Austin Bible Church
God the Holy Spirit performs seven ministries for each Church Age believer at salvation. None of these functions or ministries make you feel better or feel differently. Although you may have had an emotional experience when you first believed in Jesus Christ, none of the Holy Spirit salvation ministries are associated with an emotional response. These seven salvation ministries form the basis for unity among believers.
The Holy Spirit is the member of the Trinity that provides the empowerment for each of us to live the spiritual life. Without Him, we could not have become saved even though we had positive faith belief, we could not learn any divine truths, and we could never have fellowship with God. Without His divine power in each of us, would have no power to function spiritually.
The Holy Spirit is the Agent of Regeneration
God the Holy Spirit is the agent of regeneration and acts in a two-step process whenever the Gospel is presented to an unbeliever. Salvation is all about God's grace. Since the unbeliever is spiritually dead and cannot understand spiritual things, God the Holy Spirit makes the Gospel clear and understandable to them. If the unbeliever expresses their free will to choose for Jesus Christ as Savior, the Holy Spirit takes their positive faith belief in Christ and carries that faith to the point of salvation. Without the ministry of God the Holy Spirit at salvation, none of us would have eternal salvation. John 10:27-28; Eph. 1:13-14; Eph. 2:8-9.
" "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me; and I give eternal life to them, and they will never perish; and no one will snatch them out of My hand. " (John 10:27-28, NASB)
"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." (Ephesians 1:13-14, NASB)
"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." (Ephesians 2:8-9, NASB)
We are born‑again as children of God and entered into God's family at the moment of salvation. God the Holy Spirit in grace acts as the agent of this new birth. God the Holy Spirit makes your faith effective for salvation and then seals it. See category on Regeneration.
The Believer Receives a Human Spirit
God the Holy Spirit, in His salvation ministry, creates a human spirit for each believer and imputes or provides it to them as one of the 40 things every Church Age believer receives at salvation. This is so that you have the spiritual apparatus – the grace apparatus for perception necessary for the intake of the Word of God. This is called regeneration. Titus 3:5; 1 Peter 1:23.
"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, NASB)
"for you have been born again not of seed which is perishable but imperishable, that is, through the living and enduring word of God." (1 Peter 1:23, NASB)
Regeneration is the technical term for being “born again.” Being born again is a result of faith in Jesus Christ, occurring at the instant you personally believe in Jesus Christ. The moment God the Holy Spirit creates a human spirit, God the Father imputes eternal life to that human spirit. The unbeliever has no human spirit and is called a “natural” man. 1 Cor. 2:14; John 3:6-7.
"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." (1 Corinthians 2:14, NASB)
" "That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. "Do not be amazed that I said to you, 'You must be born again.' " (John 3:6-7, NASB)
Unbelievers are natural to the exclusion of the human spirit. They do not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God for they are foolishness to them. They cannot understand them because they are discerned by means of the human spirit. The believer has a human spirit and is then equipped to understand the things of the Spirit of God. In 1 Corinthians 2:14, the Greek word for “spiritually appraised” is πνευματικῶς (pneumatikōs) and applies to the Christian who is spirit‑filled. It doesn't refer to the Holy Spirit, but to the human spirit. Therefore, the teaching of the Word of God gets into the human spirit before it becomes resident in the soul.
Pastor-teachers do not communicate God’s truth based on philosophy, rationalism, human reasoning, or empiricism. God’s truth has nothing to do with human wisdom. 1 Corinthians 2:12-13 talks about communicating spiritual truths or Bible doctrine to spiritual believers. If you are Spirit‑filled, you can understand the Word of God. You can understand this because of your human spirit. Bible doctrine is communicated by spiritual persons to a spiritual apparatus, or the human spirit, without which you cannot understand the Word 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. " (1 Corinthians 2:12-13, NASB)
We understand the doctrine of being a child of God because we are filled with the Spirit. That doctrinal information gets into the human spirit before it becomes objectively comprehended and before it becomes full knowledge (epignosis) in the right lobe of the soul. The presence of a human spirit is essential to learning God’s Word. The unbeliever only has a body and a soul and without a human spirit.
Thank God for that salvation ministry of the Holy Spirit creating the human spirit so that we have a body, soul, and spirit. Without that, we would be minus a spiritual mechanism to handle any incoming spiritual information. Bible doctrine has to get into the human spirit before it can become resident either in the left or right lobe of the soul. 1 Thess. 5:23; Philemon 1:25. See category on Regeneration.
"Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23, NASB)
"The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit." (Philemon 1:25, NASB)
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
Every believer in the Church Age is placed into union with Jesus Christ at the moment of salvation by the Holy Spirit. This is not optional! It does not occur after salvation. The word baptism means to be “identified with.” We become identified with the Lord Jesus Christ at the point of salvation. As a result of being in union with Christ, we share what Christ has. We share His eternal life, His righteousness, His destiny, His election, and His royalty. We are identified with the Lord Jesus Christ as He is seated at the Father's right hand. This is called Positional Truth. 1 Cor. 12:13; Eph 4:5.
"For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:13, NASB)
"one Lord, one faith, one baptism," (Ephesians 4:5, NASB)
In 1 Corinthians 12:13, the phrase “we were all baptized” states that all are baptized, not just some. The phrase “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body” means the Holy Spirit did all the work and we all become members of the Body of Christ. All believers were baptized by one Spirit into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, slaves or free. The phrase “we were all made to drink of one Spirit” refers to the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Gal. 3:26-28.
"For you are all sons of God through faith in Christ Jesus. For all of you who were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free man, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus." (Galatians 3:26-28, NASB)
The believer’s union with Christ resulting from the Baptism of the Holy Spirit is permanent. You can never get out. There is no sin or evil you can do that will separate you from Christ. Not even God can do this because He is immutable and cannot change His perfect decisions. The Baptism of the Spirit is the unifying factor in the Body of Christ. We have equal privilege and opportunity to execute God's plan for our lives. See category on Baptism of the Holy Spirit.
The Indwelling of the Holy Spirit
In the Church Age, the permanent indwelling of the Holy Spirit prepares a suitable residence in the body of every believer for the permanent indwelling of Jesus Christ as the Shekinah Glory and for the permanent indwelling of God the Father. This all occurs at the moment of salvation. This makes the body of the believer the sanctuary or temple of God. 1 Cor. 3:16-17; 1 Cor. 6:19-20.
"Do you not know that you are a temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17, NASB)
"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? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body." (1 Corinthians 6:19-20, NASB)
Every Christian is indwelt with the Holy Spirit at the point of salvation so that the Shekinah Glory of Christ can be a reality within our lives. That Shekinah Glory comes from the filling of the Spirit. The glory of God in the Old Testament times emanated from the pillar of cloud by day and from the pillar of fire by night. It was the sign to the Jews that they were under blessing and that they could continue to anticipate blessing from God. When you are filled with the Spirit today in the Church Age, you are under blessing and you anticipate continued blessing from God. That's why our bodies are temples for the Holy Spirit. It's like the tabernacle and temple of the Old Testament ‑ the Shekinah Glory resided there. This glory is inside us and is manifested in blessing as we are controlled by God the Holy Spirit. Rom. 8:9.
"However, you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him." (Romans 8:9, NASB)
Romans 8:9 means that the Spirit of God does indeed indwell every believer and that you cannot be a believer and not have it. The title “the Spirit of Christ” is a functional title for God the Holy Spirit. God the Holy Spirit indwells and when He controls the soul, He reproduces the virtues of the character of Jesus Christ. That's how we follow in His footsteps. John 15:26.
" "When the Helper comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, that is the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father, He will testify about Me, " (John 15:26, NASB)
It is always the ministry of the Holy Spirit to lift up and glorify the Lord Jesus Christ in the Church Age. This is accomplished as we are controlled by the Spirit, because the fruit of the Spirit is simply a pen portrait of the character of Jesus Christ. Being filled with the Spirit a maximum amount of the time on a daily basis means that you are spiritually mature. We are reproducing the character of Christ to a maximum degree at spiritual maturity. As you take in the Word and grow spiritually, you will be filled with the Spirit on a daily basis for a maximum amount of the time. When you find you're out of fellowship, you just recover through confession of sin. You then believe that you're forgiven and cleansed and filled with the Spirit once again. Your life is going to be characterized by love, joy, peace and all these virtues that God the Holy Spirit was sent to produce within our lives. See category on Holy Spirit, Indwelling.
The Sealing Ministry of the Holy Spirit
Every believer is baptized by the Spirit and sealed by the Spirit. Every Church Age believer is going to be at the Rapture of the Church and will receive his or her resurrection body. The sealing work of the Holy Spirit is the basis of our eternal security and occurs at the moment of salvation. Eph. 4:30; Eph. 1:13; 2 Cor. 1:22; 2 Tim. 2:19.
"Do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption." (Ephesians 4:30, NASB)
"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," (Ephesians 1:13, NASB)
“who also sealed us and gave us the Spirit in our hearts as a pledge.” (2 Corinthians 1:22, NASB)
“Nevertheless, the firm foundation of God stands, having this seal, "The Lord knows those who are His," and, "Everyone who names the name of the Lord is to abstain from wickedness."” (2 Timothy 2:19, NASB)
Sealing is God the Holy Spirit’s signature guarantee of the believer’s eternal life at the point of salvation. When God the Father imputes eternal life to the believer’s newly created human spirit, God the Holy Spirit seals that eternal life. There is nothing you can do or God can do to break this seal. We are in the plan of God. We belong to God. The Holy Spirit ratifies the New Covenant of salvation. The Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our eternal security.
The phrase “day of redemption” in Ephesians 4:30 implies deliverance. We will be delivered from the very presence of sin by the Rapture of the Church. The day of redemption is the Rapture of the Church. We will be changed and forever after be in our perfect resurrection bodies.
This is a very important and rational approach to the doctrine of eternal security, because the seal refers to an official stamp used in the ancient world. In the ancient world, a king who wanted to have an official communication delivered to one of his provinces would wrap up the scroll to be delivered, take the seal, dip it in hot wax, and put it on the parchment. He would then close it and have it delivered. It would then be a sealed delivery. That seal could not be broken until it reached its final destination. It could go anywhere in the realm. If the messenger were stopped or questioned, all he had to do was show the seal of the king to guarantee his safe passage and delivery of the message.
We receive the Holy Spirit at salvation as a down payment and as a seal of God’s approval. God is able to make all of the installments necessary to take us right on through to the Rapture of the Church. The sealing ministry of the Holy Spirit is the guarantee of our safe arrival. See category on Holy Spirit, Sealing.
Spiritual Gifts from the Holy Spirit
God the Holy Spirit is the sovereign executive who distributes spiritual gift(s) to every believer at the point of salvation. He gives the type of spiritual gift(s) to each individual believer at the moment of salvation as He desires sovereignly. That was true of all temporary spiritual gifts from 30 to 96 A.D. and is true of all permanent gifts given throughout the Church Age. 1 Cor 12:11; Heb 2:4.
"But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills." (1 Corinthians 12:11, NASB)
"God also testifying with them, both by signs and wonders and by various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will." (Hebrews 2:4, NASB)
Prior to the Day of Pentecost, the deity of Jesus Christ distributed spiritual gifts to the believers during His ministry on earth. There were no spiritual gifts distributed in prior dispensations. Spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit are the work of God for each of us according to His plan. The distribution of spiritual gifts is the basis for administration and service within the Body of Christ. Spiritual gifts become automatically operational as the believer matures spiritually.
You should never have a superiority or inferiority complex over your spiritual gift(s). You may have the spiritual gift of Helps and assist others in the local church by preparing the meeting auditorium and classrooms before everyone arrives for Bible class. Others may have an administrative spiritual gift and keep the church running and be a part of the deacon board. No matter what your gift from God, it’s all grace! Accept it and keep on moving spiritually! God the Holy Spirit knows exactly which gift is best for your soul and personality. Your personality is simply the way you express your soul and God knows what spiritual gift is best for you. See category on Spiritual Gifts.
The Filling of the Holy Spirit
At the moment of salvation, every believer is filled with the Holy Spirit. The original Christians were Jewish Age believers, but when they were baptized by the Spirit after the Day of Pentecost, they were filled with the Spirit and they evangelized in the Spirit. The principle here is that at the moment you become a Christian, you are filled with the Spirit. You regain the filling of God the Holy Spirit afterwards through the confession of known sins to God the Father whenever necessary. Once filled with the Spirit, you can now take in the Word of God on a daily basis. Acts 1:5.
" for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." " (Acts 1:5, NASB)
The filling of the Holy Spirit is mandated for the Church Age believer. There is also a mandate against drunkenness, whether it's with wine or other alcoholic beverages. In Ephesians 5:18, the word “dissipation” means wasteful consumption or indulgence in sensual pleasure or debauchery. Drunkenness will always lead to some type of debauchery or wasteful activity. An intoxicated person is controlled by the alcohol that they have imbibed, but the person who is filled with the Spirit is controlled by the Spirit. The Greek verb for the phrase “be filled” is πληρόω (plēroō) and means to be filled up, to be full and overflowing, to be fully influenced, and to be fully controlled. When you drink alcoholic beverages, it goes inside you and changes you on the outside. Instead of doing that, you should be filled with the Spirit on the inside, which will change you from the inside out. Eph 5:18; Gal 5:16.
"And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit," (Ephesians 5:18, NASB)
"But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh." (Galatians 5:16, NASB)
What greater thing could happen to your life on a daily basis than to be filled a maximum amount of the time, every day, and be fully controlled and influenced by God the Holy Spirit? The Holy Spirit never works apart from the Word of God. It is always the power of the Word that enables us to be controlled by Him a maximum amount of the time, on a daily basis!
It’s always rewarding to a pastor-teacher to be told by those in his congregation that the teaching of the Word has changed them from the inside out. Doctrinal teaching should change your life. That's what the spiritual life is all about! Your life should be changed from the inside out with God the Holy Spirit being in control. The change in your behavior comes from a change in your thought pattern of the soul.
When the believer is filled with the Spirit, they are under the enabling power of the Spirit, which continues as long as they do not sin. So the spiritual life is the place of the filling of the Spirit.
When we sin, we lose the filling of the Holy Spirit and enter into carnality where our old sin nature controls our soul. In sin, we either grieve or quench the Spirit. To recover the filling of the Holy Spirit, we must name our known sins to God the Father based on 1 John 1:9. Only then can we be guaranteed that we are again filled with the Spirit. See category on the Filling of the Holy Spirit.
"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, NASB)