Skip to main content

Brief Reflections on our Statement of Faith: #4 The Holy Spirit

Article 4. – The Holy Spirit.

We believe that the Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, omnipresent from all eternity, took up His abode in the world in a special sense on the day of Pentecost. He dwells in every believer, and by His baptism unites all believers into the body of Christ. As the Indwelling One, He is the source of power for all acceptable service and worship (John 14:16-17; 16:7-15; 1 Corinthians 6:19-20; Ephesians 2:22; 1 Thessalonians 2:7).
We believe that the Holy Spirit is involved in various ministries. He restrains evil; convicts the world; regenerates, indwells, and anoints all who are saved, sealing believers unto the day of redemption. We also believe that the Holy Spirit will teach, guide, and enable those believers who are yielded to Him and walking in obedience to the Word (John 3:6; 16:7-16; Romans 8:9; 1 Corinthians 12:13; Ephesians 4:30; 5:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:7; 1 John 2:20-27).
We believe that divine enabling gifts for service are bestowed by the Holy Spirit upon all who are saved. These gifts are given to every believer for the building up of the body of Christ (Romans 8:23; 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-13:13; Ephesians 4:4-16; Hebrews 2:3-4; 1 Peter 4:10-11).

We are told several remarkable things about the Holy Spirit in the Bible, especially the pages of the New Testament. Perhaps the most striking is in John 16:7, where Jesus tells his followers that is better to have the Holy Spirit inside of them than to have Jesus walking beside them. 

Jesus goes on in that same passage to spell out a few of the Holy Spirit's ministries on earth. "He will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgement." Elsewhere, in passages such as Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12, we are told that this same Holy Spirit equips God's people for service. 

There is a lot of confusion, even among Christians, over how we are to understand the work of the Holy Spirit and his role in the world today. But what seems evident from Scripture is that he is primarily working in and through those who trust in Jesus to help everyone see Jesus more clearly. And the way he does this is by enabling Christians to live and act in a way that is increasingly more Christlike. 

 So as we consider the presence and work of the Holy Spirit today, let's focus primarily on what he is focused on: magnifying Christ. This should lead us to feel gratitude that Christ has sent the Holy Spirit to enable and motivate all true worship and service. 

Popular posts from this blog

The Significance of Reconciliation, Colossians 1:21-23

Read more

When Death is Like Noon, Proverbs 4:18

 Audio Link When Death is Like Noon Remsen Bible Fellowship, 10/25/2020 Introduction: But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Proverbs 4:18 In verses 14-19 of Proverbs 4, the Sage is giving his son warnings about the path of the wicked. The wicked, cannot sleep unless they have done wrong; they are robbed of sleep unless they have made someone stumble. Where does this path lead? The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble. The path of the wicked isn’t only wicked, it isn’t only sinful-it’s blindness, darkness, it is stumbling around in a world full of unknowing. But piercing this warning is verse 18 , which gives us a contrasting path. But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until the full day. Wickedness. Righteousness. Darkness. Light. These are familiar images, word pictures, metaphors in the Biblical text.  I ...
Read more

Our Refuge-Giving God, Psalm 46

Our Refuge-Giving God  Psalm 46, RBF Online, 03/22/2020 Introduction: I’m sure at least parts of this Psalm are familiar to you. God is our refuge and strength. Be still and know that I am God. These are phrases often heard in conversation, on coffee mugs, t-shirts, etc. I found it interesting, though, when I read through this Psalm with my kids and asked for their observations, my 7 year old said, “it’s very violent.” And she’s right. Not many children’s story Bibles depict God spraying fire down on chariots or snapping the bows and spears of enemy warriors. So what is happening in the midst of this confusion? How can a Psalm both be violent and comforting? In this Psalm we are going to see three truths about God which have direct implications for our lives. The first one is in verses 1-3. God is Present, so you need not fear. v1-3 - One of the most central questions in my life has been this: can I trust God? - How does the Psalmist answer? God is our refuge and strength, a ...
Read more