The Holy Spirit Right Now

The Holy Spirit is the third part of the Holy Trinity.  We all know the story of Pentecost, where the Holy Spirit comes to the Apostles.  The goal of this post is to review the purpose of the Holy Spirit, the issue of Sanctification, the sufficiency of the Resurrection, the purpose of the Sacraments and the Spiritual gifts.  As this is an absolutely huge topic.  While there is an overwhelming urge in some to leap to 1 Corinthians to discuss the Holy Spirit, let us instead begin in Acts.

The Holy Spirit is given to Apostles, first by way of introduction in Acts 1, and then in actuality in Acts 2:1-13.  The Spirit comes as if tongues of fire rested on each one of them and they began speaking different tongues.  This is the first reference to speaking in tongues in the Bible.  Read closely what follows in Acts 2:5-13.  They miraculously were speaking the various languages of the Jews from all parts of the world who were in Jerusalem in that time.  What can we say about this?  First, the gift of tongues was an Apostolic gift; it was given specifically to the Apostles.  Second, the gift of tongues means foreign languages in its initial presentation.  Any change in that concept has to be as clearly stated as it is in Acts 2 to alter this perception.

Third, let’s deal with Acts 2:37-41.  In response to Peter’s Pentecost Sermon, Jews ask the Apostles what to do.  The response is to be Baptized in the name of Jesus and to receive the Holy Spirit.  What is absolutely clear in this passage is that the Holy Spirit is conferred upon believers at the time of Baptism.  Acts 2:39 “For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” Now this is huge on a number of levels.  This is a generational promise, to the children of believers.  This is also a promise to those who are far off.  This might be Jews who are geographically far away.  But as we shall see later, Paul has a different idea of what this means; he is referring to the Gentiles.  This is clearly covenant language as well.  Peter is speaking of the promise.  We know from previous study that he is referring to the promise of God to Abraham, manifest in Christ Jesus and now demonstrated in the Holy Spirit indwelling in all believers.  So far, so good.  Not much controversy yet.  Let’s plow on.

Acts 5:1-11 is the story of Ananias and Sapphira.  I am bringing up this account for selfish reasons as well as this being a window into understanding James.  Without a proper hermeneutic to handle this story, it was a very real stumbling block to me in my systemic theology undertaking.  Let’s examine this story.  The couple profess to have true faith.  They withhold a part of their earthly treasure.  Peter accuses them of lying to the Holy Spirit and they are stricken dead.  Does this mean that tithing is not enough, but we have to do as the Apostles did, give up everything and follow Christ?  If that is the case, how do you reconcile Jesus’ teaching about the Law?  Let’s try a different understanding of this passage.  Let’s look at it in terms of true faith, a theme that James will develop in great detail.  This couple did not place their faith in Christ.  They held back, not just their treasure, but their true faith.  By their disobedience, they demonstrated where their true faith resided, in the things of this world.  Since this was a rejection of Grace, Peter merely allowed their death sentence under the Law to be brought forward to the present time in order to instruct on the wages of sin.  This Law passage is not intended to be an instruction concerning tithing or Sanctification.  This is a passage about true faith.  This couple clearly did not have the Holy Spirit indwelling; therefore, Peter did not want them dwelling in and among the disciples. 

In Acts 5:32, Peter again lectures the Jewish leadership after the Sadducees had caused the arrest of the Apostles.  He is saying here that the Holy Spirit witnesses to these things.  This is important, to which things does the Holy Spirit witness?  God raised Jesus, who was killed by the Jewish leadership.  God exalted Jesus to His right hand as Leader and Savior, to give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins. 

Let’s break this down.  The resurrection is the key.  The Holy Spirit is given as a witness to the resurrection.  Jesus is now on the Right Hand of God. (This is an important passage for the arguments against dispensationalism, but that’s for another day.) Jesus is Leader and Savior; He is prophet, priest and King.  That’s pretty much a statement of messiah.  He gives repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins.  Who can forgive sins?  God, therefore, Jesus is God.  Putting this all together: The Holy Spirit witnesses to these Truths: Jesus is God, Jesus is messiah, and proof of these is that Jesus was resurrected and is seated at the right hand of the God.

Therefore, (and remember what “therefore” means,) any reference to the Holy Spirit or spiritual gifts must be thought of in the context of these definitions.  If an interpretation of either is contrary to these passages, then we have not used a proper hermeneutic in interpretation of those later passages.

Let’s switch gears for a moment and discuss Sanctification and the Sacraments.  Sanctification begins with Baptism.  We know this from many sources, but Paul explains that Justification and Sanctification are both external to us, through Jesus alone, and that the elect will be moved by the Holy Spirit to receive these gifts.  So, Paul clarifies the purpose of the Holy Spirit, that is, the Holy Spirit makes us aware of the true nature of these gifts (Justification and Sanctification) and allows us to receive them.  In so far as the Great Commission is concerned, the Holy Spirit in us assists us in the spreading of the Gospel.  The Gospel, again, is the Good News that Jesus is God and messiah, and that the resurrection really happened.   It is not up to us how that message is received.  If the Holy Spirit moves the listener, either immediately or in the future, it is no act of ours, either as speaker or as listener.  It is all up to the Holy Spirit.  The Holy Spirit seeks out the elect and moves them towards the Gospel.

The Sacraments, Baptism and Holy Communion (or the Lord’s Supper), are more than just public demonstrations of faith.  It is clear from Peter, that Baptism is the mechanism to receive the Holy Spirit.  Holy Communion is our covenant renewal ceremony wherein we receive small boosts of Grace that assist us in our Sanctification.   Listening to the Gospel preached to us is the other mechanism in which we receive our Sanctifying doses of Grace.  To what does the Holy Spirit witness?  To the Gospel!  Therefore, the Gospel is not just for the unregenerated or not yet regenerated, but it is also for the transformed elect!  We must regularly hear the Gospel preached correctly and receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion.  The Holy Spirit always reveals that which is past, the external and saving events of the Gospel.  One final note about the notion of receiving Grace: I am not referring to the Roman Catholic notion of discrete, quantifiable doses of grace that contribute to the overall equation of a works based sanctification.  These doses of Grace are more of a continual renewal, like filling up the tank.  This is not meant to undermine justification, but to support sanctification.

OK, now let’s get controversial.  Some of you are Pentecostal and subscribe to a different theology.  It begins with the idea that the Holy Spirit is given after Sanctification and the evidence of receiving the Holy Spirit must be seen in public displays of “spiritual gifts” such as glossolalia.  Expression of such “gifts” is seen as evidence of the person attaining a higher or fuller level of believer.  If a person fails to exhibit one of these higher “spiritual gifts,” they remain a “carnal Christian” and remain in a lower level of Heaven for eternity come Judgment Day.  In a minute, we’ll plow through some key passages, but for now, let’s talk about the logical outcome of this type of theology.  Is the resurrection of Christ sufficient for your salvation?  If yes, why do you need to demonstrate something in the flesh?  If no, then you have just gutted the Gospel.  It really is that simple.  There is no Biblical support for this notion of a carnal Christian.  This theology is oppressive, idolatrous, unbiblical and heretical.  Is that emphatic enough?  Practice flows from theology, not the other way round.

Either Jesus is Lord and Savior, Who was resurrected on the third day, so that He could provide for His elect, through substitutionary atonement, propitiation for our sin, and this was a completely sufficient sacrifice for us and for our salvation; or He isn’t.  You decide.  A negative response is all about you.  It is the only answer you can come by on your own.  A positive response is indicative of the Holy Spirit at work in you.  You could not have truly answered positively otherwise.

Read that last paragraph again.  It is the key to understanding the Holy Spirit.

Now, we are ready to discuss the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  There are a few lists of these gifts and we need to be complete.  They are divided into two types: ministry gifts and spiritual gifts.  All of these gifts are given to us to use for what purpose?  There can be only one purpose: to proclaim and witness to the Gospel.  If the body of Christ has needs, needs that ultimately facilitate this primary end, the answer to those needs will appear within the body of Christ.  These gifts might be as mundane as secretarial skills.  In fact, it is far more likely that these gifts will be mundane.  Exciting, supernatural skills are rarely needed and rarely provided.  Even in the recording of Acts, supernatural gifts faded in frequency.  The expectation of the supernatural is akin to what was asked of Jesus in His trial.  How did He respond?  He said that the sign of Jonah was the last sign they would have.  The next thing Jesus did was not just a sign, it was the whole enchilada: he arose from the dead and walked on this earth again in His glorified and resurrected body.

In order to handle the debate about the more supernatural gifts, these categories are helpful: continuation, dormancy and cessation. Continuation means that the spiritual gifts continue into the present day. Dormancy means that the spiritual gifts are in a period when they are not needed, but that they will return as we approach the Second Coming in the period of the Apostasy.  Cessation means that they have not manifest since the time of the early first century church.  The frequency of the use of these gifts was less frequent as we wind through the book of Acts.  These gifts were specifically offered to the 12 Apostles in Acts 2, a position that is supported in scripture. Throughout Acts, no disciple except for Ananias in Acts 9 has such gifts, and that instance is given not just by the Holy Spirit, but by either the Father or the Risen Lord Himself.  Otherwise, it is only in the twelve that they are manifest in Acts.

Before we plow through the lists, remember the definitions supplied above concerning the purpose of the Holy Spirit.  Any manifestation of a spiritual gift must satisfy those criteria to be authentic.  The Holy Spirit is not going to help you choose friends, win at sports, generate worldly goods or even heal your ailments unless there is a direct and obvious connection to proclaiming the Gospel.  Evangelism is for the unconverted and prophecy is for the elect.  In each of these regards, manifestations of the Holy Spirit will work to proclaim the Gospel.  That is the stated purpose of the Holy Spirit in Scripture in the red letters of Christ.

Ephesians 4 lists the ministry gifts, whose purpose is to "equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ:" Apostles, prophets, evangelists and teachers.  There is nothing particularly supernatural that is translated to the modern era in this list. The Apostles are a specific set of people who had their time and are gone.  Prophets are rooted in time also, but with some allowance given for prophecy near the time of the apostasy.  Evangelists and teachers are not particularly supernatural other than receiving the inspiration of the Holy Spirit through Baptism. These people are tasked with the ministry of the Body of Christ. It can be argued that there are specific offices that are set up to minister.  Paul’s epistles to Timothy and Titus come to mind in this regard.  There is also the idea that every member of the body of Christ is expected to minister.  Is there value to particular offices in the church if everyone is evangelizing and teaching?  Absolutely!  The sacraments are vital parts of the life of a Christian.  In addition, the preaching of the Word from the pulpit is an inspired office that through the Holy Spirit imparts the renewal of Grace to Christians.  While I may attempt to teach, this is not preaching.  These offices in the church are essential in these two capacities.

The arguments for spiritual gifts in the present age are rooted in 1 Corinthians 12-14.  In this passage, Paul is answering a query from the church in Corinth.  We do not know the exact question that was asked, but we can draw a couple of inferences.  First, worship in Corinth had become unruly and disorderly.  Paul was an ex-Pharisee.  He didn’t much like disorder.  Therefore, a good deal of the discussion in this section is about order in the church.

Paul quotes Joel 2:28-31 in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.  The point of this is the context of the idea of prophesy in Joel.  It is clear that the prophesy in this passage concerns the period of the apostasy.  Likely, since this is the modus operandi of Paul to quote OT scripture and reinterpret them in the context of Christ, this passage in Corinthians is meant to chasten the Corinthians.  He is educating them as to the purpose of these gifts.  We’ll come to this idea again at the end of this argument.

Wisdom and knowledge are polemics against Greek paganism. The wisdom and knowledge of Christ is a public knowledge of His resurrection, while the Greek wisdom is hidden.

Concerning healing: we will all be bodily healed on Judgment Day, and this may be the purpose of this passage. In some cases, the causes and outcomes of disease are obvious, and in other cases they remain unknown. The context of healing that occurs both by Jesus and the Apostles in Acts has a couple of distinct features. First, the purpose of these healings is always in order to advance the Gospel. The benefit to the individual who is healed is secondary to the benefit to the whole body of Christ. See verse 7. For the common good means for the body of Christ, not for the individual glorification of any one member of the body. If these same gifts appear to glorify an individual, you can be sure that it is NOT the Holy Spirit operating there. Second, all of these healings are accomplished in a public place, often in view of hostile, non-believing witnesses who have both motive and opportunity to offer contradictory accounts of these events.  Take Acts 3-4 for example. Whether it was Peter or John who did the healing, the point is that it was done very publically. Also, Peter was given an opportunity to advance the Kingdom of God from the event. So, when evaluating healing and any other spiritual gift, ask whether the event in question satisfies these two points.

As Paul winds up his argument in 1 Corinthians 14, in verse 23 he quotes Isaiah 28:11.  Again, the OT context implies a foreign language rather than glossolalia, but that still is not the point.  In 1 Corinthians 14, Paul is completing his argument for order. The last verse of the section cannot be more explicit.  The church in Corinth is in utter chaos. Paul is trying to put things in order. This is not so much an instruction to have everyone speak in tongues, but rather an instruction on orderly worship. And finally, remember my first rule. All gifts of the spirit are supposed to witness to the Gospel. If the gifts cause division within the church, you will know that these tongues are NOT the inspired gifts of the Holy Spirit. God wants order. Paul really is lecturing the Corinthians on order in worship.  Read 36-40.

36 Or was it from you that the word of God came? Or are you the only ones it has reached? 37 If anyone thinks that he is a prophet, or spiritual, he should acknowledge that the things I am writing to you are a command of the Lord. 38 If anyone does not recognize this, he is not recognized. 39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But all things should be done decently and in order.

If this is Paul’s summary of this section, shouldn’t also be ours?  Verses 36-37 are particularly important.  It is the implied “therefore” of Paul.  If you do not accept all of Paul’s teachings, then are you truly a prophet?  Are you really the only ones to whom the Word of God came?  It is an intense section of rebuke when you read the whole passage.  

When watching periods of glossolalia or even simple prayer in some Pentecostal churches, the thing that usually strikes me is the complete lack of orderly worship.  Everyone is speaking different things at once, and it is encouraged.  Remember that the summary of this section of Paul’s Epistle is a rebuke.  There is a large difference between earnestly desiring to prophesy and actually doing it.  Remember what Christ himself said in Acts 1:7-8.

7 He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons that the Father has fixed by his own authority. 8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Holy Spirit is about witnessing to the Gospel; nothing more, and nothing less.  Amen.

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