The Minstry of the Spirit in Mankind

“And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father and you no longer see Me; and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.” (John 16:8-11)

When God begins to deal with the world, He begins with the people within it. God deals with the heart of man and allows him to see the endless mercy He extends to forgive the sinner in his present condition. Here are three ministries which the Spirit of God is involved:

(1)   “The Spirit enlightens the unsaved with regard to one sin only; ‘of sin, because they believe not on me.’ (John 1:29) The full judgment of sin has been taken up and completed at the cross. Hence a lost man must be made aware of the fact that, because of the cross, his present obligation to God is that of accepting God’s provided cure for his sins. In this ministry, the Spirit does not shame the unsaved because of their sins; but He reveals the fact of a Savior, and One who may be received or rejected.

Because of this ultimate gift, the sinner has nothing to worry about with respect to his future judgment of his shortcoming with God. God has made a way of escaping the wrath that is waiting his future with God. God is not in the business of shaming anyone, but merely allowing the person to see there is a way out of their sinful life and the future judgment. God has allowed this way of escape which has been perfected through His Son Jesus Christ’s blood.

(2)   The Spirit illuminates the unsaved with respect to righteousness and that ‘because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more.’ How can a sinner be made right in the eyes of a Holy God? It will not be by any attempted self-improvement. There is a righteousness for him from God, which is unto all and upon all who believe. It is foreign to the wisdom of this world that a perfect righteousness can be gained by simply believing, and believing on an invisible Person who is at the right hand of God; yet every lost soul must, in some measure, sense this great possibility if he is constrained to turn to Christ from self.

Just trying to become a better person will not allow us to enter Heaven. There is no self-help way for a person to become better that could help them escape the wrath that is waiting on man. This only comes by the intervention of Jesus Christ. This forgiveness is given through a simple and humble act whereby a person in simplistic faith trusts in the saving power of God.

(3)   So, also, the Spirit, in this threefold ministry, illuminates the unsaved concerning a divine judgment which is already past; ‘for the prince of this world is judged.’ By this illumination the unsaved are made to realize that it is not a problem of getting God to be merciful in His judgment of their sins: they are rather to believe that the judgment is wholly past and that they have only to rest in the priceless victory that is won. Every claim of Satan over man because of sin has been broken, and so perfectly that God, who is infinitely holy, can now receive and save sinners.” (Col. 2:13-15) He That is Spiritual, L. S. Chafer.

When we come to the point and recognize that the act of God is to adopt us into His family, we can have full assurance that the future battle of God against sin is already won. No more do we have to wait in anticipation as to whether or not this future battle is won. It is already finished! Because of this future victory we can live a victorious life knowing that God has already given us victory over our sins because of the perfect sinless gift of Jesus Christ!

Take the time this season to share this message of hope with someone you love and care about. It truly is the meaning of the season…

The MInistry of the Spirit in Restraining

2 Thessalonians 2:6–7 And you know what restrains him now, so that in his time he will be revealed. For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work; only he who now restrains will do so until he is taken out of the way. (NASB)

“It is evident that it is the Spirit of God who hinders Satan’s man and Satan’s projects until the divinely appointed time. There is no hint that Satan will withdraw, or be removed out of the way before this “man of sin” can be revealed; but there is a sense in which the Spirit will be removed. That particular relationship or Presence which began with the Church and has continued with the Church will natural cease when the Church is removed. As the Omnipresent One, the Spirit will remain, but His present ministry and abode in the Church will have been changed. The Spirit was in the world before Pentecost; yet we are told that He came on that day as had been promised. He came in the sense that He took up a new abode in the Church - - the body of believers - - and a new ministry in the world. This ministry will cease when the Church is gathered out and His abode will be ended when His temple of living stones is removed. Thus it may be concluded that His going will be but the reversal of Pentecost and will not imply His entire absence from the world. He will rather return to those relationships and ministries which were His before this dispensation began.” He That is Spiritual, L. S. Chafer.

In this present age you and I live within is known as the “Church Age.” We have the presence of the Holy Spirit’s and His ability to restrain certain evil in this world. It is though, only by the sovereignty of God, what is restrained and what is not. One day however, that purposed protection for the world will no longer be present and the “man of sin” will be revealed. But be encouraged to know that God is the One who knows the time and purpose for the revealing of the “man of sin.” He (the man of sin) cannot appear until God Almighty allows him. We as the “Church” will leave this present earth and be taken through the Rapture and spend our time with the Lord Jesus. When this occurs, as Chafer says, the Spirit will also leave this earth with His “living stones” (those who know the Lord Jesus as Savior). Just because we leave this earth doesn’t mean we lose the Spirit’s indwelling of our lives. This doesn’t mean either that the Spirit will totally leave this earth. To do so would limit God’s omnipresence, thus limiting His ability to be God. This also allows the Holy Spirit to save men during this terrible time of the Tribulation when men will eventually have to bow to the throne of Satan and his Anti-Christ or perish. During this time the forces of darkness will be allowed to come and display their final judgment upon men.

I like the way Chafer laid the course of the Holy Spirit’s ministry here on earth. He states in the Old Testament the ministry of the Holy Spirit was seen throughout the Scriptures as He worked through men of old; however never completely indwelling them. He overshadowed them at periods of time, but never came to live within each. This didn’t happen until after Pentecost. Once Pentecost arrived, men received the indwelling Spirit of God from that day forward. Then after the Rapture, the Holy Spirit will return to His former state as before Pentecost. He explains it in systematic process which makes good sense.

But does it all sound pretty doom and gloom today? To those who reject the saving power of Jesus, this is only the beginning of the terrible story which will lead into eternal suffering and pain. For those of us who know the Lord Jesus as our Savior, it is only the beginning. The beginning of bliss and eternal glory with our Savior… forever! Do you know Jesus today as your Savior? I invite you to trust Him as such. He will change your life forever!

Rightly Related

A CHRISTIAN IS A CHRISTIAN because he is rightly related to Christ; but “he that is spiritual” is spiritual because he is rightly related to the Spirit, in addition to his relation to Christ in salvation. It therefor follows that any attempt to discover the fact and condition of true spirituality must be based upon a clear understanding of the Bible revelation concerning the Spirit in His possible relationships to men. It seems to be the latest device of Satan to create confusion concerning the work of the Spirit, and this confusion appears to among the most pious and earnest believers. The quality of the believer’s life is a tremendous issue before God, and Satan’s power is naturally directed against the purpose of God. Satan’s ends could be gained in no positive error, and thus hinders the right understanding of the divinely provided source of blessing. This general confusion on the Bible teachings regarding the Spirit is reflected in our hymnology. Bible expositors are united in deploring the fact that so many hymns on the Spirit are unscriptural. This confusion is also reflected today in the unbalanced and unbiblical theories which are held by some sects. L. S. Chafer, He That is Spiritual

Each of us are “rightly related” to Christ because of our saving faith. It’s nothing we have done to accomplish this (Eph. 2:8-9) other than to confess that we are sinners standing before a Holy God. Jesus accomplished all that we could ever do in this department; however being rightly related to the Spirit of God is another thing. So what is the difference? Let me give you a real world example…

When each of us accepts the forgiveness of Christ substitutionary death on the cross, we become rightly related to God. We become adopted into the family of God. But children are not always obedient to the parental authority. Children wander and some never return. Some may even lead a life of “doing what they want.” In fact, many commentators state many times the conversion was never real; which I tend to agree with as well in many cases. You see each of us stray from time to time; and that’s where we only are “rightly related” to Christ (through our salvation), but yet not “rightly related” to the Spirit of God, but a child of God always returns. As Chafer mentioned above when he stated, “It seems to be the latest device of Satan to create confusion concerning the work of the Spirit, and this confusion appears to among the most pious and earnest believers.” It is Satan’s intention to “hinder the right understanding of the divinely provided source of blessing.”

You see many Christians have good will toward God, but yet have such a shallow understanding of God and His nature. This is many times spiritual laziness or an inability to find help in areas where help is needed. As a result, poor theology comes forward and is accepted as a norm within daily life. This is where Chafer talks about the concern of Bible expositors concern, for poor writings of hymns and their inability to convey truths from the Word of God, rather than poor theology.

Our solution to this issue is simple. Read and study our Bible. Just because we are rightly related to Christ in salvation; has no bearing on whether or not our faith is growing and real. This is where the Spirit of God comes into the picture. The Spirit of God is waiting for all children of God though; to teach and train them for His work!

“But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.”

John 16:13

The Spiritual Man

But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 1 Cor. 2:10-12

There are two great spiritual changes which are possible to human experience—the change from the “natural” man to the saved man, and the change from the “carnal” man to the “spiritual” man. The former is divinely accomplished when there is a real faith in Christ; the latter is accomplished when there is a real adjustment to the Spirit. Experientially the one who is saved through faith in Christ, may at the same time wholly yield to God and enter at once a life of true surrender. Doubtless this often the case. He That is Spiritual, L. S. Chafer.

One (salvation) is simplistic, childlike one-time faith; the other (spiritual growth) takes surrendered daily faith. Salvation is easy, since God does all the work. We do nothing, other than agonize over our lost condition, and ask for forgiveness and God does the work through saving faith in Jesus Christ. The second is very different though. The “spiritual” man takes spiritual work on our part. In the day of our salvation, God did all the work. In the days of our growth into the “spiritual” man, we need to do a lot of work. During this growth process, we need the help of God and all He can give us in the spiritual realm to help us to grow. Without God’s help, we are only wishful thinking. This process is cultivated through discipleship; and it won’t happen automatically. We need to engage it in a willful manner.

I heard a message concerning discipleship this week by Dr. Tony Evans. He said that some Christians are in their walk with Christ and are crawling; some are walking, and some are running. He said that depending on your rate of speed will depend on the growth factor. He then said this is why it is possible for a young person to become more mature than a chronologically older person. Most people would tell us it is not that big of a deal, but we would never accept that from our children. Concerning our college degrees; some take ten years to complete a four year degree. Why? It is because people choose to take a class a semester and take their time. Although you may one day complete the degree, it may also coincide with your death date.

The Christian growth process is a gradual but intentional process of maturity so one day you may mature and be able to reproduce in another person what had been accomplished in your life. Your life of submission to Christ and purposeful growth is so strong that your example becomes a model for others to follow. This “adjustment” as referred to by Chafer, is that following of the Spirit of God who can only give you the deep spiritual things that allow you to grow to your God-given potential. This is what is called “true surrender.”