The Work of the Spirit

What is the primary work of the Holy Spirit?

Last week we began a series - Life in the Spirit - that aimed to grow our understanding of the Holy Spirit. We went back to Jesus’s promise of the “advocate” and “Spirit of truth”, that is the Holy Spirit. While we talked about some of the titles for the Holy Spirit and its indication for His work in our life, we didn’t get at the primary work of the Holy Spirit.

You see, much emphasis has been placed on the Holy Spirit in some denominations or Christian circles. Often, the focus is on the particular gifts of the Spirit. The handing down of gifts is not the primary work of the Holy Spirit. Matter of fact, I think a focus on the gifts, at least without the foundational understanding we’ll develop today, misses the essential point.

So, you might rightfully expect that today I’m going to provide that essential foundation, an argument for the primary work of the Holy Spirit. Flatly, the essential work of the Holy Spirit is the shaping of the disciple into the likeness of Jesus Christ so we can display and proclaim His excellencies.

One author said it well, much better than I might. He wrote:

Who Is the Holy Spirit? Chapter Four: The Sanctifier

Among the persons of the Trinity, the Spirit is the principal actor who works for our sanctification, enabling the process by which we are conformed to the image of Christ and made holy.

Titus 3:4–8 HCSB

But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us — not by works of righteousness that we had done, but according to His mercy, through the washing of regeneration and renewal by the Holy Spirit. He poured out this Spirit on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that having been justified by His grace, we may become heirs with the hope of eternal life. This saying is trustworthy. I want you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed God might be careful to devote themselves to good works. These are good and profitable for everyone.

Celebrate Regeneration

The passage that is our focus this morning provides an opportunity to point out the value of contrasts in the scripture. Paul was speaking to Titus who was serving in a challenging context, among the Cretans. Here Paul offers some description of the disciples conduct with the world around them. He reminds the believer, as easy as it might have been to judge a people described as always lazy, liars, and evil, that they too had a history. They were a people who were “ foolish, disobedient, enslaved ....hateful”. The colorful list was sure to temper any form of celebration of self-righteousness. I think its fitting for the contemporary church to pause at such a comparison. We too were once the same as the very world around us. Now comes the power of the contrast. The source of our difference - the good news of Jesus.

That is exactly what Paul presents for Titus. “But when the kindness of God our Savior and His love for mankind appeared, He saved us -”

That is what makes all the difference! This is the power of the gospel - to change lives in a very real way. We go from the list of distasteful former qualities to reflecting the very love of God. How does this happen? The answer to that question is the very focus of our time this morning. Paul provides some insight into God’s activity in Salvation. The actor that is our focus this morning is the Holy Spirit.

See it’s the spirit who brings about “regeneration”. The word here means “to be born again”. One tool says:

Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament based on Semantic Domains 41.53 γεννάω ἄνωθεν; παλιγγενεσία, ας

to experience a complete change in one’s way of life to what it should be, with the implication of return to a former state or relation—‘to be born again, to experience new birth, rebirth.

Here Paul tells us this is the work of the Holy Spirit. This is not surprising. We can recall an oft-quoted conversation between Jesus and the Jewish priest - Nicodemus.

John 3:3–5 HCSB

Jesus replied, “I assure you: Unless someone is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” “But how can anyone be born when he is old?” Nicodemus asked Him. “Can he enter his mother’s womb a second time and be born?” Jesus answered, “I assure you: Unless someone is born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter the kingdom of God.

Here Jesus uses the language of a new birth as the measure of salvation. The language here is explicitly reflective of the Old Testament. Jesus is evoking language that would have clued the Jewish official that Jesus was bringing about an anticipated age of renewal (; )

Jesus Christ would make this spiritual new birth possible through the giving of himself to provide recompense for our offense against God. That is He would pay our sin debt so we could be declared righteous. Paul makes this point when he enumerates and contrasts the Spirit and the flesh in his letter to the Romans:

Romans 8:1–6 HCSB

Therefore, no condemnation now exists for those in Christ Jesus, because the Spirit’s law of life in Christ Jesus has set you free from the law of sin and of death. What the law could not do since it was limited by the flesh, God did. He condemned sin in the flesh by sending His own Son in flesh like ours under sin’s domain, and as a sin offering, in order that the law’s requirement would be accomplished in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. For those who live according to the flesh think about the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, about the things of the Spirit. For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace.

Romans 8:6–8 HCSB

For the mind-set of the flesh is death, but the mind-set of the Spirit is life and peace. For the mind-set of the flesh is hostile to God because it does not submit itself to God’s law, for it is unable to do so. Those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

This is the work of regeneration. We are no longer enslaved by the law of sin and death, but have been born of the Spirit to the newness of life. The old has been put to death. This is cause for celebration - that although we were dead in our trespasses and sin Jesus Christ has made us alive. Through the indwelling Spirit, the promised advocate and comforter we are no longer trapped to live according to our former ways.

Celebrate Renewal

Without the constant presence of God in our life, we would fall into patterns of damaging attitudes and conduct that do not serve the purposes of God. As believers we need to embrace a renewal by the Spirit. This is not a one time event, but rather a daily celebration of the new life that Jesus Christ brings forth in us.

Your question is likely “How do I embrace renewal.” The word for renewal here is found in only one other place in the New Testament. It’s a fitting verse to take up if we desire to understand how we experience renewal in a daily fashion.

Romans 12:2 HCSB

Do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may discern what is the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God.

You can see Paul calling the believer to transformation. Two simple letters point to the means of this transformation; “by”. “By” what? By the “renewing” of your mind. Now don’t mistake what I am saying. The transformation, that is the renewal, is not about intellectual pursuit or gaining knowledge. Rather, the renewing of the mind is about being submitted to the reality and truth of Jesus Christ and our relationship to Him that influences to the very core how we think, how we perceive the world, our attitudes, our desires…all that is the sum total of our mental and moral state of being is brought into conformity with the truth of Jesus.

Now, another question may arise. How is this renewal of the mind to take place? The answer lies in the object of our study this morning - the Holy Spirit. This renewal is the work of the Holy Spirit. I’m not chiding you this morning to study harder, behave better, come to church more often, look more like a Christian. No, I’m simply calling you to embrace the work that God the Holy Spirit is doing in your life right now! Surrender to Him!

Again, its not our attempts at righteousness that is our focus, but the work of the Holy Spirit. The work of the Holy Spirit and our renewal is spelled out by Paul in another place - . Let’s read that verse together -

Ephesians 4:23–24 HCSB

you are being renewed in the spirit of your minds; you put on the new self, the one created according to God’s likeness in righteousness and purity of the truth.

Ephesians 4:24 YLT

and to put on the new man, which, according to God, was created in righteousness and kindness of the truth.

Paul describes “regeneration” - much as we have this morning - the old self is gone. We “took off” the former way of life. Now, we are being renewed. I want to point our a couple special insights about this passage and the reality that we are “being renewed” in the spirit of our minds. The word, or verb, presented here as “renewed” is in the passive form. That is to say, the subject of the sentence is the recipient of the action - they are passive - the action is being carried out upon them.

If you need affirmation that God is at work in your life, here it lies. The very Spirit of God is at work in you today bringing renewal - giving you a passion for the things of God. This isn’t your doing - rather you are being renewed. This is not sermon on self-help, but rather a message that declares the power of God is at work bringing about a newness of life in you.

We are being renewed “according to God’s likeness”. That is the work of the Holy Spirit. As Paul writes to Titus and he describes something of the complex activities which faith in Christ instigates - not the least of which is renewal by the Holy Spirit.

The result and outcome is our ability to “discern the good, pleasing, and perfect will of God”. We embrace renewal by acknowledging the work of the Holy Spirit and surrendering to the reality that Jesus Christ in a very real way and daily basis is shaping us into His likeness.

Celebrate the Abundance

Isn’t it amazing that all that God does, He does in abundance. We aren’t filled with just a teeny bit of Spirit or merely enough. Instead, the scripture testifies that “He poured out this Spirit on us abundantly”.

That’s a cause for celebration. A cause for enthusiasm and rejoicing. The Lord Jesus has filled you abundantly with the power and presence of God to regenerate and renew your life! We can live in that reality on a daily basis!

Of course, I’d be remiss if I didn’t point out that key phrase that wraps up our focus this morning - “through Jesus Christ our Savior”. We can celebrate this morning because of the work of Jesus Christ. It is through Him that we find the joyful presence of God working to shape us into His image! The beginning of this is recognizing that it is through Jesus Christ.

If you are here today and you desire to experience regeneration and renewal - know that it comes only through Jesus Christ.