The Fundamentals of Our Faith, What We Believe

The Fundamentals of Our Faith; What We Believe Sermon Series “We Believe that Jesus Will Return” Miscellaneous Verses

The Fundamentals of Our Faith;

What We Believe Sermon Series

“We Believe that Jesus Will Return”

Miscellaneous Verses

Introduction

“Both the Old and the New Testament contend that history is moving to a climax and that the sovereign God is in control.”[1]

In the Bible, God has revealed many things about the end of time. But if we don’t believe what God has revealed about the future, we may be fearful or depressed at the evil in the world, wondering how good can ever triumph. We may also, be tempted to live a sinful lifestyle, not believing that you will ever be held accountable for our actions. Also, if you don’t have heaven to look forward to, you may have little reason for joy in life and you lose a major reason for hanging in there when the going gets tough.

Bible prophecy matters the most, when things are the worst. It tells us that God is going to make everything all right, that justice may seem deferred but will not be denied, that the good and gracious purposes for which God created the world will all be fulfilled.

Bible prophecy helps us get a glimpse of the certainties of God’s future so that we may live wisely, righteously, passionately, and boldly today. If we know with certainty that Jesus is returning, then we will constantly be asking the question, 2 Peter 3:11 “what sort of people ought you to be in lives of holiness and godliness. . .”

Prayer

Prophecy and End Times (A Few Things To Consider)

There is considerable disagreement among Christians regarding the end of time (the rapture, the millennium), nevertheless, among those who believe that the whole Bible is the inspired word of God, there are a number of things which we can all agree:

Jesus is coming again, and when He does, God will set all things right. In the end all will be well for God’s people. In the meantime, we must live in light of His return.
Jesus is the ultimate focal point of all prophecy. The Old Testament looked forward to His coming; the New Testament looked back at His coming; unfulfilled prophecy looks forward to His coming again.
Holiness should be the end result of prophecy. The Bible was not given merely to satisfy our curiosity, but to tell us how to live.
We must be personally committed to the Great Commission. If the end is coming, must we not warn others?
God is sovereign, and, in spite of seeming evidence to the contrary, is guiding history to a meaningful conclusion, just as He said He would.[2]

Terms To Understand Regarding the End of Time (Nine Terms)

The first appearance of Christ is the nativity and his 3-year ministry on the earth. “at the second coming of Christ, he will come as the Reigning King: Isa. 9:6-7 “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. 7 Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, . . .”

Acts 1:10-11 “And while they were gazing into heaven as he went, behold, two men stood by them in white robes, 11 and said, “Men of Galilee, why do you stand looking into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will come in the same way as you saw him go into heaven.”

When we discuss the end of time there are some key terms that we need to know and understand:

The Second Coming: this is the return of Jesus to the earth at an unknown time in the future, John 14:3 “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

The Rapture: this is the sudden departure of all Christians to meet Christ in the air (1 Thess. 4:16-17). For more on this topic click here.

The millennium: This refers to a period of time in which Christ reigns on earth in righteousness (Rev. 20:1-10).

The Great Tribulation: this is a period of time in which there will be unprecedented suffering (Mark 13:19). “Satan’s longtime and persistent opposition to God’s work will accelerate to an extreme and be seen by all.”[3]

The Antichrist: This person embodies evil and is the key agent of Satan’s resistance to the plan of God in the last days (1 John 2:18-22). “Satan will empower the Antichrist to act supernaturally with a view to deceiving and persuading men.” Those that oppose him will face trouble so great that unless God shortened the days no one would survive (Matt. 24:21-22).

The judgment seat of Christ: this is the place where all Christians will receive their reward for the quality of their life on earth (2 Cor. 5:10). “This is a judgment, not for destiny, but for adjustment, for reward or loss, according to our works, for position in the kingdom: every man according as his work shall be.”[4]

The great white throne judgment: this is the place where all who have rejected God receive punishment for their unbelief and their life on earth (Rev. 20:11-15). “The purpose of the final judgment will not be to ascertain the quality of an individual’s character, but rather to disclose his character and to assign him to the eternal place corresponding to what he is because of his trust or lack of trust in God.”[5]

Hell: this is the ultimate destination of all people who did not truly believe in God and commit their lives to Him (Matt. 10:28).[6] “The word translated “hell” in the NT comes from the Greek word Gehenna. It is derived from the name of the valley of Hinnom, located just south of Jerusalem, which was a city garbage dump that burned twenty-four hours a day every day.

In this dreadful place, human sacrifices were once offered to the god Molech (2 Kings 23:10). It was used as a burial for criminals and for burning garbage. It came to be a metaphor for the everlasting state of the unsaved.”[7]

The literal truth behind the horrible imagery created by the prophetic language is that hell is a place or profound misery where the unsaved are separated from the presence of God forever and suffer whatever is the opposite of God and heaven for eternity. The unsaved will be cast from God’s presence forever, without any hope of restoration experiencing an eternity of no peace, no love, no joy, no fellowship.

Hell is a place described as everlasting fire (Mark 9:43; Matt. 25:41). It is spoken of as a lake of burning sulfur (Rev. 20:10). It is a place of darkness (Matt. 8:12). It is described as a place of eternal punishment and torment (Rev. 14:10-11). “If figurative language is involved, it is obviously symbolic of something so awful no one in his right mind could be indifferent to avoiding it.”[8]

Jude 13 “. . . for whom the gloom of utter darkness has been reserved forever.”

Some tend to shy away from these descriptions of hell by holding to annihilation (where we cease to exist at some point), or that over a period of time someone will cease to be in hell, but the same word, eternal, is used to describe both punishment and life. Matthew 25:46 “And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

God’s justice requires that sin be punished. Your sin must be punished – in His grace He provided through Jesus’ death on the cross the way for a person to be freed from that punishment (Jesus took the full brunt of God’s wrath against sin).

But a person is not made to receive this gift, he is presented with a choice – just as Adam and Even in the Garden were presented the choice to honor and obey God. But we only have the few days on this planet to make the choice – we are locked into our state in eternity (saved or lost, righteous or unrighteous). Therefore, God does not send anyone to hell – each person chooses it when they reject Christ’s gift of salvation.

Heaven: this is the ultimate destination of all people who truly believe in God and committed their lives to Him (Acts 1:9-10). Heaven is where God is. It is a place of rest (Heb. 4:9), of glory (2 Cor. 4:17, or purity (Rev. 21:27), or worship (Rev. 19:1), of fellowship with others (Heb. 12:23), and of being with God (Rev. 21:3).

Revelation 21:3-4 “And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.”

The Bible uses the word heaven in different ways. One is in reference to creation, or the entire universe. Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth.” Jesus said in Matthew 5:18, “For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not an iota, not a dot, will pass from the Law until all is accomplished.”

Another way the Bible uses the word heaven is a synonym for God. When the prodigal son confesses his sin to his father, he says, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you” Luke 15:18. When Jesus questions the Pharisees, “The baptism of John, from where did it come? From heaven or from man?” Matthew 21:25.

The third way heaven is used, is to indicate where God lives. Jesus instructed the disciples to pray, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9). Angels come from and return to heaven, and dwell in heaven.[9] They are also referred to as the heavenly host.

Heaven is also the ultimate place where followers of Christ will end up. Jesus even went to heaven to prepare a place for those that follow Him, John 14:2-3 “In my Father’s house are many rooms. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also.”

Heaven is also a place where believers can store up treasure now, “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal, 20 but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal.” Matt. 6:19-20.

Heaven is also the place where, as children of God, they receive their inheritance. 1 Peter 1:4-5 “. . . to an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, kept in heaven for you,”

Believers will receive crowns – the crown of life (James 1:12), the crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4), and the crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8). Those who have been won for Christ through our witness become our crown of rejoicing (1 Thess. 2:19).

Eventually, those around the thrown of God will cast their crowns before the Lord. Revelation 4:11 “They cast their crowns before the throne, saying, “Worthy are you, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they existed and were created.”

Also, everything in heaven will be new, 2 Peter 3:10, 13 All that we know in this world will be burned “But the day of the Lord will come like a thief, and then the heavens will pass away with a roar, and the heavenly bodies will be burned up and dissolved, and the earth and the works that are done on it will be exposed. . . But according to his promise we are waiting for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.”

God’s kingdom will be established when Philippians 2:10-11 “so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”

It’s hard for us to comprehend heaven in all its’ glory, but John Newton once said in his song Amazing Grace, “When we’ve been there ten thousand years Bright shining as the sun, We’ve no less days to sing God’s praise Than when we first begun.”

Ultimately, heaven is intended to be a word that helps us understand that it is where the presence of God dwells, and that those that place their faith in the Son of God, Jesus will have an rightful place with Him there (an inheritance, a job there, a special name will be revealed, gathered treasure, a place for you to dwell, etc.)

All of this revolves around a relationship – “God’s intention from the beginning, to have fellowship with man, led first to his creating the human race, then to his dwelling in the tabernacle and temple, then to his coming in the incarnation, and finally to his taking humans to be with him (heaven).”[10]

______________________

[1] Paul E. Little, Know What You Believe, A Practical Discussion of the Fundamentals of the Christian Faith (Colorado Springs, Colorado; Cook Communications, 1999) 137.

[2] Anders, 172.

[3] Little, 140.

[4] Little, 146, quote by William Evans.

[5] Little, 146.

[6] Max Anders, New Christian’s Handbook, Everything New Believers Need to Know (Nashville, Tennessee; Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999) 166.

[7] Anders, 177.

[8] Little, 147.

[9] Matt. 28:2; Luke 22;43; Luke 2:15; Mark 13:32, heavenly host Luke 2:13

[10] Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Book House, 1985) 1228.

The Fundamentals of Our Faith; What We Believe Sermon Series “We Believe in the Church” Miscellaneous Verses

The Fundamentals of Our Faith;

What We Believe Sermon Series

“We Believe in the Church”

Miscellaneous Verses

Introduction

Reading of the 1972 church bulletin (see scanned copy) 20221019134353550

Prayer

What Is the Church?

The New Testament uses the Greek word ekklesia which translated means “an assembly or a group of called out ones who gather for a meeting.” Ekklesia is where we get our English word church. The church then are those whom God has called out, and are gathered together.

So, “according to the NT the church is primarily a body of people who profess and give evidence that they have been saved by God’s grace alone, for his glory alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.”[1] The church is not a building; the early church did not even have buildings until 300 years later. You don’t go to church, you are the church.

There are two ways of understanding the church – there is the universal church; that is everyone who is a Christian in the world. And then there is the local gatherings of Christians, or the local church.

A local church meets regularly. Hebrews 10:24-25 “And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, 25 not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.”

The Church is Like a Building

Ephesians 2:19-22 “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens,4 but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, 21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord. 22 In him you also are being built together into a dwelling place for God by the Spirit.”

Paul gives us the image of each stone in a metaphorical building having a name on it. You are a stone, and I am a stone, and those that we lead to the Lord, are layered on top of us – each generation, layer upon layer building up the kingdom.

The Church is Like a Bride

The church is described as the bride of Christ. Ephesians 5:22-23 “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.” This passage teaches that the sacrificial love of Jesus for his people is to be reflected in a husband’s love for his wife. The submission of the church to Jesus is to be reflected in a wife’s submission to her husband.

“Jesus identifies himself as the Bridegroom when he asked why his disciples don’t fast (Mark 2:19), and he tells parables about a wedding feast to describe his coming kingdom (Matt. 22:1-14; 25:1-13). Paul says that the mystery of marriage is about Christ and the church (Eph. 2:22-33).

Believers are depicted as pure virgins (Rev. 14:4), and when Jesus returns for his people, the multitude announces that the marriage of the Lamb has come and the bride has made herself ready (Rev. 19:7).”[2] Therefore, as the bride of Christ, the church should not commit adultery with the world, and would be faithful to Christ alone.

The Church is Like a Body

Paul talks about marriage and how it refers to Christ and the church (Eph. 5:32) immediately follows his quote of Genesis 2:24, declaring that man and woman become one flesh in marriage (Eph. 5:31). There is a special, unique bond, a relationship, between a husband and wife who are faithful to each other. This is the image Paul gives for the relationship between Christ and the church.

The apostle Paul’s favorite picture for the church was the body. It is the metaphor of the body that communicates unity of the church. Colossians 3:15 “And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body.” 1 Corinthians 12:27 “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it.” The emphasis of both of these passages is on the relationship the members of the body have with one another.

Paul emphasizes that the body of Christ must have unity. Paul uses the Lord’s Supper in 1 Cor. 10:16-17 as an example of the unity the church body has – It is an expression of the oneness. “There can be little doubt that Paul intends to emphasize the kind of bonding relationship of the worshippers with one another that the meal expresses.”[3] Baptism is also an expression of unity with a local body of believers as a picture of a person’s having already placed their faith in Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).

Within the Body of Christ there is also unity in diversity. Romans 12:4-5 and 1 Corinthians 12:14-20 are very similar messages: many members, but one body; diversity of gifts, but one body. In this passage, Paul also reminds the church that it is only a supernatural power common to life in Christ that allows them to overcome natural divisions they find themselves in (Greek, Jew, slave, free, male, female, etc.)

With regard to our essential beliefs – we have unity. Ephesians 4:4-16 “There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.” (ex. Trinity)

In non-essential beliefs – we have liberty. Rom.14:1, 4, 12, 22 “Accept him whose faith is weak, without passing judgment on disputable matters … Who are you to judge someone else’s servant? To his own master he stands or falls… So then each of us will give an account of himself to God … So whatever you believe about things keep between yourself and God.” (ex. End Times timelines)

In all our beliefs – we show love. 1 Cor. 13:2 “And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.”

What Does the Church Do?

In Acts 2 we see that “the Christians in the first century “continued . . . in fellowship”; they “were togther.” They took care of each other, whenever anyone had need. They continued “with one accord.” They [broke] bread from house to house.” They lived as part of each other’s lives.”[4]

The ministry of the church is a process of the building up of the body. Ephesians 4:12, 16 says that the church leadership’s job is to “to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, . . . v. 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.”

The church makes disciples. We are all different in our gifting, calling, life experiences, and passions – but as we all grow in the Lord, together, as a unified body of Christ we build the kingdom of God. Our spiritual gifts were not given for us to use individually in separate efforts to make disciples, or for our own benefit.

The command given to us, to make disciples, is in the context of the church and together everyone working together, make disciples. We need each other the way the head needs the neck to support it.

Romans 12:4-5 “For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.” Notice that we do not become the body of Christ when we decide to work together, we are the body of Christ whether we work together or not. Therefore, we can choose to be dysfunctional by working against each other, or we can be effective disciple makers by working together.[5]

If we go back to Acts 2:42-47, it gives us a snapshot of what the church should look like; what it should be doing “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers. 43 And awe came upon every soul, and many wonders and signs were being done through the apostles. 44 And all who believed were together and had all things in common. 45 And they were selling their possessions and belongings and distributing the proceeds to all, as any had need. 46 And day by day, attending the temple together and breaking bread in their homes, they received their food with glad and generous hearts, 47 praising God and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to their number day by day those who were being saved.”

“These churches gather to act in a variety of ways. They gather to worship (Acts 13:2-3; 1 Cor. 14:23ff.), which seems to include prayer (Acts 12:5; 13:3; 14:23), reading of Scripture (Col. 4:16; 1 Tim. 4:13), teaching from the leaders (Acts 20:28-31; Eph. 4:11; 1 Tim. 3:2), the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:18ff.). They enjoy fellowship within the local assembly and with other local churches (Rom. 16:16). The church serves widows and the needy (1 Tim. 5:16; 1 Cor. 16:1). Believers are involved in spreading the gospel, both personally (Acts 8:2-4) and through those sent by the church (Acts 13:2-3).”[6]

Who Leads the Church?

The local church is to be led by qualified leaders, according to the Scriptures. The NT uses several terms that reference the leaders within a church. “Elder (presbyteros) is the term used most often (Acts 14:23; 15:2,22), but bishop or overseer (episkopos) is also found (Acts 20:28; Phil. 1:1), along with deacon (1 Tim. 3:8). The most commonly used term among Baptists today, pastor, is used only once Eph. 4:11.”[7]

Jesus’ favorite description of the church was a flock of sheep (John 10:1-30, Matt.26:31, Matt. 25:33). Therefore, it is cared for and led by a shepherd. John 21:16-17 “He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17 He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.”

1 Pet. 5:1-2 has the three roles in one verse showing what a church leader does, “So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: 2 shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight,” so does,

Acts 20:17-18, 28 “Now from Miletus he sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to come to him. 18 And when they came to him, he said to them: “You yourselves know how I lived among you the whole time from the first day that I set foot in Asia, . . . Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God, which he obtained with his own blood.”[8]

The word for elder is emphasizing the qualifications that church leadership is to have, pastor/teacher emphasizes their care for the flock, and the word for overseer refers to their having administrative oversight.

In Acts 6 we see where deacons emerged as a leadership office in the church, “Now in these days when the disciples were increasing in number, a complaint by the Hellenists arose against the Hebrews because their widows were being neglected in the daily distribution.” So, Deacons are to look after the physical needs of the congregation (Acts 6:1-16) qualifications for deacons is given in 1 Timothy 3:8-13. Both of these leadership offices must meet the qualifications set down in Scripture.

Why Join A Church?

The Bible is very clear that we are not to live out our Christian faith alone. Our walk with the Lord is not just isolated spiritual disciplines that we work on (prayer, Bible study, serving others, etc.)

Followers of Jesus are to be baptized, and regularly celebrate the Lord’s Supper – these are two examples of things we do as a group. Millard Erickson said, “Christianity is a corporate matter, and the Christian life can be fully realized only in relationship with others.”[9]

“Church membership is a crucial topic for understanding what Christ is calling us to as his disciples. Joining a church will not save us anymore than our good works, education, culture, friendships, financial contributions, or baptism will save us. Non-Christians should not seek to join a church, but to learn more about what it means to be a Christian.”[10]

“This is my church. It is composed of people just like me. It will be friendly if I am. It will do a great work if I work. It will make generous gifts to many causes if I am generous. It will bring others into its fellowship if I bring them. Its seats will be filled if I fill them. It will be a church of loyalty and love, of faith and service. If I who make it what it is, am filled with these, Therefore, with God’s help, I dedicate myself to the task of being all these things I want my church to be.”[11]

_____________________

[1] Mark Dever, Nine Marks of a Healthy Church (Wheaton, Illinois; Crossway Publishing, 2021) 123.

[2] James M. Hamilton, What is Biblical Theology? A Guide to the Bible’s Story, Symbolism, and Patterns (Wheaton, Illinois, Crossway Publishing, 2014) 100.

[3] Gordon Fee, The First Epistle to the Corinthians, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, ed. F.F. Bruce (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1987), 466 (from Hammett, 38).

[4] Max Anders, New Christian’s Handbook, Everything New Believers Need to Know (Nashville, Tennessee; Thomas Nelson Publishing, 1999) 150.

[5] Anders, 141.

[6] Hammett, 29.

[7] John S. Hammett, Biblical Foundations for Baptist Churches, A Contemporary Ecclesiology (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Kregel Publications, 2005) 28.

[8] See also Titus 1:5-7, 1 Tim. 5:17

[9] Millard Erickson, Christian Theology (2^nd. Ed. Grand Rapids, Michigan; Baker Publishing, 1998) 1058.

[10] Dever, 125.

[11] https://ministry127.com/resources/illustration/this-is-my-church

The Fundamentals of Our Faith; What We Believe Sermon Series “We Believe In the Bible” Miscellaneous Verses

The Fundamentals of Our Faith;

What We Believe Sermon Series

“We Believe In the Bible”

Miscellaneous Verses

Introduction

Speaking to a large audience, D.L. Moody held up a glass and asked, “How can I get the air out of this glass?” One man shouted, “Suck it out with a pump!” Moody replied, “That would create a vacuum and shatter the glass.” After numerous other suggestions Moody smiled, picked up a pitcher of water, and filled the glass. “There,” he said, “all the air is now removed.” He then went on to explain that victory in the Christian life is not accomplished by “sucking out a sin here and there,” but by being filled with the Holy Spirit.[1]

Prayer

Revelation

How God Reveals Himself to Humanity

Remember (week 1), God is transcendent, meaning God needs nothing, is self-sufficient, and is therefore outside of our reality. The only way for us to accurately understand and know God is for Him to reveal Himself to us.

So, we use the word revelation to mean “the manifestation of God himself (personal) and His will for us (propositionally). It includes His mighty acts, but with an accompanying explanation. It is not human discoveries about God but divine self-disclosure.”[2]

The revelation of God was not given to humanity to satisfy some sense of curiosity, or to give us something to think about – it is given to shape the lives and hearts of those that encounter it. There are two broad categories that describe how God has revealed himself to the world.

General/Universal Revelation (accessible to all)

The Bible teaches that God is revealed to everyone in at least two ways:

In The Creation. [3] If all we had to study was nature, then we would be able to determine that God exists, His glory, goodness, eternal power, and divine nature.

Psalm 19:1-2 “The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. 2 Day to day pours out speech, and night to night reveals knowledge.”

In Human Nature.[4] “Being made in the image of God, there is some vestige or reflection of Hod nature in us. One such vestige seems to be the moral law written on our hearts (what we may call a conscience).”[5] The fall (Gen. 3) has greatly affected the moral compass of the conscience, but all peoples agree that certain things are right, and certain things are wrong. This reflects the moral nature of the Creator, though distorted.

What we see today is not what God intended at the origin of creation. Creation has been affected by the fall of man, and human beings have been greatly influenced by Adam’s decision in the Garden of Eden.

Because of our fallen nature we do not clearly perceive God’s general revelation.[6] Our vision is blurred; what we need are glasses to clearly see how mankind’s nature and the created order point to God. We can’t clearly see what He is like, and what He prescribes for His creation.

Inspiration

Special Revelation (giving more particular specific knowledge of God)

God reveals Himself.[7] We see throughout Scripture that the reason God reveals Himself to humanity is so that a relationship can be established. 1 Samuel 3:21 “And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.”

Isa. 40:5 “And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together, for the mouth of the LORD has spoken.” God’s glory is a “visible representation of the invisible.”[8]

God reveals Information. God reveals His plans (2 Sam. 7:27, Amos 3:7), the future (Dan. 2:28), the “mysteries” involved in the gospel message (Rom. 16:25-26, Eph. 3:3, 5; 1 Cor. 2:10, 11:25), and the identity of Jesus (Matt. 16:17); the Holy Spirit reveals truth to the disciples about Jesus (John 14:26, 15:26, 16:13-14), and Jesus himself is a “light for revelation” (Luke 2:32).

Hebrews 1:1-3 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. 3 He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. . .” “One cannot accept the Incarnate Word as Lord (Jesus) without accepting the written Word as God’s authoritative revelation.”[9]

God reveals things about Himself and He has given us certain portions of information that He wants us to know. The Bible is a witness and record of God’s acts of self-disclosure in the past to chosen prophets and apostles. But God also, uses the Bible, His Holy Word, to speak to us today just as He did long ago, for His word is living and abiding.

1 Peter 1:23 “Since you have been born again, not of perishable seed but of imperishable, through the living and abiding word of God;” In this passage Peter is talking about how flowers and everything created fades and eventually dies – but the Word of God is living, it does not fade, and it is enduring.

Peter also explains that “the new birth comes through the living and abiding word of God. God’s word is living because it imparts life, His word endures because the God who speaks it is eternal, faithful, powerful one who keeps his promises.”[10]

Canonization

The revealed Information of God is Gathered Together in the Canon. The meaning of the word canon in Greek and Hebrew is that of a straight rod, a standard or criterion. For theology, it refers to those books that have formed the standard or criterion for first, Judaism, and later, for Christianity. The canon of Scripture protects from the danger of adding to the Bible, or the danger of taking something way.

By Jesus’ day, the OT was already divided into three sections and essentially canonized; The law of Moses, the Prophets, and the Psalms (Jesus says this in Luke 24:44).[11] As the early church was developing, there arose heretics who denied the validity of some of the books commonly used by God’s people. Marcion is an example of one of these heretics – he denied all of the OT and Most of the NT. So, the church needed a list of the books they accepted.

Many of the church fathers were quoting books early and most of the books were accepted as authoritative – over the years there was debate as to which books should be included, but by 397 at the Council of Carthage it effectively ended discussion and the matter was resolved.

Some may ask, why did it take so long – this was a time of great persecution against the church, so meetings to debate and work out doctrine and the books was very dangerous. The time from Constantine becoming emperor (and conversion) and the finalized canon was relatively quick.

There we believe that the canon is closed. God is not going to give any further authoritative normative revelation today. Therefore, anyone who feels that God has led them to say or do something, the church should always compare that to what Scripture says, to see if they align. But ultimately, we would say Sola Scriptura – the Word Alone is authoritative to Christian living.

2 Timothy 3:16 “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, 17 that the man of God may be complete, equipped for every good work.” Notice it says, “All Scripture” – we should not have a personal canon, where we cut portions outs, ignore sections or teachings we don’t like or offend us. All of the Bible is the Word of God – we must be obedient to all of it. If we don’t then we are not complete in our following Christ, we are not properly equipped, not are we able to do every good work.

God’s Word Should Guide A Believer’s Life

Because It is Inspired by God

Looking at 2 Tim. 3:16 earlier, and 2 Peter 1:20-21 “knowing this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture comes from someone’s own interpretation. 21 For no prophecy was ever produced by the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”

When a biblical author sat down and began writing the book, what developed on the page was directly influenced by the Holy Spirit; they were “carried along” by God. The book was God breathed. But they were not dictating what God said – instead, there was a blending of the author’s personal history, personality, life experience, along with the information God wanted to be shared.

“It was written in human languages, using human conventions and culture, reflecting human research (Luke 1:1-4), and human memory (1 Cor. 1:15-16) and the individual styles of the human authors. Thus, we may use the word “confluent” (two streams coming together) and “dynamic” (force stimulating change or progress) to describe the coming together of divine and human elements in inspiration, and the word “superintend” (responsible for the management or arrangement) to describe the nature of the Spirit’s activity.”[12]

Preservation

Because It is Inerrant

“Inerrancy means that when all facts are known, the Scriptures in their original autographs and properly interpreted will be shown to be wholly true in everything that they affirm, whether that has to do with doctrine or morality or with social, physical, or life sciences.”[13]

Psalm 119 speaks to the truth of God’s Word, “Your law is true (v. 142); “all your commandments are true (v. 151); and “all your words are true” (v. 160). Proverbs 30:5, 6 say that “every word of God has proven true.”

The Bible tells us what is true or shows us truth without any mixture of error – Aristotle defines truth as, “To say what is, is, and what is not, is not, is true. And to say what is, is not, and what is not, is, is false.”[14] I would also add, that if the Bible has mistakes, how would you know then if all of it is not a mistake or in error in some degree. The only way for the Bible to be authoritative and true – is for all of it to be true.

There are some that get tripped up on the conservative view of Scripture is that we take everything in the Bible literally – instead we interpret the Bible according to the specific genre that it is written. “The main genres found in the Bible are these: law, history, wisdom, poetry, narrative, epistles, prophecy and apocalyptic literature.”[15] For example, we don’t interpret historical narratives the same as we would poetry.

Illumination

The Holy Spirit has been a constant presence in our receiving and having access to God’s Word. This book that we carry to church, and get out for our personal Bible study times, times of prayer, etc. The Holy Spirit has been there at the beginning, throughout the whole process of it’s development, and is present today as we seek to understand it, and apply it to our lives. He is present in our lives to guide us through His Word.

1 Peter 2:2-3 “Like newborn babies, crave pure spiritual milk, so that by it you may grow up in your salvation, 3 now that you have tasted that the Lord is good.”

You do not have to have a newborn home for very long before you realize what this word crave means. They will scream, wiggle, flail, they will do all that they can to get milk. Every three to four hours a timer goes off inside the child and you had best not ignore it. Does a timer go off in your heart?

This verse says that we should crave God’s Word – but to be honest it is an acquired taste. 3 types of Bible study – There’s the medicine quiet time – yuck, but good for what ails them.. Then there’s the shredded wheat quiet time – nourishing but dry. Then there’s the strawberries and cream quiet time – delicious can’t get enough, time flies, etc… How do you go from medicine to strawberries-n-cream? You spend time with God everyday.

Psalm 19:9-10 “The ordinances of the LORD are sure and altogether righteous. 10 They are more precious than gold, than much pure gold; they are sweeter than honey, than honey from the comb.”

Notice in the 1 Peter passage it says “so that by it you may grow” not “so that you may know.” We study His word so that we may change. Spending time with God is not about knowing more about Him, that’s great, but it’s knowing and changing. Taking what we know and applying it to our lives.

We have the Bible not to satisfy our curiosity, but to help us conform to the image of Christ. Not to give us loopholes to sin, but to make us like our Savior. It’s more than facts, it’s about transformation.

_____________________

[1] Today in the Word, September, 1991, p. 30.

[2] John Hammett, Systematic Theology class notes, SEBTS 8.

[3] Psalm 19:1-6; Acts 14:15-17, Rom. 1:18-20; Rom. 10:14-18.

[4] Gen. 1:27; Acts 17:28-29; Rom. 2:14-15.

[5] Hammett, 8.

[6] Gen. 3:14-19; Romans 8:19-22

[7] Eph. 1:17; Rom. 1:17-18; Gal. 1:12, 16; Matt. 11:27.

[8] Hammett, 17.

[9] Hammett, 20.

[10] Frank E. Gaebelein, General Editor, The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, Volume 12 (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1981) 227.

[11] Jesus and the NT authors quote from the Hebrew canon hundreds of times, but never quote from the Apocrypha or Pseudepigrapha.

[12] Hammett, 31.

[13] Norman Geisler, Inerrancy (Grand Rapids, Michigan; Zondervan Publishing, 1980) 294.

[14] Geisler, 294.

[15] https://www.gotquestions.org/Bible-genres.html

The Fundamentals of Our Faith; What We Believe Sermon Series, “We Believe in Salvation” Miscellaneous Verses

The Fundamentals of Our Faith;

What We Believe Sermon Series

“We Believe in Salvation”[1]

Miscellaneous Verses

Introduction

Muddy mirror

Prayer

Humanity Is Made in the Image of God

We will begin our talk today with the question of where did men and women come from? What is the origin of humanity? Both the Old Testament and New Testament writers viewed Adam (and Eve) as a person, a person as historical as Jesus Christ Himself.[2] These accounts leave no room for a mythical or allegorical interpretation.

Genesis 1:26 tells us, “Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, after our likeness.” We are carefully though out and purposely planned. It also says in Genesis that God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone” and to complement man, He made woman to be Adam’s helper (Gen. 2:18), 22).

So How Are We Made in the Image of God?

Moral likeness. God has given humanity an inner sense of right and wrong (Eccl. 3:11; Rom. 2:15). We call it our conscience[3] (or they were self-conscience), in intended to prompt us to act in a moral way, and when we do we reflect God’s moral likeness.

Spiritual likeness. Like God is a spirit, humanity also has a spirit (John 19:30; Acts 7:59). We relate to God in prayer, praise, and in worship (John 4:24). Since God is spirit, our spirit reflects His likeness. God made Adam from the dust (body), and breathed life into Him (soul) – God is spirit, and there is a part of man that is spirit as well.

Intellectual likeness. Mankind can reason, think logically, and learn in a way that sets us apart from the animal kingdom. Adam was given the responsibility to name the animals when they were presented to him (Gen. 2:19-20). Only humans ponder the future, create beauty (music, art, literature), and make scientific and technological advancements. As we use our intellect we reflect the image of God.

Social likeness. God is a Trinity, there is one God existing in three coeternal and coequal persons. It takes all three members of the Trinity to make up God. Likewise, both male and female make up humanity. Humanity reflects the trinity in how men and women cooperate together, each being equal to live out different roles assigned by God.

Genesis 1:27 “So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” When God created human beings, He created them in His image. This image has been distorted by sin, but not lost completely because of man’s sin (Gen. 9:6). This distorted image of God will be restored when Jesus returns (Rom. 8:29; 1 Cor. 15:49).

Humanity’s Image of God Has Become Corrupted.

At the beginning of time, Adam and Eve rebelled against God in the Garden of Eden. Before the rebellion man’s natural inclination was toward God. This rebellion contaminated their spirits so that their inner nature now tended toward sin (Rom. 7:14-15), and while they were still capable of doing good, they became incapable of not doing wrong.

The very nature of man changed with the fall. Before the fall mankind’s heart was oriented toward God, but after the fall mankind’s will was to war with God – to fight against Him. We are not sinners because we sin – we sin because it is our nature to do so. An apple tree is not an apple tree because it produces apples. It produces apples because it is an apple tree.

John 3:19 “And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.” Mankind’s nature is bent toward sin, and we don’t like it when our sin is called what it is – wrong, sin, corrupt, etc.

Why did God not stop this evil from happening in the beginning? There, at the tree of knowledge of good and evil, He could have kept the serpent from tempting Eve, or stopped her before she took a bite, or done something to keep sin from entering into His perfect creation. He is all powerful, all knowing, and present everywhere. God could have created Adam and Eve so that they would not sin – but to do so would remove the freedom of choice.

The consequences which God warned them of involved both physical and spiritual death, that is a separation from their creator. This “Fall” involved all of the natural creation (Rom. 8:21-22).

This corrupted nature is passed down from generation to generation (Rom. 5:12-25). This condition is called “total depravity.” This does not mean that we are totally bad, or as bad as we could be – but it means that every part of our humanity has been corrupted by sin (physically, emotionally, intellectually, spiritually, socially – in every way).

In Romans we can look at two verses and from there we cannot avoid the fact that humanity is lost and in need of salvation. Romans 3:23 “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” and Romans 6:23 “For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” There is no room for debate, humanity is lost and needs to be saved.

There are typically two schools of thought with regard to this problem. 1) everyone has to earn his or her salvation. 2) thinking everyone will be saved, regardless, the idea that God is too loving and kind to send anyone to hell. The Bible shows that both of these ideas are false. Titus 3:5 shows that you are not going to heaven based on your good works,“ . . . he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his own mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewal of the Holy Spirit,” and,

Matthew 7:13-14, Rev. 20:15 shows that not everyone is going to heaven, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way is easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter by it are many. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.”

Humanity Needs a Savior.

Humanity must have God’s grace, or “unmerited favor.” God is love, and from that love He has provided you a way (the only way) to be spared the normal consequences of sin, which is eternal separation from God. Ephesians 2:8-9 says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.”

The gift that is given to humanity is God’s grace and mercy offered to a person who places their faith in Jesus as the way to be saved from their sins. The faith mentioned here is not just acknowledging that God exists, — to believe information about something. It means to place our trust in that information.

The Smithsonian tells a story of the Daredevil of Niagara Falls. During the winter of 1858, a 34-year-old French acrobat named Jean François Gravelet, better known as Monsieur Charles Blondin, traveled to Niagara Falls hoping to become the first person to cross the “boiling cataract.” He always worked without a net, believing that preparing for disaster only made one more likely to occur. A rope 1,300 feet long, two inches in diameter and made entirely of hemp would be the sole thing separating him from the roiling waters below.[4] Blondin would say, “do you believe I can cross without falling?” The audience would say, “yes, we believe.” “Then he would say, then get on my back.” Or “get in the wheelbarrow.”

There is a difference between saying you believe in something (while standing on the shore), and then place your whole life in their hands (sitting in the wheelbarrow).

Part of placing our faith in Christ and being saved, is that a person must repent of their sin. Repentance means “changing one’s mind.” It is the other side of the coin of belief – faith and repentance go together.

CS. Lewis in Mere Christianity once said, “Fallen man is not simply an imperfect creature who needs improvement; he is a rebel who must lay down his arms . . . This process of surrender – this movement full speed astern – is what Christians call repentance.”[5]

What Happens with Salvation? There are several words that help us to understand the meaning of salvation:

Redemption – this means “to purchase from the marketplace.” This would be the same word agarazo, that you would use for buying a piece of fruit from the grocery store. You will pay the price that is required for the piece of fruit.

With regard to our salvation, there was a sin debt that was owed, or in order to pay the price for our redemption. But it does not just mean we have been purchased, it also means that it takes us out of the market. Just like your piece of fruit is yours, it’s “out of the market.” We have been removed from the marketplace of sin.

Justified – this means to be declared righteous by God. We can not be declared righteous by God unless we are righteous in God’s eyes. But how can God see us being righteous when we know we have sin in our lives?

Romans 4:2-3 “For if Abraham was justified by works, he has something to boast about, but not before God. 3 For what does the Scripture say? “Abraham believed God, and it was counted to him as righteousness.” We are justified before God by our faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus acts as our representative, and by dying in our place we are justified by our faith in His act (1 Cor. 15:45). When we give our lives to Christ to follow Him, our sins are forgiven, we are born again, and Jesus’ righteousness becomes ours.

Adoption – when a person is adopted, they are made a legal member of another family, with all the rights and privileges of that family. Ephesians 1:5 “he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,”

We were in the power of sin, of the world, and we belonged to the family of Adam – we were lost and without hope. But God, through Jesus took us from that family and adopted us into His, and adoption wipes out the past and makes us new. God knows all the sins that we have ever committed and will commit in the future and they are true even if we don’t feel different. The earth is round and rotates, whether you believe it or feel it – its still true.

Romans 8:15 “For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, “Abba! Father!” 16 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God,” This is a deeply person term, Abba, Daddy – God has chosen us to show love and kindness to us forever.

How Do I Know If I Have Been Saved?

It is not uncommon for Christians to struggle with doubt as to whether or not they are saved. But the Bible gives assurance that we can know that we are saved.

Psalm 130:4 “But with you there is forgiveness, that you may be feared.” It is possible to be forgiven.

John 6:37 “All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.” A person must come to Jesus, believe in Him, and ask Him to save us – but when we do, God will not ignore our pleadings for forgiveness.

1 John 5:13 “I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” God has given us the Word of God, so that we may know that we are saved.

Can I Lose My Salvation?

Eternal security is the belief that once Christians are saved they will always be saved. So in order to see if eternal security is true, then we need to remember what happens when a person is genuinely saved:

1) They are made a new creature: 2 Corinthians 5:17 “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.” A new believer is not simply an improved version of who they were, he is an entirely new creature, in Christ.

2) You have been purchased at the price of the death of the Son of God. Your sin debt has been paid – there is nothing left to pay. All your sin past, present, and future have been taken care of. You can not lose that, it is already been done.

3) The have been declared righteous by God (justified) – God has told those that place their faith in Christ that they are declared righteous. God would have to go back on His word and declare unrighteous that which He already declared righteous.

4) You are sealed with the Holy Spirt – Ephesians 1:13-14 “In him you also, when you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and believed in him, were sealed with the promised Holy Spirit, 14 who is the guarantee of our inheritance until we acquire possession of it, to the praise of his glory.”

When a person placed their faith in Christ they are sealed with the Holy Spirt until eternity. The guarantee of our inheritance of eternal life in heaven is the presence of the Holy Spirit – not our actions. There is nothing that a person can do for the promised seal to be broken.

There will come a time when the Christian will be glorified in eternity. Romans 8:30 “And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified.” (not will glorify)

A Christian is guaranteed glorification. According to Romans 5:1, justification is ours at the moment of faith. According to Romans 8:30, glorification comes with justification. A Christian cannot lose salvation.

Most, if not all, of what the Bible says happens to us when we receive Christ would be invalidated if salvation could be lost. Salvation is the gift of God, and God’s gifts are “irrevocable” (Romans 11:29).

A Christian cannot be un-newly created. The redeemed cannot be unpurchased. Eternal life cannot be temporary. God cannot renege on His Word. Scripture says that God cannot lie (Titus 1:2).

Do you realize that you have a nature corrupted by sin? Is the Holy Spirit convicting you of sin, and pulling you to give your life to Christ today? You need to be saved – God in His limitless love and compassion provided Jesus as the way to fix your sin problem (that you can’t do on your own). Won’t you accept His free gift of salvation today

____________________________

[1] Alternate title, “Man’s Disorder and God’s Design”

[2] Paul Little, Know What You Believe, A Practical Discussion of the Fundamentals of the Christian Faith (Colorado Springs, Colorado; Cook Communications, 1999) 71.

[3] 1 Tim. 1:5

[4] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/the-daredevil-of-niagara-falls-110492884/

[5] C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity (New York; New York; Macmillan, 1960), 38-39.

The Fundamentals of Our Faith; What We Believe Sermon Series “We Believe in the Holy Spirit” Miscellaneous Verses

The Fundamentals of Our Faith;

What We Believe Sermon Series

“We Believe in the Holy Spirit”

Miscellaneous Verses

Introduction

Gloves are an amazing thing. They can pick things up. Then, I drop it on a hymn book or Bible and tell it to pick up the book. When it doesn’t move, I apologize for its failure and assure them that I’ve seen it pick up books before. I suggest it might be too heavy, so I move to a smaller book. When it still doesn’t work, I move to a piece of paper.

I need to put the glove on my hand. I then suggest that I neglected something important. A glove can’t pick anything up without a hand inside it. We can’t do anything significant unless the Holy Spirit is inside us. Just as the glove can do things with my hand inside it that it cannot do by itself, so we need the Holy Spirit.

And yet, so many believers try: to deal with their sin problems without calling upon the Holy Spirit; to handle their personal problems without getting guidance from the Holy Spirit; and to serve God without getting power from the Holy Spirit. We are going to look at the vital role that the Holy Spirit plays in the believer’s life, and why we should include Him in our daily walk with the Lord.

Prayer

The Holy Spirit in the Old Testament

The Holy Spirit helped create the universe and man in Genesis 1:2 “And the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” and Job said, “The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty gives me life.”

The Spirit equipped individuals for service. He gave power to judges and warriors as in Judges 14:6 “Then the Spirit of the LORD rushed upon him [Sampson], and although he had nothing in his hand, he tore the lion in pieces as one tears a young goat.” “The Spirit came upon people for a particular purpose in this manner, but they did not necessarily transform their moral character unless they called out for it.”[1]

He gave wisdom and skill for particular jobs, including those of a nonspiritual nature. Bezaleel was filled with the Spirit to work gold, silver, and bronze for the tabernacle (Ex. 31:2-5).

The HS inspired the prophets. When they spoke they would often say, “This is what the Lord says.” They would also attribute their message to the Spirit such as Ezekiel 2:2 “And as he spoke to me, the Spirit entered into me and set me on my feet, and I heard him speaking to me. And he said to me, “Son of man, . . .”

The HS moved people toward moral living. David committed adultery and murder and he repented and pleaded with God to create a new heart within him. David pleaded with God not to remove His Spirit from him, Psalm 143:10; “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God! Let your good Spirit lead me on level ground!” and 139:23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart! Try me and know my thoughts! 24 And see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting!”

The Spirit foretold the coming of the Messiah. “The references that anticipate Jesus are of two kinds. There are those that prophesied a direct indwelling of the Spirit in one messianic figure. Other prophecies contained a more general message, telling about the new covenant people of God, with the Spirit given to all people of all classes.”[2]

Scripture suggests the HS caused men to grow more and more conscious of their inner need for God’s help if they were to serve the Lord and be morally pure. In the latter parts of the OT, some scholars detect an awareness, on the part of believers, that the human government of Israel would never succeed in achieving the purpose of Jehovah, and that in time, the Spirit would be given to all God’s people, not only to the people of Israel.[3]

The Holy Spirit’s Work in the Life of the Believer

The gift of the Holy Spirit was increasingly unfolded in Jesus’ lifetime on earth. He was conceived by the HS and born of Him (Luke 1:35). Jesus was led by the Spirit (Matthew 4:1). He was anointed for His ministry by the Spirit in a special way at His baptism (Matt. 3:13-17). He offered Himself as a sacrifice through the Spirit (Hebrews 9:14), and He was raised from the dead by the power of the Spirit (Romans 1:4). He gave commandments to the apostles, and through them to the church, by the Spirit (Acts 1:2).

Then, following His death and resurrection, Jesus gave His disciples His last instructions in Acts 1:4-5, “And while staying with them he ordered them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which, he said, “you heard from me; 5 for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”

At Pentecost approximately 120 were gathered in Jerusalem for prayer, suddenly a violent wind came from heaven as did tongues of fire. Acts 2:1-14 “When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.” This event marked the time when the Holy Spirit comes to dwell in any person that places their faith in Christ – immediately at the moment of salvation.

Of the three persons of the Godhead – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit – the Holy Spirit is vitally and intimately involved in our initial salvation, and the ongoing development as a Christian. The Holy Spirit is as much a person as God the Father and God the Son. He is not an impersonal “it” or ghost.[4]

Jesus has completed what was required to accomplish salvation for humanity – through His death, burial, and resurrection. He ascended into heaven, and His present ministry is praying for us. The Holy Spirit’s ministry is to apply salvation to believers:

Conviction: causing us to see sin and to desire righteousness, leading us to receive Christ as our Savior (John 16:8). Without the unveiling of sin by the HS, we would not believe we are really sinning. Whenever a person comes to a sense of his own sinfulness, whether by the preached word, written, or personally spoken word, the Spirit of God has been at work.

Regeneration: causing our old, dead spirit to be born again, so that we are now spiritually alive (Titus 3:5)

Indwelling: coming to live within us to help us live out our new life (1 Cor. 6:19-20). The Spirit’s work is to reveal what the holiness of God desires for us. Through Jesus’ death He gives us His righteousness; He makes us sensitive to anything that goes against God’s revealed righteousness.

Baptism: placing us, spiritually, in the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).

Sealing: marking us as God’s own possession and guaranteeing our eternal salvation (Eph. 1:13-14).[5]

The Holy Spirit is called, in the New Testament, our paraklete. This is a combination of two words, para – beside, alongside, and kaleo – to call, invite, or summons. Therefore, the meaning is “to call or summon someone to come to your side to help.”[6]

As our paraklete, the Holy Spirit does a number of things. He:

- Helps us have inner assurance of salvation (Rom. 8:16)
- Helps us understand the Bible (1 Cor. 2:9-10, 13)
- Helps us understand God’s ways (Eph. 1:17-18)
- Helps us in our prayers (Romans 8:26-27)
- Helps our strength in faith and obedience (Eph. 3:16-19)
- Helps guide us (Romans 8:14).[7]

Our Relationship With The Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit lives within the Christian as described as 1 Corinthians 3:16 “Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you?” Therefore, the HS is not only a person (with emotions, feelings, an expressed will, etc.), He is deity.

He is eternal, (Heb. 9:14), omnipresent (Psalm 139:7), He is the Spirit of life (Romans 8:2) qnd the “Spirit of truth” (John 16:13). The Holy Spirit may be grieved by our actions (Eph. 4:30) and sinned against by unforgivable blasphemy (Mark 3:29).

In Ephesians 5:18 the apostle Paul says, “And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Spirit, . . .” This is a command, and the language points to an ongoing action to be taken (not just a one time act). “debauchery” – expresses the idea of an abandoned, debauched life.”[8] The Christian life should be an ongoing process of being filled by the Holy Spirit.

In the story of the prodigal son (Luke 15) the son wasted the inheritance given to him by his father. An while he was wanting the food he was feeding to the pigs he was employed to feed, “But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger!” The sons thoughts were finally cleared of greed, alcohol, lust, entitlement – all gone, all that remained was a desire to go home.

Paul is saying take whatever that hidden inward desire is that a person may be seeking in alcohol, find that instead in God, allow the Spirit to fill you. In the prodigal son story we see the father make a statement twice, “For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’”

The Holy Spirit guides believers away from death and into life. He is a guide, not a tyrant – you have the choice to be filled or not. He leads us away from a debauched (or abandoned) life to a purposeful and full life.

Galatians 5:16-18 “But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. 17 For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. 18 But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”

In Galatians 5 Paul used four distinct verbs to designate the Spirit-controlled life of the believer, all of which are roughly equivalent in meaning: to walk in the Spirit (v. 16), to be led by the Spirit (v. 18), to live by the Spirit (v. 25a), and to keep in step with the Spirit (v. 25b).”[9] They must continue to walk with God as they did when they received Christ.

“In this verse the emphasis is on the spiritual inability in which man lives, if he has only the law. He is defenseless against the flesh.”[10] In order to overcome the flesh, we should be led by the Holy Spirit.

Instead of giving over to our flesh which impairs our ability to do wise things, clouds our thoughts, and pulls us away from holy living – the Spirit will lead us toward a life pleasing to the Lord.

Spiritual Gifts

Paul describes the church as the body of Christ. All believers are joined into one body, stressing its unity, even as the physical body works as one. In this context Christians are given spiritual gifts.

The Holy Spirit gives believers spiritual gifts – this is a God-given ability for ministry to others, for the good of the church body as a whole. Each believer in Christ has received at least one spiritual gift. 1 Peter 4:10 says, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace:”[11]

Spiritual gifts can be broken down into three major categories. First, there are “office” gifts which are given to those who serve the church at large in a specific capacity; apostle, prophet, evangelist, or pastor/teacher (Eph. 4:11-12).

The second category of spiritual gifts are “service” gifts, which are non-miraculous gifts that correspond to ministries that all of us should do, but some individuals are gifted for greater impact in those areas.

The third category are the “special” gifts, which are miraculous or supernatural gifts that appear to be given for the purpose not only of meeting a need of the moment but also for validating the message of Christianity to those who have not previously received the message (1 Cor. 12:4-11).

Spiritual Fruit

When the Spirit does His work in the believer there will be change and evidence of His presence in their lives – Galatians 5:22-23 “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.”

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[1] Little, 86.

[2] Little, 87.

[3] Little, 87.

[4] Paul E. Little, Know What You Believe, A Practical Discussion of the Fundamentals of the Christian Faith (Colorado Springs, Colorado; Cook Publications, 1999) 83.

[5] Max Anders, New Christian’s Handbook, Everything New Believers Need to Know (Nashville, Tennessee; Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1999) 58.

[6] Anders, 59.

[7] Ibid.

[8] W. Robertson Nicoll, The Expositor’s Greek Testament, Volume III (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1967) 363.

[9] Timothy George, The New American Commentary, Galatians (Nashville, Tennessee; Broadman and Holman Publishers, 1994) 386.

[10] Herman N. Ridderbos, The New International Commentary on the New Testament, The Epistle of Paul to the Churches of Galatia (Grand Rapids, Michigan; WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1984) 204.

[11] 1 Corinthians 12:11