Perhaps one of the most confusing studies that many New Testament Christians have is about the Holy Spirit. There is great disagreement over the work of the Holy Spirit even among our brethren, so what must we make of this? First and foremost, we must understand that the Holy Spirit is God. He is an equal part of the one Godhead comprised of the Father, Son, and Him (cf. Acts 17:29, Colossians 2:9, Matthew 28:19, 2 Corinthians 13:1). Thus we would conclude that the Holy Spirt is both personal and coeternal.
Part of the confusion that arises over the Holy Spirit is how He works in redemption and sanctification. I hold the position that the Holy Spirit works exclusively through the means of the Word today in redemption and sanctification. Because I hold this teaching, some have misunderstood the position. I have been accused of teaching the Holy Spirit became the Bible. I have been accused of teaching the Holy Spirit is retired and other accusations. This normally is due to the influence of denominational teaching on those who make those statements. In order to understand the work of the Holy Spirit in redemption and sanctification, let's look at a few examples of how the Bible describes the Holy Spirit and the Word as doing the same actions.
Produces Fruit
Galatians 5:22 is a familiar passage when it comes to the fruit of the Spirit. We may have sung songs or memorized the items enumerated as the fruit of the Spirit. All of those things are clearly associated with a Christian who is being led by the Spirit of God. Now what if we examined another letter of Paul inspired of the same Spirit? It is written,
“ We give thanks to God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you, having heard of your faith in Christ Jesus, and of the love which ye have toward all the saints, because of the hope which is laid up for you in the heavens, whereof ye heard before in the word of the truth of the gospel, which is come unto you; even as it is also in all the world bearing fruit and increasing, as it doth in you also, since the day ye heard and knew the grace of God in truth.”
Colossians 1:3-6
The Word is also said to have been the source of bearing fruit in the Colossian brethren. Would it be safe to conclude that both the Holy Spirit and the Word of God are said to have the same ability to produce fruit in the Christian? Yes, that would certainly be so.
Strengthens
Secondly, might we consider that the Holy Spirit is a source of strength for the Christian? Paul wrote, “That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, that ye may be strengthened with power through his Spirit in the inward man.” (Eph. 3:16). This same inspired Apostle said to the Ephesian elders earlier when they departed from one another these recorded words, “And now I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you the inheritance among all them that are sanctified. (Acts 20:32). So we might understand that the Holy Spirit and the Word are both said to provide strength for the Christian as well.
Sanctifies
The Holy Spirit is said to sanctify the Christian. Paul wrote to the Thessalonian Christians, “But we are bound to give thanks to God always for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, for that God chose you from the beginning unto salvation in sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth. (2 Thess. 2:13). Listen to Jesus’ prayer for his disciples shortly before his trial and execution. “Sanctify them in the truth: thy word is truth. (John 17:17). So we could ascertain from God’s Word that the Holy Spirit and the Word are both said to sanctify the Christian.
What we find from these items and many more is that the Holy Spirit and the Word are said to accomplish the same things for the Christian. I would challenge you to consider that the Holy Spirit does this through the means of the word. We understand how God achieves something He is doing by means. Consider baptism and the ark as mentioned in 1 Peter 3. The Spirit saith,
“ That aforetime were disobedient, when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls, were saved through water: which also after a true likeness doth now save you, even baptism, not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the interrogation of a good conscience toward God, through the resurrection of Jesus Christ;”
1 Peter 3:20-21
We all understood it was God who saved Noah and 7 others through the means of water. The water bore the boat, but God was doing the delivering. His means was the water which brought salvation to those inside the boat and condemnation to those outside the boat. In like manner, the water of baptism delivers the sinner into salvation and thus Christ adds that individual to the church(cf. Acts 2:41;47). We understand the means of Christ delivering the Christian is the water. We understand that God did not become the water in the flood, nor does Christ become the water in baptism, but those were and are the divinely chosen means to save men.
In the same fashion, the Holy Spirit utilized the means of miraculous signs and wonders to confirm the Word (cfMark 16:15-20; Heb 2:4). The Holy Spirit did not become a miracle. Today He speaks exclusively from His Inspired Word, and, by the same token, the Holy Spirit did not become the Word. The question we must ask is not if the Holy Spirit operates today. The correct question to ask and answer from the Scriptures is “How does the Holy Spirit work today?” The Scripture teaches He works through the means of the Inspired Word today.
Grace and Peace,
R.D. Beavers
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