing in this lesson suggest that a person must be baptized with the Holy Spirit in order to be saved from our sins. NOT SO! We are saved from our sins and receive eternal life in one way, and one way ONLY. That is, Eph. 2:8-9.

The intent of Heb.6:1-3 is that believers who are already born again through faith by God's grace can enter into blessings of the principles of the Doctrine of Christ, and therein be permitted by God to go on unto perfection. That cannot happen by any human endeavor apart from God's grace and power.

Conflict rises when people confuse the baptism with the Holy Spirit with the new birth, John 3:3-5 and Acts 1:8. More confusion rises when people confuse Church membership with the new birth.

Please understand: there is NOTHING that anyone CAN do in order to get saved, (born again) and receive eternal life as a GIFT from God, except Acts 16:31.

One reason that we need to STUDY the Doctrine of Christ is so that we may know the Truth and not be confused about anything. John 16:13.

Salvation, forgiveness of our sins, and the hope of eternal life is available to mankind ONLY through the Blood of Jesus Christ. They are received ONLY by God's grace through faith. Eph.2:8-9.

When we are saved and have God's gift of eternal life, then we need to receive the baptism with the Holy Spirit, so that He can complete in us what Jesus intends for us in the fullness of redemption. I love you.