Xenos Christian Fellowship

Christian Growth
Week 2 – Pneumatology, Part 2 and the Role of Faith in Sanctification

Pneumatology, Part 2: The Holy Spirit's Work in the New Covenant

(John 14:12) "Truly, truly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go to the Father.

(John 16:7) "But I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper shall not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

(2 Cor. 5:5)   Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge.

The New Covenant ministries of the Holy Spirit are usually considered to be the following:

Prior to conversion, the Holy Spirit convicts non-Christians of their need for Christ.

(John 16:8-11) "And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin, and righteousness, and judgment; ⁹ concerning sin, because they do not believe in Me; ¹⁰ and concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you no longer behold Me; ¹¹ and concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged.

(1 Thes. 1:5) ... for our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power and in the Holy Spirit and with full conviction; just as you know what kind of men we proved to be among you for your sake.

At the moment of conversion, the Holy Spirit permanently…

1. Regenerates:

(Titus 3:5) He saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to His mercy, by the washing of regeneration and renewing by the Holy Spirit,

(Ezekiel 36:26,27) "Moreover, I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; and I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. 27 "And I will put My Spirit within you and cause you to walk in My statutes, and you will be careful to observe My ordinances.

2. Indwells:

(Rom. 8:9) However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.

Regeneration and indwelling emphasize the idea of "Christ in you."

The ministries of the Holy Spirit below emphasize you being “put in Christ.”

3. Baptizes:

(1 Cor. 12:13) For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

(Gal. 3:27) For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ.

4. Seals:

(Eph. 1:13,14**) In Him, you also, after listening to the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation-- having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, with a view to the redemption of God's own possession, to the praise of His glory.

(Eph. 4:30) And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.

5. Bestows spiritual gifts

(1 Cor. 12:6-11) And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. ⁷ But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. ¹¹ But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.

God gifts every Christian in a unique way in order to serve God and build up the Body of Christ (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. l2:4-11; Eph. 4:7-12,l6; 1 Pet. 4:l0,11).

(1 Cor. 1:5-7) “... that in everything you were enriched in Him, in all speech and all knowledge, (6) even as the testimony concerning Christ was confirmed in you, (7) so that you are not lacking in any gift, awaiting eagerly the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ...”

Subsequent to conversion, in an ongoing way, the Holy Spirit…

1. Assures us of our salvation

(Rom. 8:15,16) For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading to fear again, but you have received a spirit of adoption as sons by which we cry out, "Abba! Father!" (16) The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God...

(Gal. 4:6) And because you are sons, God has sent forth the Spirit of His Son into our hearts, crying, "Abba! Father!"

(John 14:23) Jesus answered and said to him, "If anyone loves Me, he will keep My word; and My Father will love him, and We will come to him, make Our abode with him."

2. Illuminates the bible’s meaning, significance, and application.

(1 Cor. 2:12) Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, that we might know the things freely given to us by God . . .

(Eph. 1:17-19) (I pray) that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. ¹⁸ I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe. These are in accordance with the working of the strength of His might …

3. Guides us into God's will for our lives.

This leadership consists primarily of personal guidance in the areas of

_________________________ and ______________________________

Empowers us for ___________________________ and

______________________________.

(Rom 8:4,11) . . . in order that the requirement of the Law might be fulfilled in us, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit . . . (11) But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who indwells you…

(Gal. 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.

(1 Cor. 2:3-5) And I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. (4) And my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, (5) that your faith should not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God.

(2 Cor. 3:5,6) Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God, (6) who also made us adequate as servants of a new covenant, not of the letter, but of the Spirit; for the letter kills, but the Spirit gives life.

(Col. 1:28,29) And we proclaim Him, admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, that we may present every man complete in Christ. (29) And for this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me.

(Acts 1:8) . . . but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."

(2 Cor.12:9,10) And He has said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness." Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. (10) Therefore I am well content with weaknesses, with insults, with distresses, with persecutions, with difficulties, for Christ's sake; for when I am weak, then I am strong.

4. Comforts and imparts hope.

(Acts 9:31) So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria enjoyed peace, being built up; and, going on in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it continued to increase.

(Acts 13:50-52) But the Jews aroused the devout women of prominence and the leading men of the city, and instigated a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their district . . . (52) And the disciples were continually filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

(Rom. 5:3-5) And not only this, but we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; (4) and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; (5) and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us.

(Rom. 15:13) Now may the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

(2 Cor. 1:3-6) Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort; (4) who comforts us in all our affliction so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. (5) For just as the sufferings of Christ are ours in abundance, so also our comfort is abundant through Christ. (6) But if we are afflicted, it is for your comfort and salvation; or if we are comforted, it is for your comfort, which is effective in the patient enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer;

5. Enables Christians to be effective in prayer.

(Rom 8:26,27) And in the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

NOTE: These ministries of the Holy Spirit are always available to Christians, but they

are contingent on _____________________________________________________.

The Role of Faith in Sanctification

Introduction

(Gal. 3:2, 3) This is the only thing I want to find out from you: did you receive the Spirit by the works of the Law, or by hearing with faith? Are you so foolish? Having begun by the Spirit, are you now being perfected by the flesh?

(Col. 2:6,7) As you therefore have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in Him, (7) having been firmly rooted and now being built up in Him and established in your faith

What is biblical faith?

Definition:

As it relates to Justification:

(Rev. 3:20) 'Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him, and will dine with him, and he with Me.

As it relates to Sanctification:

John 15:4-12

• Where is dependence on God emphasized?

• Where is cooperative action emphasized?

Therefore the New Testament teaches that…

Indicative & Imperative

The terms "indicative" and "imperative" refer to two different verb moods commonly used by the New Testament authors in their teaching on sanctification.

The mood of a verb describes the degree of certainty of the action. There are four main moods used in New Testament Greek, including:

Indicative:

Imperative:

What does all this have to do with biblical faith?

The indicatives provide the content for the

The imperatives provide the content for the

Relationship 1: Imperatives are based on indicatives

Explanation: What God commands us to do (imperative) is based upon what he has done, is doing, or will do (indicative).

Biblical examples: In the following verses, put (parentheses around the indicative portion), underline the imperative portion, and circle the words that identify the relationship between these two portions (in these notes, between < >).

(Eph. 4:32) Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has forgiven you.

(Rom. 12:1) I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship.

(1 Jn. 4:11) Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another.

(Phil. 2:12,13) So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.

(Matt. 28:18-20) And Jesus came up and spoke to them, saying, "All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. "Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age."

(Heb. 10:19-25) Therefore, brethren, since we have confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Significance of this relationship:

• This also helps us to view God's imperatives properly—not as impersonal orders to be obeyed out of fear and/or duty, but as invitations to experience more of God's love, goodness, faithfulness, redemptive power, etc. 

What does it look like to cultivate dependence?

• Think:
  
  

• Thank:

• Act:

Note:

Relationship 2: Healthy experience flows from active faith

Explanation:

In many cases, our experience of God's blessing follows our willingness to act on the imperatives by faith.

The Biblical order..

• IS NOT:

• IS:

This relationship in action:

(Josh. 3:13-16) “And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the LORD--the Lord of all the earth--set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap." (14) So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. (15) Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water's edge, (16) the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (the Salt Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho.

In the following passages, underline the imperative involved, put (parentheses around the blessing promised), and circle the words that indicate the relationship between these two.

(John 13:17*) If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

(Romans 12:2) And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

(Jas. 1:21-25) Therefore putting aside all filthiness and all that remains of wickedness, in humility receive the word implanted, which is able to save your souls. ²² But prove yourselves doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves. ²³ For if anyone is a hearer of the word and not a doer, he is like a man who looks at his natural face in a mirror; ²⁴ for once he has looked at himself and gone away, he has immediately forgotten what kind of person he was. ²⁵ But one who looks intently at the perfect law, the law of liberty, and abides by it, not having become a forgetful hearer but an effectual doer, this man shall be blessed in what he does.

(Ps. 1:1-3) How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! ² But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night. ³ And he will be like a tree firmly planted by streams of water, Which yields its fruit in its season, And its leaf does not wither; And in whatever he does, he prospers.

Application:

• Acting on imperatives in an opportunity to

Qualification:

• We need to regularly choose
  
  

Qualification:

• We must be willing to step out of ______________________ by taking
  
  ________________________________________________

Qualification:

Conclusion

Memory Verses

Eph. 1:13,14** Christians are normally indwelt by the Holy Spirit the moment they put their faith in Christ

Jn.13:17* Active faith leads to healthy experience

Assignment

Complete the Walking by the Spirit Assignment.

Week 2 Exam Review Guide

1. Know the ministries of the Holy Spirit in the non-Christian’s life, at conversion, and in the Christian’s life.

2. Be able to define biblical faith: A willingness to act according to God’s truth with dependence on him to perform it through you.

3. Be able to define “indicative” and “imperative,” and explain the relationship between them in the New Testament (What God commands us to do [imperative] is based upon what he has done is doing or will do [indicative]).