THE CHRISTIAN LIFE

A STUDY OF BIBLICAL SPIRITUALITY

Steven R. Cook, M. Div.

The Christian Life: A Study of Biblical Spirituality

2nd Edition

© 2013 by Steven R. Cook.

All rights reserved.  No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior permission in writing from the author, except for brief quotations.

Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotes are taken from the NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE, © Copyright The Lockman Foundation 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1988, 1995. Used by permission.

Printed in the United States of America

Other Books by Steven R. Cook:

- Suffering: A Biblical Consideration

- The Cross of Christ: Sufficient to Save

- Overcoming Evil in Prison: How to Be a Light in a Dark Place

Steven R. Cook, M.Div.

www.christonly.com

DEDICATION

PREFACE

INTRODUCTION

FROM DEATH TO LIFE

SPIRITUAL DISTINCTIONS IN THE CHURCH AGE

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT AT SALVATION

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT AFTER SALVATION

THE BELIEVER’S RESPONSIBILITY

DEALING WITH PERSONAL SIN

THE SIN NATURE, THE DEVIL, AND THE WORLD

MAKING GOOD CHOICES

BIBLIOGRAPHY

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my home Bible study friends.  We’ve had many meals together, prayed together, studied together, and had good biblical discussions.  Your devotion to the Lord warms my heart, and I look forward to our time of fellowship.

PREFACE

The healthy Christian life is the product of good choices rooted in Scripture and never the product of chance.  This is important to understand because every Christian needs to realize that God has provided everything necessary for the Christian to live the spiritual life, he simply needs to learn what those provisions are and walk in them (Eph. 1:3; 5:18-20; Gal. 5:16).  The purpose of this book is to offer basic biblical instruction regarding God’s provision for the Christian spiritual life and to point out that the spiritual health of the Christian is predicated on consistent choices to live biblically as the Holy Spirit leads.

The Bible, plainly interpreted, shall be my guide through this study of the Christian spiritual life.  The primary Biblical passages related to the Christian’s spiritual life are considered.  Numerous publications are cited throughout this work and the reader is encouraged to pursue those resources for further study.  To find spiritual success, the reader must be willing to learn and obey the teaching of Scripture, for knowledge alone is insufficient to effect spiritual change.  We cannot live what we do not know; therefore, we first learn God’s Word that we might daily walk in fellowship with Him and live the Christian life.

On a personal note, my life has been an ongoing spiritual advance with the Lord, and I am very thankful to Him for the many blessings He has bestowed.  God has shown me great mercy and grace, and in His infinite love He plucked me from the ash heap of my own ruin, from a dark place of despair, and gave me hope through His Son who died on the cross in my place and gave me life eternal.  To God alone is the glory!

INTRODUCTION

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. (Eph. 1:3)

…be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father… (Eph. 5:18b-20)

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. (Gal. 5:16)

It staggers the imagination and moves the heart of the believer to think that God has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).  When filled with the Holy Spirit and living by Scripture, the local garbage truck driver brings as much glory to God as the preacher in the pulpit, as does the inmate in prison, or the seminary professor.  Rich or poor, male or female, black or white, God does not discriminate, but gives the Holy Spirit to indwell all who trust Christ as Savior.  After salvation, the humble believer is empowered to live the will of God in every way as the Spirit directs.  Biblical spirituality is the life the believer enjoys when he is in right relationship with God the Holy Spirit as he learns and applies Scripture to every aspect of his life.  All Christians can know and live the spiritual life, if they want to.  It’s a matter of understanding God’s spiritual provisions as they are revealed in Scripture and making good choices to apply them by faith on a consistent basis.

Biblically, the purpose of every Christian is to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31; Eph. 3:21).  We glorify God by surrendering our lives to Him (Rom. 12:1-2), being filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18), walking in the Spirit (Gal. 5:16), and learning and living Scripture as it speaks to our lives (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 2:2).  This is a never ending development as long as we are alive on the earth (2 Pet. 3:18).

The Holy Spirit is working to develop the character of Christ in every Christian, but the world system—created by Satan and perpetuated by those who follow him—constantly pressures the Christian to conform to its pagan philosophies and values.  The Christian must make the daily choice to live for Christ and to let the Holy Spirit guide him according to Scripture.  It will not always be easy (as life rarely is), but it will produce the fruit of the Holy Spirit and a strength and stability that enables the believer to endure worldly storms.  Conforming to worldly values may alleviate sinful pressures, but it also leaves the Christian feeling dark and dirty inside.  We may compromise our faith from time to time, as Peter did (Matt. 26:69-75; Gal. 2:11-14), but God graciously calls us back to a life of love and service to others, just as the Lord did with Peter (John 21:15-17).

There’s no better life than the one lived for Christ; I’m certain of it.  It’s a life of total sacrifice to God for the benefit of others.  Love, honor, respect, and sacrifice are normal virtues to the mature Christian who is living spiritually in accordance with Scripture.  For the Christian, there is nothing higher in life than God and His will.  There is no greater endeavor for the Christian than to know God in every way as He has been revealed through the Bible.

We cannot live the Christian life without first knowing what it is; therefore, it becomes necessary to know God’s Word in order to live His will.  God has clearly revealed Himself and His will in the Bible.  Certainly there are some difficult passages in Scripture, but the Bible is plainly understood for the most part when one reads it like any other book.  God’s Word, therefore, becomes the only source of information for believers who want to live the spiritual life.  The information in this book is intended foremost for those who are saved, possess the Holy Spirit, recognize the authority of Scripture, and are willing to surrender their lives to follow God.  A person must first be born again and made spiritually alive before he can live the Christian life, and this means he must believe in Jesus Christ for salvation and receive eternal life.  The spiritual life assumes a spiritual birth.

FROM DEATH TO LIFE

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. (Col. 2:13-14)

When writing to the Christians at Colossae, Paul reminds them of a time before their spiritual conversion when they were physically alive but spiritually “dead” (Col. 2:13).  Biblically, this is the state of all men who have not trusted Christ as their Savior.  According to Scripture, death means separation not cessation.  Unbelievers are physically alive but spiritual separated from God.  Once they believe in Jesus as their Savior, they are given spiritual life and can then begin their spiritual walk with the Lord.  This was true for the Christians at Colossae, who went from a state of spiritual death to spiritual life at the moment they trusted Christ as their Savior.

Not being in a relationship with God, the Scripture declares unbelievers in very negative terms as “enemies of the cross of Christ” (Phil. 3:18), alienated from God (Col. 1:21), and devoid of the Holy Spirit (Jude 1:19; cf. 1 Cor. 2:14).  It is only at the moment we trust Christ as our Savior that we are given spiritual life and are made “alive together with Him” (Col. 2:13).  This is basic, but we must start here.

According to Scripture, there are two groups of people on the planet: those who are spiritually alive and those who are spiritually dead.  Every person we’ve ever known, currently know, or will ever know, fits into one of these two categories.  That’s it.  There are only these two groups.  Those who have trusted in Christ for salvation are spiritually alive, and those who have rejected Him as Savior reside in spiritual death.

And you [Christians at Ephesus][i] were [before salvation] dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course [patterned values] of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air [Satan], of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience [rebellious unbelievers].  Among them we too all formerly lived [before being saved] in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath [enemies of God], even as the rest [of humanity].  (Eph. 2:1-3)

The apostle Paul does not pull any punches when writing to the Christians at Ephesus about their pre-salvation life.  They were sinners, lost without Christ, and they acted like it.  They were spiritually dead (separated from God), and their fallen nature influenced them to follow the warped values of this world which has been molded and set into motion by Satan.  Paul is writing to us too.  Before our salvation,

We did what came naturally because it naturally fit into the patterns external and internal to us.  This is evidence that we were dead in transgressions and sins and we, with all other people, were children destined for God’s wrath.  It was a vicious cycle that seemed to have no escape.[ii]

People who are spiritually dead lack the capacity to live for God, and because they do not have the Holy Spirit within them, can only follow the sinful nature they were born with.  They may be moral or immoral, religious or irreligious, educated or uneducated, but God and His Word are excluded from having any say over their thoughts or actions as they seek to magnify self and live according to worldly values.  Scripture describes the unbeliever as one who is “devoid of the Spirit” (Jude 1:19), and a “natural man” who “cannot know the things of God” (1 Cor. 2:14).  The unbeliever is dead in his sin and helpless to change his spiritual condition.  Without God, his situation is dark and hopeless.  However, God graciously intervenes and disrupts the life of the unbeliever with the good news of the gospel, and when the unbeliever trusts in Christ for salvation, he is born again and made spiritually alive.  At the moment of faith in Christ, he is adopted into God’s royal family.  That’s grace!

But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were [spiritually] dead in our transgressions, made us [spiritually] alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up with Him, and seated us with Him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the ages to come He might show the surpassing riches of His grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus.  (Eph. 2:4-7)

Though the Christians at Ephesus were at one time “dead” in their sins, God intervened with the gospel, and at the moment they trusted Christ for salvation, He made them “alive together with Christ.”  This life-giving act of God was not performed because of some beauty or worthiness in them, for Paul had already described them in hopeless and desperate terms; rather, it was because of God’s “mercy” and “great love” and “grace” that He acted the way He did.  God never loves or saves men because of any worthiness in them, for if men got what they deserved, they’d all burn forever in the Lake of Fire!  God saves because He is merciful, loving, and full of grace.

Over against the dark picture of human ruin presented in Ephesians 2:1-3, the Apostle now proceeds…to set forth the only existing hope for man, namely, the fact that God is “rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead in sins.”  With full recognition of the depths to which man has fallen, it is nevertheless declared that there is abundant salvation for all who believe: a salvation which so far exceeds the ruin that it not only reverses all that man lost by the fall, but it lifts him up far above his original unfallen state to the highest conceivable position in heaven, there to share forever the fellowship and the glory of the Triune God.[iii]

How did humanity get into a universal state of spiritual death?  Where does sin come from?  Why is the world under the authority of “the prince of the power of the air”?  Why does Paul call us “sons of disobedience” or “children of wrath”?  Why does God need to be merciful and provide us new spiritual life?  What does Jesus Christ have to do with my spiritual life?

The Bible colors our view of the world and provides a true estimation of everything from the divine perspective, as Scripture pulls back the curtain and gives us insight into realities we could never come to know on our own except that God has spoken and revealed them to us.  God’s Word is truth (Ps. 119:160; John 17:17).  Living by faith means we understand, accept, and live in the light of God’s revelation.  To properly understand Paul’s words about sin which he addressed to the Christians at Ephesus—and to us as well—we need to go all the way back to the beginning of everything, to the creation of angels and the universe.  It is only from the basis of biblical origins that we form correct presuppositions about the universe, the world, mankind, history, and the future state of things.

Before anything existed, there was only God, and He is good (Gen. 1:1; Ps. 25:8).  Before the creation of Adam and Eve, God had created an unspecified number of angels and classified them according to rank and service.  Like Adam and Eve, the angels were created with intelligence and volition, and when given a command, had the ability to understand and execute it by an act of the will.  The angels were created to serve God and do His will.  However, we learn through the books of Isaiah and Ezekiel that a high ranking angel named Lucifer chose to sin.  Ezekiel tells us Lucifer had “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezek. 28:12), until his “heart was lifted up” within himself and his wisdom became corrupted, so Satan’s wisdom was turned to foolishness (Ezek. 28:17).  There was no external temptation on Lucifer, but within himself he manufactured sin from the source of his own volition, as he became prideful and sought to live beyond the position God had created for him.  Scripture provides us a glimpse into Satan’s mind, as the prophet Isaiah tells us what he was thinking in his heart.  At the beginning of his foolishness Lucifer declared:

…I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High. (Isa. 14:13-14)

Lucifer sought to live beyond his creaturely limits and supplant the Creator of the universe, thus making himself the lord of everything.  Arrogance can blind godly wisdom and lead to sinful foolishness, as happened with Solomon (1 Ki. 11:1-10).

The first sin took place in heaven, by the first sinner named Lucifer, and the domain of darkness was created (Isa. 14:13-14; Ezek. 28:12-18; Acts 26:18; Col. 1:13).  God did not cause Lucifer to sin, nor did He tempt him in any way, for God “does not tempt anyone” (Jas. 1:13).  In His sovereign wisdom He permitted Lucifer to rebel, but we must be careful to realize Scripture nowhere assigns blame to God for the sin of others.  Sin and evil exist in connection with the willful creatures who manufacture it.  To find the source of all sin and all evil, men need only look to fallen angels and themselves.  Philosophically there are many problems related to the subject of evil; however, the biblical propositions are clear, and we must be careful not to try to force an answer beyond what God’s revelation has provided.  The logical problems associated with the subject of evil do not destroy the propositions of Scripture.  Sin and evil exist because angels and men produce it.

God created Adam and Eve in a state of perfection, without sin, in a perfect environment (Gen. 1-2).  Like the angels, Adam and Eve were created with intelligence and volition.  Adam and Eve had true freedom to serve God and enjoy His creation.  There was one prohibition placed on Adam and Eve, and that was the command not to eat “from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil” (Gen. 2:17a).  The consequence for disobedience was “in the day that you eat from it you will surely die” (Gen. 2:17b).  Scripture reveals that one day Lucifer (who was already fallen due to personal sin) intentionally came into the Garden of Eden and tempted Adam and Eve to disobey God.  The first married couple faced their first test, and they failed us all.  Adam and Eve decided to follow Lucifer’s advice, and by their disobedience to God, expanded the domain of darkness to include the entire human race.  Though both sinned, it was the one act of disobedience by Adam that introduced sin and death into the human race (Gen. 3:1-7; Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22).  Since then, God calls men “to open their eyes so that they may turn from darkness to light and from the dominion [evxousi,a exousia – power or authority] of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18).

All men are born into a world of darkness, into Satan’s kingdom, born in Adam, born in sin.  The minds of all men are spiritually darkened by their sin nature, and their natural propensity is rebellion toward God.  Even after regeneration, men’s minds are not suddenly wise, but still dark from a lifetime’s exposure to all the world’s humanistic philosophies.  Every person born in the world is born into the family of Adam (Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22), spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3), an enemy of God (Rom. 5:8), and powerless to save himself apart from God’s grace (Rom. 5:6; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5).  Jesus is the only person born into this world without the mark of sin (2 Cor. 5:21; Heb. 4:15), and this qualified Him to go to the cross and die a substitutionary death on behalf of sinful mankind (Mark 10:45; Rom. 5:6-10; 1 Pet. 3:18).  Without Christ, mankind has no hope of being delivered from his state of spiritual death and darkness.

I did not choose to be physically born into this world.  I did not choose my parents, siblings, country, or social culture.  My very existence is the product of my parents’ choice to give me life.  I had no say in the matter.  This was true of my parents and their parents and their parents, all the way back to Adam and Eve, who were the first parents on earth.  Biblically, every person born in this world is born into the family of Adam, and this means we are all born physically alive, but spiritually dead.

As previously stated, death means separation and not cessation.  Physical death occurs when the soul separates from the body (Eccl. 12:7).  Spiritual death means the unbeliever is separated from God.  There are two aspects of spiritual death.  First, there is spiritual death in time in which the unbeliever has no relationship with God while he is alive on the earth (Eph. 2:1, 5).  There is spiritual hope for the unbeliever as long as he alive on the earth.  God is now extending His hand to sinners and offering them eternal life and perfect righteousness as a free gift if they will simply trust in Christ as their Savior (John 3:16; 10:28; Acts 16:31; Rom. 1:16; 3:24; 5:6-10; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 3:9; Tit. 3:5).  Second, there is spiritual death in eternity in which the unbeliever has no hope of ever being united with God.  This is terrible beyond description,  as the unbeliever is forever cast into the Lake of Fire and eternally separated from God (Matt. 25:41; 2 Thess. 1:8-9; Rev. 14:11; 20:11-15).  It is the choice of every unbeliever to spend eternity in the Lake of Fire.  Throughout his life he has the opportunity to choose Christ, and as long as he is alive on the earth there is hope of turning to God.  However, at the moment of physical death, all of life’s decisions are forever fixed, and his eternal destiny is cemented.

The majority of unbelievers who reject God don’t like to talk about death and the afterlife.  Why should they?  It’s unpleasant to them.  They’d rather spend their days living in the moment.  Their thoughts are focused on the things of this world, while suppressing the knowledge of God that is both internal and external to them (Ps. 19:1-2; Rom. 1:18-20).  There’s no need to be morbid about death, as one can go too far with the subject, but certainly we must be honest and admit to its sting.  The biblical record is that the sin of Adam has passed on to all his descendants.

When Adam had lived one hundred and thirty years, he became the father of a son in his own likeness, according to his image, and named him Seth. (Gen. 5:3)

Adam’s children were born “in his own likeness, according to his image.”  When reading through Genesis chapter five, we learn that Adam faced physical death just as God promised (Gen. 5:5), but we also learn that Adam’s descendants bear the penalty of their father’s sin (see Gen. 5:8, 11, 14, 17, 20).  The Apostle Paul states this clearly in the New Testament in several places:

Therefore, just as through one man [Adam] sin entered into the world, and death through sin, and so death spread to all men, because all sinned [when Adam sinned]. (Rom. 5:12)

For as through the one man’s disobedience [Adam’s sin] the many [all mankind] were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One [Jesus dying on the cross] the many [those who trust in Jesus for salvation] will be made righteous. (Rom. 5:19)

For since by a man [Adam] came death, by a man [Jesus] also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all [who believe in Him] will be made alive. (1 Cor. 15:21-22)

All of us are sinners because of our relationship to Adam.  Death has come into the world because of Adam’s original sin.  Again, when we think of Adam’s sin, we should realize it brought death upon the entire human race, both physical and spiritual, and that death means separation and not cessation.

Adam’s sin affected the entire human race in three ways.  First and foremost is Adam’s sin which is imputed to every person and is the basis for physical death and condemnation (Rom. 5:12, 19; 1 Cor. 15:21-22; Eph. 2:3).   Second is the sin nature which is the source of man’s rebellious heart and internally tempts him to disobey God (Rom. 7:14-25).  Third is the personal sin a person manufactures every time he yields to temptation (Jas. 1:14-15).  The imputation of Adam’s original sin is what brings condemnation to all humanity, for “it is because of Adam’s sin that we come into the world with a depraved nature and under God’s condemnation (Rom. 5:12; Eph. 2:3).”[iv]

Men are not prone to turn to God, but rather to turn away from Him.  When lost men were confronted with the perfect Son of God during His time of ministry on the earth, it is said of most of them that they “loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).  There were some who turned to Christ for salvation and who became “children of light” (Eph. 5:8; cf. 1:4), but the majority chose Lucifer’s kingdom of darkness, and that’s still true today (Matt. 7:13-14).  By faith alone in Christ alone, the sinner who is positionally in Adam can be born again (John 3:3; 1 Pet. 1:3, 23), and given spiritual life (Eph. 2:5).

For He [God the Father] rescued us from the domain [evxousi,a exousia – power or authority] of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. (Col. 1:13-14)

Scripture teaches that every person is either in Adam or in Christ.  “For since by a man [Adam] came death, by a man [Jesus] also came the resurrection of the dead.  For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ all will be made alive” (1 Cor. 15:21-22).  When a person is positionally in Adam, he is spiritually dead, residing in “the domain of darkness”, and destined for eternal separation from God in the place known as the Lake of Fire (Rev. 20:15).  As stated earlier, every person born in the world (with the exception of Jesus) is born into the family of Adam (Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22), spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3), an enemy of God (Rom. 5:8), and powerless to save himself apart from God’s grace (Rom. 5:6; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5).  The only way out of our terrible state is to be “rescued” by God who alone is able to transfer “us to the kingdom of His beloved Son” (Col. 1:13).  Salvation is from God alone, as man is powerless to rescue himself.

God accomplished our salvation through the work of His Son, Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the most unique Person in all of history, as He is fully God and perfect man at the same time.  The Scripture teaches that Jesus had no human father, but was conceived supernaturally by a work of God the Holy Spirit (Isa. 7:14; 9:6; Matt. 1:18).  The supernatural virgin conception means Jesus did not have the imputation of Adam’s original sin credited to Him, nor did He have a sinful nature that motivated Him to rebel against God the Father.  Scripture plainly teaches that Jesus “knew no sin” (2 Cor. 5:21), and though He was tempted like we are, He was “without sin” (Heb. 4:15).  Jesus is fully God and perfect man, combined together forever into one Person.[v]  As the God-Man, Jesus could not and would not sin, and therefore never participated in the slave market of sin into which all other humans are naturally born.  As the only Man since the fall of Adam to be completely free from sin, Jesus could pay the sin-debt we all owe to God the Father.  God now offers salvation to all who will trust Jesus as Savior.

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh [before being saved], He [God the Father] made you alive together with Him [Jesus], having forgiven us all our transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us, which was hostile to us; and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross (Col. 2:13-14).

By accepting the work of Jesus Christ (who paid our sin-debt to God the Father and satisfied His righteous demands toward our sin), we are declared righteous before God the Father (Rom. 3:24-26; Phil. 3:9).  It is important that we understand that we are declared righteous before God because of the death of Christ and not because of any good works of our own.  Kenneth W. Allen writes:

The grounds of justification are the person and work of the Lord Jesus Christ. He was without sin in His person and conduct and during His earthly life He kept the law perfectly. Having therefore no sins of His own for which He need suffer the penalty of death, He had the right to die on the cross as a propitiation for the sins of the world.[vi]

Merrill F. Unger adds:

Justification is a divine act whereby an infinitely Holy God judicially declares a believing sinner to be righteous and acceptable before Him because Christ has borne the sinner’s sin on the cross and has become “to us…righteousness” (1 Cor. 1:30; Rom. 3:24). Justification springs from the fountain of God’s grace (Titus 3:4-5). It is operative as the result of the redemptive and propitiatory sacrifice of Christ, who has settled all the claims of the law (Rom. 3:24-25; 5:9). Justification is on the basis of faith and not by human merit or works (3:28-30; 4:5; Gal. 2:16). In this marvelous operation of God the infinitely holy Judge judicially declares righteous the one who believes in Jesus (Rom. 8:31-34).[vii]

Jesus gave “His life a ransom [payment for debt] for many” (Mark 10:45).  Jesus’ death on the cross was a payment to God the Father for the sins of the entire human race.  The benefits of the cross are applied to the sinner at the moment he believes in Jesus as his Savior.  Peter tells us “Christ also died for sins once for all, the just for the unjust, so that He might bring us to God, having been put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit” (1 Pet. 3:18).  This is the greatest trade-off in history; the “just for the unjust”.   Christ took all our sin upon Himself, and we can accept His righteousness as a gift when we trust Him as Savior.  What is absolutely amazing is that Jesus died as our substitute, bearing the sin that rightfully belonged to us while we were sinners and enemies of the cross.  Paul declares:

For while we were still helpless [enslaved to sin], at the right time Christ died [as a substitute] for the ungodly. For one will hardly die for a righteous man; though perhaps for the good man someone would dare even to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died [as a substitute] for us. Much more then, having now been justified by His blood, we shall be saved from the wrath of God through Him. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God through the death of His Son, much more, having been reconciled, we shall be saved by His life. (Rom. 5:6-10)

The Scripture states that Christ died for us while we were “helpless”, “ungodly”, “sinners”, and “enemies”.  But now that Jesus has paid the price for our sin, we can have new life in Him and be set free from the penalty and power of sin.  Without the cross, there is no spiritual life and no power to live spiritually.  It is only because of the work of our great Savior that we have forgiveness of sins, spiritual life, and the opportunity to live beyond the slave market of sin and to know blessings that the world will never understand because it remains enslaved to Satan and his kingdom of darkness.  Everyone has the same opportunity for spiritual freedom and blessing; however, most choose to “suppress the truth in unrighteousness” and resist the Holy Spirit’s call to believe in Jesus as Savior (Rom. 1:18; cf. John 16:8-9).  God has made Himself plainly known and provided everything necessary for spiritual life and godliness, but most do not want Him or it, and reject the Son of God as their Savior.  This is spiritual insanity!  But what is the simple solution?  It is the Gospel message.

For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life. For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.  (John 3:16-17)

The gospel is the solution to a problem; it is the good news that follows the bad news about sin.  The good news solution is that “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).  The gospel reveals God’s “love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).

Salvation is completely the work of God, and those saved are the recipients of His grace (Eph. 2:8-10; Tit. 3:5).  The salvation provided by God saves from the penalty of sin (John 5:24; Rom. 6:23; 8:1), the power of sin (Rom. 6:11; 8:13; 2 Cor. 5:17), and ultimately the presence of sin as we will be transformed into new bodies like that of our sinless Savior when we leave this world and get to heaven (Phil. 3:20-21; 1 John 3:2).

Salvation is never what we do for God, but rather what God has done for us by sending His Son to die in our place and bear the wrath for sin that was due to us (Isa. 53).  We are helpless to save ourselves because we are dead in sin (Rom. 5:6-8; 12; 6:23); therefore, salvation comes to us only as a free gift from God (Rom. 3:24; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 3:9; 2 Tim. 1:9; Tit. 3:5).  Jesus paid the price for our sin (Mark 10:45; Rom. 3:25; 1 Jo. 2:2), and we need only to trust Him for salvation (John 3:16, 10:28; 20:31; Acts 16:31).  Good works can never bring salvation.  The Scripture declares:

For all of us have become like one who is unclean, and all our righteous deeds are like a filthy garment; and all of us wither like a leaf, and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away. (Isa. 64:6)

For by grace you have been saved through faith; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God; not as a result of works, so that no one may boast. (Eph. 2:8-9)

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. (Titus 3:5)

God’s provision of salvation is not because of some beauty or worthiness in us, for the Scripture declares that we are all sinners and have fallen short of God’s perfect standard of righteousness (Rom. 3:10-12, 23; 5:12, 17-19).  God, by His grace, treats us better than we deserve.  In grace God offers us eternal life and His righteousness as a free gift, and we need only trust Jesus as our savior to receive it (John 3:16; 10:28; Rom. 10:3-4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9).

He made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that we might become the righteousness of God in Him. (2 Cor. 5:21)

For not knowing about God’s righteousness and seeking to establish their own, they did not subject themselves to the righteousness of God; for Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. (Rom. 10:3-4)

But whatever things were gain to me, those things I have counted as loss for the sake of Christ. More than that, I count all things to be loss in view of the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them but rubbish so that I may gain Christ, and may be found in Him, not having a righteousness of my own derived from the Law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the [imputed] righteousness which comes from God on the basis of faith. (Phil. 3:7-9)

No one ever deserves salvation.  No one can ever work enough to please God.  Only what Christ did on the cross satisfies God’s righteous demands toward our sin (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2).  Too often people ask, “how can a loving God send someone to the Lake of Fire?”  A more biblical question is, “how can a righteous God permit a corrupt sinner into heaven?”  The answer is simple: because God accepts as perfect and righteous the person who trusts in Jesus alone for salvation (Rom. 10:3-4; Gal. 2:16; Phil. 3:8-9).

No amount of human good works can ever satisfy God’s righteous demands toward our sin (Isa. 64:6; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5).  Only the work of Christ on the cross satisfies God’s righteous demands toward our sin (Rom. 3:25; 1 John 2:2; 4:10), and only by faith can we accept God’s gift of salvation which is offered by grace alone to the person who trusts in Christ as Savior (John 3:16; 20:31; Acts 16:30-31).

This study is important because we cannot have a spiritual walk if we’re spiritually dead, enslaved to sin, residing in Satan’s domain of darkness and in rebellion to God.  The work of Jesus Christ regarding our salvation is important because it is the basis for our spiritual life and the necessary foundation upon which the Christian life is built.  As previously stated, without the cross there is no spiritual life and no power to live spiritually.

SPIRITUAL DISTINCTIONS IN THE CHURCH AGE

Once saved, there are three phases to the Christian life: justification, sanctification, and glorification.  Justification is the instantaneous act of God whereby He declares the sinner to be guiltless of all of his sin and perfectly righteous before Him because the righteousness of God has forever been imputed to the believer as a free gift (Rom. 5:17; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9).  Justification before God is possible solely on the grounds that Christ has borne every sin committed by the sinner (Heb. 10:10-14; 1 Pet. 3:18), and as an act of free grace imputes His perfect righteousness to him (Rom. 3:21-26; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9; 1 John 2:2).  Justification is always by grace and never by works, as the sinner is, “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24).

Sanctification is the process whereby the believer moves from spiritual infancy to spiritual maturity over time as he learns God’s Word and makes good choices to live God’s will (Eph. 4:11-16; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2Tim. 3:14-17; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18).  The Christian who advances to spiritual maturity does so only in the power of the Holy Spirit and on the basis of God’s Word daily learned and applied (Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:16; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18).  Sanctification is never instantaneous but is ongoing until the Christian leaves this world and goes to heaven.  Glorification is the final phase of the believer’s salvation experience and occurs when he leaves this world, either by death or by rapture, and enters into the presence of God in heaven.  The Christian never achieves sinless perfection until he is glorified in heaven, at which time his sin nature is removed and he is given a perfect body.

This book primarily deals with sanctification, or what is commonly referred to as the spiritual life.  By spiritual life I mean the spiritual walk or daily relationship we have with God in which we learn about Him through His Word and walk in step with Him as we learn His will.  On a human level, we have a healthy Christian relationship with another person when we learn about them and agree with them on biblical truths and pursue righteousness, mercy, love and other Christian virtues together with them.  This takes time as we get to know the other person and how they think and feel.  Because we love them, we are sensitive to them and care about their thoughts and feelings.  The healthy Christian relationship is built on God’s Word as believers walk together in the same direction to accomplish God’s will.  To walk with someone means we walk in step with them, turning when they turn, keeping pace, and going in the same direction.  This is true of our life-walk with God as well, for it takes time to get to know the Lord, to know what pleases Him, to walk in step with Him, turning when He turns, keeping pace and going in the same direction in which He is going.  The Lord is always the Leader who walks beside me, and I am always asked to follow in step with Him.  It’s the Christian way.

The spiritual life, or spiritual walk, has not been the same in every age.  How believers walked with God in the past is not how they walk with Him today.  For example, God required believers in the Old Testament to live by the Mosaic Law (See Exodus through Deuteronomy), observing special dietary laws (Lev. 11), and sacrificing animals under the Levitical priesthood, (Lev. 4, 16).  However, the Christian living in the dispensation of the church age is not under the Mosaic Law as the rule of life, does not sacrifice animals and does not observe dietary laws (Rom. 6:14; Gal. 5:18).  Rather, every Christian is under “the Law of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2), is a priest to God (Rev. 1:6), offers spiritual sacrifices (1 Pet. 2:5), and is free to eat whatever foods he prefers so long as it’s done in love toward others (Mark 7:19; 1 Tim. 4:3-5; Rom. 14:15, 20).  Concerning the priesthood of every believer, spiritual sacrifices consist of:

1.     The giving of his body for service to the Lord (Rom. 12:1-2).

2.     The sacrifice of praise for worship (Heb. 13:15).

3.     The doing of good works and sharing with others (Heb. 13:16; cf. Phil. 4:18).

4.     The sacrifice of his life for the benefit of others (Phil. 2:17; cf. Phil. 1:21-26).

5.     The walk of sacrificial love (Eph. 5:1-2; cf. 1 Pet. 1:22).

Because every Christian is a priest to God, these spiritual sacrifices should be a regular part of his life as he advances toward spiritual maturity.  No Christian is expected to abide the requirements of the Mosaic Law such as animal sacrifices, tithing, keeping the Sabbath, or observing holy days.  The Christian is not under the Mosaic Law but is under the new system of grace (Rom. 6:14), which has its own standards of righteous conduct for proper living (Tit. 2:11-14).

Israel is not the church and the church is not Israel, though both have specific purposes and glorious futures (Rom. 9:3-5; Eph. 1:12; 5:27).  Paul draws a clear distinction between Israel and the church when he writes, “Give no offense either to Jews or to Greeks or to the church of God” (1 Cor. 10:32).  God is currently working through the church to accomplish His purposes in the world today, but He has purposes and plans for Israel in the future.  It is important to realize: the distinctions between Israel and the church are based on a normal and consistent interpretation of the Bible.

The Plain Interpretation of Scripture

When a person writes, he does so with the assumption that language serves as a reliable vehicle for the expression of ideas.  This is true for someone who writes a letter or an author who writes a book.  The words on the page transmit the thoughts from the mind of the writer to the mind of the reader.  You make the same assumption with others around you, when you communicate to a friend, family member or coworker.  We assume the normal use of language all the time, as we read words on highway signs and medicine bottles, on food packages and work documents.  Written language is everywhere and, for the most part, we read it plainly, taking the words for their normal meaning.  Good grammar helps with clear communication.  Of course, writing is only one means of communicating with others, as we may talk, use facial gestures, sign language, etc.

Though the Bible was written by men who used their own language, vocabulary and writing style, its ultimate Author is God.  The Bible has nearly forty human authors who wrote over a period of time spanning approximately sixteen hundred years; but behind each human author was the divine Author who communicated His thoughts through them and superintended their writings so that what they wrote is without error in their autographs.  This is called the doctrine of verbal plenary inspiration, which means that every portion of Scripture, though penned by men who used their own choice of words and writing style, accurately communicated God’s thoughts to mankind.  God spoke through men and used their language and literary style to reveal Himself, His work in the universe, His will for mankind, His plan for history, and His work of salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ.  In all this, we must be absolutely clear that the Bible claims to be, “the word of God” (1 Thess. 2:13).

For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe. (1 Thess. 2:13)

All Scripture is inspired by God [theopneustos – lit. God-breathed] and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work. (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

But know this first of all, that no prophecy of Scripture is a matter of one’s own interpretation, for no prophecy was ever made by an act of human will, but men moved [phero – carried along by another] by the Holy Spirit spoke from God. (2 Pet. 1:20-21)

When I read the Bible, I read it in a normal literal manner like I would any other book.  I take the words in a normal way assuming the author intended only one meaning when he wrote to his original audience.  There are some pastors and teachers who advocate a nonliteral, non-grammatical, non-historical reading of the Bible, but in doing so they strip the author of having authority over the meaning of his words.   A nonliteral reading of the Bible opens the floodgates of speculation and allows the imagination of the reader to make the Bible say whatever he wants it to say.  I’ve sometimes wondered if liberal teachers would get upset if their books were read in a nonliteral way.

When driving on the highway, we assume the literal meaning of the words written on traffic signs.  The words written on traffic signs help us know where to enter the freeway and where to exit, and they help us get to our destination in a safe and often timely manner.  By law, every driver on the highway is required to understand the language written on the signs and to obey the laws communicated to him.  The driver is not free to interpret the signs any way he pleases, and failure to obey the laws can result in serious harm to oneself and/or others.  Nonliteral interpretations can get us into trouble in many areas of life, including a nonliteral reading of our taxes, marriage vows, legal contracts, etc.  Yet, it’s surprising that many people feel free to read the Bible nonliterally.  The consequences are eternal.

If one does not use the plain, normal, or literal method of interpretation, all objectivity is lost.  What check would there be on the variety of interpretations that man’s imagination could produce if there were not an objective standard, which the literal principle provides?  To try to see meanings other than the normal one would result in as many interpretations as there are people interpreting.[viii]

When I read the Bible in a normal way, I assume the regular use of language that keeps me from fanciful interpretations.  By paying attention to the grammar and history of the Bible, I’m better able to understand what each human author intended when he wrote to his original audience.  What I’m referring to is commonly called the grammatical-historical method of interpretation.  The grammatical-historical method of interpretation means the Christian reads the Bible in a plain manner, paying attention to the normal rules of grammar and the meaning of words as they were commonly used in their historical setting.  It pays attention to the rules of grammar employed by an author when he wrote to his original audience.[ix]  Dispensationalists are the most consistent in the application of the grammatical-historical method of interpretation.

Dispensationalists claim their principle of hermeneutics is that of literal interpretation.  This means interpretation that gives to every word the same meaning it would have in normal usage, whether employed in writing, speaking, or thinking.  It is sometimes called the principle of grammatical-historical interpretation since the meaning of each word is determined by grammatical and historical considerations.  The principle might also be called normal interpretation since the literal meaning of words is the normal approach to their understanding in all languages.  It might also be designated plain interpretation so that no one receives the mistaken notion that the literal principle rules out figures of speech.  Symbols, figures of speech, and types are all interpreted plainly in this method, and they are in no way contrary to literal interpretation.  After all, the very existence of any meaning for a figure of speech depends of the reality of the literal meaning of the terms involved.[x]

Most of the Bible is simple narrative, stories of how God has acted in history and in the lives of people.  As I read the Bible, I also discover psalms, proverbs, figures of speech, poetry, symbols, parables and other forms of literary expression that were employed by the human authors as they wrote under the divine inspiration of God the Holy Spirit (1 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 3:16-17; 2 Pet. 1:20-21).  Certainly there are some passages in the Bible that are difficult to understand, but after reading through it, I find about 95% of it easy to understand.  When reading through the Bible, a good general rule to follow is:

When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense; therefore, take every word at its primary, ordinary, usual, and literal meaning unless the facts of the immediate context, studied in the light of related passages and axiomatic and fundamental truths, clearly indicate otherwise.[xi]

Spiritual Distinctions

When the Christian reads the Bible in a normal and consistent manner, it leads to the conclusion that there are dispensational distinctions that directly impact how we live our spiritual life.  Understanding dispensational distinctions helps the Christian advance to spiritual maturity and to enjoy God’s blessings.  Failure to understand dispensational distinctions can be disastrous for the Christian, as he might mistakenly try to live the Mosaic Law which was given to Israel rather than the Law of Christ which is given to the church.  The word dispensation is derived from “the Greek word oikonomia, which means ‘stewardship.’ This word is used in Luke 16:2, 3, 4; 1 Cor. 9:17; Eph. 1:10; 3:2, 9; Col. 1:25; 1 Tim. 1:4.”[xii]

Dispensationalism is a system of interpretation that seeks to establish a unity in the Scriptures through its central focus on the grace of God. Although dispensationalists recognize differing stewardships or dispensations whereby man was put under a trust by the Lord, they teach that response to God’s revelation in each dispensation is by faith (salvation is always by grace through faith). Dispensationalists arrive at their system of interpretation through two primary principles: (1) maintaining a consistently literal method of interpretation, and (2) maintaining a distinction between Israel and the church.[xiii]

The two main points mentioned above are very important to keep in mind.  The first being the consistent literal method of biblical interpretation, and the second being the distinction between Israel and the church.  The first necessarily leads to the second.  As one holds to a consistent literal method of interpretation of the Bible, there is naturally born out in one’s theology a distinction between these two people of God; and be assured, Israel and the church are both the people of God with specific hopes and glorious futures.  Both are the people of God, but both must be kept distinct in our thinking, as the Bible itself draws a distinction (1 Cor. 10:32).

Dispensationalism is nowhere more distinctive than in its doctrine of the church. Dispensationalists hold that the church is entirely distinct from Israel as an entity. This is argued from several points. (1) The church was a mystery, unknown in the Old Testament (Eph. 3:1–9; Col. 1:26). (2) The church is composed of Jews and Gentiles; the Gentiles being fellow-heirs with Jews without having to become Jewish proselytes—something that was not true in the Old Testament (Eph. 3:6). This issue was resolved in Acts 15 when the Judaizers attempted to put Gentiles under the law. (3) The church did not begin until Acts 2. It is the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit that unites believers with Christ and one another, making up the church (1 Cor. 12:13). That work was still future in Acts 1:5, but in Acts 11:15 it is clear that it began in Acts 2, establishing the birth of the church. Dispensationalists also believe that the church will conclude its existence upon the earth at the rapture, prior to the Tribulation (1 Thess. 4:16). (4) The church is consistently distinguished from Israel in the New Testament (1 Cor. 10:32).[xiv]

The church is not Israel, but is made up of both Jews and Gentiles who have trusted in Jesus as Savior (1 Cor. 10:32; 15:3-4; Gal. 3:26-28).  Understanding some of these dispensational distinctions is important for the Christian to rightly acclimate to the spiritual blessings that are his while living in the church age.  The Christian is endowed with unique spiritual blessings that were not common to believers living in previous ages.  As a fact of Scripture, every believer in the church age is personally indwelt by the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation and can be filled with the Spirit on an ongoing basis; in contrast, however, when the Mosaic Law was in effect as the rule of life, only some people received the Holy Spirit (Ex. 31:3; Num. 11:25; 27:18; 1 Sam. 16:13), and those few who did could have the Spirit taken from them as a means of divine discipline, though they did not forfeit their salvation (Jud. 16:20; 1 Sam. 16:14-16; Ps. 51:11).  Regarding this truth, Robert Lightner states:

In Old Testament times the Spirit’s indwelling appears to have been selective and temporary. He is said to have been “in” certain individuals (e.g., Gen. 41:38; Dan. 4:8). The same Spirit came “upon” many (e.g., Judg. 3:10; 1 Sam. 10:9–10). He also “filled” some (e.g., Exod. 31:3; 35:31). Apparently the Spirit could be withdrawn (Judg. 16:20).[xv]

Merrill F. Unger agrees:

In Old Testament times the Spirit sovereignly came upon a few. Warriors, kings, prophets, and mighty men were temporarily filled to perform some special task, such as Gideon (Judg 6:34), Amasai (1 Chron. 12:18), Samson (Judg 14:6), and Saul (1 Sam 16:13). Pentecost, however, marked a new era in which every believer, no matter how poor, humble, or obscure, might be constantly “filled with the Spirit.” This is the reason for the stress upon the infilling (Acts 2:4). What warriors, kings, prophets and mighty men then enjoyed only temporarily can now be enjoyed by every believer constantly (Acts 2:17–18).[xvi]

When the prophet Samuel anointed David as king over Israel, it is declared that “the Spirit of the LORD came mightily upon David from that day forward” (1 Sam. 16:13).  King Saul, due to his disobedience to the Lord’s commands, came under divine discipline, and “the Spirit of the LORD departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the LORD terrorized him” (1 Sam. 16:14).  We are not to conclude that king Saul forfeited his salvation at the moment the Holy Spirit was taken from him, for David makes clear that Saul remained “the LORD’s anointed”, though Saul continued under divine discipline until the day of his death (1 Sam. 24:6, 10; 2 Sam. 1:14-16).

The Holy Spirit has not ministered the same way to believers in every age.  Failure to understand this can result in misunderstanding and misapplication of Scripture, resulting in confusion.  For example, too many Christians living in the church age have read and prayed after David, “do not take Your Holy Spirit from me” (Ps. 51:11b); failing to understand that what was true for David at his time in history is impossible for us.  David could have the Holy Spirit taken from him as an act of divine discipline if he strayed too far from the will of God, as happened to Saul before him (1 Sam. 16:14-16).  But this can never happen to the believer living in the church age, as we are permanently indwelt and sealed with the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30).  We can grieve and/or quench the Holy Spirit, but He is not taken away from us due to personal sin (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19).  We can suffer divine discipline for our sinfulness (Heb. 12:5-11), but we cannot grieve the Spirit of God away.

It’s obvious from reading the Old Testament that the Holy Spirit was limited to certain believers, but we are not given the reason why it was that way.  Toward the end of Jesus’ ministry on earth He told His disciples that the Holy Spirit would—in their near future—come to be with them in a new and special way, as the Holy Spirit would dwell in them.  The unique coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost was revolutionary and would mark a major turning point in human history.  From the day of Pentecost onward the Holy Spirit would indwell every believer.  Before the Day of Pentecost, Jesus told His disciples:

I will ask the Father, and He will give you [future tense] another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be [personally residing] in you.  (John 14:16-17)

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

But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will [future tense] guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. (John 16:13)

God the Holy Spirit is omnipresent like all the members of the Trinity (Ps. 139:7-12).  However, just as Jesus came into the world at a certain time in history to perform a special ministry (John 1:1, 14, 18), so God the Holy Spirit came into the world on the day of Pentecost in a special way to personally and permanently indwell every believer and to form the body of Christ, which is the church (Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30).  Jesus used future tense verbs when speaking to His disciples and made it clear that the Holy Spirit was going to do something special in history that had not happened before (John 14:16-17; 16:7, 13; Acts 1:4-5).  Jesus spoke to the disciples about this special ministry of the Holy Spirit just moments before His ascension into heaven; in fact, it was His last words to them before leaving earth.

Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, “Which,” He said, “you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be [future tense] baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.”  (Acts 1:4-5)

The Holy Spirit began His special ministry in the world on the day of Pentecost, when He came upon the disciples in an obvious and supernatural way.  The day of Pentecost marked a new dispensation in which God the Holy Spirit relates to believers differently than ever before.  The special indwelling and sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit to believers began on the day of Pentecost and will last until the end of the church age, when the church is raptured to heaven by the Lord Jesus (John 14:1-3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; Tit. 2:13).

The Spirit made His advent into the world here to abide throughout this dispensation.  As Christ is now located at the right hand of the Father, though omnipresent, so the Spirit, though omnipresent, is now locally abiding in the world, in a temple, or habitation, of living stones (Ephesians 2:19-22).  The individual believer is also spoken of as a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19).  The Spirit will not leave the world, or even one stone of that building until the age-long purpose of forming that temple is finished…The Spirit came on the Day of Pentecost and that aspect of the meaning of Pentecost will no more be repeated than the incarnation of Christ.  There is no occasion to call the Spirit to “come,” for He is here.[xvii]

Acts chapter 2 marks a turning point in the Bible.   From Acts chapter 2 onward, God the Holy Spirit personally involves Himself with every believer in a new way.  It can be said of every Christian that God the Holy Spirit brings about his spiritual birth (John 3:3, 6-7; cf. 1 Pet. 1:2-3, 23), indwells him (1 Cor. 3:16; 6:19), baptizes him into union with Christ (1 Cor. 12:13), and seals him with Himself (Eph. 1:13; 4:30).  These spiritual blessings are completely the work of the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the Christian and occur at the moment he trusts Jesus as his Savior.  Beyond these, it is said that God has blessed us, “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:3).  This language was never used of God’s people in the Old Testament, but is used only for the Christian in the New Testament.

The Law of Moses and the Law of Christ

Salvation by God has remained the same in every age (by grace through faith); however, the spiritual life has changed over time, as God the Holy Spirit has related differently to believers in different ages, and has established different provisions and rules by which the believer is to live.  For example, the Mosaic Law—which came into effect around 1445 B. C.—was the rule of life for Israel for almost fifteen hundred years until Jesus obeyed and fulfilled it perfectly (Matt. 5:17-18).  Jesus was Himself under the Mosaic Law (Gal. 4:4)—as it was the rule of life during His ministry on the earth—and He followed its directives and commanded others to do the same (Matt. 5:19; 8:4; 23:1-3).  However, after Jesus fulfilled the Mosaic Law, He set it aside and made it “obsolete” when He instituted the New Covenant (Heb. 8:13; cf. Luke 22:20; 1 Cor. 11:25; 2 Cor. 3:6; Heb. 9:15; 12:24).  The church age believer is “no longer under law, but under grace” as a rule of life (Rom. 6:14; cf. Gal. 5:1-4), and now abides by “the Law of Christ” with greater spiritual provisions than saints who lived under the Mosaic Law (1 Cor. 9:21; Gal. 6:2).

Dispensationalism believes that the Law of Moses is no longer the rule of life…The Law was temporary till the seed should come.  This seed was the Messiah Who now has come and, since He has now come, the law has come to an end...The physical “redemption from Egypt” was a type of the “spiritual redemption from sin.”  Just as the redemption from Egypt created the need for a rule of life, the redemption from sin also created the need for a rule of life.  The former rule of life was “the teaching of the law.”  The new rule of life is “the teaching of grace.”  This is also known as the Law of Christ.  The point is that the latter displaced the former.[xviii]

Paul stated the church age believer is “no longer under law, but under grace” (Rom. 6:14; cf. Gal. 5:1-4).  Grace is the rule of life for the Christian.  Though rendered inoperative as a rule of life, the Mosaic Law can be used to teach such things as God’s holiness, man’s sinfulness, the need for atonement, and the ultimate need for men to trust in Christ for salvation (Rom. 3:10-25; 5:20; 10:1-4).  All Scripture is for us, though not all Scripture is to us (1 Cor. 10:11).  Regarding our being under grace, Henry Thiessen states:

The believer has been made free from the law, but liberty does not mean license. To offset this danger of antinomianism, the Scriptures teach that we have not only been delivered from the law, but also “joined to another, to Him who was raised from the dead, that we might bear fruit for God” (Rom. 7:4). We are thus not “without the law of God but under the law of Christ” (1 Cor. 9:21; cf. Gal. 6:2). Freedom from law should not result in license, but love (Gal. 5:13; cf. 1 Pet. 2:16). The believer is, consequently, to keep his eyes on Christ as his example and teacher, and by the Holy Spirit to fulfill his law (Rom. 8:4; Gal. 5:18).[xix]

Being under the grace-system does not mean the believer is without law and can therefore sin as he pleases (Rom. 6:14-16; Titus 2:11-12).  The New Testament speaks of “the perfect law of liberty” (Jam. 1:25), “the royal law” (Jam. 2:8), the “Law of Christ” (Gal. 6:2), and “the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 8:2).  Writing about “the Law of Christ” in Galatians 6:2, Thomas Constable states:

The law of Christ is the code of commandments under which Christians live. Some of the commandments Christ and His apostles gave us are the same as those that Moses gave the Israelites. However this does not mean that we are under the Mosaic Code. Residents of the United States live under a code of laws that is similar to, but different from, the code of laws that govern residents of England. Some of our laws are the same as theirs, and others are different. Because some laws are the same we should not conclude that the codes are the same. Christians no longer live under the Mosaic Law; we live under a new code, the law of Christ (cf. 5:1).[xx]

Just as the Israelite living under the Mosaic Law had a clear body of Scripture to which he could look for guidance in day to day living (i.e. Ex. 20-Deut. 28), so the Christian has a clear body of Scripture that guides him (Rom. 1 through Rev. 3).  To understand God’s will, the Christian should think and live according to the “Law of Christ” as it is revealed in the New Testament (Gal. 6:2).  Some of the commands from the Mosaic Law have carried over into the “Law of Christ” (e.g. no other gods, honor father and mother, etc.), but most have been abrogated (e.g. slavery laws, tithing, sacrificial system, dietary laws, etc.), and there are some new commands (e.g. do not grieve Holy Spirit, do not quench Holy Spirit, love as Christ loved, etc.).  These distinctions are very important to understand if the believer is to live God’s will in every particular and glorify Him both in time and eternity.  The following quote by Arnold Fruchtenbaum states the matter well:

The Law of Moses has been disannulled and we are now under a new law. This new law is called the Law of Christ in Galatians 6:2 and the Law of the Spirit of Life in Romans 8:2. This is a brand new law, totally separate from the Law of Moses. The Law of Christ contains all the individual commandments from Christ and the Apostles applicable to a New Testament believer. A simple comparison of the details will show that it is not and cannot be the same as the Law of Moses. Four observations are worth noting. First, many commandments are the same as those of the Law of Moses. For example, nine of the Ten Commandments are also in the Law of Christ. But, second, many are different from the Law of Moses. For example, there is no Sabbath law now (Rom. 14:5; Col. 2:16) and no dietary code (Mark 7:19; Rom. 14:20). Third, some commandments in the Law of Moses are intensified by the Law of Christ. The Law of Moses said: love thy neighbor as thyself (Lev. 19:18). This made man the standard. The Law of Christ said: love one another, even as I have loved you (John 15:12). This makes the Messiah the standard and He loved us enough to die for us. Fourth, the Law of the Messiah provides a new motivation. The Law of Moses was based on the conditional Mosaic Covenant and so the motivation was: do, in order to be blessed. The Law of Christ is based on the unconditional New Covenant and so the motivation is: you have been and are blessed, therefore, do. The reason there is so much confusion over the relationship of the Law of Moses and the Law of Christ is that many commandments are similar to those found in the Mosaic Law, and many have concluded that certain sections of the law have, therefore, been retained. It has already been shown that this cannot be the case, and the explanation for the sameness of the commandments is to be found elsewhere…The same is true when we compare the Law of Christ with the Law of Moses. There are many similar commandments. For example, nine of the Ten Commandments are to be found in the Law of Christ, but this does not mean that the Law of Moses is still in force. The Law of Moses has been rendered inoperative and we are now under the Law of Christ. There are many different commandments; under the Law of Moses we would not be permitted to eat pork, but under the Law of Christ we may. There are many similar commandments, but they are nonetheless in two separate systems. If we do not kill or steal today, this is not because of the Law of Moses but because of the Law of Christ. On the other hand, if I steal, I am not guilty of breaking the Law of Moses but of breaking the Law of Christ.[xxi]

The Christian living under the Law of Christ has both positive and negative commands that direct his life.  Where the Scripture does not provide specific commands, it gives divine principles that guide the Christian’s walk (i.e. to walk in love, to glorify God in all things, to pray always, to give thanks in everything, etc.).  Specifically, as mentioned before, we look primarily to the books of Romans 1 through Revelation 3 to guide us in our spiritual walk.  Revelation chapter 4 and following pertain to prophetic events that follow after the Church Age (such as the Tribulation, Second Coming of Christ, Millennial Kingdom, New Heaven and Earth, etc.).

The four Gospels tell us about the life, ministry, substitutionary atoning work and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  However, they reveal Jesus’ life as under the Mosaic Law (Matt. 5:17-19; Gal. 4:4); therefore, most of His teachings and commands in the Gospels speak more directly to believers living under the Mosaic Law than to believers living in the Church age (e.g. Matt. 5:19; 8:4; 23:1-3).  For example, in the Gospel of Matthew, after healing a man of leprosy, Jesus told him, “See that you tell no one; but go, show yourself to the priest and present the offering that Moses commanded, as a testimony to them” (Matt. 8:4).  Being under the Mosaic Law Himself, Jesus had to tell that man to obey the Law and offer the necessary sacrifice (Lev. 14:1-10).  Today, if Jesus were to heal a man of leprosy He would not command him to offer an animal sacrifice according to the Mosaic Law, because the Mosaic Law has been fulfilled and is no longer in effect.  The book of Acts is historical, giving descriptive information, but not necessarily prescriptive instruction.  It tells us what the early church did, but sets forth no commands as far as what the church should do today.  It provides a model for the church, but there is flexibility for adaptation and growth.

Living spiritually in the church age means we understand what God has provided for us, expects from us, and that we do not confuse His current provisions and plan with what He did with the nation of Israel under the time of the Mosaic Law.  God will, in the future, change His spiritual program again when He begins to work with His people Israel during the millennial reign of Christ after the church is raptured to heaven.  The spiritual life during the future millennial kingdom will be different than what it is today.  The Christian living in the church age looks to the New Testament to understand what God has provided for him, and to understand how he is to live the spiritual life.  The following chapters provide some insights into what God is doing in His church today, and this will help the Christian orient to God’s plan for him.

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT AT SALVATION

I came to trust Christ as my Savior when I was about eight years of age.  I’d heard the gospel several times in church, but it was my grandmother who led me to Christ through her teaching and lifestyle.  She used to read the Bible to me on a regular basis and helped me memorize chapters of the Psalms when I was young.  I can still recall sections of the Bible from those days.  Salvation for me did not rest in an experience, but in the truth that Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again the third day according to what the Scripture said (1 Cor. 15:3-4).  I had heard the words of Scripture, and as a child with simple faith, I believed it to be true.  I trusted Christ to save me (John 3:16).  After I was saved, I learned Scripture to help me grow spiritually.

Sola Scriptura is the teaching that Scripture alone is the basis for Christian faith and conduct.  Specific knowledge of God and His will are found in the Bible alone.  No man, regardless of his education, credentials or background, can speak with higher authority than Scripture.  Even the human writers of Scripture, whether they were Prophets or Apostles, were bound by the divine message given through them (see Gal. 1:8-9).  The biblical messenger was always subordinate to the message itself, being that it was from God, and His authority is absolute.  Certainly God has given spiritually gifted men to the church for its edification (Eph. 4:11-13).  They are not to be followed blindly, but are to be checked by the Word of God.  When the apostle Paul preached to the Jews at Berea, “they received the word with great eagerness, examining the Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so” (Acts 17:11).  After examining the Scripture and determining that what Paul was preaching was true, “many of them believed, along with a number of prominent Greek women and men” (Acts 17:12).  They heard Paul’s message, they examined the Scripture and found his message to be true, and then believed what they heard about Christ and were saved.

As I write this book, I’m mindful that my teaching is established on the Bible.  I’m including Scripture, so the reader can verify for himself what is being taught.  I quote other Bible teachers, but only those men who have a high regard for God’s Word, believing it to be verbally inspired and infallible.  All of this is important, because the Christian who grows spiritually must build his Christian life on the truth of God’s Word (1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18).

One of the marks of a maturing Christian is that he will search the Word of God for himself to verify the teaching of God’s gifted teachers.  I love many gifted teachers in the church today (Charles Ryrie, John MacArthur, Arnold Fruchtenbaum, John Piper, Charles Clough, Francis Schaeffer, Lewis Chafer, etc.), but I regard them all as fallible men who handle God’s infallible Word.  There is no Christian teacher with whom I agree 100%, not even myself (I just don’t know it yet).  The Bible alone is absolutely true and it stands as the final authority to judge the teachings of all men.  My own theology has changed over the years because God’s Word corrects me the more I study (2 Tim. 2:15).  This is part of growing spiritually.

My spiritual growth is based on biblical teaching and not how I feel, or how my circumstances are going from one moment to the next.  Feelings and circumstances are unstable, but God’s Word is trustworthy.  As the believer matures, he comes to a place where God’s Word is more real to him than his feelings or circumstances.  This is the life of faith based on the Word of God (Rom. 10:17; Heb. 11:6).

The Bible teaches that our spiritual life is predicated on a specific work performed by the Holy Spirit at the moment we believe in Jesus as our Savior.  To be clear, all three members of the Trinity participate in giving us our new life at the very moment we trust in Jesus as our Savior (John 3:3-6; 10:28; 1 Pet. 1:3).  However, in the church age, God the Holy Spirit is accorded recognition as performing certain actions for the benefit of the believer at the moment of salvation.  What the Holy Spirit accomplishes for the believer at the moment of salvation is instantaneous and complete, never to be repeated.  These actions by the Holy Spirit start the believer on his spiritual journey, making his Christian walk possible.  Of the many activities of the Holy Spirit in the life of the believer, the following five are of significant theological import.

1)  The Regenerating Work of the Holy Spirit

God the Holy Spirit (with the Father and the Son) causes us to be born again (John 3:6; Tit. 3:5; cf. John 10:28; 1 Pet. 1:3, 23).  This is our transformation from death to life, from being in Adam to being in Christ.  We did not cause our first birth and we do not cause our second birth; it is completely the work of the Holy Spirit to give us life at the moment we trust Jesus as our Savior.

The Important fact, never to be forgotten in the doctrine of regeneration, is that the believer in Christ has received eternal life…It is a smashing blow to all philosophies which hold that man has inherent capacities of saving himself.  Regeneration is wholly of God.  No possible human effort however noble can supply eternal life.  The proper doctrine of regeneration gives to God all the glory and power due His name, and at the same time it displays His abundant provision for a race dead in sin.[xxii]

The work of the Holy Spirit in bringing about our new life in Christ is a fragrant truth in the mind of the believer who realizes he is the gracious recipient of God’s infinite mercy.  Men should never think they are saved because God looks upon them as though they are beautiful and worthy of being saved.  Men are saved because God is loving and merciful.  The apostle Paul declares:

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, whom He poured out upon us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by His grace we would be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life.  (Tit. 3:5-7)

Regeneration is that work of the Holy Spirit whereby He takes us from spiritual death and makes us spiritually alive in Christ.  Men may hear the good news of the gospel and believe in Christ as their Savior, but it is the Holy Spirit who causes them to be born again (John 3:6; Tit. 3:5; 1 Pet. 1:3, 23).

2)  The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit

God the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the life of every believer, personally and permanently indwelling him (Romans 8:9; Eph. 1:13-14).  During the age of Israel, God the Holy Spirit resided only in a few believers (Ex. 31:3; Num. 11:25; 27:18), but during the church age, He resides in the body of every believer.  The believer’s body becomes a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19).

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.  (Rom. 8:9)

Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?  (1 Cor. 3:16)

Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? (1 Cor. 6:19)

The clear teaching of the New Testament is that the Holy Spirit indwells each and every believer at the moment of salvation.  The indwelling of the Holy Spirit is not a feeling, but a fact to be accepted by faith.

The fact of the indwelling Spirit is not revealed through any experience whatsoever; nevertheless that fact is the foundation upon which all other ministries to the child of God must depend.  It is impossible for one to enter into the plan of God and provision for a life of power and blessing and ignore the distinct revelation as to where the Spirit is now related to the believer.  It must be understood and fully believed that the Spirit is now indwelling the true child of God and that He indwells from the moment the believer is saved.[xxiii]

Again, we come back to the issue that the maturing believer learns what the Scripture teaches about him and by faith he accepts it as true and walks in the light of its revelation.

3)  The Baptism of the Holy Spirit

God the Holy Spirit baptizes each believer into union with Christ, and this occurs at the moment of salvation (Acts 1:5; 1 Cor. 12:13; cf. Gal. 3:27-28).  The Greek word baptizo means to place into or identify with.  In water baptism, the believer is placed into water and is symbolically identified with the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  Water baptism does not save anyone, but is only a picture of the salvation that has already been given.  In the baptism of the Holy Spirit, God the Holy Spirit is the Agent who places us into union with Christ so that we are identified with Him in His death, burial, resurrection, and ascension into heaven.  Water baptism is symbolic, but the baptism of the Holy Spirit is real, as the believer is actually placed into union with Christ.  As with the other ministries, this baptizing work occurs at the moment of salvation and is not related to any feeling or experience.

For John baptized with water, but you will be [future tense] baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now.  (Acts 1:5)

For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body [at the moment of faith in Christ], whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.  (1 Cor. 12:13)

For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ [by the Holy Spirit] have clothed yourselves with Christ.  (Gal. 3:26-27)

The baptism of the Holy Spirit was foreign to the Old Testament and did not become a normal activity of the Holy Spirit until the Day of Pentecost in Acts 2 (cf. Acts 1:5).  Now, God the Holy Spirit baptizes each believer into union with Christ at the moment of salvation.  Again, this special ministry of the Holy Spirit began on the Day of Pentecost when the church was created.

That this ministry of the Spirit began at Pentecost can be seen by comparing Acts 1:5, which indicates the baptizing work is still future, with Acts 11:15, which indicates the “beginning” of this work was at Pentecost in Acts 2. The baptizing work did not occur in the Old Testament; it is unique to the church age which began at Pentecost…Since this is a work done to the believer and not by the believer, and since the baptism occurs simultaneous to salvation, it is not experiential…The Holy Spirit is the agent of the baptism (Acts 1:5; 1 Cor. 12:13).[xxiv]

4)  The Sealing of the Holy Spirit

God the Holy Spirit seals each believer with Himself as a guarantee of his future inheritance in heaven (2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:13-14; 4:30).  In biblical times a seal was used to signify ownership of specific property.  The Holy Spirit is Himself the seal given to us at the moment of salvation, guaranteeing that we belong to God and will remain His until we go to heaven.

Now He who establishes us with you in Christ and anointed us is God, who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.  (2 Cor. 1:21-22)

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, 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. 1:13-14)

Regarding the previous verses Paul Enns states:

The principal idea of sealing is that of ownership. The believer is sealed with the Spirit to identify the believer as belonging to God. Branding cattle would be a parallel; the rancher puts his brand on the steer as a sign that the steer belongs to him. God has put His seal, the Holy Spirit, within the believer to verify that the believer belongs to Him. Second Corinthians 1:22 indicates that the Holy Spirit Himself is the seal. The phrase “gave us the Spirit” explains the sealing, which is done to a believer; it is not something the believer does himself. Moreover, the sealing is permanent—with a view to the believer’s ultimate glorification (Eph. 4:30). Hence, the sealing not only emphasizes ownership but also security. The Holy Spirit verifies that the believer permanently belongs to God. The emphasis of all three of these passages is also that all believers are sealed. Despite their carnality, all the Corinthian Christians were sealed (2 Cor. 1:22); even those who were capable of grieving the Spirit were nonetheless sealed (Eph. 4:30). Furthermore, because there is no command to be sealed further indicates that all believers are sealed at the moment of conversion.[xxv]

By faith the believer accepts the testimony of Scripture that he is sealed with the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation.  The sealing is permanent and serves as a guarantee that the Christian is the property of God, having been purchased by the blood of Christ.

5)  The Giving of Spiritual Gifts

God the Holy Spirit gives each of us a spiritual gift at the moment of salvation (Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:27-31; Eph. 4:11-12).  The spiritual gift given at the moment of salvation endows each believer with the supernatural ability to serve others for their physical and spiritual edification.  The gift is not a natural ability, but a supernatural ability given by the Holy Spirit, who distributes “to each one individually just as He wills” (1 Cor. 12:11).  The spiritual gift will manifest itself during the course of the believer’s spiritual life as he learns what it means to live in God’s will.

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another.  Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.  (Rom. 12:4-8)

And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.  (1 Cor. 12:28)

And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.  (Eph. 4:11-13)

Spiritual gifts are a divine enablement given by God the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation for the purpose of building others up in their faith and walk with the Lord.  The believer does not need to search to discover what his gift is, as it will manifest itself over time during the normal development of his spiritual walk.  Some churches today employ special lists or tests to help believers identify their gifts, but no such lists or tests are found in Scripture, nor were they used in the early church, since believers identified their gift by the service they provided to others in the local assembly.

There are two Greek words generally used to describe spiritual gifts. The first is pneumatikos, meaning “spiritual things” or “things pertaining to the spirit.” This word emphasizes the spiritual nature and origin of spiritual gifts; they are not natural talents but rather have their origin with the Holy Spirit. They are supernaturally given to a believer by the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:11). The other word often used to identify spiritual gifts is charisma, meaning “grace gift.” The word charisma emphasizes that a spiritual gift is a gift of God’s grace; it is not a naturally developed ability but rather a gift bestowed on a believer (1 Cor. 12:4). This emphasis is seen in Romans 12 where Paul discusses spiritual gifts. He stresses that spiritual gifts are received through the “grace given” to believers (Rom. 12:3, 6).[xxvi]

In summary, these five blessings are completely the work of God the Holy Spirit and remain constant throughout our life.  These blessings are irrevocable, and are foundational to the spiritual life of every believer.  Only the Christian who lives by faith in God’s Word will understand, accept, and live in the reality of the Holy Spirit’s work at salvation.  In addition to the five major blessings already mentioned by the Holy Spirit, it can be said of every Christian:

1.     He is blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places (Eph. 1:3).

2.     He was foreknown and predestined to be God’s elect (Rom. 8:29-33; Eph. 1:4).

3.     He is forgiven all his sins (Eph. 1:7; Col. 2:13).

4.     He is made alive together with Christ (Eph. 2:5).

5.     He is raised up and seated with Christ in the heavenly places (Eph. 2:6).

6.     He is the special object of God’s great love (John 3:16; Rom. 5:6-10; Eph. 2:1-7).

7.     He is the recipient of God’s grace (Eph. 2:8-9).

8.     He is delivered from the power of Satan (Col. 1:13).

9.     He is transferred to the kingdom of Christ (Col. 1:13; 1 Thess. 2:12; cf. Acts 26:18).

10.  He is a child of God by faith in Christ (John 3:6; Gal. 3:26; 1 Pet. 1:23; Tit. 3:5).

11.  He is a member of the Church, the body of Christ (Eph. 1:22-23; Col. 1:18).

12.  He is justified before God (Rom. 3:24-28).

13.  He has peace with God (Rom. 5:1).

14.  He is given the gift of God’s righteousness (Rom. 4:3-6; 5:17; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9).

15.  He has been raised with Christ to walk in newness of life (Rom. 6:4, 10-13).

16.  There is no condemnation before God (Rom. 8:1).

17.  He is given eternal life (John 3:16; 10:28; 20:31).

18.  He is made an ambassador for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20).

19.  He is given citizenship in heaven (Philip. 3:20).

20.  He is a priest to God (Rev. 1:6).

21.  He is guaranteed a new home in heaven (John 14:1-3).

22.  He is guaranteed a resurrection body (1 Cor. 15:50-58).

23.  He has special access to God’s throne of grace (Heb. 4:16).

24.  He is called to grow in the grace and knowledge His Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ (2 Pet. 3:18).

25.  He is the recipient of God’s faithfulness (Heb. 13:5; Philip. 1:6; 1 Thess. 5:24).

26.  He will be glorified in eternity (Rom. 8:18, 30; Col. 3:4).

The above list is not exhaustive, but reflects many of the spiritual blessings God bestows on the Christian at the moment of salvation.  The divine riches of God’s grace bestowed on every believer at the moment of salvation are a wonder to discover and the believer who invests himself in the study of God’s Word will be richly rewarded by learning all God has provided.[xxvii]

THE WORK OF THE SPIRIT AFTER SALVATION

At salvation we are equipped with spiritual blessings that are designed to glorify God and sustain our walk with Him.  After salvation God gives us time, whether brief or lengthy, to learn His will and live for Him before we are called to heaven.  How we spend that time is very important, for it determines how far we advance in our spiritual life.  Every situation we face in life is an opportunity to grow spiritually, to utilize His blessings, claim His promises and obey His Word.  The challenge for the growing Christian is not to be distracted by the circumstances of life, whether we experience blessing or adversity, but to always stay focused on the Lord and His Word.  The apostle Paul had reached a place in his spiritual life where he could say, “I have learned to be content in whatever circumstances I am” (Philip. 4:11).  He went on to say:

I know how to get along with humble means, and I also know how to live in prosperity; in any and every circumstance I have learned the secret of being filled and going hungry, both of having abundance and suffering need. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me. (Philip. 4:12-13)

Spiritual maturity is always marked by an attitude of daily dependence on the Lord.  Our responses to the circumstances of life can tell us whether we are maturing spiritually or not.  Many Christians seek God’s blessing, but the problem is that once they have it, they abandon their walk with Him.  God desires to bless us, but not in a way that hurts our relationship with Him.  There are times when God will bless us with suffering in order to keep us close to Him so that our spiritual walk might stay healthy.  It’s normal for a believer to seek relief from suffering; however, the maturing believer eventually accepts suffering and praises God for it once he realizes it’s God’s will for him (see Paul’s thorn in the flesh, 2 Cor. 12:7-10; cf. Jam. 1:2-4).  As we study Scripture, we learn God is more concerned with the development of our Christian character than our creaturely comforts.

The Holy Spirit leads the Christian to spiritual maturity, but never forces him.  As stated previously, the spiritual life is like a walk, where two friends travel together.  God the Holy Spirit leads us according to Scripture, but we must choose to follow and obey.  We must be willing to go where He goes and do as He asks, whether the task is joyful or difficult.  The Bible is always the source of clear divine revelation that guides us, as we learn what the Bible teaches and walk in the light of its truth.

Apart from the instantaneous actions performed by God the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation, there are at least three ongoing actions that He seeks to accomplish in the growing believer, which require the believer’s willing participation.

1)  The Illuminating Work of the Holy Spirit

The Holy Spirit illumines the Christian mind to Scripture (1 Corinthians 2:11-13).  Men who do not have the Holy Spirit reject the things of God and “cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised” (1 Cor. 2:14).  However, as the Christian studies the Bible, God the Holy Spirit illumines his mind so that he understands what he reads and is able to apply it to his life.  This does not rule out personal study of the biblical languages, or the study of ancient history and culture.  Christians are commanded to study the Bible (2 Tim. 2:15), and those who apply their minds to understand the biblical text are challenged to think in new ways, and on levels they did not know possible.  The spiritual Christian is a thinker and one who studies the Bible constantly, searching to know “the mind of Christ” (1 Cor. 2:16).

For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the spirit of the man which is in him? Even so the thoughts of God no one knows except the Spirit of God. Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, which things we also speak, not in words taught by human wisdom, but in those taught by the Spirit, combining spiritual thoughts with spiritual words. But a natural man does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him; and he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised. But he who is spiritual appraises all things, yet he himself is appraised by no one. (1 Cor. 2:11-15)

Paul gives a very simple truth in this passage of Scripture.  A man’s thoughts are private, and they are made known to others only when he chooses to reveal them.  What is true of men is true of God, for God’s thoughts are also private and made known only when he chooses, and only to those to whom He chooses to reveal them.  Paul declares that no one knows the thoughts of God, “except the Spirit of God” (1 Cor. 2:11).  Paul then goes on to reveal a marvelous truth that, “we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God” (1 Cor. 2:12).  The indwelling Holy Spirit helps us to understand and accept spiritual revelation from God.  The unbeliever or “natural man” as Paul describes him, “does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness to him (1 Cor. 2:14a).  The unbeliever is devoid of the Holy Spirit and therefore, “he cannot understand them, because they are spiritually appraised.”

Because the Bible is God-breathed and therefore in an entirely different dimension from other literature, it is necessary that man receives God-given help in understanding the Bible (1 Cor. 2:11). Additionally, the unregenerate man’s sin-darkened mind cannot apprehend spiritual truths (1 Cor. 2:14). The work of illumination then is necessary to enable man to comprehend the Word of God (cf. Luke 24:44–45). Illumination can thus be defined as “the ministry of the Holy Spirit whereby He enlightens those who are in a right relationship with Him to comprehend the written Word of God.”[xxviii]

For a Christian, it is an exercise in frustration to try to explain certain biblical truths to unbelievers, because without the Holy Spirit to illumine their thinking they “cannot understand them.”  It’s not that they will not understand, but that they “cannot understand.”  It is important to go back to the gospel and share the work of the cross with them, and if they believe in Christ as their Savior, then the Holy Spirit will indwell them, and only at that moment can they begin to understand much of what the Scripture teaches.

We should realize that illumination of Scripture does not necessarily lead to obedience, for many believers have understood the Word of God and still chosen to disobey it.  Solomon had divine wisdom, yet disobeyed the Lord and ended his life worshipping pagan deities (1 Ki. 11:1-10).  Christians are to prove themselves “doers of the word, and not merely hearers who delude themselves” (Jas. 1:22).  Jesus stated “everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock” (Matt. 7:24).  Every Christian has the capacity to be illumined to Scripture because of the work of the Holy Spirit in his life, but only the humble believer who loves the Lord will walk in its truth (John 14:15).

2)  The Filling of the Spirit

The Holy Spirit fills us to accomplish His will (Eph. 5:18).  The filling of the Holy Spirit simply means He controls, influences or directs us as we yield to Him and are willing to accomplish His will according to Scripture.

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit.  (Eph. 5:18)

When a person consumes alcohol and gets drunk, eventually it influences his thinking, words, and behavior in an obvious and often negative manner.  The Bible does not condemn drinking wine, but it does condemn drunkenness, in which the believer loses control of himself.  Drunkenness is sin.  In contrast to being drunk, the Bible commands the believer to “be filled with the Spirit.”

“Be filled with the Spirit” is God’s command, and He expects us to obey. The command is plural, so it applies to all Christians and not just to a select few. The verb is in the present tense—“keep on being filled”—so it is an experience we should enjoy constantly and not just on special occasions. And the verb is passive. We do not fill ourselves but permit the Spirit to fill us. The verb “fill” has nothing to do with contents or quantity, as though we are empty vessels that need a required amount of spiritual fuel to keep going. In the Bible, filled means “controlled by.” “They... were filled with wrath” (Luke 4:28) means “they were controlled by wrath” and for that reason tried to kill Jesus. “The Jews were filled with envy” (Acts 13:45) means that the Jews were controlled by envy and opposed the ministry of Paul and Barnabas. To be “filled with the Spirit” means to be constantly controlled by the Spirit in our mind, emotions, and will…But how can a person tell whether or not he is filled with the Spirit? Paul stated that there are three evidences of the fullness of the Spirit in the life of the believer: he is joyful (Eph. 5:19), thankful (Eph. 5:20), and submissive (Eph. 5:21–33). Paul said nothing about miracles or tongues, or other special manifestations.[xxix]

As a Christian, I don’t ask the Spirit to fill me, as that’s what He already wants to do; rather, I submit to God and walk in the light of Scripture and trust the Spirit to guide and empower me.

The work of the Holy Spirit in filling the believer may be simply defined as that ministry which is accomplished in the believer when he is fully yielded to the indwelling Holy Spirit.  Every reference to the filling of the Holy Spirit indicates a spiritual condition on the part of the person filled which is brought about by the complete control of the Spirit.[xxx]

The Spirit wants to fill me and accomplish His will in my life, but I must be yielded to Him, willing to let Him guide me according to Scripture.  There must be an active submission on my part to say “yes” to what the Spirit wants to accomplish in my life, otherwise I’m resisting Him.

To be filled with the Spirit is to have the Spirit fulfilling in us all that God intended Him to do when he placed Him there.  To be filled is not the problem of getting more of the Spirit: it is rather the problem of the Spirit getting more of us.  We shall never have more of the Spirit than the anointing which every true Christian has received.  On the other hand, the Spirit may have all of the believer and thus be able to manifest in him the life and character of Christ.  A spiritual person, then, is one who experiences the divine purpose and plan in his daily life through the power of the indwelling Spirit.  The character of that life will be the out-lived Christ.  The cause of that life will be the unhindered indwelling Spirit (Ephesians 3:16-21; II Corinthians 3:18).[xxxi]

Charles Ryrie states:

To be filled with the Spirit means to be controlled by the Spirit. The clue to this definition is found in Ephesians 5:18 where there is contrast and comparison between drunkenness and Spirit-filling. It is the comparison which gives the clue, for just as a drunken person is controlled by the liquor which he consumes, so a Spirit-filled Christian is controlled by the Spirit. This will cause him to act in ways which are unnatural to him, not implying that such ways will be erratic or abnormal, but asserting that they will not be the ways of the old life. Control by the Spirit is a necessary part of spirituality.[xxxii]

For the apostle Paul, the most obvious sign of being filled with the Spirit is the manifestation that follows.  After giving the command to be filled with the Spirit, the apostle Paul then states that Christians are to be:

speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father”  (Eph. 5:19-20).

The spiritual Christian tends to have a song in his heart and an attitude of thankfulness toward God.  This does not mean he cannot experience genuine grief or sorrow, or at times be angry while filled with Spirit.  Certainly Jesus got angry and experienced sorrow, and He was spiritual in everything.  However, as we follow Paul’s instructions in his letter to the Ephesians, the filling of the Spirit is followed by praise and thanksgiving in the believer.

3)  Walking in the Spirit

The Holy Spirit calls us to walk with Him (Gal. 5:16, 25).  Walking is a choice we make to get up and move in a particular direction.  Walking in the Spirit means we walk in the direction the Spirit wants to takes us, and that we live in dependence on Him, trusting He will guide and sustain us to accomplish His will.

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh.  (Gal. 5:16)

The Greek verb peripateo is a present active imperative that commands the believer to “keep on walking.”  This is an ongoing action from which the believer should never cease.  To “walk by the Spirit” means to live in moment by moment dependence on the Spirit to guide and sustain us, and, over time, this should become a normal activity (Gal. 5:16, 25; cf. Col. 2:6-7).

The New Testament calls the Christian life a “walk.” This walk begins with a step of faith when we trust Christ as our Saviour. But salvation is not the end—it’s only the beginning—of spiritual life. “Walking” involves progress, and Christians are supposed to advance in the spiritual life. Just as a child must learn to walk and must overcome many difficulties in doing so, a Christian must learn to “walk in the light.”[xxxiii]

Walking is a learned behavior, and it gets easier with practice.  This is true naturally, and it is true spiritually.  The Christian spiritual walk is learned over time as the Christian delves into Scripture and gleans a little here and little there of the spiritual resources God has provided for him and how they are utilized by faith and dependence on the Holy Spirit.

Constant dependence on the power of the indwelling Spirit of God is essential to spiritual growth and victory.  By its very nature, walking is a succession of dependent acts.  When one foot is lifted in order to place it front of the other one, it is done in faith—faith that the foot that remains on the ground will support the full weight of the body.  You can only walk by the exercise of faith.  You can live the Christian life only by dependence on the Holy Spirit.  Such dependence will result in the Spirit’s control over the deeds of the flesh (Gal. 5:17-21) and the Spirit’s production of the fruit of the Spirit (vv. 22-23).  Dependence on the power of God and effort on the part of the believer are not mutually exclusive.  Self-discipline and Spirit-dependence can and must be practiced at the same time in a balanced spiritual life.  Dependence itself is an attitude, but that attitude does not come automatically; it usually requires cultivation.  How many genuine Christians there are who live day after day without even sensing their need of dependence on Him.  Experience, routine, pride, self-confidence all tend to drag all of us away from that conscious dependence on God which we must have in order to live and act righteously.[xxxiv]

Biblically, walking with someone is not merely a mechanical act, but implies a relationship and willingness to travel together.  Walking in the Spirit means going where God is going, and like a friend, being glad to share in His fellowship along the way.  It means He is regularly in our thoughts and that we live every day conscious of Him and His will for our lives, willfully surrendering ourselves to follow where He leads (Ps. 23:1-3; 139:23-24; Rom. 12:1-2).  It means we are open and honest with Him about everything and agree to let the light of His Word shine in our lives, not fearing what it exposes.  It means being sensitive to what may offend Him and making every effort to please Him through a life of faith (Rom. 1:17; 10:17; Heb. 11:6; 1 John 1:3-7).  It does not mean sinless perfection, but when we do sin, we handle it promptly in a biblical manner by confessing it to God to be forgiven and to be restored to fellowship with Him (1 John 1:9; cf. Ps. 32:3-5).

These three ongoing ministries of the Holy Spirit are designed to bring us to spiritual maturity.  As we grow spiritually, we will see the work of the Holy Spirit in our thinking (Phil. 2:5-8; Col. 3:16), speech (Eph. 4:25, 29), everyday behavior (Jas. 3:13; 1 Pet. 1:15-16), church activities (Heb. 10:23-25), and family life (Eph. 5:22-33).

The Fruit of the Spirit

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control (Gal. 5:22-23a)

The Christian who is growing in his knowledge of Scripture, being filled with the Spirit and walking in the Spirit, will eventually manifest the “fruit of the Spirit”.  This is where he wants to be, manifesting “love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, [and] self-control” in all his relationships (Gal. 5:22-23a).  Regarding the fruit of the Spirit:

The first is love, which is seeking the glory of God in the object loved.  There may be acts that on the surface appear to be unkind but which are in reality an expression of love, if the goal is the glory of God. Love and knowledge are vitally related, for the deepest kind of love is based on the fullest knowledge.  Joy is primarily derived from seeing other Christians advance in the knowledge of the truth (3 John 4). Peace is that tranquility which comes because one is rightly related to God.  Longsuffering is the evenness of character and action that never displays a desire for revenge.  Gentleness is beneficent thoughts, while goodness is kind actions.  Faithfulness means serving with regularity and buying up all the opportunities with every faculty given to us by God.  Meekness is gentlemanliness and in no way includes the concept of weakness.  Self-control is discipline of the whole life, including especially areas of morality.[xxxv]

The fruit belongs to the Spirit, as He is the source, not the Christian; however, the manifestation occurs in the believer’s life, which is what others see.

The Deeds of the Flesh

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these. (Galatians 5:19-21a)

Christian beware!  There is a sinful nature in all of us, which is an inherited propensity to act contrary to God’s holy character, and when followed, leads to disobedience to Scripture.  Every Christian can say with the apostle Paul “that evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good” (Rom. 7:21).  It is possible for every Christian to live in the flesh like the unbeliever, though it is not possible for the unbeliever to live the spiritual life because he is spiritually dead and does not have the Holy Spirit.  Carnal Christians live by their sinful nature rather than their new nature in Christ, and the fruit of the flesh is obvious (1 Cor. 3:1-3).

And I, brethren [Christians], could not speak to you as to spiritual men [mature believers], but as to men of flesh [carnal Christians governed by their sin nature], as to infants in Christ [baby believers].  I gave you milk to drink [basic Bible teaching], not solid food [advanced Bible teaching]; for you were not yet able to receive it. Indeed, even now you are not yet able, for you are still fleshly [governed by the sin nature]. For since there is jealousy and strife among you [fruit of the sin nature], are you not fleshly [governed by the sin nature], and are you not walking like mere men [unbelievers]?  (1 Cor. 3:1-3)

The believers in the church at Corinth had become carnal on a regular basis and failed to mature spiritually.  Twice Paul used the Greek adjective sarkikos, translated “fleshly” to describe the Christians at Corinth.  These were believers who were governed by their sin nature rather than the Holy Spirit, and this was made obvious by the manifestations of “jealousy and strife.”

The Christian who lives in rebellion to God, not caring for His will, and turning away from Scripture, will manifest “immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these” (Gal. 5:19-21a).  Christians do not have to obey the sin nature; they are able to turn away from its influence and live righteously as God calls them to live (Rom. 6:5-14; 1 Pet. 1:14-15).  There will, at times, be a great struggle as the sin nature craves sinful satisfaction (which will never be satisfied) and will never cease to entice the believer to sin.

The spiritual Christian is not sinless but handles his sin in a biblical manner by being honest with God and quickly confessing it to Him in order to be forgiven and have fellowship restored (1 Jo. 1:5-10; cf. Ps. 32:3-5).  The Christian is declared righteous in God’s sight because of the work of Christ on his behalf (Rom. 3:21-26; 2 Cor. 5:21; Phil. 3:9), but this does not guarantee righteous behavior (Eccl. 7:20; Rom. 7:14-23; Gal. 5:17).  Sinlessness will not be our experience until heaven; so we must grow daily in submission to the Holy Spirit who seeks to form the character of Christ in us throughout our lifetime.  This requires humility, submission to God, careful study and conscious application of Scripture, and time to grow (2 Tim. 2:15; Phil. 2:5-8; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18).

The growing Christian will occasionally manifest the fruit of the flesh when he sins, and we must be careful not to judge his whole spiritual life based on one or two incidents.  Sometimes what we see in another Christian is one sentence, of one paragraph, of one chapter in the book of his life.  Can you imagine meeting the apostle Peter during the time when he publicly denied the Lord Jesus three times (Luke 22:54-60)?  Mark tells us in his Gospel account that Peter “began to curse and swear” while denying the Lord!  If our whole estimation of Peter was based on a few moments during the time he denied the Lord Jesus, we’d have a wrong picture of him.  After His resurrection, the Lord Jesus sought and found Peter and asked him to “shepherd My sheep” (John 21:16-18), which Peter did, with great humility and sacrificial service to others.  Peter was not perfect and there were other times in his life when he sinned (Gal. 2:11-14), but he always got right with God through humility and confession, and even went on to write two divinely inspired epistles under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  Being spiritual does not mean being perfect; rather, it means being yielded to the Holy Spirit and learning to walk with Him moment by moment according to Scripture.

THE BELIEVER’S RESPONSIBILITY

God has taken the initiative in providing salvation and blessing the Christian “with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus” (Eph. 1:3).  Having received eternal life by faith in Christ, the believer now has the responsibility to “grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 3:18).  He is to “long for the pure milk of the word” in order to “grow in respect to salvation” (1 Pet. 2:2).  He starts his spiritual life as a baby believer, and as he grows in his knowledge and walk with the Lord, he will move from basic Bible teachings that establish his faith, to more advanced doctrines that lead him into spiritual adulthood.  As the Christian grows, he will move from “the pure milk of the word” to “solid food [which] is for the mature” (Heb. 5:14a).

Spiritual growth requires the Christian to make Christ Lord of his life.[xxxvi]  Practically, making Christ Lord of one’s life means:

1.     Devoting oneself to the continual study of Scripture (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:14-16; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18).

2.     Submitting to God on a regular basis (Rom. 12:1-2).

3.     Living by faith in the Word of God (Rom. 10:17; 2 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 11:6).

Studying the Bible must be the growing believer’s starting point for advancing spiritually, for learning God’s Word necessarily precedes living His will (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17).  However, knowledge by itself is insufficient to bring about spiritual growth, as the growing believer must make conscious daily choices to submit himself to God and let Him rule as Lord over every aspect of his life (Rom. 12:1-2).  Lastly, the growing believer must learn to live by faith, claiming promises and obeying God’s commands (Rom. 1:17; 10:17; Heb. 11:6).  Learning Scripture, continually submitting to God, and living by faith must be routine if the believer is to grow spiritually.

Learning Scripture

Be diligent to present yourself approved to God as a workman who does not need to be ashamed, accurately handling the word of truth.  (2 Tim. 2:15)

All Scripture is inspired by God [lit. God-breathed] and profitable for teaching [instructing the mind], for reproof [to convince what is wrong], for correction [to guide in what is right], for training in righteousness [or right living]; so that the man of God may be adequate, equipped [properly fitted] for every good work.  (2 Tim. 3:16-17)

Learning Scripture on a regular basis, day by day, is essential to spiritual development.  There is no substitute for Bible study in order to know God or His will.  The Bible provides all the information the believer needs to grow spiritually (1 Cor. 2:10-3:3; Eph. 1:3-5; 1 Pet. 2:2), to walk by faith (Rom. 1:17; 10:17), and to attain maturity (Eph. 4:11-16; Heb. 5:14).  The fruit of the Holy Spirit will be manifest in the life of the advancing believer as he grows spiritually (Gal. 5:22-23).  More so, it is only by learning the Word of God that the believer can have victory over sin.

How can a young man keep his way pure? By keeping it according to Your word...Your word I have treasured in my heart, That I may not sin against You.  (Ps. 119:9, 11)

According to Scripture, sin diminishes in the life of the believer only as he gets into the Bible on a regular basis and advances in his spiritual life.  The Christian has no power in himself to overcome sin, but must look to God and walk in the light of His revelation.  Sin diminishes in proportion to his spiritual walk, and the closer he draws to God, the less he will sin.  This does not mean he will attain sinless perfection, as that will not happen until he is face to face with God in heaven.

The Scripture reveals the character and will of God, and by this knowledge the believer can make good choices as an obedient child.  “God has given the Christian a ‘God-breathed’ Bible that is profitable for ‘training in righteousness’ that the believer may be ‘equipped for every good work’ (2 Tim. 3:16–17).”[xxxvii]  The Christian learns Scripture in order to live His will; and when applied, the outcome is always love for God and others (1 Tim. 1:5).

Scripture also gives the divine perspective on life, helping the Christian to see himself and the world from God’s viewpoint.  God, who says, “Come now, and let us reason together” (Isa. 1:18a), is also the One who says,

For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, declares the Lord.  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts than your thoughts.  (Isa. 55:8-9)

Immediately after salvation, the believer faces the challenge of identifying and replacing a lifetime of worldly thinking with divine viewpoint.  “Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts” is a command to every believer (Isa. 55:7a).  God’s children are to think as He thinks, and this requires taking the time to study Scripture, verse by verse, chapter by chapter, book by book, until he has completely worked through every page, and then he starts again.  Over time, as Scripture floods his thinking, he will come to say “the law of Your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces” (Ps. 119:72), “O how I love Your law! It is my meditation all the day” (Ps. 119:97), and “How sweet are Your words to my taste! Yes, sweeter than honey to my mouth!” (Ps. 119:103).  Happy is the man whose mind is saturated with God’s Word.

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  (Col. 3:16)

Letting “the word of Christ richly dwell within” means Scripture should so permeate the Christian’s mind that it should form the basis for his discussions with others as well as his attitude toward God.  There is peace and joy within the Christian who has renovated his mind and learned to think biblically.  Life has meaning and purpose to the believer who understands the world from the divine perspective.  The Christian mind enriched with God’s Word will be given over to “psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness” in his heart to God.  One cannot separate worship from the spiritual life, and one cannot separate the spiritual life from learning Scripture.  It is worthwhile to note that the fruit of “letting the word of Christ richly dwell within you” is exactly the same as being “filled with the Spirit.”

Ephesians 5:18-20

Colossians 3:16

And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but  be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord; always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father.  (Eph. 5:18-20)

Let the word of Christ richly dwell within you, with all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another with psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with thankfulness in your hearts to God.  (Col. 3:16)

Ephesians and Colossians are sister letters, as they were both written by the apostle Paul, and have much the same outline and content.  For Paul, the filling of the Holy Spirit could not be separated from a Christian mind saturated with Scripture.  Growing spiritually means spending time in the Bible to learn what it says and how to apply it (2 Tim. 2:15; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18).  Living spiritually means applying Scripture to everyday experiences as the Holy Spirit brings it to our remembrance when we need it (John 14:26).  We are constantly learning God’s Word in order to live His will, and as we learn, we also praise.  Such is the Christian life.

Submitting to God

Submission to God must be coupled with the learning of Scripture (Rom. 12:1-2), for knowledge alone is insufficient to effect change (Jas. 1:21-22; 4:17).  When God commands the Christian to love, he loves (2 John 1:5); when He commands him to forgive, he forgives (Luke 17:3-4); when He commands him to assemble with other believers, he assembles (Heb. 10:24-25).  The Christian must be willing to obey the Lord, and this requires a humble attitude of submission.

Therefore I urge you, 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.  (Rom. 12:1)

Paul was writing to “brethren”, Christians, believers in Christ, and yet had to command them to present their “bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God.”  Being saved does not guarantee a life of obedience to God.  Salvation does not always lead to experiential sanctification, as the carnal Christians at Corinth so prominently evidenced by their lives (1 Cor. 3:1-3).  For the Christian, presenting himself as “a living and holy sacrifice” requires ongoing submission.

What is it that the Christian is to dedicate?  The answer is himself.  “Present yourselves to God” (Rom. 6:13), “present your bodies” (Rom. 12:1), “glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:20), “submit yourselves…to God” (James 4:7)—this is the uniform appeal of Scripture, and it concerns our bodies.  If this is so, then it follows that dedication concerns the years of one’s life, since that is the only period in which the body functions.  Dedication concerns the present life, not the life hereafter.[xxxviii]

God will not grow the Christian spiritually without his willing participation.  This is why there are positive and negative commands in the Bible regarding the Christian’s relationship to the Holy Spirit.  The two positive commands tell him to be “filled with the Spirit” and to “walk by the Spirit” (Eph. 5:18; Gal. 5:16, 21), whereas the two negative commands tell him “do not grieve the Holy Spirit” and “do not quench the Spirit” (Eph. 4:30; 1 Thess. 5:19).  A biblical command implies both the intellectual capacity to understand it, and the ability to obey.  The Spirit wants to guide and sustain every believer, but there must be submission.  The growing Christian says “yes” to what the Spirit wants to do in his life.

Jesus was spiritual in everything.  The four Gospels reveal Jesus living in real time and space, participating in everyday activities, and engaging common people in discussions about their everyday concerns.  Jesus lived where people lived, worked with His hands, spoke the same language, paid the same taxes, walked the same streets, and ate the same food while fellowshipping in common places.  Jesus was spiritual in everything, walked in the real world, touched people right where they lived, and always spoke truth in order to give hope and direction so others might turn from themselves and look to heaven for help.

During His time of ministry on the earth, before His ascension into heaven, Jesus relied on God the Holy Spirit to sustain Him in His humanity as He sought to live in the will of God the Father according to Scripture.  The Holy Spirit and Scripture were His sustaining connections between heaven and earth, and they are our sustaining connections too.  For example, we learn in the Gospel of Matthew that “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted [or tested] by the devil” (Matt. 4:1), and that during His time of testing, Jesus resisted Satan by standing on Scripture (cf. Matt. 4:1-11).  As God, Jesus could have stopped Satan’s testing immediately, but in His humanity, He chose to rely on the Holy Spirit and Scripture to sustain Him; therefore, Jesus was able to endure the difficult situation in which the Holy Spirit placed Him.  Jesus’ testing in the wilderness was to reveal that He is the Son of God (Matt. 4:3), that He would rely on Scripture to sustain Him (Matt. 4:4, 7, 10), and that He would submit to His Father without compromise (Matt. 4:10).  God the Holy Spirit will let us face trials too (Jas. 1:2-4; 1 Pet. 1:6-7), in order to develop our character to be more like Christ (Rom. 5:3-4), to teach us to rely on Scripture (Rom. 10:17; 1 Thess. 2:13), so we will live by faith and please our heavenly Father (Rom. 1:17; Heb. 11:6).

The spiritual life is never lived outside the pressures of this evil world, as though we are mystically transported to some magical place free from life’s stresses.  Jesus faced the evils of this world and so must we.  As a man, Jesus faced great pressures during His time on the earth before His ascension, as His time in the Garden of Gethsemane revealed a great struggle in His soul.

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”  And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed [because He knew He was about to face the agony of the cross].  Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.”  And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”  (Matt. 26:36-39)

Here is the perfect Son of God, spiritual in all things, living in a fallen world, facing real pressures, facing the cross.  In this great moment of personal struggle, Jesus declared to His disciples “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death.”  Jesus even prayed three times “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me,” hoping there might be some other way to satisfy the Father’s righteous demands toward our sin apart from the suffering of the cross; yet, Jesus also said in His prayer “not as I will, but as You will.”  In His greatest hour of trial, Jesus struggled with doing His Father’s will because He did not want to suffer, and yet “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8).  Jesus did not face the cross alone, but was sustained in His humanity by God the Holy Spirit as He surrendered Himself to the will of the Father according to Scripture (Heb. 9:14).  In His humanity, Jesus lived the spiritual life perfectly, as He made daily choices to rely on the Holy Spirit and to surrender Himself to the Father’s will.

As many writers have pointed out, Christ Himself is the supreme illustration not only of the one in whom the fullness of the Spirit was manifested at all times, but one who was submissive to the whole will of God.   The classic passage of Philippians 2:5-11 reveals not only the glory and victory which belongs to our Lord, but His submission to the humiliation of the cross.  Christ was willing to be what God chose: “a servant…made in the likeness of men.”  He was willing to go where God chose, into a sinful world which would reject Him and crucify Him.  He was willing to do what God chose: “obedient even unto death, yea, the death of the cross.”  The Garden of Gethsemane with its struggle epitomized by the epical words, “Not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42), has had its lesser counterpart in the lives of all great Christians.  The child of God who has “the mind of Christ” is one who is fully yielded to the will of God for his life in every particular as Christ was for the will of God in His life.  For the fullness of the Spirit, it is absolutely necessary to be yielded to Him.[xxxix]

Jesus Christ is the primary role model for the Christian, and as He was willing to submit Himself to accomplish His Father’s will for His life no matter the cost, so we must be willing to surrender all.  The life Jesus gave was for the benefit of others, for their salvation (Mark 10:45).  When we submit to God, it is also for the benefit of others, for their edification (Phil. 2:3-4).  It is a life of sacrifice.

Living by Faith

Everyone lives by faith; it’s a fact of life.  We trust in things and people in order to live from day to day.  We trust in chairs to support us, cars to transport us, employers to pay us, telephones for communication, and so on.  Over time we learn that some things and some people prove more reliable than others.  Unfortunately, everything and everyone in this world eventually fails, as everything wears out and winds down; it’s a fact of life.  The only exception is God and His Word (Deut. 31:8; Matt. 24:35).

When Moses was nearing death, he gave Joshua instructions about leading the Israelites into the Promised Land, and he said “The LORD is the one who goes ahead of you; He will be with you. He will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed” (Deut. 31:8).  It’s easy to be afraid when you’ve had someone fail you over and over again.  However, God never fails His people and His faithfulness is a repeated theme throughout Scripture (Deut. 4:31; Josh. 1:5; 1 Chron. 28:20; Zeph. 3:5; 2 Thess. 3:3).  As the believer studies the Bible, he learns that God has perfect integrity and always keeps His promises.  The believer only benefits from his study of Scripture when he learns to trust in God and to take Him at His Word.  It’s only by faith that we receive the blessings God offers.

The Christian received salvation by grace alone, through faith alone, in Jesus Christ alone (John 3:16; 20:31; Acts 4:12; 16:31; Eph. 2:8-9).  The faith that trusted Christ as savior in order to receive salvation is the same faith that trusts the divine promises, claiming them for himself and living in confident expectation that God will do what He said.  The word faith is used three ways in Scripture:

1. Faith as a noun (pistis) refers to what is believed and often points to a body of teaching (Acts 14:22; 16:5; Rom. 14:22; Gal. 1:23).

2. Faith as a verb (pisteuo) refers to the act of believing and means to believe, trust, or has confidence in something or someone (John 3:15, 16, 18, 36; 20:31).

3. Faith as an adjective (pistos) describes someone as faithful, reliable, or trustworthy and is used both of man (Matt. 25:23; Col. 1:7; Heb. 3:5), and God (1 Cor. 1:9; 10:13; Heb. 10:23).

Faith demands an object as it must have something or someone upon which to rest.  To receive salvation, the unbeliever is told to “believe in the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved” (Acts 16:31a).  For the unbeliever, faith in Christ is exercised with a view to receiving a benefit, and that benefit is eternal life (John 3:16).  To be clear, faith does not save; God saves!  Faith is merely the means by which the unsaved person receives salvation, as God alone does the saving.  Though we may exercise faith and receive a benefit, the object always gets the credit, and in the case of our salvation, God alone gets the glory.

Faith is never blind, but is an intelligent act of the will by the believer who hears and understands God’s Word, as “faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ” (Rom. 10:17; cf. 14:23; Heb. 4:2; Jas. 1:22).  As he learns to live by faith, the growing Christian will submit to God (Rom. 12:1), claim promises (Rom. 8:28; 1 Cor. 10:13; 1 John 1:9), give his cares to God (1 Pet. 5:6-7), overcome fear (Deut. 31:6-8; Isa 41:10-13), love others (1 Thess. 4:9), rejoice always (1 Thess. 5:16), pray continually (1 Thess. 5:17), be thankful (1 Thess. 5:18), and live with a relaxed mental attitude (Isa. 26:3; Phil. 4:11).  Faith will be tested (1 Pet. 1:6-7), faith is the only thing that pleases God (Heb. 11:6), and faith should be exercised daily in the Christian’s life as a manifestation of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 1:17; Gal. 5:22-23).

Until Christ returns, we remain in this world and to some degree must trust in people and things to live from day to day; however, we should realize that people fail (Jer. 17:5), money fails (Ps. 62:10), governments fail (Ps. 146:3), and even the creation fails us because it behaves in an unpredictable manner; just ask any meteorologist.  Though we rely in a small way in the things and people of this world, ultimately, we should be looking to the Lord Himself, knowing that He alone never fails us and that His promises are always true and reliable (2 Cor. 1:20; 2 Pet. 1:2-4).

Satan will strive to get the believer to rely on anything and everything other than God and His Word.  If the believer falls into Satan’s trap, he will experience anger, frustration, worry, anxiety, depression, and eventually a deep rooted sense of despair and apathy.  Where God and His Word are absent, in that place darkness can settle.  Occasionally the believer may look away from the Lord and become fixed on another person or the darkness in this world and find himself full of anxiety; however, relapse does not have to lead to collapse, as the believer can turn back to God and live by faith in the Lord.  God wants us to have joy (Neh. 8:10), peace (Is. 26:3), love (1 Jo. 4:16-17), contentment (Phil. 4:11-13), and every other attitude that brings an abundant life (John 10:10).  Only through faith can we know the blessings that belong to every Christian.  This takes time, study, and willingness to trust God at His Word.  Without faith, we cannot win.  With faith, we cannot fail.

When the believer is living by faith in God on a regular basis it produces stability in his soul.   Over time, God’s Word becomes more real to him than his feelings or ever changing circumstances.  God’s Word is stable and always true, whereas our feelings and circumstances constantly change.  God’s Word provides us a true estimation of the world as it really is, and His Word gives us a basis for stability in our thinking as well as the choices we make on a daily basis.

The Bible gives us truth that is certain, though our feelings and circumstances are unstable.  We may feel good and be completely in sin, or we may feel bad and be completely in God’s will.  Jesus was always in the will of God, though there were times He felt grieved and distressed.  The Scripture declares that Jesus was, “despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief” (Isa. 53:3).  And just hours before His crucifixion, Jesus “began to be grieved and distressed” (Matt. 26:37), telling a few of His disciples, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death” (Matt. 26:38).  Even during His time of human rejection and sorrow, Jesus was sustained by the Holy Spirit (Heb. 9:14).  Jesus was always spiritual, even when He was experiencing emotional anguish.  Emotions are wonderful, and in many ways complement our spiritual life (Acts 20:36-38; Eph. 5:18-20).  However, we do well to subordinate our emotions to the truths of Scripture, for God calls us to live by faith His Word, not by our feelings (Rom. 10:17; Heb. 11:6).

The believer who is advancing spiritually may fail occasionally in various situations as emotions overrun his soul.  This happens to all of us, and I can think of a few godly men who failed during times of pressure and then later returned to the Lord (Elijah and Peter come to mind, see1 Ki. 19:1-18 & Mark 14:66-72; John 21:15-17).  Biblically, relapse does not always mean collapse, as the Lord extends grace and calls the believer back into fellowship with Him and to resume his spiritual walk toward spiritual maturity (1 John 1:9; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18).

God has done so much for us as Christians to save us and bless us.  The Lord now calls us to walk with Him and to grow spiritually day after day by devoting ourselves to the continual study of Scripture (2 Tim. 2:15; 3:14-16; 1 Pet. 2:2; 3 Pet. 3:18), submitting ourselves to Him on a regular basis (Rom. 12:1-2), and living by faith in His Word (Rom. 10:17; 2 Cor. 5:7; Heb. 11:6).  This is a lifelong journey we take that starts the day we are born again as Christians and ends only when we leave this world and enter into the presence of God.  During the time we are in the world, we will face many struggles and distractions that will seek to impede our spiritual walk and pull us away from God and His Word, but it is our responsibility to stay the course with His help, and always walk in the light of His truth.

DEALING WITH PERSONAL SIN

Sin separates man from God.  It always has.  From the Garden of Eden down to the present, men everywhere set their wills against the will of God and choose to defy Him.  We know from our previous study that the first sinner was an angel named Lucifer and the first sin took place in heaven sometime before the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden (Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:12-18).  When Adam and Eve sinned in the Garden of Eden, it resulted in their immediate spiritual death (separation from God; Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-7) and subsequent physical death (separation of the soul from the body; Gen. 5:5; cf. Eccl. 12:7).  Sin impacted the first humans and brought a curse upon the creation which causes it to act abnormally (Gen. 3:14-19; Rom. 8:20-22).  Death in every form in the creation is a direct result of the fall of Adam.

Adam and Eve were the only people in the history of the human race to become sinners by choice, for they began their existence in a state of sinless perfection and then turned away from God.  Once they sinned against God, their very nature was changed and their propensity after the fall was to behave sinfully.  Since the fall of Adam, all of his descendants are sinners by imputation (Rom. 5:12-18; 1 Cor. 15:21-22), by nature (Ps. 51:5; Rom. 7:19-21; Eph. 2:3), and by choice (1 Kings 8:46; Rom. 3:9-18).  Jesus is the exception, as He was born without the taint of sin in His life since He did not have a human father from which to inherit sin.  Mary was a sinner like the rest of us, no matter what the Catholic Church says, but because the sin nature is passed on to every person by the father and not the mother, Jesus could be born of a sinful woman and not be marred by sin Himself.  Regarding Mary’s pregnancy, the Scripture declares “the Child who has been conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Matt. 1:20).  The supernatural conception of Jesus guaranteed He had no sin nature.  Therefore, He could be born the way Adam was created: completely free from sin.  Throughout His life, Jesus demonstrated that He was perfectly righteous and never sinned, though He was severely tested in every way (Matt. 4:1-11; Heb. 4:15).  Jesus’ sinless life qualified Him to go to the cross and die as a substitute for sinful mankind, and His shed blood is the basis for our forgiveness of sin (Col. 1:13-14; Eph. 1:7; Heb. 10:10-14).  Salvation is completely the work of God through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus.

Once regenerated, the Christian is saved from the penalty of sin (Rom. 8:1, 33-34; Eph. 2:5, 8-9), the power of sin (Rom. 6:11-14), and will ultimately be saved from the presence of sin when God transports him to heaven and gives him a glorified body like the body of Jesus (Phil. 3:20-21).  Though regenerated and given a new nature in Christ (2 Cor. 5:17), Christians, while living in the world, still possess a sinful nature and have the capacity to commit every possible sin (Rom. 7:19-21).  When we sin, we break fellowship with God, though we do not forfeit our salvation (1 John 1:3-10; cf. John 10:28).

There are two important negative commands given to the Christian which he must obey if he is to keep in step with the Holy Spirit: “do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19), and “do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God” (Eph. 4:30).   These negative commands are given because of the very real possibility of sin in the life of the believer.

Do not Quench the Holy Spirit

Do not quench the Spirit.  (1 Thess. 5:19)

Godly behavior within the church is a sign of the work of the Holy Spirit in the lives of Christians.  It is a sovereign work, as the Holy Spirit guides by divine revelation and each Christian follows and obeys.  When writing to the Christians at Thessalonica the apostle Paul gave commands in which they were to appreciate their leaders, live in peace, admonish the unruly, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with others, and pursue good within the church (see 1 Thess. 5:12-15).  Paul then turned their minds upward to God and told them to “rejoice always; pray without ceasing; [and] in everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thess. 5:16-18).  As obedient Christians who were being led by the Holy Spirit they were to walk in the will of God, and this meant obeying the Scriptural commands given to them (cf. 1 Thess. 2:13).  Paul then followed with a negative command and told them, “Do not quench the Spirit” (1 Thess. 5:19).  The word “quench” translates the Greek word sbennumi which means to “stifle [or] suppress.”[xl]  The word carries the idea of dowsing water on a fire so as to extinguish it.

To “quench the Spirit” is to resist His revealed will and not follow as He leads.  In the first century church, before the New Testament was completed, God spoke both through Scripture and directly through apostles and prophets, so Paul commanded the Christians at Thessalonica, “do not despise prophetic utterances” (1 Thess. 5:20).  Today the Bible is the only source of divine revelation.  For Christians to quench the Holy Spirit today is to resist His will as He seeks to guide according to Scripture.  The Holy Spirit helps us learn and obey Scripture so we can live God’s will.

The Spirit seeks to lead us into the will of God in all things, “it is, therefore, quenching in the sense of resisting or opposing His will.”[xli]  The Holy Spirit wants to work in our lives, but we must let Him have His way, and this means yielding, or submitting to Him on a regular basis.  It means letting the Scripture direct our lives as we learn it on a regular basis.

The continued life of yieldedness to God involves a relationship to the will of God in several aspects.  The yielded Christian has an unusual relationship to the Word of God.  As its revelation becomes known and its application becomes evident, the issue of being yielded to the truth as made known by the Holy Spirit becomes very real.  It is evident that refusal to submit to the Word of God is quenching the Spirit, making the fullness of the Spirit impossible.[xlii]

The Holy Spirit guides us into the will of God, influencing our daily spiritual decisions, in order to form the character of Christ in us.  However, as stated earlier, the Spirit does not force us to be spiritual, therefore He can be resisted.  The believer must respond positively to the Spirit’s work in his life if he is to be spiritual and advance in his Christian walk.  “Quenching the Spirit may simply be defined as being unyielded to Him, or saying, ‘No.’ The issue is, therefore, the question of willingness to do His will.”[xliii]

Do not Grieve the Holy Spirit

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

The Spirit is a Person, and He is grieved with us as Christians when we sin and act contrary to His holy character.  Our sin hurts our relationship with Him and hinders His work in our lives.  Grieving the Spirit is a willful act on our part because we know we are going against what He wants and we do it anyway.

The Scriptures often testify to the fact that the Spirit of God is holy and that He is a person.  The indwelling presence of this holy person constitutes the body of a believer a temple of God.  In the nature of the case, the presence of sin in any form grieves the Holy Spirit.  Accordingly, when the Christian is exhorted to “grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, in whom ye were sealed unto the day of redemption” (Eph. 4:30), it is an appeal to allow nothing in his life contrary to the holiness of the Spirit.  It is clear that the one cause of grieving the Holy Spirit is sin.[xliv]

When the Christian is walking as he should, according to Scripture, then the Holy Spirit can work through him to touch the lives of others.  When the Christian commits sin, then the Spirit is grieved and His ministry to others is diminished, and the Spirit must then begin to work on the heart of the Christian to bring him back into fellowship.

Sin destroys spirituality.  It is necessarily so; for where sin is tolerated in the believer’s daily life, the Spirit, who indwells him, must then turn from His blessed ministry through him, to a pleading ministry to him.[xlv]

The Christian faces temptation on two fronts: internally from the source of his sin nature and externally from Satan’s world-system.  The sin nature is that internal propensity within every person to think and act against God’s holy character and to defy His will.  The world, or world-system, is Satan’s global network of values and philosophies that are set against God, which most of humanity follows and encourages others to do the same.  At every turn the Christian is pressured to conform to the satanic world system in which he lives, and the sin nature is naturally drawn to that system.  Temptation is not sin, but rather the opportunity and enticement to sin.  When the Christian yields to temptation, be it internal or external, he grieves the Spirit of God within him.  Sin has consequences in the Christian’s life.

The fact that the Spirit of God has been grieved may be readily determined in the Christian’s experience.  There is a loss of fellowship with God and the fruit of the Spirit, and some of the spiritual darkness that engulfs the unsaved descends upon the consciousness.  For this reason Christians who have grieved the Holy Spirit may appear outwardly to be living on the same plane of experience as the unsaved.[xlvi]

The Christian who sins loses the joy and assurance of his salvation and finds himself living in the darkness that the world offers.  There is no hope in Satan’s world, though it is laden with amusement and things that numb the senses and the soul.  Eventually the toys and treasures of this world grow ineffective and the things that once entertained and distracted from the darkness no longer have any effect, and the believer finds himself eating with swine.  The consequences of sin can leave lasting marks on both the soul and body of the believer who breaks fellowship with God.  But there is always hope, because God is forgiving toward the Christian who has fallen into sin, whether his sin was a single act or thousands of acts spanning many years.

Confess Your Sins to be Forgiven

Indeed, there is not a righteous man on earth who continually does good and who never sins.  (Eccl. 7:20)

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.  (1 John 1:9)

You will never find a sinless believer anywhere in the pages of Scripture.  All men are sinners (1 Ki. 8:46; Eccl. 7:20; Rom. 3:23), and sin continues in the life of the Christian even after he is saved (Rom. 7:14-23; 1 Cor. 3:1-3; 5:1; 1 Tim. 5:20; 1 Pet. 4:15).  As a born again Christian who is in Christ, the believer has a new nature that gives him the capacity to live spiritually in the will of God (Rom. 6:11-14; 2 Cor. 5:17; Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:9-10); however, the sin nature he inherited from his father Adam is not removed at salvation and, as a result, influences him to rebel against God.  Because every Christian has these two opposing natures, he says with the apostle Paul that “evil is present in me, the one who wants to do good” (Rom. 7:21).  The sin nature within the Christian is always at war with the Holy Spirit and seeks to enslave the believer to worldly sinful passions.  Paul writes of this struggle and says:

For the flesh [sarx – i.e. sinful nature] sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. (Gal. 5:17)

Apart from the constant temptation we face from the internal source of our sin nature, we also face attacks from Satan (1 Pet. 5:8), and temptations from the world around us (1 John 2:15-16).  When we are weak, we say yes to temptation and produce sin.  Unfortunately, sin is common to the experience of every Christian.  When we sin, we break fellowship with God and choose to operate independently of the Holy Spirit and Scripture.  When we sin, we are operating in the energy of our flesh and living by human viewpoint which is always self-serving.  Thank God He has provided a way for us to be restored to fellowship with Him through the simple act of confessing our sins directly to Him.

This is the message we have heard from Him and announce to you, that God is Light, and in Him there is no darkness at all.  If we [Christians] say that we have fellowship with Him and yet walk in the darkness [commit sin], we lie and do not practice the truth; but if we walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another [between the Christian and God], and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.  If we [Christians] say that we have no sin [nature], we are deceiving ourselves and the truth is not in us.  If we confess our [personal] sins, He is faithful [always doing the same thing] and righteous [because Jesus died for our sins] to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [all the sins we forget].  If we say that we have not sinned [personally], we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.  (1 John 1:5-10)

Christians are to “walk in the light as He is in the light.”  This means we are to live holy lives in the light of Holy Scripture.  We are to live in such a way that all we think, say, and do conforms to His righteous character.  If we sin and walk “in the darkness,” then we are not practicing the truth as we ought, and we have broken fellowship with God.  When we “walk in the Light as He Himself is in the Light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin.”  So long as we live the way God wants us to live, think the way He thinks, and conform our lives to His character, then we “have fellowship with one another.”  If we say we have no sin nature or that we do not personally produce sin, then “we are deceiving ourselves…and His word is not in us.”  Sin always causes us to move away from God, as He never moves away from us.

Both Scripture and experience confirms that sin is common to every Christian.  Failure to understand or accept this cripples the believer’s spiritual life.  God alone can forgive sins and in His infinite wisdom He has provided a way for the sinning Christian to be restored to fellowship with Him. This is found in 1 John 1:9.

If we confess our sins [to God], He is faithful [always doing the same thing] and righteous [because Jesus died for our sins] to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness [i.e. all sin; cf. 5:17a].  (1 John 1:9)

The Christian who wants to have fellowship with God must be willing to come to Him on His terms.  God establishes the guidelines for our relationship with Him and if we are to walk with Him, we must follow His commands.  God never follows us in our sin, but always calls us back to walk with Him in holiness.  Sin breaks fellowship and confession brings about forgiveness and restoration of fellowship.

According to 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”  This passage, standing as it does in the center of a revelation of the basis of fellowship with God (1 John 1:5—2:2), is a message to Christians.  It avails not to the unsaved to confess their sins, as they have not accepted the Savior who was the sacrifice for sins.  For the unsaved the exhortation is likewise summed up in one word, believe.  For the Christian who stands in all the blessed relationship to God wrought by saving faith in Christ there remains the issue of maintaining fellowship.  It is this issue that is in the foreground in 1 John…The presence of sin in the life of the Christian, however, constitutes a barrier to fellowship.  While the Christian’s sonship is in no wise affected, the happy family relationship is disturbed.  On the human side, confession must come before restoration into fellowship is possible.  The cause for grieving the Spirit must be judged as sin and confessed.[xlvii]

Because sin is easy to produce and because most men are simple in the way they think, God had to make restoration of fellowship easy and simple, and confession is it.  Just as believing the simple message of the gospel saves, so the simple act of confessing one’s sins leads to forgiveness and restoration of fellowship with God.  There’s no need for penance, guilty feelings, walking for miles on your knees through broken glass, or any payment on your part.  Forgiveness, like salvation, is provided to the believer because of the work of Jesus Christ on the cross.  This is grace!  We do not earn or deserve God’s kindness toward us.  More so, we cannot exhaust God’s forgiveness, as though He has a limited amount of forgiveness for every believer and once it is used up, that’s it.  Sadly, there are some Christians who have this kind of thinking, as though they can come to that place where they commit that ONE sin that is beyond God’s grace.  The reality is that where sin increases, grace abounds (Rom. 5:20)!  God’s grace is like the pie that gets bigger with every bite; you simply cannot exhaust it.  If we confess our sins to Him, “He is faithful and righteous to forgive.”  The simple act of confession as taught in 1 John 1:9 guarantees God’s forgiveness and restoration of fellowship.

Complete assurance is given that this approach to the sin problem is acceptable to God.  It is not a question of doing penance nor of inflicting chastening punishments upon oneself.  Nor is it a matter of leniency with the Father when He accepts the confession.  The whole act is based upon the finished work of Christ, and the question of penalty is not in view.  The price for restoration has already been paid.  Accordingly, the Father is faithful and righteous in forgiving, not merely lenient and merciful.  The Father could not do otherwise than forgive the Christian seeking forgiveness, for His own Son has already provided a complete satisfaction for sin.  The process from the human side is, accordingly, amazingly simple.[xlviii]

Confession of sin is a common theme throughout all of Scripture (Lev. 5:5; Ps. 32:3-5; 38:18; 51:4; 2 Sam. 12:13; Neh. 9:2; Dan. 9:1-16; Luke 15:18-21).  Personally, I confess my sins immediately after I commit them.  This keeps me from going long periods of time outside of fellowship with God.  In order for me to live and advance spiritually, I need to be in fellowship with God, and I can’t do that if I’m under the control of the sin nature.  It’s important for me to confess my sin quickly, accept God’s forgiveness by faith according to His promise in 1 John 1:9, and then move on with my walk with Him.  I can’t afford to get hung up trying to live my life in the energy of the flesh, as that will only produce spiritual fatigue and guarantee failure.  I must handle my sin as God requires, and that means being honest with Him and confessing it to Him and seeking His forgiveness.  It also means striving for holiness in my life and living to please Him.  Once I’m restored to fellowship, God’s Word calls me to live a righteous and godly life.

For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. (Tit. 2:11-14)

THE SIN NATURE, THE DEVIL, AND THE WORLD

After salvation, God acts upon the new Christian to develop the character of Christ in him; but that character is only developed in the believer who humbly submits to Him and lives by faith.  However, there is resistance to God’s work in the life of the Christian because he continues to live in a fallen world, and Satan desperately wants to keep him thinking and acting according to the world-system from which he has been rescued.  Positionally, the new believer is in Christ, but experientially, he must learn to think and act as God wants.  The new Christian will inevitably face many obstacles, because at the moment of his salvation, his mind is not automatically filled with Scripture and his character is not instantly changed to be like the character of Christ.  The process of being transformed into the character of Christ and learning to think biblically involves many thousands of decisions over a lifetime.

Spiritual growth is a process that takes time.  At the moment of salvation the new believer knows little about God and His plan, apart from a basic knowledge of the gospel, and that too may be meager.  The baby believer must begin the process of learning the Word of God and making application to his life in order to grow.  A lifetime of worldly viewpoint must be driven from his mind as the believer’s thinking is renovated and brought into conformity with Holy Scripture.  Spiritual growth will be frustrated to the degree worldly thinking is tolerated.

The Lord is preparing every believer for eternity, which means He is removing that which is offensive and producing that which conforms to the character of Christ. Because God loves the Christian, He will never leave him to his worldliness.  He loves him enough to grow him spiritually, and this involves both blessing and trials, as the believer learns to walk daily in God’s Word.  The growing Christian believes that the blessings and trials of life serve a divine purpose in producing that which is Christ-like and removing that which is not.  All the Lord does in the life of the Christian is designed to develop his character in order to help grow him spiritually.  The end result is a mature believer who walks with the Lord and trusts Him in all things, whether the Lord is bringing blessings or trials upon his life.  Job and Paul are quintessential examples of mature believers who serve the Lord and praise Him both during times of blessing and suffering (Job 1:21; 2:10; 2 Cor. 12:7-10; Philip. 4:11-13).

The Christian is born on a spiritual battlefield and throughout his life will face satanic opposition to the work of God.  The opposition will use both pleasure and pain to pull the Christian away from God in order to stifle his spiritual life.  The believer experiences opposition from his sin nature (Gal. 5:17, 19-21a; Rom. 6:6; Col. 3:9), the devil (2 Cor. 11:3; Jam. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:8), and the world around him (Col. 2:8; Jas. 1:27; 4:4; 1 John 2:15-16).

The Sin Nature

If the devil were a broadcaster sending out his signal through the world, the sin nature in every person would be the receiver that is specifically tuned to welcome his message.   The sin nature, sometimes called “the flesh” (Gal. 5:17, 19) or “old self” (Rom. 6:6; Col. 3:9), has a natural affinity for Satan’s values and his world-system.  More so, the sin nature is not eradicated from the believer during his time on earth, nor is it ever reformed, as though it can be made to love God.

For those who are according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who are according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the Spirit is life and peace, because the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, and those who are in the flesh [unbelievers] cannot please God.  (Rom. 8:5-8)

Everyone knows what it’s like to walk in the flesh, according to the sin nature, but only the Christian knows what it’s like to walk in the Spirit, assuming he’s growing in his walk with the Lord.

For the flesh [sin nature] sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you [the Christian] may not do the things that you please.  (Gal. 5:17)

The sin nature is resident in every person; both saved and unsaved, and is the source of internal temptation.  “The flesh refers to that fallen nature that we were born with, that wants to control the body and the mind and make us disobey God.”[xlix]  Since the fall of Adam, every person is born with a sin nature, and it is this nature that internally motivates men to rebel against all legitimate forms of authority, both human and divine.  At the moment of salvation, God the Holy Spirit indwells us and gives us a new nature that, for the first time in our lives, has the capacity and desire to obey God.  Because the sin nature is not removed from the believer after salvation, the believer begins to experience conflict within.  “The presence of two opposing natures (not two personalities) in one individual results in conflict.”[l]

The old nature (which has its origin in our physical birth) fights against the new nature which we receive when we are born again (Gal. 5:16–26). No amount of self-discipline, no set of man-made rules and regulations, can control this old nature. Only the Holy Spirit of God can enable us to “put to death” the old nature (Rom. 8:12–13) and produce the Spirit’s fruit (Gal. 5:22–23) in us through the new nature.[li]

Only the Christian has two opposing natures, and his spiritual growth guarantees internal conflict.  The sin nature, though crippled at the moment of regeneration, does not give up control without a fight, and only the spiritually advancing Christian can overcome the power and habits of the flesh, as he devotes himself to learning and living Scripture by means of the filling of the Spirit.  The Christian is to “lay aside the old self…and put on the new self which in the likeness of God has been created in righteousness and holiness of the truth” (Eph. 4:22, 24).  Such language speaks to the reality that the believer has two natures, one that is corrupt and wants to please self and one that is new and wants to please God.

For the good that I want, I do not do, but I practice the very evil that I do not want. But if I am doing the very thing I do not want, I am no longer the one doing it, but [the] sin [nature] which dwells in me. I find then the principle that evil is present in me [the Christian], the one who wants to do good. For I joyfully concur with the law of God in the inner man [according to the new nature], but I see a different law [of sin] in the members of my body, waging war [causing conflict] against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin which is in my members.  (Romans 7:19-23)

I have pondered Paul’s struggle between his two natures on many occasions.  Every Christian who has grown spiritually and lived for any time in this world knows exactly what Paul is saying.  He writes that he wants to do good, but then finds himself doing the very opposite.  On the one hand Paul states that he “joyfully concur[s] with the law of God in the inner man” (Rom. 7:22), but that he experiences a war within because of “the law of sin” which is in his flesh (Rom. 7:23).  This is the Christian experience.

Torn inside with desires to do that which we know is evil and new desires to please God, we experience the rage of the battle.  The internal conflict manifests itself in everyday life as the believer is tempted to sin.  The source of this conflict is the old sin nature, which is the root cause of the deeds of sin.  In the conflict the believer is not passive.  He has a vital role in determining to whom he will give allegiance—the old nature or the new nature.  From the moment a sinner trusts Christ, there is a conflict in his very being between the powers of darkness and those of light.  The one who has become a member of the family of God now faces conflicts and problems that he did not have before.[lii]

Though the Christian will struggle all his life with his two natures, he also knows the victory is already won.  The sin nature has been defeated and its strength diminished because of the believer’s union with Christ (Rom. 6:6, 11).  At his resurrection, the Christian is guaranteed a new body in heaven that is free from the sin nature as it will be just the like body of our Lord Jesus (Phil. 3:20-21).

Not only is the Christian commanded to “put on the Lord Jesus Christ,” but he is to “make no provision for the flesh in regard to its lusts” (Rom. 13:14).  He must not only choose to live according to the new nature in conformity to the Spirit’s guiding, but must also learn to starve the monster that is his sin nature.  To “make no provision for the flesh” means the Christian is to stop exposing himself to the things of the world that excite the flesh and lead to sinful behavior.  The positive action is to grow spiritually with biblical teaching, Christian fellowship, worship and prayer so that the believer grows strong (Acts 2:42; Eph. 4:11-16; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:16-17; 1 Pet. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:18).  It is only by spiritual growth and drawing closer to God that the Christian glorifies the Lord and learns to live in righteousness.

The Devil

The devil is a real, personal being who opposes the Christian and seeks to make him ineffective in his Christian life. He is a formidable enemy of the Christian since he is intent on devouring Christians (1 Pet. 5:8); hence, the Christian is called on to resist the devil (James 4:7). This can be accomplished through putting on the armor for a spiritual battle (Eph. 6:10–17).[liii]

Before his self-induced fall, Lucifer was a wise and beautiful creature, having “the seal of perfection, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty” (Ezek. 28:12).  He was an angel, called an “anointed cherub” (Ezek. 28:14).  However, this perfect angelic creature produced sin from the source of his own volition, and the Scripture states, “You were blameless in your ways from the day you were created until unrighteousness was found in you…and you sinned” (Ezek. 28:15-16a).  Concerning Lucifer’s sin, the Lord says, “Your heart was lifted up because of your beauty; you corrupted your wisdom by reason of your splendor” (Ezek. 28:17a).  Self-centered pride turned Lucifer’s wisdom into foolishness, and in his madness he sought to usurp God’s throne and rule over His creation.  Lucifer became Satan (a term meaning “the adversary”) at the time of his rebellion when he declared:

I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God, and I will sit on the mount of assembly in the recesses of the north. ‘I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will make myself like the Most High.  (Isa. 14:13-14)

These five “I will” statements by Satan reveal that it was his every intent to set his will against the will of God and to make himself lord of the universe.  Satan seeks to operate independently of God’s plan for him.  He leads others, both saved and unsaved, to do the same.

The desire of Satan was to move in and occupy the throne of God, exercise absolute independent authority over the angelic creation, bring the earth and all the universe under his authority, cover himself with the glory that belongs to God alone, and then be responsible to no one but himself.[liv]

After his fall Lucifer is called Satan (Job 1:6), the evil one (1 John 5:19), the tempter (1 Thess. 3:5), the devil (Matt. 4:1), the god of this world (2 Cor. 4:4), the accuser of the brethren (Rev. 12:10), the prince of the power of the air (Eph. 2:2), the serpent (Rev. 12:9), the great red dragon (Rev. 12:3), and the angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).  It is this last designation that often catches people by surprise, because most think of Satan as a dark creature so nefarious in appearance and action that he’s easily recognized and guarded against.  However, Scripture warns us that “Satan disguises himself as an angel of light” and that “his servants also disguise themselves as servants of righteousness, whose end will be according to their deeds” (2 Cor. 11:14-15).  Both Satan and his representatives appear as beautiful, friendly, and attractive people, and it is this charade that often deceives and traps people into believing false teaching.  Satan and his representatives are ultimately identified “according to their deeds,” which do not line up either with the character of God or the plain teaching of Scripture.  It is from the place of biblical knowledge and spiritual adulthood that the Christian is able to discern the enemy and his tactics, especially when Satan is disguised as “an angel of light” (2 Cor. 11:14).

Lucifer created his kingdom of darkness when he rebelled against God, convincing a third of the angels to rebel with him (Rev. 12:4), and through temptation he brought down to death the first humans when he convinced them to turn from God and follow his advice to eat the forbidden fruit (Gen. 2:16-17; 3:1-7).  As stated earlier, all men are born into this world of darkness, into Satan’s kingdom, born in Adam, born in sin.  The minds of all men are darkened by the sin nature and have a propensity toward rebellion and foolishness.  Even after regeneration, men’s minds are not suddenly wise, but still dark from a lifetime of exposure to all the world’s humanistic philosophies.  Every person born in the world (with the exception of Jesus) is born into the family of Adam (Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22), spiritually dead (Eph. 2:1-3), enemies of God (Rom. 5:8), and powerless to save themselves apart from God’s  grace (Rom. 5:6; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5).  Without Christ men have no hope of being delivered from their state of spiritual death and darkness.

We find in Scripture instances where Satan has personally attacked people such Adam and Eve (Gen. 3:1-7), Job (Job 1-2), Jesus (Matt. 4:1-11), and Peter (Luke 22:31-32).  However, being the finite creature that he is, Satan must rely on others, both demons and people, to execute his plans.

The devil is “the spirit that now works in the children of disobedience.” This does not mean that Satan is personally at work in the life of each unbeliever, since Satan as a created being is limited in space. Unlike God, who is omnipresent, Satan cannot be in all places at one time. But because of his demonic associates (Eph. 6:11–12), and his power over the world system (John 12:31), Satan influences the lives of all unbelievers, and also seeks to influence believers. He wants to make people “children of disobedience” (Eph. 2:2; 5:6). He himself was disobedient to God, so he wants others to disobey Him too.[lv]

Demons are fallen angels that willfully joined Satan in his original rebellion against God and continue to follow him and promote his kingdom of darkness.  Demons are spirit beings with intellect and emotion (Matt. 12:43; Mark 1:23-26), can inflict disease to oppress men (Matt. 9:32-33), can possess both beasts and unsaved men (Mark 5:13; 9:17), promote a system of teaching that leads to immoral behavior (1 Tim. 4:1-3), and are highly organized by Satan to maximize their effectiveness in opposing God’s will in the lives on men (Eph. 6:11-12).

In Ephesians 6:12 Paul tells us that Satan has followed the pattern of God’s arrangement and has ordered his demons into different hierarchies called principalities and power and rulers.  To each of these hierarchies is assigned a different responsibility.  Scripture does not tell us the responsibilities assigned to these different groups.  We do know that they have one common purpose: to oppose God and to defeat God’s program for men in the earth as that purpose is revealed in the Scriptures.[lvi]

Another aspect of Satan’s work is that he seeks to promote false teachers, both inside and outside the church (2 Pet. 2:1-3; cf. Acts 20:29-30).  Many of Satan’s false teachers are charming, friendly, well dressed, moral individuals who pray and give of their resources, and this is done with the intention to deceive Christians and draw them away from God and the truth of Scripture.  Paul encountered some of these false teachers and described them as “false apostles, deceitful workers, disguising themselves as apostles of Christ” (2 Cor. 11:13), men who deceptively “disguise themselves as servants of righteousness” (2 Cor. 11:15).  Though very religious, false teachers are spiritually dead, children of Satan, and bound for the Lake of Fire unless they turn to Jesus as their Savior.  Some religious groups such as Mormons and Jehovah’s Witnesses fit well into Satan’s system.

Satan will even use well-meaning believers to accomplish his plans.  On one occasion Jesus was telling His disciples that “He must go to Jerusalem, and suffer many things from the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised up on the third day” (Matt. 16:21).  Jesus was telling them of His Father’s will for Him to die by the hands of sinful men and be resurrected; however, Peter was alarmed by the news and rebuked the Lord.

And Peter took Him aside and began to rebuke Him, saying, “God forbid it, Lord! This [suffering and death] shall never happen to You.” But He turned and said to Peter, “Get behind Me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to Me; [opposing God’s will] for you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”  (Matt. 16:22-23)

Peter loved the Lord, and though he meant well, he was resisting God’s will because it was offensive to him.  Jesus was forced to rebuke him for getting in the way of the cross, declaring “you are not setting your mind on God’s interests, but man’s.”  For a few moments, Peter slipped into worldly thinking, and briefly became an enemy of the cross, for he was opposing it.  Later, Peter would preach the cross and many thousands would be saved (Acts 2).

Satan is an enemy who is bent on our destruction and is described as one who “prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour” (1 Pet. 5:8).  We must “resist him firm” in our Christian faith, and this can only be done as we regularly “submit to God” by learning His Word and living His will (1 Pet. 5:9; Jas. 4:7).  It is only from the shelter of our right relationship with God that we find safety from the enemy.  The Christian becomes his own worst enemy when he turns away from the Lord and abandons Scripture as his guide for life.  Satan wants to trap and isolate us from God and His Word, because it’s only through worldly thinking that he can take advantage of us.  The Christian who is filled with the Spirit and walking in the light of Scripture cannot fail, though great satanic storms are hurled against him.

Satan is a defeated creature.  Though he advanced himself in heaven and on earth by convincing others to follow him (angels and men), both he and his kingdom have been judged by God (John 12:31), and his punishment is coming (Matt. 25:41).  Attack is inevitable for Christians living in the devil’s world, but victory is certain for the believer who lives in God’s will and advances in his spiritual walk.

The World

Do not love the world [Grk. kosmos] nor the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the boastful pride of life, is not from the Father, but is from the world.  (1 John 2:15-16)

When John writes and tells the Christian “do not love the world”, he’s not talking about the physical planet.  The Greek word kosmos as it is used by the apostle John and others most often refers to “that which is hostile to God…lost in sin, wholly at odds with anything divine, ruined and depraved.”[lvii]  The world, or world-system, originated with Satan and consists of those philosophies and values that perpetually influence humanity to think and behave contrary to God and His Word.  The world-system is mankind and society functioning without God.  It is first and foremost “a way of thinking about life that is contrary to the biblical way or divine viewpoint.”[lviii]

The cosmos is a vast order or system that Satan has promoted which conforms to his ideals, aims, and methods. It is civilization now functioning apart from God-a civilization in which none of its promoters really expect God to share; who assign to God no consideration in respect to their projects, nor do they ascribe any causality to Him. This system embraces its godless governments, conflicts, armaments, jealousies; its education, culture, religions of morality, and pride. It is that sphere in which man lives. It is what he sees, what he employs. To the uncounted multitude it is all they ever know so long as they live on this earth. It is properly styled “The Satanic System” which phrase is in many instances a justified interpretation of the so-meaningful word, cosmos.[lix]

Satan’s world system is a spiritual darkness that envelopes and permeates the human race, influencing every aspect of thought and behavior in such a way that the depraved nature of man is magnified while God is excluded.  We should be careful to understand that Satan’s system is a buffet that offers something for everyone who rejects God, whether he is moral or immoral, religious or irreligious, educated or simple, rich or poor.  Satan is careful to make sure there’s even something for the Christian in his world-system, which is why the Bible repeatedly warns the believer not to love the world or the things in the world. We are to be set apart (Col. 2:8; Jas. 1:27; 4:4; 1 John 2:15-16).

The world is the Christian’s enemy because it represents an anti-God system, a philosophy that is diametrically opposed to the will and plan of God.  It is a system headed by the devil and therefore at odds with God (2 Cor. 4:4).  Likewise, the world hates the believer who lives for Christ (John 17:14).  The Lord never kept this a secret from his own.  He told them often of the coming conflict with the world (e.g., John 15:18-20; 16:1-3; 32-33; cf. 2 Tim. 3:1-12).  It is in this wicked world we must rear our families and earn our livelihoods.  We are in it, yet are not to be a part of it.[lx]

Jesus came as the Light of God’s revelation and salvation into Satan’s hostile world system, yet the majority of those who personally witnessed Christ rejected Him, because they “loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil” (John 3:19).  Man is depraved to the core of his being, and that depravity is most manifest in the life of the person who has excluded God and His Word from having any say over his life.  The worldly person makes no room in his life for God, and is often hostile to those who do.

The worldly person is perhaps best described by the word autonomous, which comes from two Greek words (autos = self + nomos = law) that mean to be self-governed.  The worldly person seeks to live independently from God, as a self-governed person who regulates his own life and establishes his own rules and laws.  He refuses to acknowledge the sovereignty of God and rejects the Lord as having any say over his life.  More so, the worldly person, whether he is a believer or unbeliever, loves those who are of the world, but hates those who belong to the Lord and walk in His will.

If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.  (John 15:18-19)

These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world.  (John 16:33)

I have given them Your word; and the world has hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. I do not ask You to take them out of the world, but to keep them from the evil one. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth.  (John 17:14-17)

Do not be surprised, brethren, if the world hates you.  (1 John 3:13)

The growing Christian faces real struggles as Satan’s world system seeks to press him into its mold, demanding conformity, and persecuting him when he does not bend to its values.  The world-system not only has human support, but is backed by demonic forces of spiritual darkness that operate in collaboration with Satan.  Scripture tells us “our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12).  The battlefront is more than what is seen with the human eye, but also encompasses that which is unseen.  Whether visible or invisible, the battleground finally rests in the believer’s mind, for what he thinks determines how he lives.  If the Christian thinks biblically, then he will make right decisions on a regular basis to live for God.  However, if the Christian chooses to think like the world around him, then he’s defeated and becomes a spiritual casualty.

As Christians living in the world we are to be careful not to be taken “captive through philosophy and empty deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elementary principles of the world, rather than according to Christ” (Col. 2:8).  Realizing the battleground is the mind, we are to think biblically in everything, which is our only safeguard against the enemy.

For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh, for the weapons of our warfare are not of the flesh, but divinely powerful for the destruction of fortresses. We are destroying speculations and every lofty thing raised up against the knowledge of God, and we are taking every thought captive to the obedience of Christ.  (2 Cor. 10:3-5)

Christians face situations every day in which they are pressured to compromise God’s Word.  They face difficulties at work, school, home, or other places, in which they are confronted by worldly minded persons, both saved and unsaved, who demand and pressure them to abandon their biblical values.  There is room for personal compromise where Scripture is silent on a matter; however, where Scripture speaks with absolute authority, there the believer must never compromise!

The world, or world-system, puts pressure on each person to try to get him to conform (Rom. 12:2). Jesus Christ was not “of this world” and neither are His people (John 8:23; 17:14). But the unsaved person, either consciously or unconsciously, is controlled by the values and attitudes of this world.[lxi]

It is the epitome of worldliness to have discussions and devise plans which exclude God, and then use His resources independently of His wishes.  This is what happened at the Tower of Babel, in which godless men used divinely given language and earthly material to build a tower to heaven in order to make a name for themselves (Gen. 11:1-9).  Those who built the Tower of Babel were intelligent, religious, and hardworking, but they excluded God from their plans and operated against His will, so God disrupted their activities by confusing their language.  Biblically, God has a pattern of disrupting the lives and activities of sinful men (e.g. expulsion from the Garden of Eden, the universal Flood, the Tower of Babel, the Exodus, the First and Second Coming of Christ, etc.).  God’s greatest disruption so far occurred when He sent His Son into the world, into Satan’s hostile kingdom of darkness, to be the Light of the world  and to provide salvation to those enslaved to sin (John 1:5-9; 3:19-21).  Jesus declared, “I am the Light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in the darkness, but will have the Light of life” (John 812).  Thank God for His disruptions!

By promoting the gospel and biblical teaching, the church disrupts Satan’s kingdom by calling out of it a people for God.  By learning God’s Word, Christians can identify worldly conversations and either avoid them or participate in them by interjecting biblical truth.  It need not be a rude avoidance or participation.  When sharing God’s Word with others it’s proper to know that not everyone wants to hear God’s truth, and the personal choices of others should be respected.  We should never try to force the gospel or Bible teaching on anyone, but be willing to share when opportunity presents itself.  Christians are to be lights in the world and this means sharing God’s truth so that the light of His Word shines forth into a dark place.  At times this will bring peace, and other times cause disruption and may even offend.

Once saved, the Christian can live for God and enjoy His creation.  There is a difference between enjoying the creation and being worldly.  The spiritual Christian enjoys life and celebrates the many wonders of God’s creation and takes pleasure in things such a walk in the woods, a baby’s smile, a beautiful sunset, a satisfying meal, and good friends.  The spiritual Christian always keeps the Creator and creation distinct in his thinking, worshipping the former while enjoying the latter.  Worldliness, however, is a mindset that perverts the enjoyment of the creation by calling men to use it in ways God never intended.  The worldly minded person, whether Christian or not, uses the creation for selfish and destructive ends, and at times will even worship it in place of God (Rom. 1:18-25).

The world and “worldly” Christians turn to so-called “worldly” things because they discover in them an anesthetic to deaden the pain of an empty heart and life.  The anesthetic, which is often quite innocent in itself, is not so serious a matter as the empty heart and life.  Little is gained toward true spirituality when would-be soul doctors have succeeded in persuading the afflicted to get on without the anesthetic.  If these instructors do not present the reality of consolation and filling for heart and life which God has provided, the condition will not be improved.  How misleading is the theory that to be spiritual one must abandon play, diversion and helpful amusement!  Such a conception of spirituality is born of a morbid human conscience.  It is foreign to the Word of God.  It is a device of Satan to make the blessings of God seem abhorrent to young people who are overflowing with physical life and energy.  It is to be regretted that there are those who in blindness are so emphasizing the negatives of the Truth that the impression is created that spirituality is opposed to joy, liberty and naturalness of expression in thought and life in the Spirit.  Spirituality is not a pious pose.  It is not a “Thou shall not”; is it “Thou shalt.”  It flings open the doors into the eternal blessedness, energies and resources of God.  It is a serious thing to remove the element of relaxation and play from any life.  We cannot be normal physically, mentally or spiritually if we neglect the vital factor in human life.  God has provided that our joy shall be full.[lxii]

People who live in Satan’s world-system exclude God and Scripture from their daily conversations.  This is true in the news, politics, academic communities, and in everyday conversations.  God is nowhere in their thoughts, and therefore, nowhere in their discussions (Ps. 10:4; 14:1).  The growing Christian thinks about God and His Word all the time, as he delights “in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night” (Ps. 1:2).  The contrast between the growing Christian and the worldly person is stark, as their thoughts and words take them in completely antithetical directions.

The growing Christian must be careful not to fall into the exclusion trap, in which the worldly person (whether saved or lost) controls the content of every conversation, demanding the Christian only talk about worldly issues, as Scripture threatens his pagan presuppositions.  Having the biblical worldview, the Christian should assert himself into daily conversations with others, and in so doing, be a light in a dark place.  He should always be respectful, conversational, and never have a fist-in-your-face attitude, as arrogance never helps advance biblical truth.  The worldly minded person may not want to hear what the Christian has to say, but he should never be under the false impression that he has the right to quiet the Christian and thereby exclude him from the conversation.

The Bible provides the Christian with the necessary foundation for making sense of the world in which he lives, providing the necessary presuppositions to have a correct worldview.  Scripture alone gives the true origin of the universe created in six literal days and reveals that mankind came from the hand of God as a special creature made in His image and in no way evolved from a lower species.  More so, the Bible explains the origin of sin and evil, the beginnings of language and society, and why the earth is in a state of decay.  The Bible gives hope to mankind, showing that God has provided salvation to all who trust in Jesus Christ as their personal Savior (John 3:16-18; 20:31; Acts 4:12; 16:30-31; Eph. 2:8-9; Tit. 3:5).  Lastly, the Bible shows that evil—which had a beginning—will eventually come to an end, and that God will, at some time in the future, create a new heaven and earth (Gen. 3-11; Rev. 21-22).

Victory for the Believer

For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world-- our faith. Who is the one who overcomes the world, but he who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?  (1 John 5:4-5)

Jesus, by His death, burial, and resurrection, has provided victory over the sin nature (Rom. 6:11-14; Gal. 2:20), the devil (Eph. 1:19-23), and the world (John 16:33).  The believer’s union with Christ makes him the beneficiary of God’s special blessings which enable him to advance spiritually.  The believer has been blessed with all he needs to grow spiritually and to live victoriously in the devil’s world.  Behind all the blessings, the Christian has the support of heaven itself, as both the Holy Spirit and Jesus the Savior intercede with regular petitions on behalf of all believers.

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

Therefore He [Jesus] is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession [prayer] for them.  (Heb. 7:25)

Divine petitions do not mean the believer will be spared temptation, or even that he will always make courageous choices and overcome those temptations, but that he has the perpetual support of heaven working on his behalf.  The regular prayers of God the Holy Spirit and God the Son are ongoing in the life of the believer.

Victory over the sin nature, the devil, and the world is possible for the Christian who loves God (1 John 2:15), understands his position in Christ (Rom. 6:11-14), and utilizes the spiritual assets that were given to him at the moment of salvation (Eph. 1:3).  This takes learning and time to grow (1 Pet. 2:2), as the believer lives by faith (Rom. 10:17), and obeys God at His Word (1 John 5:3).

MAKING GOOD CHOICES

Being spiritual and staying spiritual is a matter of making good choices by learning what God has done for the Christian, and choosing to walk in the sphere of His blessing.  As goes the Christian’s daily choices to live godly, so goes his spiritual walk.  If he is spending time in Scripture, applying the Word to his life, praying, claiming promises, focusing on the Lord, surrounding himself with other growing believers, and spending time in worship, then his life will glorify God and his mental health and overall happiness will be stable.

It is possible for the believer to make bad choices and to live in sin, apart from the will of God.  The believer can be carnal (1 Cor. 3:1-3), love this world (2 Tim. 4:8), “insult the Spirit of grace” (Heb. 10:29), commit murder (2 Sam. 12:9), deny Jesus (Matt. 26:34, 75), and even “lie to the Holy Spirit” (Acts 5:3).  The believer can commit any sin possible.  However, there are consequences for the believer who sins, “for those whom the Lord loves He disciplines, and He scourges every son whom He receives” (Heb. 12:6).  God loves us enough to give us what we need. When we turn away from Him and choose to live in sin, He disciplines us for own good, to call us back to godliness.  King David was a believer who committed sin, and he received divine discipline from the Lord (2 Sam. 12:9-14).  David was wise enough to accept divine discipline from the Lord and even declared “it is good for me that I was afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes” (Ps. 119:71).

It is for discipline that you endure; God deals with you as with sons; for what son is there whom his father does not discipline? But if you are without discipline, of which all have become partakers, then you are illegitimate children and not sons. Furthermore, we had earthly fathers to discipline us, and we respected them; shall we not much rather be subject to the Father of spirits, and live? For they disciplined us for a short time as seemed best to them, but He disciplines us for our good, so that we may share His holiness. All discipline for the moment seems not to be joyful, but sorrowful; yet to those who have been trained by it, afterwards it yields the peaceful fruit of righteousness.  (Hebrews 12:-11)

One Sunday morning back in the summer of 1988, I remember waking up from a night of sleeping on the grass.  I woke to the sound of children walking past the fence near the alley where I’d slept the night before.  I was homeless and my life had come to a terrible place.  Years of bad choices had caught up with me and the few weeks I’d spent living on the streets and at the Salvation Army were enough to wake me to the despair of my situation.  Worldly living had produced such a darkness within me, there were times I had considered suicide as a solution to end the misery that was my pathetic life.

I was saved at age eight when my grandmother taught me the gospel and I had believed in Christ for salvation (John 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:3-4).  Yet, in my early teenage years I turned away from the Lord and pursued the world.  From the time I was saved until that morning on the grass, I had not been living as a righteous man, but rather as the wicked that “are like chaff which the wind drives away” (Ps. 1:4).  My life at that time epitomized worldliness, as I had excluded God from having any say over my affairs.  By excluding Him, I had become my own worst enemy.  I had excluded God from my life, but He had not excluded me from His, and He humbled me through loving discipline (Heb. 12:5-11).

As a Christian, my spiritual growth began the day I turned my life over to God.  Many worldly people had influenced me in an ungodly way, and I was stupid enough to let them.  No more.  No more hanging around foolish people, or reading worldly books, or watching movies that promote worldly values, or listening to music that glorifies the world.  No more.  God had blessed me with everything I needed to grow and mature and I decided to lay hold of that life.  I got into Scripture and got into church like never before.  Oh, I made some bad choices along the way and occasionally fell into sin, but God continually showed me grace.  I confessed my sin and got back to living the spiritual life and “walking in the light as He Himself is in the light” (1 John 1:7).  As I grew in my love for Him I learned that “His commandments are not burdensome” (1 John 5:3).

For the Christian, making good choices means thinking what God wants us to think and walking the way God wants us to walk.  God has “blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ” and it’s up to us as Christians to learn and utilize those blessings for God’s glory and the benefit of others (Eph. 1:3).  Making good choices means doing what God wants us to do so that we mature as believers and live spiritual lives.

…a spiritual Christian is a Spirit-filled Christian in whom the unhindered Spirit is manifesting Christ by producing a true Christian character, which is the “fruit of the Spirit”; by energizing true Christian service through the exercise of a “gift of the Spirit”; by personal instruction in the Word of God; by inspiring true praise and thanksgiving; by leading the believer in an unbroken “walk in the Spirit”; by actualizing into celestial heart-ecstasy that which has been taken by faith concerning the positions and possessions in Christ; and by inclining, illumination and empowering the believer in the prayer of intercession.  True spirituality…is a divine output of the life, rather than a mere cessation of things which are called “worldly.”  True spirituality does not consist in what one does not do, it is rather what one does.  It is not suppression: it is expression.  It is not holding in self: it is living out Christ.[i]

Spirituality consists of “what one does” by “living out Christ.”  Christ “did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45).  He came to do His father’s will, so “He humbled Himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross” (Phil. 2:8).  Jesus knew complete and total sacrifice to the Father for the benefit of others, and His life is a model for all Christians, who are to present their bodies “a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship” (Rom. 12:1).  As we strive to be “a living and holy sacrifice” to the Lord, there are some good choices we can make that will help us accomplish our goal.

Develop a Biblical Worldview

Making good choices as a Christian means living in the biblical worldview.  This means thinking from the biblical perspective and seeing life from the divine viewpoint.  In one sense, it means learning to see all of life as special, coming from the hand of God, and having purpose because God created it to have purpose.  In another sense, it means seeing man and the world as fallen, needing God, needing salvation.  There is beauty and there is evil in the universe.

The Bible addresses every facet of life such as family, work, economics, science, and even politics.  The Bible does not comment on every issue, but what it does address is true and reliable, not only as a basis for presuppositions (i.e. what man accepts as true regarding the origin of the universe, mankind, evil, etc.), but also as a reference point for academic fields of study such as history, archaeology, science, economics, philosophy, etc.

Too often Christians compartmentalize Scripture in their thinking, allowing God to speak to certain aspects of their life while excluding Him from other areas.  Some Christians do this intentionally because they do not want God to have complete control of their life, so they shut Him out of some areas.  Other Christians have been influenced to compartmentalize God in their thinking by liberal teachers who say the Bible only speaks to things religious, other-worldly, or existential, and that Christians should never seriously mix Scripture with academic pursuits such as history, science, economics, etc.  Compartmentalizing God is a facet of worldliness and is just another way of excluding Him from having any say over our lives.  Thinking biblically means thinking in an integrated way, with the Bible at the center of our thoughts, guiding us and giving meaning to the data that comes our way through our senses.  For example, when I pick up an insect, I see it from the biblical perspective, as a part of God’s creation, having purpose because God created to be what it is.

The Bible teaches that God created mankind in His image, to think, feel, and act as He does (Gen. 1:26-27); and as His uniquely designed creatures we find ourselves naturally bent toward art, music, literature, philosophy, science, mathematics, architecture, and other activities that enrich the soul and glorify Him.  Mankind is God’s special creation, unique in the universe.  The Christian can engage in art and science to the glory of God, as this is consistent with Scripture.  As Christians living in God’s world, and understanding what the Scripture teaches about His creation, we are able to make sense of the world around us and enjoy the creation as God intended.  Knowing Scripture also allows us to understand and reject the sinful perversions of the arts and sciences that fallen men have corrupted.  Without God and Scripture to guide and give man purpose, man’s uniqueness is lost in the universe, as he is ultimately of no greater value than what he paints on the canvass or studies under the microscope.  Biblical thinkers know this to be true; because if there is no God and man is not unique (as the Bible teaches), then he becomes of no greater value than the tree, the rock, or the worm on a hook.  If there is no God, then man is a zero.

For the atheist, man is nothing more than a molecular accident in a material universe.  There is no reason for his existence and no given purpose for his life.  His thoughts, feelings, and actions are simply electrochemical impulses that occur in the body and brain, and when man dies, those impulses cease.  For the Christian who lives in the biblical worldview, all men have value because they are specially made in the image of God.  Men paint, learn, sing, write, and study the world around them because they are unique creatures designed to behave this way, though their sinful natures have perverted the original order of things.

The Bible portrays God as creating an open universe in which He continually operates in every detail, working in every aspect of men’s lives and calling them to salvation and a walk with Him.  To develop a fully integrated biblical worldview, the Christian must have a healthy respect for God and His Word (Prov. 1:7), and surrender every area of his life to Christ as the “King of kings and Lord of lords” (Rev. 19:16).  The Christian worldview is one that sees everything from the biblical perspective, and under the authority and control of God.  It’s not enough to have right thinking, as we must also engage in right living, and this means submission to God.  A fully integrated biblical worldview understands:

1.     God exists as a Trinity: God the Father (Matt. 6:9), God the Son (John 1:1, 14 Matt. 16:16), and God the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:3-4). The Persons of the Trinity are co-eternal, co-infinite, and co-equal, and though they have differing roles in how they relate to each other and the creation, they are equal in essence, and share exactly the same attributes.[ii]

2.     God is perfectly holy in character (Ps. 99:9) and all His actions are good (Gen. 1:10, 12, 18, 21, 25).

3.     God created the universe in six days as Scripture teaches (Gen. 1-2; Ex. 20:8-11).

4.     Evil came into existence when Lucifer rebelled against God (Isa. 14:12-14; Ezek. 28:12-18).

5.     God created man in His image (Gen. 1:26-27).

6.     Adam sinned when he followed Satan in rebellion against God (Gen. 3:1-7).

7.     The entire human race is fallen in Adam, spiritually dead, and unable to correct the problem of total depravity (Rom. 3:23; 5:6-12; 1 Cor. 15:21-22).

8.     God the Son took upon Himself true humanity (Gen. 3:15; John 1:1, 14), born of a virgin (Isa. 7:14; Matt. 1:18-25), in the line of Abraham and David (Matt. 1:1), born King of the Jews (Matt. 2:2), lived righteously according to the Mosaic Law (Matt. 5:17-19; Gal. 4:4), never sinned (Heb. 4:15), died on a cross in the place of sinners (Mark 10:45; Rom. 5:8), was buried and rose to life on the third day (1 Cor. 15:3-4), and ascended to heaven where He is currently interceding for the saints (Acts 1:10-11; Rom. 8:34).

9.     God alone has solved the sin problem through the substitutionary death of Jesus who died in the place of sinful mankind, was buried, and rose again on the third day (Isa. 53; John 3:16-18; 36; 20:31; Acts 4:12; 16:30-31; Rom. 3:23-26; 5:6-8; 8:1-4; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; 2 Cor. 5:17-21; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 3:9; Col. 2:13-14; Tit. 3:5; Heb. 2:9; 1 John 2:2; 4:10).

10.  Salvation is a gracious and free gift to all who will accept it by faith alone in Christ alone (John 3:16; 1 Cor. 15:3-4; Gal. 2:16; Eph. 2:8-9; Phil. 3:9; Tit. 3:5).

11.  Jesus Christ is returning again to rule the earth (Rev. 19:11-16; 20:1-6).

12.  Evil will come to an end in the eternal state (Rev. 20:10-15; 21-22).

Developing a solid biblical worldview means studying Scripture with a conscious mindset toward understanding the world, people, and history through the biblical lens.  It starts with an understanding of God and His character, then moves to an understanding of His creation, the origin of mankind, the beginning of sin, an understanding of Israel, the advent of the Savior, the necessity of the cross, free grace salvation, the coming of the Holy Spirit, an understanding of the Church, the rapture, the second coming of Jesus, the millennial reign of Christ, the end of evil, the eternal state, and other important doctrines.[iii]

Choose Righteous Friends

Making friends is common to humanity, as God created to us to have relationships with others.  However, because man is inherently sinful and lives in a system with values set against God, believers should be wise regarding who they associate with, as “bad associations corrupts good morals” (1 Cor. 15:33).

As Christians, we should love all men and seek to meet their needs, both spiritually and physically, if they’re willing to have them met.  However, close relationships should be developed over time, only as we get to know others, hearing their words and watching their ways, and feeling confident they are among the faithful righteous (Ps. 26:1-5; 101:1-8; Rom. 16:17-18; 1 Cor. 5:9-13; 15:33; 2 Cor. 6:14-17; 2 Thess. 3:14-15).  A righteous person will:

1.     Submit to God’s will (Jas. 4:7; cf. Rom. 12:1-2).

2.     Seek to glorify God (1 Cor. 10:31).

3.     Display a godly love (1 Cor. 13:4-8; 1 John 3:23).

4.     Speak biblical truth (Eph. 4:15, 25).

5.     Show humility (Eph. 4:1-2).

6.     Be forgiving (Matt. 18:21-22).

7.     Encourage others to do good works (Heb. 10:24).

8.     Want to fellowship with Christians (Heb. 10:25).

9.     Pray for others (2 Thess. 1:11).

10.  Build others up in the Lord (1 Thess. 5:11).

11.  Be devoted to fellow believers (Rom. 12:10).

12.  Live by faith (Rom. 1:17).

You will be blessed by choosing Christian friends who love the Lord and seek His will above all else.

Choose a Christian Spouse

The spiritual life advances in a unique direction when a husband and wife are growing together in the Lord.  The spiritual marriage consists of two believers who consistently submit to God the Holy Spirit and permit Him to accomplish His will in their lives as a couple.  When two believers, a man and a woman, unite together in Christian marriage and individually choose to love and live for Christ above each other, they will have a marriage marked by the highest Christian virtues that will sustain them throughout their marriage and they will know a joy that transcends the circumstances and trials of life.

In order to have a successful Christian marriage, it must be God centered, biblically based, and Spirit led.  The growth of the marriage is directly proportional to the spiritual growth of each individual believer.  As goes the spiritual walk of each believer, so goes the health of the marriage.  To achieve growth within a marriage each believer must have a biblical understanding of what is foundationally necessary for spiritual success.  The Bible is authoritative to speak to the Christian marriage and it must be studied, learned and lived.

For strength and unity to exist in a marriage, there must be a bond of commitment, and willingness to give of oneself for the wellbeing of the other.  Believers must always guard themselves against the weakening instinct of selfishness and consciously choose to live and love sacrificially for the benefit of the marriage partner.

Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others.  (Phil. 2:3-4)

The world often promotes a happy marriage, but God promotes a biblical marriage.  There’s a difference.  A biblical marriage is a healthy marriage, which conforms to God’s Word.  I’ve seen happy marriages that were not biblical, as the husband and wife lived in blatant sin, defying God’s Word in every way.  By worldly standards their marriage was a success, but biblically, it was a complete failure because God was given little or no place in their relationship.  I’ve also seen biblical marriages where both Christians struggled against the pressures of the world, yet they had a peace and joy that transcended their circumstances, because they trusted in the Lord and looked to Him in everything (Phil. 4:6-7).

Christians are to marry only other Christians who are “in the Lord” (1 Cor. 7:39).[iv]  The Christian should never knowingly marry an unbeliever, for this would join someone who is spiritually alive with someone who is spiritually dead.  The unbeliever cannot be spiritual or live in God’s will, for he resides in a perpetual state of spiritual death until he turns to Christ for salvation.  The Christian who knowingly marries an unbeliever is openly disobeying Scripture and asking for all sorts of problems.  It’s better to obey the Lord and marry a growing believer so blessing can come.

Choose a Good Bible Church

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.  (Heb. 10:23-25)

As Christians we are to “consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some” (Heb. 10:24-25).  Choosing a good Bible church is not simply for fellowship, but for prayer, worship, and above all, learning Scripture.  We learn how to pray because the Bible teaches us.  We learn good Christian fellowship because the Bible reveals what good Christian fellowship really is.  We learn to worship because the Bible teaches us what genuine worship ought to be.  The Bible alone provides the necessary information to live the Christian life, and if we close its pages, we know nothing.  Even what we think about God comes from what He has revealed about Himself in Scripture.  A good Bible church will place a priority on learning the Bible, because Scripture alone provides the necessary information that makes the other activities meaningful and proper.  Without a biblical basis, the church is just another social club.

A person becomes a member of the body of Christ—the church—when he believes in Jesus for salvation (Gal. 3:26-28; Eph. 1:22-23).  The church was not known in the OT but was revealed to the apostles in the New Testament (Eph. 3:1-12; 5:32; Col. 1:25-27).  The local church was identified geographically (1 Cor. 1:2; Col. 1:2; Rev. 2-3), and local churches met in people’s homes.

The churches of Asia greet you. Aquila and Prisca greet you heartily in the Lord, with the church that is in their house.  (1 Cor. 16:19)

Greet the brethren who are in Laodicea and also Nympha and the church that is in her house.  (Col. 4:15-16)

Biblically the church is ALWAYS an assembly of believers and NEVER a building!  Too often we say “we’re going to church” as though the church is located down the street.  A more correct way would be to say “the church meets” at such and such a location.  You can change the location, but the church, as the body of Christ, always consists of Christians who assemble for worship.

They [the first local church] were continually devoting themselves to the apostles' teaching [divine instruction] and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread [Lord’s Supper] and to prayer.  (Acts 2:42)

The church’s emphasis should always be on: 1) learning Scripture, 2) having quality fellowship, 3) partaking of the Lord’s Supper, and 4) praying together.  Certainly there can be other activities, but these four MUST be present and prioritized in every church.  Scripture never puts an emphasis on the quantity of members or the attractiveness of the facilities.  Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy a clean facility and I am not against numbers, I just don’t measure a church by those things.  Mormons have large congregations that meet in beautiful facilities; yet they’re spiritually dead because they’ve trusted in a false savior, having been led astray by a false prophet named Joseph Smith (Gal. 1:8-9).

It is a real blessing to get into a Bible church where the pastor teaches Scripture verse by verse, paying attention to the original languages of Hebrew and Greek when necessary, explaining the history and culture behind the text, and always giving the plain sense of the passage as the author intended it for his original audience.  A good pastor will bridge the language and historical gap, communicating the text in freshness with conviction.  Some characteristics of a good Bible church include:

1.     Expositional Bible teaching (Eph. 4:11-16).

2.     Love for one another (1 Thess. 3:11-12; 4:9; 1 Pet. 4:8; 1 Jo. 3:11, 23; 4:7, 11).

3.     Willingness to meet the needs of others (Phil. 2:3-4).

4.     Encouraging one another (1 Thess. 5:11).

5.     Edifying one another (Rom. 15:1-2; Eph. 4:29).

6.     Serving one another (Gal. 5:13).

7.     Being kind and forgiving one another (Eph. 4:32).

There are no perfect churches but there are mature ones in which mature believers place an emphasis on learning Scripture, showing love and grace, and striving to glorify God in all they do.  The growing church looks upward to God in faith, outward to others with the gospel, and inward to Christians with love (Col. 3:1-16).  The joy of good Christian fellowship is rewarding in so many ways as the growing believer benefits from, and adds to the spiritual prosperity of a church.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Allen, Kenneth W. “Justification by Faith” Bibliotheca Sacra, 135 (1978): 110-117.

Bauer, Walter. A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian

Literature. Revised and edited by Frederick W. Danker. 3rd ed. Chicago: University of

Chicago Press, 2000.

Brown, Francis, Driver, S.R. and Briggs, Charles A. The New Brown-Driver-Briggs-Gesenius

Hebrew-English Lexicon. Peabody, Mass.: Hendrickson Publishers 1979.

Chafer, Lewis S. “Angelology Part 4” Bibliotheca Sacra 99 (1942): 262-298.

Chafer, Lewis S. He that is Spiritual. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1967.

Chafer, Lewis S. “The Doctrine of Sin, Part 7” Bibliotheca Sacra 93 (1936): 268-279.

Chafer, Lewis S. The Epistle to the Ephesians. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, 1991.

Dean, Robert & Ice, Thomas. What the Bible Teaches About Spiritual Warfare. Grand Rapids:

Kregel Publications, 2000.

Enns, Paul. The Moody Handbook of Theology. Chicago: Moody Press, 1997.

Fruchtenbaum, Arnold G. Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology. Tustin: Ariel

Ministries, 2001.

Hoehner, Harold W. Ephesians, An Exegetical Commentary. Grand Rapids: Baker Book House

Co., 2002.

Kittel, Gerhard and Friedrich, Gerhard, eds. Theological Dictionary of the New Testament, 10

Vols. Grand Rapids: WM. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1978.

Lightner, Robert P. Handbook of Evangelical Theology. Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications,

1995.

New American Standard Bible Updated © 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

Pentecost, J. Dwight. Your Adversary the Devil. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1969.

Ryrie, Charles C. Balancing the Christian Life. Chicago: Moody Press, 1994.

Ryrie, Charles C. The Holy Spirit. Chicago: Moody Press, 1997.

Ryrie, Charles C. “What is Spirituality?” Bibliotheca Sacra 126 (1969): 205-213.

Unger, Merrill F. Justification: The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary. Chicago: Moody Press,

1988.

Unger, Merrill F. “The Significance of Pentecost” Bibliotheca Sacra (1965): 170-178.

Wallace, Daniel B. Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing,

1996.

Wiersbe, Warren. The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Vol. 2. Wheaton: Victor

Books, 2001.

Walvoord, John F. The Holy Spirit. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing, 1977.

Witmer, John A. Romans, the Bible Knowledge Commentary, Vol. 2. Wheaton: Victor Books,

1985.

ENDNOTES

[i] Bracketed words or comments found in the NASB quotations are mine and are added for clarification of the text.

[ii] Harold Hoehner, Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI., Baker Book House, 2002), 324.

[iii] Lewis S. Chafer, The Epistle to the Ephesians (Grand Rapids, MI., Kregel Publications, 1991), 63.

[iv] Henry Clarence Thiessen and Vernon D. Doerksen, Lectures in Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), 186.

[v] This truth is referred to as the Hypostatic Union, in which God the Son, the second member of the Trinity, through the virgin conception of Mary, took upon Himself true humanity without any contamination of sin.  In Hypostatic Union, Jesus lived a perfectly righteous life before God the Father by means of the Holy Spirit according to Scripture, overcame temptation, fulfilled every aspect of the Mosaic Law, willingly died as a substitute on a cross and bore the wrath of God that rightly belongs to sinful humanity, was buried, placed in a grave, rose on the third day, was personally witnessed alive by many, ascended to heaven, is now seated beside God the Father and making intercession for Christians on earth, and will physically return to earth after the Tribulation to establish His millennial kingdom.

[vi] Kenneth W. Allen, “Justification by Faith” Bibliotheca Sacra, 135 (1978): 112.

[vii] Merrill F. Unger, “Justification” The New Unger’s Bible Dictionary (Chicago: Moody Press, 1988), 729.

[viii] Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism (Chicago, Ill. Moody Press, 1995), 82.

[ix] For further reading on the subject of hermeneutics, I recommend Basic Biblical Interpretation by Roy B. Zuck, and Protestant Biblical Interpretation by Bernard Ramm.

[x] Charles C. Ryrie, Dispensationalism, 80-81.

[xi] David L. Cooper, The God of Israel (Los Angeles: Biblical Research Society, 1945), iii.

[xii] Paul P. Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, IL: Moody Press, 1989), 517.

[xiii] Ibid., 513.

[xiv] Ibid., 522.

[xv] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology: A Historical, Biblical, and Contemporary Survey and Review (Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Publications, 1995), 115.

[xvi] Merrill F. Unger, “The Significance of Pentecost” Bibliotheca Sacra (1965): 174.

[xvii] Lewis S. Chafer, He that is Spiritual (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1967), 26.

[xviii] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology: The Missing Link in Systematic Theology (Tustin, CA., Ariel Ministries, 2001), 476-477.

[xix] Henry Clarence Thiessen and Vernon D. Doerksen, Lectures in Systematic Theology (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 1979), 171.

[xx] Thomas Constable, Tom Constable’s Expository Notes on the Bible (Galaxie Software, 2003), Gal. 6:2.

[xxi] Arnold G. Fruchtenbaum, Israelology, 650-51.

[xxii] John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI., Zondervan Publishing, 1977), 132.

[xxiii] Lewis S. Chafer, He that is Spiritual (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1967), 33.

[xxiv] Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, Ill., Moody Press, 1997), 266.

[xxv] Ibid., 269.

[xxvi] Ibid., 269.

[xxvii] For a greater consideration, see “the Riches of Divine Grace” by Lewis S. Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. 3 (Grand Rapids, Mich., Kregel Publishing, 1993), pages 232-265.

[xxviii] Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, Ill., Moody Press, 1997), 175.

[xxix] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament, Vol. 2 (Colorado Springs, Col., Victor Publishing, 2001), 48.

[xxx] John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI., Zondervan Publishing, 1977), 192.

[xxxi] Lewis S. Chafer, He that is Spiritual (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1967), 43-44.

[xxxii] Charles C. Ryrie, “What is Spirituality?” Bibliotheca Sacra 126 (1969): 206.

[xxxiii] Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament, Vol. 2, 479.

[xxxiv] Charles Ryrie, Balancing the Christian Life (Chicago. Ill., Moody Press, 1994), 198.

[xxxv] Charles C. Ryrie, The Holy Spirit (Chicago, Ill. Moody Press, 1997), 165-166.

[xxxvi] Lordship Sanctification is the proper term used for this understanding.  All Christians are “justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus” (Rom. 3:24), and this is completely the work of God in grace.  However, spiritual advancement is predicated on the believer’s willingness to submit himself to Christ as the Lord of his life (Rom. 12:1-2).

[xxxvii] Paul Enns, The Moody Handbook of Theology (Chicago, Ill., Moody Press, 1997), 314.

[xxxviii] Charles Ryrie, Balancing the Christian Life (Chicago. Ill., Moody Press, 1994), 80.

[xxxix] John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI., Zondervan Publishing, 1977), 199-200.

[xl] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 3rd ed., rev. and ed. Fredrick William Danker (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000), 917.

[xli] John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit (Grand Rapids, MI., Zondervan Publishing, 1977), 197.

[xlii] Ibid., 198.

[xliii] Ibid., 197.

[xliv] Ibid., 200.

[xlv] Lewis S. Chafer, He that is Spiritual (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1967), 70.

[xlvi] John F. Walvoord, The Holy Spirit, 200.

[xlvii] Ibid., 201-202.

[xlviii] Ibid., 202.

[xlix] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary: New Testament, Vol. 2 (Colorado Springs, Col., Victor Publishing, 2001), 18.

[l] Lewis S. Chafer, He that is Spiritual (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1967), 112.

[li] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Vol. 2, 480.

[lii] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology (Grand Rapids, Mich., Kregel Publications, 1995), 206.

[liii] Ibid., 314.

[liv] J. Dwight Pentecost, Your Adversary the Devil (Grand Rapids, Mich., Zondervan Publishing, 1969), 25-26.

[lv] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Vol. 2, 18.

[lvi] J. Dwight Pentecost, Your Adversary the Devil, 139.

[lvii] Walter Bauer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, 562.

[lviii] Robert Dean, Thomas Ice, What the Bible Teaches About Spiritual Warfare (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Kregel Publications, 2000), 64.

[lix] Lewis S. Chafer, “Angelology Part 4” Bibliotheca Sacra 99 (1942): 282-283.

[lx] Robert P. Lightner, Handbook of Evangelical Theology, 206.

[lxi] Warren Wiersbe, The Bible Exposition Commentary, New Testament, Vol. 2, 18.

[lxii] Lewis Chafer, He that is Spiritual, 60-61.

[i] Lewis S. Chafer, He that is Spiritual (Grand Rapids, Mich. Zondervan Publishing, 1967), 59-60.

[ii] According to Scripture God is omniscient (Ps. 139:1-6; Matt. 6:31-33), omnipresent (Ps. 139:7-12; Heb. 13:5), omnipotent (Job 42:2; Isa. 40:28-29), sovereign (1 Chron. 29:11; Dan. 4:35; Acts 17:24-25), righteous (Ps. 11:7; 119:137), just (Ps. 9:7-8; 19:9; 50:6; 58:11), holy (Ps. 99:9), immutable (Ps. 102:26, 27; Mal. 3:6), truthful (2 Sam. 7:28; John 17:17; 1 John 5:20), loving (Jer. 31:3; 1 John 4:7-12, 16), faithful (Deut. 7:9; Lam. 3:23; 1 John 1:9), merciful (Ps. 86:15; Luke 6:36; Tit. 3:5), gracious (Ps. 111:4; 116:5; 1 Pet. 5:10), and eternal (Deut. 33:27; 1 Tim. 1:17).

[iii] Charlie Clough’s Biblical Framework series is highly recommended: http://www.bibleframework.com/

[iv] Some have sought to make Paul’s command “do not be bound together with unbelievers” apply to Christian marriage (2 Cor. 6:14).  Within its context, Paul was not talking about Christian marriage, but was commanding Christians in the church not to be united with false teachers.  However, one could argue that if one should not be bound together with an unbeliever in the church, how much more does that hold true in holy marriage?!

Table of Contents

Copyright

Other Books by Steven R. Cook:

Dedication

Preface

Introduction

From Death to Life

Spiritual Distinctions in the Church Age

The Work of the Spirit at Salvation

The Work of the Spirit after Salvation

The Believer’s Responsibility

Dealing with Personal Sin

The Sin Nature, the Devil, and the World

Making Good Choices

BIBLIOGRAPHY

ENDNOTES