THE HOLY SPIRIT

  Do you now resolve and promise, in humble reliance upon the grace of the Holy Spirit, that you will endeavor to live as becomes the followers of Christ?

DEPENDING ON GOD ALONE

"Grounded in God’s Word, Guided by His Spirit, Everything Through Prayer"

We seek the Holy Spirit’s guidance and empowerment to apply and live out His Word in every area of life.

Because we depend on God alone, prayer is the breath of our lives and is constant in all we do, shaping us individually and as a body. 

THE PRIMARY WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

As we saw with the Trinity, God reveals the person of the Holy Spirit progressively throughout Scripture. Wherever he appears, the Holy Spirit creates and inhabits the temple of God. The temple is the place where God dwells and shows forth his glory. The very first “temple” created was the universe, and so the Holy Spirit first appeared at Creation. When the Spirit hovered over the waters (Genesis 1:2), he was creating a natural revelation of the supernatural glory of heaven.

Heaven and earth were established as a holy palace, or a macrocosmic royal residence, of the Creator King. This is why the Psalmist tells us that the heavens declare the glory of God (Psalm 19), and God says, “Heaven is my throne and the earth is my footstool” (Isaiah 66:1). After creating the universe as his macrocosmic “temple,” God created the Garden of Eden as a microcosmic “temple,” and it was the focal point of God’s presence among people until the Fall.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE OLD TESTAMENT

During the ministry of Moses the people of God built the tabernacle and the Holy Spirit came and filled this temple of God (Exodus 40:34–35), showing that this was the place where God dwelled and showed forth his glory. During the reign of Solomon, a stationary temple was built, and the Spirit of God came and filled the temple in the same way (2 Chronicles 5:11–6:2; 7:1–3). When Israel was exiled for continually breaking God’s law, Solomon’s temple was destroyed. The prophets looked forward to the restoration of God’s people along with a promise of a magnificent temple where the Spirit would come to dwell in an unprecedented way (Ezekiel 39:27–29; 43:1–9), and would be poured into the hearts of all God’s people (Ezekiel 36:26–27; Joel 2:28–29). But when some exiles finally returned to Jerusalem and rebuilt the temple, the Spirit did not inhabit it as before.

THE HOLY SPIRIT IN THE NEW TESTAMENT

The incarnation brought the beginning of the fulfillment of the prophetic hope. At the baptism of Jesus, the Holy Spirit descended to earth and dwelled in Jesus, because Jesus was the temple of God par excellence (Mark 1:9–11). The gospel of John tells us that Jesus dwelled, or literally “tabernacled” among us and embodied the glory of God (John 1:14; see also 2:19). Jesus was the “place” where God dwelled and showed forth his glory; the One in whom God dwelled among his people in a new way.

After his death, resurrection and ascension, Jesus poured out the Spirit upon his followers, fulfilling the promise of the prophets that God would pour out his Spirit in an unprecedented way upon his people (Acts 2:1–21). Just as the Holy Spirit inhabited the temple of God in the Old Testament, he now inhabits the people of God to show that this is the place he dwells and shows forth his glory. This is the creation of the Church: we, both individually and corporately, are the temple of God and the dwelling place of his Spirit (Ephesians 2:19–22; 1 Corinthians 6:19–20).

THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT IN SALVATION

Since the Holy Spirit creates and inhabits the temple of God, and since we are that temple, the Spirit is the primary mover throughout the process of our salvation. The Holy Spirit regenerates believers so that we may turn from our sin, exercise faith in Christ and receive the gift of salvation (John 3:5–8; Titus 3:5–7). Because the temple of God is a holy place, the Holy Spirit sanctifies us throughout our lives, making us holy (2 Corinthians 3:18; 2 Thessalonians 2:13), conformed to the image of Christ. In order to do this, he leads us into truth, illuminating our minds and hearts to understand God’s Word (John 14:26; 1 John 2:20, 27; Ephesians 1:17–18); and he produces obedience in us (1 Peter 1:1–2). The Holy Spirit is also the primary mover in creating, inhabiting, and building up the corporate temple of God, the Church (Ephesians 2:21–22). He works to bring about unity in the Church among the individual “pillars” of the “temple” through the manifestation of fruit and gifts.

The fruit of the Spirit

Since all Christians have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them (Romans 8:9–10), all Christians will inevitably bear His fruit. Paul lists the fruit of the Spirit in the context of the freedom we have in Christ, freedom that is meant for serving one another in love rather than indulging in sin (Galatians 5:13–18).

The acts of the sinful nature have to do with broken relationships and disunity in the body of Christ (vv. 19–22), and these acts are the opposite of the fruit of the Spirit. This means that the fruit of the Spirit does not refer merely to subjective characteristics (like “inner peace”), but to attitudes and actions that build relationships and unity in the Church (like “peace with my neighbor”) (vv. 23–26). The extent of the fruit of the Spirit in our lives will be most evident in the way we treat our brothers and sisters, loving one another in the body of Christ.

This is because the fruit of the Spirit is not something we produce independently. Galatians teaches that the Christian life is not about producing fruit for Christ. It’s about Christ producing His life in us by the Spirit. Legalism says, “Try harder to live for God.” The gospel says, “Christ lives in you.” When we forget union with Christ, fruit talk becomes either pressure or pride. But when Christ is the root, fruit is the result, not the goal.

One way to describe what happens when we forget union with Christ is this: we start living like hired workers instead of sons and daughters. A hired worker measures everything by output. Did I do enough? Am I useful? Am I making progress? But a son or daughter works from belonging, not for it.

Galatians is Paul fighting to keep Christians from slipping back into a hired-worker mindset, trying to earn what Christ has already given. Fruit grows best not when we ask, “How am I doing?” but when we rest in, “I belong to Him.” The fruit of the Spirit is Christ's own life being formed in us. The Spirit's primary goal is not to make us impressive, but to conform us to the image of the Son.

The gifts of the Spirit

All Christians will also manifest the gifts of the Spirit, though in varying ways. The Greek word charisma ("gift") is related to the word charis ("grace"). The gifts of the Spirit are concrete expressions of God's grace to the Church. Paul speaks of "gifts," "service," and "activities" together (1 Corinthians 12:4–11), reminding us that the gifts are not badges of spiritual status but manifestations of Christ's life in His people. Through union with Christ and the indwelling Spirit, each believer is equipped to contribute to the growth and unity of Christ's body. The gifts are therefore something we manifest in dependence upon the Spirit, not something we possess as our own. As sons and daughters united to Christ, we do not use our gifts to establish our significance, but to serve one another in love and build up the body of Christ.

Our position at Christ Presbyterian Church differs from many Charismatic traditions regarding certain spiritual gifts, particularly tongues and prophecy. We reject the teaching that speaking in tongues is the necessary or normative evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Scripture teaches that all believers are baptized by the Spirit into Christ and His body (1 Cor. 12:13), and that the Spirit sovereignly distributes different gifts to different believers for the common good and the building up of the church (1 Cor. 12:7, 11, 29–30). The evidence of the Spirit's presence is not found in the possession of any one gift, but in a life united to Christ, bearing the fruit of the Spirit, and growing in dependence upon the Father through the Son by the Spirit.

It is easy to feel in a church that your presence and participation are irrelevant, but Scripture teaches that each believer has been given a spiritual gift to be used for the common good. Your presence and ministry in and through the church is therefore vital to Christ Presbyterian’s ability to be the living temple of God. So, how will you manifest the gifts of the Spirit at Christ Presbyterian?

The Holy Spirit is not merely an abstract concept; He is the active presence of God, leading us into a deeper experience of 'Depending on God Alone.' As those 'Guided by His Spirit,' we recognize His vital role in regenerating hearts, sanctifying believers, and empowering us for witness and service. Our prayers are 'Spirit-led,' and we rely on His continuous presence to live out our faith and fulfill our Kingdom Discipleship.

QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW, THOUGHT & DISCUSSION

1. How is your understanding of the Person of the Holy Spirit enhanced as you consider the progressive revelation of him through the Old and New Testaments?
2. How does the Holy Spirit’s work to convict us of sin and draw us to Christ relate to his primary work of creating and inhabiting God’s temple?
3. As you consider your relationships with others in the body of Christ, where do you see the most room for growth in your bearing the fruit of the Spirit?
4. How have you seen the Holy Spirit manifested in your life?
5. How can you develop your spiritual gifts at Christ Presbyterian Church?