The Working of The Holy Spirit II

Introduction

Romans 8:1 NKJV

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

To start with, let’s use a hypothetical example to start this off and help us to understand hopefully what the apostle Paul is saying.

I will use a preacher as an example, although it could pertain to anyone. This preacher is saved, Spirit-filled, with several gifts of the Holy Spirit flowing through him and is genuinely being used of God. However, in spite of everything I just described, he simply cannot live a victorious life in Christ.

What is the problem?

Let’s also use a second example, we will choose a layperson who has only been saved a few months. He has heard teachings pertaining to the Cross and how the Holy Spirit works. Although this particular person is not baptized with the Holy Spirit and has just recently given his heart to Christ, he is still able to live a victorious life.

Victory over the world, the flesh, and the devil-growing in grace and the knowledge of the Lord, and be what he ought to be in Christ Jesus.

What’s wrong with this picture?

The preacher in the first example may not fully understand about the Cross of Christ relative to sanctification. In other words, how we are supposed to live for God. Consequently, while God can definitely use him, he will continue to struggle with victory over certain areas of his life.

The baptism of the Holy Spirit is a gift. The gifts of the Spirit fall into the same category. Therefore, the Lord will use them in the life of those He has given the gifts to.

The distinction I want to make here is this;

Living a life of spiritual failure, even if the Lord is using a person, will sooner or later produce adverse circumstances, sometimes very severe ones. While God is patient, loving, kind, and long-suffering, still, sin always takes a deadly toll.

We need to be careful to not come to a misunderstanding here. The layperson that is living a victorious life but is not yet baptized with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in tongues, will not really do much for the cause of Christ outside themselves. I bring up the evidence of speaking in tongues because we believe the Bible teaches that it accompanies all Spirit-filled people.

The Ideal

The ideal for any believer is that they will be baptized with the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking with other tongues, which was given for empowerment to serve the Lord effectively.

Acts 1:8 NKJV

But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”

The Holy Spirit will also assist the believer to understand the Cross of Christ with regard to our everyday life and service to God. They will understand as we have already stated that the Holy Spirit works exclusively within the parameters of the finished work of Christ and our focused faith in it.

The sad reality is, that there a great number of preachers that do not understand how sanctification works in relation to the Cross. Therefore, if sanctification is not understood, how to live for God on a daily basis is lost to most believers. You may even be used of the Lord, yet feel powerless to have victory over areas of sin in your life. The sin nature seeks to dominate such people to the point that they want to give up.

The Holy Spirit

The baptism in the Holy Spirit is accompanied by speaking with other tongues and is given to us for service to God’s Kingdom. This is entirely different than having the Holy Spirit living within you at the moment of regeneration (salvation).

The Holy Spirit comes into the heart and life of every person who is born again and brings victory over the world, the flesh, and the Devil.

As I stated on Sunday, if your main thought about the Holy Spirit is that His sole occupation is to help create a better version of you, the bigger picture is being missed entirely. He does that through the process of sanctification throughout the course of one’s lifetime. So many Christians are so stuck on this aspect of their walk with God that they rarely if ever walk in the power God has for them to do might exploits in the wonderful name of Jesus!

We need both sides of the equation to be operating in our lives simultaneously.

Let me say it another way;

“The initial work of the Holy Spirit is primarily inward and therefore does little externally for the Lord. The second work of the Holy Spirit makes one fruitful for the Lord, but not victorious.”

Victorious Living

Romans 8:1 NKJV

There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit.

Some have referred to the opening of the 8th chapter of Romans as the dynamics of the Holy Spirit.

Yet the translators made it seem as if Paul was basing his assertion on the saint’s conduct. But the truth is , Paul bases his teaching upon one’s position in Christ and not one’s conduct.

Don’t misunderstand me to mean that conduct is not important, it most certainly is. Yet it is the POSITION of a believer that is the key to everything taught by the apostle.

Romans 3 is God declaring the sinner righteous, and the theme of this 8th chapter is God making the believer holy.

We need to realize the difference between being justified through Christ and being sanctified holy, or conformed to His image.

Romans 5:12–21 NKJV

Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned— (For until the law sin was in the world, but sin is not imputed when there is no law. Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who had not sinned according to the likeness of the transgression of Adam, who is a type of Him who was to come. But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life. For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous. Moreover the law entered that the offense might abound. But where sin abounded, grace abounded much more, so that as sin reigned in death, even so grace might reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.

Despite all of your current problems, if you are “in Christ”, there is no condemnation despite the problems.